FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The fourth-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team got 2018 started in style this morning when it kicked off action at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Bombers were dominant in their opening match of the day, scoring a 34-4 victory over previously undefeated and 21^st-ranked Centenary (N.J.). The win improves IC's record to 5-1 in duals on the year.
 
Entering the day coming off a nearly month-long layoff spanning semester final exams and the first half of winter break, the nationally-ranked Bombers showed little rust against a Centenary outfit that was easily the program's stiffest dual-meet competition to-date. IC scored victories in 9-of-10 bouts to run away with the dual win.
 
Ithaca began the day with five grapplers ranked in at least one of the two major wrestling polls (NWCA, d3wrestle.com). Fielding its most complete lineup of the year, all five came away with triumphs.
 
Close bouts were the theme during the early portion of the dual. Junior 125-pounder Ferdinand Mase got IC on the board first with a 5-2 decision over Tyreek Staton, while sophomore 133-pound entrant Tito Colom took extra time to best Centenary's Dino Cancellieri 4-2 in the first sudden-victory period. The win for Mase improved his record to 12-2 on the year, while Colom's triumph was his 16^th of the season.
 
The best two overall matchups of the day came in the following two bouts, as Ithaca grapplers faced nationally-ranked opponents in both the 141-pound and 149-pound weights. Sophomore Ben Brisman continued to turn heads as one of the top under-the-radar wrestlers at 141-pounds. Squaring off against consensus nationally-ranked Maxwell Nauta (6^th NWCA | 8^th d3wrestle.com), it was IC's second-year ace that came out on top in a hard-fought 8-7 decision.
 
The first of two ranked-on-ranked battles in the match occurred at 149-pounds, as IC's returning All-American sophomore Sammy Schneider (4^th NWCA | 4^th d3wrestle.com) faced Centenary's Christopher Muce (5^th NWCA | 8^th d3wrestle.com). Wrestling just his second competition at the 149-pound weight, Schneider kept IC's momentum rolling in a 7-4 decision that upped his record to 16-2 on the year and 4-0 dual meet bouts.
 
Ithaca stretched its advantage even wider when junior transfer Austin Whitney (10^th d3wrestle.com) received a forfeit at 157-pounds. Ithaca led 18-0 at the halfway point of the tilt.
 
The 165-pound weight also witnessed a ranked-on-ranked contest, as senior standout Nick Velez (2^nd NWCA | 2^nd d3wrestle.com) took on Alec Donovan (7^th d3wrestle.com). The bout was the second one to go extra rounds in the match, but Velez outlasted Donovan to take a 4-3 win in the second tiebreaker period.
 
Shifting back down to the 174-pound weight class, senior Jaison White clinched the match for IC. He scored a late takedown to seal a 4-1 decision over Jordan Juliano to widen Ithaca's lead to 24-0 with just three bouts remaining.
 
The first of Ithaca's two bonus-point victories in the matchup came at 184-pounds, as junior Jake Ashcraft (4^th NWCA | 5^th d3wrestle.com) continued to obliterate his opposition in impressive fashion. IC's third-year stud locked in his 11^th pin in the season in just 49-seconds to make the score 30-0.
 
Centenary's lone win of the day came at 197-pounds, as consensus-ranked Etiini Udott (9^th NWCA | 8^th d3wrestle.com) pulled away from sophomore Dalton Elias in a 19-7 major decision. Junior Jake O'Brien (5^th NWCA | 3^rd d3wrestle.com) put the cap on the match with a 19-10 major decision victory over Nick Rivera.
 
The Bombers will be back in action later this afternoon when they face sixth-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater at 3:00 p.m.
 
#4 Ithaca 34 – #21 Centenary (N.J.) 4
125 LB | Ferdinand Mase (ITHACA) def. Tyreek Staton (CENTENARY) | DEC: 5-2
133 LB | Tito Colom (ITHACA) def. Dino Cancellieri (CENTENARY) | SV-1: 4-2
141 LB | Ben Brisman (ITHACA) def. No. 6/8 Maxwell Nauta (CENTENARY) | DEC: 8-7
149 LB | No. 4/4 Sammy Schneider (ITHACA) def. No. 5/8 Chris Muce (CENTENARY) | DEC: 7-4
157 LB | No. 10 Austin Whitney (ITHACA) receives forfeit
165 LB | No. 2/2 Nick Velez (ITHACA) def. No. 7 Alec Donovan (CENTENARY) | TB-2: 4-3
174 LB | Jaison White (ITHACA) def. Jordan Juliano (CENTENARY) | DEC: 4-1
184 LB | No. 4/5 Jake Ashcraft (ITHACA) def. Jeremy Nurnberger (CENTENARY) | FALL: 0:49
197 LB | No. 9/8 Etiini Udott (CENTENARY) def. Dalton Elias (ITHACA) | MD: 19-7
285 LB | No. 5/3 Jake O'Brien (ITHACA) def. Nick Rivera (CENTENARY) | MD: 19-10