ASHLAND, Ohio - The Gannon wrestling team finished 2-1 at the Mid-Atlantic Dual Championship hosted by Ashland University, earning a third place finish among the eight teams. Gannon defeated Indianapolis 28-10, lost to No. 17 Adams State 22-16 and then defeated West Liberty by a 34-10 score.
Gannon opened action with a 28-10 win over Indianapolis after winning eight of the 10 bouts. Gannon jumped out to a 12-7 lead when Zack McKendree (Vandergrift, Pa. / Kiski Area) earned a major decision (13-4) at 165 to give Gannon a 16-7 edge. The Golden Knights won three of the final four bouts, capped by heavyweight Jimmy Martz's (Hookstown, Pa. / Southside Beaver) pinning of Evan Wooding 2:38 into the match.
Gannon narrowly missed knocking off No. 17 Adams State as the Golden Knights held a 16-13 lead with two matches left. However, Adams State would score nine points in the final two bouts to earn the 22-16 win. Gannon fell behind 13-3 early, losing four of the first five matches. McKendree (165) earned four points for Gannon with his second major decision (12-4) of the day over Darian Roberts. Tony Petrella's (Reynoldsburg, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) 5-4 decision at the 174 cut the lead to 13-10 before Chris Boyd (Chase City, Va. / Randolph Henry) pinned Aaron Heredia in the 184-pound bout, giving the Golden Knights a 16-13 lead.
However, Adams State's Luke McPeek proved why he is the No. 4 ranked wrestler in the country at 197 pounds with a pin of Richie Russell (Painesville, Ohio / Riverside) at the 2:37 mark. Adams State won the final match to earn the 22-16 win.
Gannon rebounded in the final match of the day, earning a 34-10 win over West Liberty. The Golden Knights won the first four matches to hold a 15-0 lead. John Fleming (Bethel Park, Pa. / Lakeview) earned six of those points with a pin of Pete McAtee at 133 pounds two minutes and 54 seconds into the match.
Adams State's Seth Phalen, ranked fourth in the country at 157, earned a major decision to put the score at 15-4. West Liberty's only other win came in the 197-pound bout as Mitch Knapp won by pinfall. Knapp is ranked third in the latest national rankings.
Jose Matos (Williamstown, N.J. / St. Augustine College Preparatory School), McKendree, Petrella and Boyd all finished the day 3-0. McKendree recorded two major decisions, while Petrella had one. Boyd had arguably the best day, with two of his three wins coming by pinfall.
Gannon improves to 3-1 in dual meets this season. Gannon opens the home schedule on Thursday, January 13 with a 7 p.m. match against Pitt-Johnstown. For results from each of the three matches, click the links below.
Gannon-Indianapolis
Gannon-Adams State
Gannon-West Liberty
