ITHACA, N.Y. – The sixth-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team made its long-awaited return to competition on South Hill on Sunday, welcoming SUNY Oneonta, Wesleyan (Conn.) and Williams for a quad-style dual meet inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers had an excellent day, improving to 9-4 in dual competition on the year with three impressive victories.
 
Highlighting the day was a special ceremony, as the Bombers honored eight senior members in the Class of 2019. Honored in today's ceremony were: Jake Ashcraft, Anthony Fano, Jawan Jones, Greg Lee, Ferdinand Mase, Jake O'Brien, Joe Rorick, and Chris Wymer.
 
Read further for a detailed breakdown of the day's action.
 
#6 Ithaca 27 – Oneonta 12
125 LB: Ferdinand Mase (ITHACA) def. Michael Savello (ONEONTA) | FALL: 4:16
133 LB: Tito Colom (ITHACA) def. Andrew Desousa (ONEONTA) | TF: 23-6
141 LB: Ahken Chu (ONEONTA) def. Chris Wymer (ITHACA) | DEC: 7-2
149 LB: Tyler Brazinski (ONEONTA) def. Demetri D'Orsaneo (ITHACA) | DEC: 8-6
157 LB: Jawan Jones (ITHACA) def. Daniel Murphy (ONEONTA) | DEC: 9-3
165 LB: Thomas Marrone (ONEONTA) def. Graden Alpert (ITHACA)  | DEC: 8-2
174 LB: Eze Chukwuezi (ITHACA) def. Jacob Mansmar (ONEONTA) | MD: 11-3
184 LB: Jake Ashcraft (ITHACA) def. Ryan Marszal (ONEONTA) | FALL: 1:24
197 LB: Dalton Elias (ITHACA) def. Peter Pjetri (ONEONTA) | DEC: 13-10
285 LB: James Bethel (ONEONTA) def. Jake O'Brien (ITHACA) | DEC: 3-1
 
Ithaca got off to a quick start against its ECWC conference rival in the opening match of the day, pulling out to a big early lead with a pair of convincing victories in the lowest two weight-classes. Senior Ferdinand Mase got the party started at 125-pounds, rolling out to a big 10-4 advantage in the opening period, before taking SUNY Oneonta's Michael Savello to his back for the six-point fall 1:16 into second frame. Colom followed with a clinical effort against the Red Dragon's Andrew Desousa, racking up takedowns and near-fall points at will in a 23-6 technical fall through just two periods. The pair of results jettisoned IC to an 11-0 advantage.
 
The Red Dragons punched back in the next two weight-classes, earning a pair of hard-fought wins to carve into the Ithaca lead. First, Ahken Chu was able to control matters in a 7-2 decision over Ithaca senior 141-pounder Chris Wymer. Tyler Brazinski followed for the visitors with a narrow 8-6 decision against Demetri D'Orsaneo. It was 11-6 Ithaca heading into the swing bout at 157-pounds.
 
The Bombers turned to another senior at 157-pounds and Jawan Jones certainly responded with a big effort to cut the Oneonta run. Working a variety of moves and utilizing his speed advantage over his opponent, Jones connected on a pair of blast-doubles and cemented a 9-3 decision over Daniel Murphy to widen the Ithaca team lead at 14-6.
 
The visitors answered back at 165-pounds with Thomas Marrone controlling matters from start-to-finish in an 8-2 decision. However, the Bombers kicked into a high gear with three successive victories to see out the win over the Red Dragons.
 
First-year Eze Chukwuezi started the run at 174-pounds, utilizing a blend of strength and speed in a dominant 11-3 major decision that put the Bombers in position to clinch the match. It was senior Jake Ashcraft that did the honors at 184-pounds, wasting little time putting Oneonta's Ryan Marszal to the mat for a pin at 1:24. The victory widened IC's advantage to an insurmountable 24-9 lead with two bouts to go.
 
Perhaps the most entertaining bout of the early session came in the final win of that aforementioned three-bout stretch, with junior Dalton Elias scoring a thrilling 13-10 win over Peter Pjetri at 197-pounds. SUNY Oneonta's wrestler jumped out to an early advantage with a couple first-period takedowns in the bout, but Elias showcased his endurance to wear down Pjetri as the match continued. He ultimately clinched the decision with a pair of takedowns with under a minute left to score the victory.
 
The marquee matchup of the morning session was the battle at heavyweight between unanimous No. 2-ranked James Bethel and Ithaca's Top-5 senior Jake O'Brien. It was as close a battle as you would expect between two foes who have become quite accustomed to each other over the past three years. O'Brien earned a second period escape to lead 1-0, but Bethel equaled that mark with an escape in the third. Both wrestlers appeared to be in on potential winning shots in the final minute. Unfortunately, O'Brien was unable to finish off his chance, while Bethel did capitalize to score a takedown with under 20-seconds remaining in the 3-1 decision.
 
#6 Ithaca 30 – Wesleyan (Conn.) 12
125 LB: Ferdinand Mase (ITHACA) def. Zack Murillo (WESLEYAN) | DEC: 11-4
133 LB: Tito Colom (ITHACA) def. Tristan Stetson (WESLEYAN) | DEC: 5-1
141 LB: Chris Wymer (ITHACA) receives forfeit
149 LB: Shane Ross (WESLEYAN) def. Demetri D'Orsaneo (ITHACA) | DEC: 9-8
157 LB: Jawan Jones (ITHACA) def. Aaron Goldman (WESLEYAN) | FALL: 4:03
165 LB: Roy Forys (WESLEYAN) def. Austin Whitney (ITHACA) | DEC: 6-4
174 LB: Marco Gaita (WESLEYAN) def. Eze Chukwuezi (ITHACA) | DEC: 6-5
184 LB: Jake Ashcraft (ITHACA) def. Duncan Kreutter (WESLEYAN) | FALL: 1:17
197 LB: Simon Chee (WESLEYAN) def. Dalton Elias (ITHACA) | DEC: 10-4
285 LB: Jake O'Brien (ITHACA) def. Harrison Karp (WESLEYAN) | FALL: 3:09
 
After a brief intermission to honor its Class of 2019 in a special Senior Day ceremony, the Bombers were right back on the mat to face a Wesleyan squad that had designs on spoiling the day for IC. It would not be the case, as another fast start paved the way to a comfortable win for the home team.
 
IC raced out to another hefty advantage through the first three bouts. Mase continued to look much like his usual self, controlling matters handily in an 11-4 decision over Zack Murillo. The 133-pound bout was lower scoring, but Colom was able to connect on a couple shots and was never really threatened in a 5-1 decision over Tristan Stetson. After a received forfeit by Wymer at 141-pounds, Ithaca already had a 12-0 lead heading into the middle bouts.
 
The 149-pound bout continued to be a bugaboo for IC, as Wesleyan was able to get on the board. The Cardinals' Shane Ross was able to hold off a furious stretch run by Ithaca's D'Orsaneo who was pressing to pull ahead in a strong third period. Sadly, the comeback run fell short in a 9-8 decision.
 
Much like the first match of the day, Jones ensured that Ithaca would carry momentum into the second half of the match. The senior got off to a solid start, but saved his best for the second period. Engaged with Wesleyan's Aaron Goldman near the edge of the circle, Jones was able to leverage himself from a disadvantageous position to tilt Goldman into a cradle. While the Cardinal grappler was able to resist for roughly 10-seconds, Jones locked in the fall at 4:03, which was the senior's third of the season.
 
Ithaca received a bit of a scare at 165-pounds, as junior Austin Whitney sustained what looked to be a potentially serious injury to his knee early in the bout. After a minute of injury time, Whitney decided to give it a go in a gutsy performance. Although clearly dealing with some pain, he was able to claw back into his bout against Wesleyan's Roy Forys, notching a pair of late takedowns. Pressing for an equalizer, Forys played some keep-away down the stretch, but was not docked for stalling, leaving Whitney on the short end of a 6-4 decision.
 
After a Marco Gaita 6-5 decision over Ithaca's Chukwuezi at 174-pounds, the Bombers again turned to Ashcraft to provide the clincher. The senior delivered for the second time in as many bouts, taking Duncan Kreutter's shoulders to the mat just 1:17 into the contest for his second pin of the day. The win elevated Ithaca to a 24-9 edge in the match. O'Brien delivered the cap to the match, bouncing back from the hard-luck defeat to Bethel with his sixth pin of the season and the Bombers third of the dual against the Cardinals. He wrapped Wesleyan's Harrison Karp into the cradle and scored the fall just 10-seconds into the second period.
 
#6 Ithaca 39 – Williams 10
125 LB: Ferdinand Mase (ITHACA) def. David Yeh (WILLIAMS) | MD: 12-0
133 LB: Tito Colom (ITHACA) def. Dietrich Hartman (WILLIAMS) | TF: 29-12
141 LB: Ben Brisman (ITHACA) def. Joseph Rossetti (WILLIAMS) | FALL: 1:30
149 LB: Alex Pankhurst (WILLIAMS) def. Joe Rorick (ITHACA) | MD: 18-7
157 LB: Brendon Seyfried (WILLIAMS) def. Greg Lee (ITHACA) | DEC: 6-4
165 LB: Austin Whitney (ITHACA) def. Nick Anselmi (WILLIAMS) | FALL: 0:20
174 LB: Tariq Grissom (WILLIAMS) def. Eze Chukwuezi (ITHACA) | DEC: 6-5
184 LB: Jake Ashcraft (ITHACA) def. Dylan Millson (WILLIAMS) | FALL: 1:11
197 LB: Dalton Elias (ITHACA) def. Bennett Caplin (WILLIAMS) | FALL: 5:51
285 LB: Jake O'Brien (ITHCA) receives forfeit
 
The Bombers saved their best for last on Sunday, showing no signs of fatigue in their most dominant effort of the day in a runaway victory over Williams. Ithaca scored wins in 7-of-10 bouts, all of which coming with bonus points.
 
Mase got the rout started at 125-pounds, completely suffocating David Yeh in a 12-0 shutout major decision. Colom followed with a monstrous effort at 133-pounds, tallying nine takedowns in the first period en route to a 29-12 technical fall over Dietrich Hartman midway through the second stanza. The lightning start gave IC a quick 9-0 advantage.
 
Nationally-ranked junior Ben Brisman got into the act for the first and only time of the day in the 141-pound bout against Williams. Facing Joseph Rossetti, who had already scored victories in both of his bouts earlier in the day, the matchup figured to be an intriguing one. It certainly provided one of the highlights of the day. Rossetti was able to get in on Brisman's left leg early in the first period; however, the IC grappler was unfazed. Brisman staved off the shot for 20-seconds, before contorting his body in an impossible move that resulted in Rossetti getting driven to the mat for a pin at 1:30.
 
A pair of seniors in Joe Rorick and Greg Lee got into the act at 149-pounds and 157-pounds, respectively. Rorick had a challenging ask, wrestling up from his usual 141-pound slot to take-on Alex Pankhurst at 149-pounds. The size difference proved to be too much for the senior in an 18-7 major decision that got the Ephs on the scoreboard. Lee's match with Seyfried was highly entertaining with both wrestlers taking a 4-4 deadlock late into the third period. Unfortunately, Williams' man was able to cover up Lee for a takedown with little time remaining in a 6-4 decision. The two victories by the visitors cut the Ithaca advantage to 15-7.
 
The second of four falls for the Bombers came at 165-pounds, as Whitney looked fully recovered from the injury scare against Wesleyan. He picked Williams' Nick Anselmi on a double and piledrove him to the mat for a takedown, before quickly sealing the shoulders to the mat for a pin just 20-seconds into the bout.
 
While Chukwuezi again came up on the short end of a 6-5 decision for the second dual in a row, Ashcraft played the role of clincher for the third time on the day. Like the other two, it came by way of fall in the first period, as he cradled Dylan Millson 1:11 into the contest. Elias capped the bout emphatically with his own pin of Williams' Bennett Caplin with just a little over a minute remaining in the third period (5:51). O'Brien received a forfeit at heavyweight to make the final margin 39-10 in favor of the Bombers.
 
Looking Ahead
No. 6 Ithaca will return to action on Friday evening, February 8, when the Bombers welcome Wilkes for the final home dual of the year inside Ben Light Gymnasium. Action is scheduled to get underway at 7:00 p.m.