Redshirt junior Nate Ross finished fourth at 165 pounds, suffering losses to only NCAA Division I wrestlers.

Men's Wrestling 12/5/2015 9:53:00 PM Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Wrestling Team Records Best Finish at PSAC Championships Since 2010; Places Sixth Golden Knights (Photos)

THE RUNDOWN

Event: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships (Hosted by Mercyhurst - Erie, Pa.)
Competing Teams: NCAA Division I Programs - Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro and Lock Haven. NCAA Division II Programs - East Stroudsburg, Gannon, Kutztown, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill and Shippensburg.
Result: Gannon finished sixth out of 12 teams. The Golden Knights placed third out of eight NCAA Division II programs.
The Short Story: Fourth-place finishes by redshirt junior Nate Ross (Egg Harbor City, N.J./Absegami) and redshirt freshman Nicholas Costa (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) headlined six placewinners for Gannon Saturday afternoon at the 2015 PSAC Wrestling Championships hosted by Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights finished sixth, recording their best showing since a fifth-place finish in 2010.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER

Complete Brackets: Click Here
Photo Gallery (Action): Click Here
Gannon Podium Photos: Click Here

GANNON'S TOP WRESTLERS

165 - Ross, ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region One, finished fourth with a 2-2 record ... suffered both losses to NCAA Division I wrestlers ... after a first-round bye, advanced to the semifinals with a 14-3 major decision against Millersville's Christian Almony ... dropped into the wrestlebacks with a tight 4-3 loss against Casey Fuller of NCAA Division I Edinboro ... rebounded with a 5-4 victory against Pitt-Johnstown's Tyler Reinhart in the consolation semifinals ... Reinhart is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... concluded the day with a 3-2 setback against Evan DeLong of NCAA Division I Clarion during the third-place match.
184 - Costa, ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Region One, placed fourth with a 2-2 record ... suffered both losses against NCAA Division I opponents ... after a first-round bye, moved into the semifinals with a 14-4 major decision against East Stroudsburg's Brandon Steele ... dropped into the wrestlebacks with a setback against Tristan Sponseller of NCAA Division I Lock Haven ... rebounded with a 7-5 win against Mercyhurst's Angelo Bortoluzzi in the consolation semifinals, before falling to NCAA Division I Clarion's Dominic Rigous 3-2 in the third-place bout.

GANNON'S PLACEWINNERS

125 - Nathan Reckner (3-2) | Notes: Ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... finished fifth ... defeated Jake Field of NCAA Division I Lock Haven twice, including a pin 23 seconds into the fifth-place bout ... initially advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 win during their first meeting ... suffered losses to Sean Russell of NCAA Division I Edinboro and Shippensburg's Dustin Steffenino, ranked fifth in NCAA Division II Super Region One.
141 - John Marotto (2-3) | Notes: Finished sixth ... opened the wrestlebacks with consecutive victories against Kutztown's Travis Smith (7-4) and Seton Hill's Joseph Alessandro (3-2) ... suffered two losses to NCAA Division I wrestlers.
157 - Garret Smith (2-3) | Notes: Ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... finished sixth ... began the day with consecutive victories to advance to the semifinals, defeating Tanner Druck of Seton Hill (6-0) and Morgan Way of NCAA Division I Clarion (6-0) ... ended the day with three straight losses to Kutztown's Matt Martoccio (Ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II Super Region One), Spencer Nagy of NCAA Division I Edinboro and Mercyhurst's Michael Griffith (Ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Region One).
174 - Christopher Matthews (2-3) | Notes: Ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... finished sixth ... after an opening loss to Patrick Jennings of NCAA Division I Edinboro, began the wrestlebacks with a 4-0 shutout of NCAA Division I Bloomsburg's Kyle Wojtaszek ... followed with an 18-0 technical fall against Shippensburg's Hunter Fenk ... concluded his day with consecutive losses to Mercyhurst's August Mizia (Ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II Super Region One) and Pitt-Johnstown's John Blankenship (Ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II Super Region One).

REMAINING GANNON RESULTS

133 - Aaron Smith (0-2) - Ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Region One
149 - George McGuire (1-2)
197 - Nigel Toussaint (0-2) - Ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region One.
Hwt. - Gunner Loughman (0-2)

EVENT NOTES

Gannon recorded its best overall finish since placing fifth in 2010.
The Golden Knights posted their best finish among NCAA Division II programs since finishing third in 2011.
Gannon's six placewinners were two more than last year's total and the most since placing six in 2011.
Costa entered the conference championships with a perfect 8-0 record, but his undefeated streak ended at nine with a semifinal setback. With both losses at the PSAC Championships coming against NCAA Division I opponents, he has yet to lose to an NCAA Division II wrestler this season.

UP NEXT

Gannon returns to action Saturday, December 12 at the Cleveland State Open.
No team scores will be kept in the traditional open format that includes a large contingent of NCAA Division I wrestlers.
Costa (184, 2-2) and Trevor Beiter (197, 3-2) are the only returners from last year who posted multiple victories at the 2014 Cleveland State Open.

TEAM SCORES

Edinboro - 136.5
Lock Haven - 118.0
Mercyhurst - 108.5
Clarion - 95.0
Pittsburgh-Johnstown - 92.0
Gannon - 49.5
Kutztown - 46.0
Shippensburg - 42.0
Bloomsburg - 40.0
Seton Hill - 30.5
East Stroudsburg - 28.5
Millersville - 12.5

PSAC Championships Results for Gannon
125 - Nathan Reckner (9-4) placed 5th and scored 10.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Nathan Reckner (Gannon) 9-4 won by decision over Collin Dees (Seton Hill) 4-4 (Dec 7-4)
Quarterfinal - Nathan Reckner (Gannon) 9-4 won by decision over Jake Field (Lock Haven) 10-9 (Dec 4-3)
Semifinal - Sean Russell (Edinboro) 4-0 won by major decision over Nathan Reckner (Gannon) 9-4 (MD 18-5)
Cons. Semi - Dustin Steffenino (Shippensburg) 6-4 won by fall over Nathan Reckner (Gannon) 9-4 (Fall 6:12)
5th Place Match - Nathan Reckner (Gannon) 9-4 won by fall over Jake Field (Lock Haven) 10-9 (Fall 0:23)

133 - Aaron Smith (0-2) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Aaron Smith (Gannon) 0-2 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Alex Baider (Millersville) 3-2 won by decision over Aaron Smith (Gannon) 0-2 (Dec 9-5)
Cons. Round 2 - James Harrison (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) 1-2 won by fall over Aaron Smith (Gannon) 0-2 (Fall 3:00)

141 - John Marotto (10-6) placed 6th and scored 5.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - John Marotto (Gannon) 10-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Brock Zacherl (Clarion) 14-1 won by major decision over John Marotto (Gannon) 10-6 (MD 9-1)
Cons. Round 2 - John Marotto (Gannon) 10-6 won by decision over Travis Smith (Kutztown) 5-2 (Dec 7-4)
Cons. Round 3 - John Marotto (Gannon) 10-6 won by decision over Joseph Alessandro (Seton Hill) 3-2 (Dec 3-2)
Cons. Semi - Nate Hagan (Edinboro) 3-2 won by major decision over John Marotto (Gannon) 10-6 (MD 10-2)
5th Place Match - Dylan Nace (East Stroudsburg) 6-2 won by fall over John Marotto (Gannon) 10-6 (Fall 4:47)

149 - George McGuire (8-5) place is unknown and scored 2.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Jeremy Landowski (Mercyhurst) 3-1 won by fall over George McGuire (Gannon) 8-5 (Fall 3:54)
Cons. Round 1 - George McGuire (Gannon) 8-5 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - George McGuire (Gannon) 8-5 won by major decision over Colin Ochs (Shippensburg) 1-5 (MD 10-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Cody Wheeler (Lock Haven) 4-4 won by decision over George McGuire (Gannon) 8-5 (Dec 11-5)

157 - Garret Smith (4-5) placed 6th and scored 6.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Garret Smith (Gannon) 4-5 won by decision over Tanner Druck (Seton Hill) 2-4 (Dec 6-0)
Quarterfinal - Garret Smith (Gannon) 4-5 won by decision over Morgan Way (Clarion) 2-8 (Dec 6-0)
Semifinal - Matt Martoccio (Kutztown) 10-2 won by decision over Garret Smith (Gannon) 4-5 (Dec 12-5)
Cons. Semi - Spencer Nagy (Edinboro) 5-1 won by major decision over Garret Smith (Gannon) 4-5 (MD 12-2)
5th Place Match - Michael Griffith (Mercyhurst) 3-2 won by major decision over Garret Smith (Gannon) 4-5 (MD 17-3)

165 - Nate Ross (11-4) placed 4th and scored 10.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Nate Ross (Gannon) 11-4 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Nate Ross (Gannon) 11-4 won by major decision over Christian Almony (Millersville) 1-2 (MD 14-3)
Semifinal - Casey Fuller (Edinboro) 3-0 won by decision over Nate Ross (Gannon) 11-4 (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Semi - Nate Ross (Gannon) 11-4 won by decision over Tyler Reinhart (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) 2-3 (Dec 5-4)
3rd Place Match - Evan Delong (Clarion) 14-4 won by decision over Nate Ross (Gannon) 11-4 (Dec 3-2)

174 - Christopher Matthews (9-6) placed 6th and scored 6.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 9-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Patrick Jennings (Edinboro) 4-0 won by decision over Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 9-6 (Dec 8-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 9-6 won by decision over Kyle Wojtaszek (Bloomsburg) 3-10 (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 3 - Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 9-6 won by tech fall over Hunter Fenk (Shippensburg) 3-4 (TF-1.5 3:00 (18-0))
Cons. Semi - August Mizia (Mercyhurst) 3-1 won by major decision over Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 9-6 (MD 14-4)
5th Place Match - John Blankenship (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) 4-2 won by fall over Christopher Matthews (Gannon) 9-6 (Fall 2:15)

184 - Nicholas Costa (10-2) placed 4th and scored 10.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Nicholas Costa (Gannon) 10-2 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Nicholas Costa (Gannon) 10-2 won by major decision over Brandon Steele (East Stroudsburg) 2-5 (MD 14-4)
Semifinal - Tristan Sponseller (Lock Haven) 12-6 won by major decision over Nicholas Costa (Gannon) 10-2 (MD 17-5)
Cons. Semi - Nicholas Costa (Gannon) 10-2 won by decision over Angelo Bortoluzzi (Mercyhurst) 3-2 (Dec 7-5)
3rd Place Match - Dominic Rigous (Clarion) 11-7 won by decision over Nicholas Costa (Gannon) 10-2 (Dec 3-2)

197 - Nigel Toussaint (0-2) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Dustin Conti (Clarion) 7-11 won by decision over Nigel Toussaint (Gannon) 0-2 (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 1 - Nigel Toussaint (Gannon) 0-2 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Jake Temple (Seton Hill) 6-3 won by decision over Nigel Toussaint (Gannon) 0-2 (Dec 7-0)

285 - Gunner Loughman (7-6) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Brad Emerick (Lock Haven) 8-9 won by fall over Gunner Loughman (Gannon) 7-6 (Fall 1:10)
Cons. Round 1 - Gunner Loughman (Gannon) 7-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Saul Wilkins (Bloomsburg) 3-10 won in tie breaker - 2 over Gunner Loughman (Gannon) 7-6 (TB-2 7-4)

Print Friendly Version