The Ithaca Bombers hosted the 39th annual Ithaca Invitational over the weekend. A total of 11 teams made the trip into the Athletic and Events Center to compete for a trophy to take back home. Two teams entered the invite nationally ranked- #12 Baldwin Wallace and #22 Castleton. A total of 16 nationally ranked wrestlers took the mat within the A&E center. All of these ranked wrestlers were within the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) top 15. Ithaca placed 4th out of the 11 teams, which doesn't show how good the Bombers wrestled. It is worth noting that tournaments are scored much differently than normal dual meets. Teams don't score as many points for the type of win they get, but score more points for individuals that place farther in the tournament. Ithaca had three key medical forfeits due to injury and didn't have a wrestler qualify weight for the 141 lb class, which put them at an extreme disadvantage.

The most dominant wrestler for the Bombers was the 197 pound champion Eze Chukwuezi. During his journey to his third career Ithaca Invitational title, Chukwuezi didn't give up a single offensive point. In his five matches, he gave up 10 total points only because he allowed his opponent to escape so he could take them back down. His offense was just as impressive, outscoring his foe 54-9 in each of his four victories by points. The most impressive newcomer was 133 pounder Isaias Torres. You would not have been able to guess the first year never competed in an NCAA event prior to this past weekend. Apart from a minor slip-up in the quarterfinals when he got caught on his back, Torres's pace, mat control, and shot selection looked like a veteran on the mat. He met up with the same opponent that caught him in the quarterfinals, learned from it, and ended up edging out a 4-3 victory to earn himself 3rd place. The wrestler he traded wins with is Michael Gonyea, a D3 honorable mention for Castleton. Torres is going to be exciting to watch this season.

Travis Jones took 5th at 157. This was easily the most loaded bracket in the entire tournament with four NWCA and/or D3Wrestle ranked wrestlers. His first loss came from the unanimous #1 overall wrestler at 149, NCAA Runner-Up Michael Petrella from Baldwin Wallace. Jones' second loss came from a battle with Springfield's D3 honorable mention Deguire. After being down 10-1, Jones fought back to a one point deficit. With time running out, Jones went for a few last effort moves before time ran out, but came up short. The losses are important because Jones was dominant in every other match he wrestled, scoring bonus points with every win. Jones' showed much more talent and grit than his record currently shows.

Jackson Gray also grinded through tough competition at 165 to earn a 3rd place. Castleton's Michael Angers at #14 was Gray's only loss in a tight 4-1 match. Apart from that, Gray was nothing short of outstanding. He had three quick first period falls- all before the two-minute mark. His two other wins were a controlling 4-1 and 6-1 (because TrackWrestling didn't include the riding time point for these bouts). Gray was very mechanical and business-like. Nothing very flashy, but still convincing - exactly how coaches like it. Matthew Beyer had an interesting tournament at 149. Beyer was in tight matches all weekend on his way to a fourth place finish. His losses were to respectable opponents who were each mentioned by D3Wrestle. However, Beyer's frustrations are understandable because he was literally one second away from reaching the finals. Beyer was clearly frustrated with himself with his fourth place finish, but was intent that he must move on and focus on getting better. It's a guarantee that

Beyer is watching the film, making adjustments, and working everyday until his next competition to get better. Ryan Galka was another first year to place, pulling in a 6th place finish at 184. Galka had to grind the consolation bracket after falling early to D3Wrestle contender DeVivio out of Johnson and Wales. A highlight of Galka's game is the amount of points he was able to score. The least amount of points Galka scored in a match all weekend was nine, proving his offense can keep up with the best. If Galka can turn some of those situations where he trades points into one sided scores, he's going to be a threat to everyone he wrestles.

The Bombers will return to action on Friday, November 11 with a dual against Stevens. The meet will take place at St. Peters Prep (N.J.) Gymnasium.