WILLIAMSPORT, P.A. – The 16
th-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team capped off dual meet action for the weekend during the final day of competition at the Budd Whitehill Duals on Saturday, January 8. After surging past No. 22 Washington & Lee, 36-12, to advance to the championship final, the Bombers lost a tightly contested dual to No. 17 Ohio Northern, 21-15. Ithaca is now 4-1 on the season.
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#16 Ithaca 36 – #22 Washington & Lee 12
125 LB: #12
Matt Griffin (Ithaca) def. #7 Riley Parker (W&L) | FALL 5:58 (6-0)
133 LB:
Luis Hernandez (Ithaca) def. David Rubin (W&L) | FALL 4:39 (12-0)
141 LB: #14
Travis Jones (Ithaca) def. Charlie Cunningham (W&L) | MD 10-2 (16-0)
149 LB:
Matthew Beyer (Ithaca) def. Joseph Tarquine (W&L) | MD 14-6 (20-0)
157 LB:
Adam Wagner (Ithaca) def. Harrison Kelly (W&L) | Dec 3-2 (23-0)
165 LB:
Jackson Gray (Ithaca) def. Joe Salerno (W&L) | MD 9-0 (27-0)
174 LB: Cameron Blizard (W&L) received a forfeit (27-6)
184 LB: #6
Eze Chukwuezi (Ithaca) def. Brad Basham (W&L) | FALL 6:50 (33-6)
197 LB:
Jordan Wallace (Ithaca) def. John Ryan Sedovy (W&L) | Dec 9-4 (36-6)
285 LB: #11 Clay Chadwick (W&L) received a forfeit (36-12)
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The Bombers dominated in the tournament semifinals en route to a convincing victory over the 22
nd-ranked team in the nation. IC won every single contested bout and tallied six bonus point wins in the dual.
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The marquee matchup of the dual meet came at 125 pounds between twelfth-ranked
Matt Griffin and seventh-ranked Riley Parker of Washington & Lee (d3wrestle). There was a lot of action in the opening period with a terrific flurry off of a Parker inside shot that resulted in a stalemate. Griffin got on the board first with a one-point escape in the second period and took that 1-0 lead into the final stanza. After Parker opted to take bottom to kick off the third period, Griffin went to work and slipped in a boot. From there, the Bomber lightweight cranked a guillotine and turned Parker over for an electrifying pin at the 5:58 mark.
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At 133 pounds,
Luis Hernandez followed up with a commanding victory over David Rubin. Jumping in front 12-3 off of four takedowns and a big four-point near fall turn, Hernandez locked up a crossface cradle for a booming pin halfway through the second period.
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Fourteenth-ranked
Travis Jones (d3wrestle) got back on track in his 141-pound bout against the Generals' Charlie Cunningham. Trailing 2-0 in the second, Jones got a quick reversal off of a sit out from bottom and eventually added two more points off of a near side cradle to go up 4-2. The breaking point of the match came in the third period when Cunningham shot in on a low single and Jones hipped over hard to hit a mousetrap for four near fall points to go along with the takedown. The New Jersey native ultimately won the bout 10-2.
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Ithaca widened the gap during the middle weights. At 149 pounds,
Matthew Beyer netted his fifth consecutive victory by putting on a takedown clinic for a decisive 14-6 major decision. Junior
Adam Wagner was in a bit of a dog fight against Washington & Lee's Harrison Kelly, yet an early takedown off of a scramble did just enough to help him surge to a razor-thin 3-2 decision and give the Bombers a 23-0 advantage.
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It usually takes some time for freshmen to acclimate to the college grind, but first year
Jackson Gray has proved to be one of the hammers in head coach
Marty Nichols' lineup this season. The IC rookie shined in his bout against Joe Salerno, racking up one takedown in each period. Gray was also a bruiser on top, dialing up 4:49 in riding time and adding two near fall points in the closing seconds of the match off of his go-to cross-wrist tilt to secure a 9-0 major decision. Following a forfeit to Washington & Lee at 174 pounds, Ithaca was ahead 27-6.
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The sixth-ranked 184 pounder in the land in
Eze Chukwuezi (d3wrestle) made his Bud Whitehill Duals debut in the matchup and was nothing short of impressive. The seasoned vet took a 7-3 lead over Brad Basham midway through the third period when he hit a beautiful far ankle pick and drove through Basham to lock up a nearside cradle for a lightning-quick fall with ten seconds remaining in the bout. At 197 pounds,
Jordan Wallace followed up with a 9-4 victory over John Ryan Sedovy to remain perfect on the season and close out the dual meet in on a high note.
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#16 Ithaca 15 – #17 Ohio Northern 21
125 LB: #12
Matt Griffin (Ithaca) def. Colin Mellott (Ohio Northern) | Dec 7-1 (3-0)
133 LB: Dylan Le (Ohio Northern) def.
Luis Hernandez (Ithaca) | Dec 3-2 (3-3)
141 LB: Jacob Reed (Ohio Northern) def. #14
Travis Jones (Ithaca) | Dec 5-2 (3-6)
149 LB:
Matthew Beyer (Ithaca) def. Jayden Jones (Ohio Northern) | Dec 10-3 (6-6)
157 LB: Schuyler Caprella (Ohio Northern) def.
Adam Wagner (Ithaca) | Dec 6-3 (6-9)
165 LB: Jordan Hardrick (Ohio Northern) def.
Jackson Gray (Ithaca) | Dec 9-2 (6-12)
174 LB: Nick Campbell (Ohio Northern) def.
Colin Murphy (Ithaca) | Dec 7-2 (6-15)
184 LB: #6
Eze Chukwuezi (Ithaca) def. Gavin Layman (Ohio Northern) | Dec 10-3 (9-15)
197 LB:
Jordan Wallace (Ithaca) received a forfeit (15-15)
285 LB: Logan Painter (Ohio Northern) received a forfeit (15-21)
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In the fourth and final dual meet of the tournament, IC squared off against seventeenth-ranked Ohio Northern in the championship. The matchup was ultimately determined by swing matches and the Bombers were unable to capitalize off of them in the end as Ohio Northern captured six of the ten bouts in the dual.
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Griffin had a breakout Saturday, outscoring his opponents 12-1 and adding a 7-1 victory over Ohio Northern's Colin Mellott to start off the dual. Alongside his 5:17 in riding time, the lightweight talent hit his signature guillotine on top in the opening period for four near fall points. With an impressive outing this weekend, expect Griffin to climb up the Division III rankings at 125 pounds.
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Ithaca lost a pair of toss up matches at 133 and 141 that could have gone either way in the grand scheme of things. Hernandez had a 1-0 lead over Dylan Le in the second period and nearly came away with a takedown off of a head-inside single at the edge of the circle before time expired. Unfortunately, Le escaped from bottom in the third and scored a takedown with 35 seconds remaining to ice the match for a 3-2 win. At 141, Jones gave up a takedown in the first period and a late reversal to drop a narrow 5-2 decision to Jacob Reed.
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Matthew Beyer proved to be one of the difference-makers for the Bombers' success in the dual tournament, as the junior went 4-0 on the weekend and coasted to a 10-3 decision over Jayden Jones of Ohio Northern. Beyer was composed and calculated in his offensive attacks on his feet, tallying three takedowns and adding two near fall points off of an arm bar in the final period. He is now 18-3 on the season.
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The rest of the Bomber middleweights had their hands full against the Ohio Northern bunch, as
Adam Wagner (157),
Jackson Gray (165), and
Colin Murphy (174) all lost decisions by seven points or less.
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Chukwuezi brought some life back into the team with a dominant 10-3 victory over Gavin Leyman. The perennial top 10 wrestler was fundamental on his feet, reeling in four takedowns off of simple snap down go-behinds and tacking on a riding time point at the buzzer to grind out the decision in controlling fashion.
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Ithaca and Ohio Northern exchanged forfeits to close out the dual, as
Jordan Wallace won by no contest at 197 pounds and the Bombers did not send out a heavyweight.
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Ithaca will turn the page and look ahead to next Sunday, January 16 when the team hosts the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Championships. First whistle is set to begin at 10 a.m.
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