ITHACA, N.Y. – The 14^th-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team wrapped up its season-opener at the Athletics & Events Center's Glazer Arena on Saturday for the final day of the annual Ithaca Invitational tournament. The Bombers had seven grapplers battling for individual titles in the top-half of the brackets entering the second day of competition on Saturday, while eight others were still alive in the consolation rounds. Head coach Marty Nichols' squad fought hard throughout the day while finishing in fifth place in the 11-team field behind a total of 89.5 team points.
 
Johnson & Wales took home the team title with 154.0 points to barely edge sixth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology who finished in second place with 152.0 points. Castleton followed behind to claim third place in the team race with 135.0 points. Thirteenth-ranked Baldwin Wallace and Ithaca rounded out the Top-Five with 130.0 and 89.5 points, respectively.
 
Highlighting the final day of action were a trio of finalists. Junior 157-pounder Adam Wagner dazzled in his season debut and grinded out two solid victories to capture an individual title. On the opposite side of the bracket, freshman standout Wenchard Pierre-Louis made his collegiate debut one to remember as he secured two hard-fought wins to put himself in the finals. Ultimately, there was no contest at 157-pounds between the two Bombers and Pierre-Louis opted to medically forfeit the bout. Nationally-ranked senior star Eze Chukwuezi (7^th d3wrestle.com) looked every bit like an All-American caliber wrestler on Saturday as he followed with an 197-pound title to put an exclamation point on a rather impressive opening weekend for IC.
 
Three additional Bombers earned medals on the day. Senior Matt Griffin punched a ticket to the semifinals to guarantee himself a place-finish. Unfortunately, the 125-pounder suffered a lower-leg injury midway through the match and was forced to medically forfeit the remainder of the tournament to place sixth. Nationally-ranked Travis Jones (9^th d3wrestle.com) had a tough outing in the semifinals after getting upset by eventual 141-pound champ Kyle Slendorn of Stevens, 7-5. In what was a loaded bracket that featured three other nationally ranked wrestlers, Jones settled for a sixth-place finish to conclude his season debut. First-year Jackson Gray turned the heads of many in his collegiate debut after advancing to the semifinals and ending up with a sixth-place finish at 165-pounds.
 
Wagner had a superb opening tournament at 157-pounds. The Lodi, N.Y. native kicked things off with a commanding 13-5 major decision win over Baldwin Wallace's Tyler Wittreich in the quarterfinals. His semifinal bout against Sean Monteiro of Western New England was a thriller from start to finish, as a late takedown and ride out helped secure a 6-5 win. Wagner was set to face teammate Pierre-Louis in the championship final, but no contest resulted.
 
Pierre-Louis made a name for himself in the Division III wrestling world after marching to a 157-pound final in what was his first taste of collegiate action. In his quarterfinal bout against third-seeded Logan Dubuque of Castleton, the Brentwood High School product secured a late single leg takedown to tie things at 4-4 and send the match to overtime. In sudden victory, Pierre-Louis sprawled off of Dubuque's double leg attempt and countered with a nifty far ankle pick and go-behind move to seal an exciting 6-4 come-from-behind victory.
 
In his semifinals match, Pierre-Louis was in a back-and-forth affair against Hunter Gutierrez of Stevens. Tied 6-6 with just over a minute remaining in the third period, the Bomber set the pace on his feet and racked up two takedowns to secure a 10-7 win.
 
Chukwuezi had an emphatic start to his 2021 campaign in the 197-pound bracket. The upper weight showcased his dominance in the quarterfinal bout by paving his way to a 9-3 win over Vincent Ceglie of Johnson & Wales behind a three-takedown performance. In the semifinals, Chukwuezi survived a scare, but managed to grind out an electrifying 12-11 win over Baldwin Wallace's Doug Byrne to advance to the championship match.
 
The Fredericksburg, V.A. native looked like a different animal in his title bout against Castleton's Chance LaPier. Within the first thirty seconds, Chukwuezi swiftly dropped down to a single leg and reached around to the far ankle to give himself an early takedown. It was all fundamental technique from that point on. Leading 3-2 with ten seconds to go in the bout, LaPier went for a lateral drop, but Chukwuezi maintained leverage and good position to counter with a final takedown. The senior picked up the 197-pound crown with a commanding 5-2 victory.
 
"We have a lot of work to do but the effort was pretty good," said Nichols. "I saw a lot of good things and I saw a lot of things that I thought we could improve on in a week. We're pretty young and it's been a while since we've been in any competition, so there's some really good things to work with."
 
Ithaca College will flip the script and open up dual meet action next weekend when the team hits the road and travels to Oswego, N.Y. on Sunday, November 14 for a tri-meet against Oswego State and Penn College. First whistle is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
 
The following are the full results from this weekend's action:
 
125 LBS
Matt Haycook did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Matt Haycook won by FALL over Nicholas Faraci (Western New England) (FALL 2:40)
Champ. Round 2 – Matt Haycook won by decision over Kaya Bogle (Castleton) (Dec 6-1)
Quarterfinals – Joey Manginelli (Springfield) won by major decision over Matt Haycook (Maj 17-6)
Cons. Round 4 – Jared Fantauzzi (Baldwin Wallace) won by decision over Matt Haycook (Dec 8-6)
 
Michael Snowden did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Michael Snowden received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Christian Rivas (Johnson & Wales) won by FALL over Michael Snowden (FALL 4:27)
Cons. Round 2 – Michael Snowden received a BYE.
Cons. Round 3 – Jared Fantauzzi (Baldwin Wallace) won by FALL over Michael Snowden (FALL 1:39)
 
Matt Griffin placed sixth.
Champ. Round 1 – Matt Griffin won by FALL over Jared Fantauzzi (Baldwin Wallace) (FALL 1:03)
Champ. Round 2 – Matt Griffin won by FALL over Jerry Echevarria (American International) (FALL 1:56)
Quarterfinals – Matt Griffin won by decision over Chris DeRosa (New England College) (Dec 7-6)
Semifinals – Akhil Vega (Stevens) won by injury default over Matt Griffin (Inj. 3:53)
Cons. Semifinals – Brett Blaess (Baldwin Wallace) won by medical forfeit over Matt Griffin (MFF)
Fifth place – Joey Manginelli (Springfield) won by forfeit over Matt Griffin (FF)
 
133 LBS
Dylan Earl did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Dylan Earl won by FALL over Matt Laubach (Oswego State) (FALL 2:52)
Champ. Round 2 – Nicholas Arborio (Western New England) won by FALL over Dylan Earl (FALL 1:33)
Cons. Round 2 – Dylan Earl won by decision over Aaron Morocho (American International) (Dec 7-3)
Cons. Round 3 – Dylan Earl won by decision over David Panda (Baldwin Wallace) (Dec 6-3)
Cons. Round 4 – Luke Hoerle (Stevens) won by major decision over Dylan Earl (Maj. 20-6)
 
141 LBS
Travis Jones placed sixth.
Champ. Round 1 – Travis Jones won by FALL over Mason Preble (Springfield) (FALL 2:19)
Champ. Round 2 – Travis Jones won by major decision over Trevor Mastorio (American International) (Maj. 15-2)
Quarterfinals – Travis Jones won by decision over Sean Johnson (American International) (Dec 2-0)
Semifinals – Kyle Slendorn (Stevens) won by decision over Travis Jones (Dec 7-5)
Cons. Semifinals – James Rodriguez won by decision over Travis Jones (SV-1 15-13)
Fifth place – CJ Walz (Oswego State) won by medical forfeit over Travis Jones (MFF)
 
149 LBS
Colin Murphy did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Colin Murphy received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Colin Murphy won by decision over Peter Charnley (Western New England) (Dec 12-6)
Champ. Round 3 – Michael Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) won by FALL over Colin Murphy (FALL 4:30)
Cons. Round 3 – Thomas DiResta (Johnson & Wales) won by major decision over Colin Murphy (Maj. 9-1)
 
Matt Beyer did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Matt Beyer received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Matt Beyer won by FALL over Max Oprzadek (Baldwin Wallace) (FALL 4:01)
Quarterfinals – Victor Perlleshi (Johnson & Wales) won by decision over Matt Beyer (Dec 9-6)
Cons. Round 3 – Matt Beyer won by technical fall over Darius Mangiafico (Castleton) (TF 17-1)
Cons. Round 4 – Matt Beyer won by decision over Joseph Parsons (Springfield) (Dec 9-4)
Cons. Round 5 – Matt Beyer won by major decision over Elijah Cyr (Castleton) (Maj 10-2)
Cons. Round 6 – Michael Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) won by decision over Matt Beyer (Dec 6-5)
 
Evan Goodall did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Evan Goodall received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Kyle Merritt (Norwich) won by FALL over Evan Goodall (FALL 4:05)
Cons. Round 1 – Carson Barry (Johnson & Wales) won by injury default over Evan Goodall (Inj. 1:31)
 
157 LBS
Dan Motta did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Dan Motta received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Darius Joyce (Baldwin Wallace) won by decision over Dan Motta (Dec 3-2)
Cons. Round – Dan Motta received a BYE.
Cons. Round 2 – James Russo (Springfield) won by decision over Dan Motta (Dec 5-2)
 
Adam Wagner placed first.
Champ. Round 1 – Adam Wagner received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Adam Wagner won by FALL over Nicolai Celestain (Oswego State) (FALL 5:22)
Champ. Round 3 – Adam Wagner won by decision over Gabriel Degraffinree (Johnson & Wales) (Dec 6-3)
Quarterfinals – Adam Wagner won by major decision Tyler Wittreich (Baldwin Wallace) (Maj 13-5)
Semifinals – Adam Wagner won by decision over Sean Monteiro (Western New England) (Dec 6-5)
Finals – Adam Wagner won by medical forfeit over Wenchard Pierre-Louis (MFF)
 
Wenchard Pierre-Louis placed second.
Champ. Round 1 – Wenchard Pierre-Louis received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 - Wenchard Pierre-Louis won by FALL over Naseem Maali-Gentil (Baldwin Wallace) (FALL 1:37)
Champ. Round 3 - Wenchard Pierre-Louis won by decision over Luke Pinzino (Western New England) (Dec 12-8)
Quarterfinals - Wenchard Pierre-Louis won by decision over Logan Dubuque (Castleton) (SV-1 6-4)
Semifinals - Wenchard Pierre-Louis won by decision over Hunter Gutierrez (Stevens) (Dec 10-7)
Finals – Adam Wagner won by medical forfeit over Wenchard Pierre-Louis
 
Adrian Rosario-Beato did not place.
Champ. Round 1 - Adrian Rosario-Beato received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 - Adrian Rosario-Beato won by FALL over Hiyuma Nagai (Springfield) (FALL 1:31)
Champ. Round 3 – Hunter Gutierrez (Stevens) won by FALL over Adrian Rosario-Beato (FALL 4:28)
Cons. Round 3 - Adrian Rosario-Beato won by medical forfeit over Jacob Caricato (Castleton) (MFF)
Cons. Round 4 - Adrian Rosario-Beato won by FALL over Jarred Tolotti (Springfield) (FALL 4:29)
Cons. Round 5 – Thomas West (Baldwin Wallace) won by FALL over Adrian Rosario-Beato (FALL 2:41)
 
165 LBS
Tristen Schiafo did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – James Snyder (Stevens) won by decision over Tristen Schiafo (Dec 6-5)
Cons. Round 2 – Tristen Schiafo won by decision over Hunter Kupniewski (Baldwin Wallace) (Dec 7-6)
Cons. Round 3 – Scott DeFex (Johnson & Wales) won by decision over Tristen Schiafo (Dec 10-3)
 
Jackson Gray placed sixth.
Champ. Round 1 – Jackson Gray received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Jackson Gray won by technical fall over Tyler Barker (Norwich) (TF 20-3)
Quarterfinals – Jackson Gray won by major decision over Isaac Mathews (Oswego State) (Maj 9-0)
Semifinals – Michael Angers (Castleton) won by decision over Jackson Gray (Dec 8-5)
Cons. Semifinals – Harrison Hinojosa (Stevens) won by decision over Jackson Gray (Dec 6-5)
Fifth place – Scott DeFex (Johnson & Wales) won by decision over Jackson Gray (Dec 11-6)
 
174 LBS
Alec Corrao did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Blaise Wagner (Stevens) won by decision over Alec Corrao (Dec 10-4)
Cons. Round 1 – Syrus Colon (Castelton) won by medical forfeit over Alec Corrao (MFF)
 
184 LBS
Jeremy Mazzella did not place.
Champ. Round 1 – Jeremy Mazzella won by FALL over James Spellman (Norwich) (FALL 2:01)
Champ. Round 2 – Cory Grifka (Western New England) won by decision over Jeremy Mazzella (Dec 8-5)
Cons. Round 2 – Jeremy Mazzella won by decision over Kayo Torres (Springfield) (Dec 6-1)
Cons. Round 3 – Jeremy Mazzella won by decision over Matt Bremner (American International) (Dec 6-2)
Cons. Round 4 – Michael Conrad (Stevens) won by decision over Jeremy Mazzella (Dec 4-3)
 
197 LBS
Eze Chukwuezi took first place.
Champ. Round 1 – Eze Chukwuezi received a BYE.
Champ. Round 2 – Eze Chukwuezi won by FALL over Jaden Barnes (Springfield) (FALL 4:22)
Quarterfinals – Eze Chukwuezi won by decision over Vincent Ceglie (Johnson & Wales) (Dec 9-3)
Semifinals – Eze Chukwuezi won by decision over Doug Byrne (Baldwin Wallace) (Dec 12-11)
Finals – Eze Chukwuezi won by decision over Chance LaPier (Castleton) (Dec 5-2)
 
285 LBS
Nick Galka did not place.
Champ. Round 1 - Liridon Leka (Johnson & Wales) won by major decision over Nick Galka (Maj 12-4)
Cons. Round 1 – Nick Galka won by FALL over Louisandre Padilla (Castleton) (FALL 2:50)
Cons. Round 2 – Nick Galka won by decision over Doug Clark (Springfield) (Dec 5-3)
Cons. Round 3 – Abbas Abdulrahman (Castleton) won by major decision over Nick Galka (Maj. 10-2)