WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The 16^th-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team jumped back into action on Friday night when it hit the road for its penultimate dual of regular-season slate at Wilkes University. The Colonels provided little resistance to the Bombers on this night, as IC scored wins in eight of 10 bouts on the night to easily pull away for the lopsided 41-6 victory. The triumph improved Ithaca's record to 11-4 in dual action this season, while it also stretched IC's current winning streak to five consecutive duals.
 
#16 Ithaca 41 – Wilkes 6
125 LB: Logan Ninos (IC) def. Nicholas Bauer (WILKES) | MD: 12-3
133 LB: Travis Jones (IC) def. Jack Bauer (WILKES) | FALL: 2:57
141 LB: Kyle Medrow (WILKES) def. Tito Colom (IC) | DEC: 2-0
149 LB: Ben Brisman (IC) def. Dylan O'Connor (WILKES) | MD: 9-1
157 LB: Sam Schneider (IC) def. Liam Flaherty (WILKES) | MD: 21-10
165 LB: #6/7 Austin Whitney (IC) def. Cole Walters (WILKES) | FALL: 2:05
174 LB: #7/7 Jordan Wallace (IC) def. John Devito (WILKES) | FALL: 1:24
184 LB: #10/10 Eze Chukwuezi (IC) def. Brady Mitchell (WILKES) | TF: 20-4
197 LB: Matt Almeky (WILKES) def. Dymir Davis-Carruth (IC) | DEC: 6-2
285 LB: Dalton Elias (IC) def. Ryan Horton (WILKES) | FALL: 6:32
EX: Tristen Schiafo (IC) def. A. Kokilananda (WILKES) | DEC: 10-6
 
The positive vibes started right from the jump, as sophomore Tristen Schiafo scored a 10-6 victory by regular decision in a 157-pound exhibition bout prior to the start of the official dual. The momentum carried over into the early portion of the match, with Ithaca scoring two bonus point victories to begin which ultimately proved to enough to score the dual win. However, IC definitely did not rest on its laurels, scoring convincing wins with regularity in amassing three major decisions, one technical fall, and four falls among its eight victories on the night.
 
Sophomore 125-pounder Logan Ninos got things rolling for Ithaca in the opening bout of the night against Wilkes' Nicholas Bauer. While the offense has been hit-and-miss for the IC sophomore over recent weeks, his work in the room certainly paid off on this night, as he converted on several scoring opportunities during the bout. He was able to push the margin just enough to secure the 12-3 major decision and an early 4-0 lead for the Bombers.
 
First-year Travis Jones followed up Ninos' strong performance with more fireworks of his own. The rookie has been a pinning machine in the first period this season and wasted little time in adding another notch in the fall column when he put Jack Bauer to his back at 2:57. The triumph was the 11^th in a row for Jones dating back to early January, while it was the sixth pin over that stretch. Jones is now up to 31-5 on the year with 12 of those victories coming by way of fall.
 
Wilkes momentarily stymied the IC momentum when senior 141-pounder Kyle Medrow squeezed out a narrow 2-0 decision against IC senior Tito Colom. Offense has been hard to come by for the IC senior since his bump up to the 141-pound weight, with Friday's result the fourth time he has dropped a decision by a 3-0 margin-or-less. The momentum did not remain in favor of the hosts long, however, as senior Ben Brisman continued to look comfortable in his new home in the 149-pound slot. The IC senior controlled matters from the outset in a 9-1 major decision over Dylan O'Connor.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Sam Schneider sent Ithaca into the second half of the dual with a commanding lead when he pushed the attack into high gear in a 21-10 major decision over Liam Flaherty. The triumph pushed Ithaca's lead to 18-3 at the midway point.
 
The Bombers put things out of reach over the next three bouts, with all three of IC's nationally-ranked grapplers showcasing their talents in dominant wins at 165-, 174- and 184-pounds. Redshirt-senior Austin Whitney (6^th NWCA | 7^th d3wrestle.com) got the run started when he locked in the fall at 2:05 over Cole Walters. Junior transfer Jordan Wallace (7^th NWCA | 7^th d3wrestle.com) needed even less time to record a pin, besting first-year John Devito just 1:24 into the 174-pound match. The result was a big return to the lineup for Wallace, who had been held out of the lineup during the past couple competitions. Sophomore 184-pounder Eze Chukwuezi (10^th NWCA | 10^th d3wrestle.com) capped the run with a 20-4 technical fall over Wilkes rookie Brady Mitchell. The win was the 10^th straight for Chukwuezi also dating back to the NWCA National Duals in early January.
 
Wilkes and Ithaca split the final two bouts of the evening. The Colonels registered their second win at 197-pounds with Matt Almeky earning a 6-2 decision over IC's Dymir Davis-Carruth. Redshirt-senior Dalton Elias sent Ithaca home on a high note, notching Ithaca's fourth and final fall of the evening at 6:32 over Roger Horton.
 
Ithaca will be back in action on Wednesday, February 19, when the Bombers play host to the fourth annual Rumble & Tumble Meet against SUNY Cortland in conjunction with both institution's varsity women's gymnastics programs. Ithaca will be celebrating Senior Night prior to the 7:00 p.m. dual start, while the gymnastics portion of the meet is set to get underway at 6:30 p.m.