ITHACA, N.Y. – The Bombers, ranked 14th in the preseason coaches’ poll, opened their season with a second-place finish at the 25th Annual Ithaca Invitational. Ithaca, which saw seven wrestlers place in the top six,  trailed only eighth-ranked New Jersey in the team standings.

Sophomore Willie Horwath (Liberty/Bethlehem, Pa.) won his first career tournament title, posting four wins at 141 pounds. Seeded first, Horwath posted two major decisions and a fall to reach the final, where he beat the seventh seed 6-3.

 

At 174 pounds, freshman David Priest (Wyomissing/Douglassville, Pa.) opened his career with four wins to reach the final. Along the way, he knocked off the fifth, fourth and top-seeded wrestlers (the latter two are ranked ninth and eighth, respectively, in the preseason poll) before dropping a 4-1 decision to the tournament’s seventh seed.

Sophomores Jon Gregory (Phillipsburg/Phillipsburg, N.J.) and Chad Winowich (Abington Heights/Clarks Summit, Pa.) placed third and fifth, respectively, at 125 pounds. Gregory, seeded fifth, won three straight (including a victory over the fourth seed) before dropping to the consolation bracket where he beat Winowich in the consolation semifinal round. Winowich pinned his first two opponents. Gregory beat the ninth seed 6-2 in the third/fourth-place match and Winowich was a 5-1 winner over the number sixth seed in the fifth/sixth-place match.

 

Sophomore Blaine Woszczak (Wall/Manasquan, N.J.) took fourth at 149 pounds. Unseeded, he pinned his first two opponents and went 7-2 (including a win over the fourth seed).

Sophomore Justin Seifried (Mohawk Central/Herkimer), ranked sixth in the preseason poll, placed fourth. Seeded first, he won two matches by fall.

 

Sophomore John Dale (North Penn/Lansdale, Pa.) took fifth at 165 pounds. The fifth seed, he recorded three wins (including two major decisions) in the championship round.

Junior heavyweight Bryan Dine (Merrimack/Merrimack, N.H.) won four straight matches (including one over the fourth seed) before being eliminated.

 

Freshman Junior Amazan (Uniondale/Hempstead) went 3-2 at 133 pounds, winning his first two matches (including one by fall).

Sophomore Scott Edwards (Liberty/Bethlehem, Pa.) went 3-2 with a fall at 157 pounds. Freshman Brandon Stark (Central Bucks South/Warrington, Pa.) also went 3-2, winning his first two bouts at 174 pounds.

At 149 pounds, junior John Paxos (Roxbury/Succasunna, N.J.), seeded fifth, and freshman Nick Sanko (Hamburg Area/Lenhartsville, Pa.) won a pair of bouts before being eliminated.

 

Wrestling at 125 pounds, freshman John Scheidell (Council Rock North/Richboro, Pa.) went 2-2 in his collegiate debut as did classmate Scott Mack (Governor Livingston/Berkeley Heights, N.J.) at 174.

 

Sophomore Justin Berdysz (Garfield Heights/Garfield Heights, Ohio) beat the sixth seed at 184 pounds before being eliminated. At 157 pounds, sophomore Joshua Starks (La Salle Institute/Sharon Springs) and freshman Shane Irish (Iolami/Honolulu, Hawaii) both went 1-2 in their first collegiate tournament.

 

Eight other Bombers competed at the season-opening event: freshman Andrew Hutchins (Orchard Park/Orchard Park) , 141; sophomore Simon Ho (Academic Magnet/North Charleston, S.C.), 149; freshman Steve Andolena (Ramsey/Ramsey, N.J.) and senior Gregory Davis (Alfred-Almond/Almond), 157; junior Greg Hatheway (Marshwood/Elliot, Maine), 165; junior Jesse Lora (Herbert H. Lehman/Bronx), 174;  and freshman Jamie Facenda (James Madison/Vienna, Va.) and junior AJ Rosenburg (Deerfield/Deerfield, Ill.), 184.

Complete results