Jake Stratton
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Junior Jake Stratton's pin of the region's sixth-ranked 174-pound wrestler in Reyse Wallbrown brought Gannon within one individual win of a team victory.

Men's Wrestling Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Wrestling Team Knocks off Region's Third-Ranked Wheeling Jesuit 22-13 (Video)

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 22, Wheeling Jesuit 13
  • Records: Gannon (3-1), Wheeling Jesuit (8-3)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center
  • The Short Story: Individual victories by unranked wrestlers John Marotto (Verona, Pa./Plum) and Jake Stratton (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley), as well as fifth-ranked Eric Lewandowski (Depew, N.Y./Lancaster Central), over regionally-ranked opponents spurred the Gannon wrestling team to a 22-13 victory against Wheeling Jesuit Saturday night during the 2016-17 home opener at the Hammermill Center.

MEDIA CENTER
BOUT-BY-BOUT RESULTS

125 Pounds
  • Result: Jake Donahue (WJ) def. Abraham Guarriello (Erie, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) (GU) by decision, 3-0
  • Wrestlers' Records: Donahue (10-4 Overall, 7-3 Dual) | Guarriello (9-10 Overall, 2-2 Dual)
  • Team Score: Wheeling Jesuit led 3-0
  • Notes: Dual meet started at 125 pounds ... Donahue recorded the only takedown of the match during the first period, before riding out the opening three minutes ... the wrestlers started the final two periods in a neutral position with neither being able to score points ... Donahue eventually added a riding-time point for a 3-0 victory.

133 Pounds
  • Result: Carmine Ciotti (Erie, Pa./McDowell) (GU) def. Nolan Whitely (WJ) by decision, 5-0
  • Wrestlers' Records: Ciotti (17-2, 4-0) | Whitely (14-8, 5-4)
  • Team Score: Meet tied 3-3
  • Notes: Ciotti is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II Super Region One and 12th in NCAA Division II ... Ciotti struck first with a takedown during the opening period ... after a scoreless second period, Ciotti recorded another takedown and tacked on a riding-time point for a 5-0 victory ... Ciotti recorded his team-best 17th victory ... Ciotti posted his second win of the season against Whitely after an 8-2 victory during the Findlay Open fifth-place match on November 19 ... Ciotti improved to 3-0 against Wheeling Jesuit wrestlers this season, including a pin of Joshua Henderson at the Findlay Open ... the victory was only Ciotti's third out of 17 that came by decision.

141 Pounds
  • Result: John Marotto (Verona, Pa./Plum) (GU) def. Daniel Romero (WJ) by decision, 1-0
  • Wrestlers' Records: Marotto (8-7, 3-1) | Romero (18-7, 7-4)
  • Team Score: Gannon led 6-3
  • Notes: Romero is ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... the two wrestlers battled to a scoreless tie through the first two periods ... Marotto started the final period on the bottom and escaped for the only point of the match ... Marotto defeated his second Wheeling Jesuit opponent of the season after a 12-1 major decision against Brad Kakos during the opening match of the Findlay Open on November 19.

149 Pounds
  • Result: Dominick Nania (WJ) def. Giovanni Ciotti (Erie, Pa./General McLane) (GU) by major decision, 12-2
  • Wrestlers' Records: Nania (20-5, 10-1) | Ciotti (8-10, 0-3)
  • Team Score: Wheeling Jesuit led 7-6
  • Notes: Nania is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II Super Region One and No. 5 in NCAA Division II ... Ciotti is ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... Nania opened the scoring with a takedown during the first period, before Ciotti cut the deficit in half with an escape ... after started the second period on top, Nania extended his lead to 6-0 with an escape and takedown ... Ciotti began the final period with an escape ... Nania then produced a takedown and four-point nearfall as time wound down, before adding a riding-time point for a 12-2 major decision.

157 Pounds
  • Result: Eric Lewandowski (Depew, N.Y./Lancaster Central) (GU) def. Greg Brusco (WJ) by major decision, 18-4
  • Wrestlers' Records: Lewandowski (7-2, 4-0) | Brusco (18-6, 7-4)
  • Team Score: Gannon led 10-7
  • Notes: Lewandowski is tabbed No. 5 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... Brusco ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... Brusco drew first blood with a takedown ... Lewandowski then ripped off a reversal and three four-point nearfalls for a 14-2 lead ... Brusco managed a reversal of his own and cut the deficit to 14-4 after one period ... a Lewandowski takedown accounted for the only points of the second stanza ... Lewandowski started the final period on bottom, before escaping and adding a riding-time point for an 18-4 major decision ... Lewandowski recorded his second consecutive major-decision win.

165 Pounds
  • Result: Garret Smith (Erie, Pa./Seneca) (GU) def. Nic Skonieczny (WJ) by decision, 1-0
  • Wrestlers' Records: Smith (13-9, 3-1) | Druck (8-6, 2-4)
  • Team Score: Gannon led 13-7
  • Notes: Smith is ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... after a scoreless first period, Smith started the second frame on bottom and escaped for the eventual winning point ... the wrestlers started the final period in a neutral position and both failed to score, giving Smith a 1-0 victory ... Smith avenged an earlier 2-1 loss to Skonieczny at the Findlay Open on November 19 ... Smith improved to 3-1 against Wheeling Jesuit wrestlers this season, previously defeating Steven Frazier (F, 3:30) and Reyse Wallbrown (TF, 16-0) at the Findlay Open.

174 Pounds
  • Result: Jake Stratton (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) (GU) pinned Reyse Wallbrown (WJ), 4:06
  • Wrestlers' Records: Stratton (14-9, 3-1) | Wallbrown (15-10, 5-5)
  • Team Score: Gannon led 19-7
  • Notes: Wallbrown is ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... Wallbrown led 2-1 after a first-period takedown followed by a Stratton escape ... Stratton started the middle period on the bottom and tied the bout with an escape ... Stratton then recorded a takedown and turned the position into a pin, ending the match 1:06 into the second period ... Stratton defeated his second Wheeling Jesuit opponent of the season, defeating Justin Ryder 9-5 at the Findlay Open on November 19 ... recorded his sixth pin of the season, but first since December 10.

184 Pounds
  • Result: Nicholas Costa (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) (GU) def. Nate Starkey (WJ) by decision, 4-0
  • Wrestlers' Records: Costa (3-1, 1-0) | Starkey (10-8, 5-6)
  • Team Score: Gannon led 22-7
  • Notes: Costa is ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... Costa scored all the points he needed during the opening period with a takedown and two-point nearfall ... after a scoreless second period, Starkey chose top to begin the final two minutes ... Starkey rode Stratton out to eliminate a riding-time point, but was unable to score before falling 4-0 ... Costa's victory clinched the team win ... Costa was wrestling for the first time since the Mount Union Invitational on November 12.

197 Pounds
  • Result: Terrance Fanning (WJ) def. Ethan Budd (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) (GU) by decision, 8-2
  • Wrestlers' Record: Fanning (9-7, 5-5) | Budd (4-8, 0-4)
  • Team Score: Gannon led 22-10
  • Notes: Fanning is ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Regional One ... Fanning led 2-1 after one period, opening the scoring with a takedown before Budd escaped ... Fanning extended his lead to 5-1 after two periods with an escape and takedown ... starting the final period in neutral, Fanning recorded another takedown for a 7-1 lead ... Budd managed to escape for one point, before Fanning countered with a riding-time point for an 8-2 victory.

285 Pounds
  • Result: Maxwell Lacey (WJ) def. Nick Budd (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) (GU) by decision, 3-2
  • Wrestlers' Records: Lacey (15-8, 5-4) | Budd (10-6, 3-1)
  • Team Score: Gannon wins 22-13
  • Notes: Budd is ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... Lacey is ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II Super Region One ... after a scoreless first period, Budd started the second stanza on bottom and escaped for a 1-0 lead ... Lacey opened the third-period scoring with an escape, but was unable to do so quick enough to erase Budd's riding-time point ... Lacey then stunned Budd with a takedown right before the final horn for a 3-2 victory.

TEAM NOTES
  • Gannon and Wheeling Jesuit are both listed among others receiving votes in the latest Wrestling Coaches Association (WCA) Top 25 Poll.
  • The Golden Knights are ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region One while the Cardinals are tabbed No. 3 regionally.
  • Gannon wrestled without the region's third-ranked 174-pound wrestler in redshirt junior Christopher Matthews (Kennerdell, Pa./Franklin).
  • Two of Wheeling Jesuit's regionally-ranked wrestlers didn't compete - Dustin Warner (133, third) and Ryan Winslow (184, fifth).
  • Gannon improved to 2-1 all-time against Wheeling Jesuit.
  • The home team has won all three meets.
  • Saturday's meet represented Gannon's 2016-17 home opener.
  • Wheeling Jesuit was only nine days removed from a runner-up finish at the National Duals in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The squad posted victories against No. 8 Findlay (26-12), No. 3 Maryville (Mo.) (18-17) and No. 21 Colorado State-Pueblo (22-21) before falling to No. 1 St. Cloud State (Minn.) (35-6) in the finals.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns to action Sunday, January 15 at the Mount Union Open.
  • Golden Knights who didn't wrestle Saturday night against Wheeling Jesuit are expected to compete.
  • Stratton's fifth-place finish headlined Gannon's contingent at last year's event.
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Players Mentioned

Nick Budd

Nick Budd

Redshirt Junior
Hwt.
Nick Costa

Nick Costa

Redshirt Sophomore
184
Eric Lewandowski

Eric Lewandowski

Redshirt Junior
157
John Marotto

John Marotto

Redshirt Senior
141
Chris Matthews

Chris Matthews

Redshirt Junior
165/174
Garret Smith

Garret Smith

Redshirt Senior
157/165
Jake Stratton

Jake Stratton

Junior
174
Ethan Budd

Ethan Budd

Freshman
197/Hwt.
Carmine Ciotti

Carmine Ciotti

Freshman
133
Giovanni Ciotti

Giovanni Ciotti

Sophomore
141

Players Mentioned

Nick Budd

Nick Budd

Redshirt Junior
Hwt.
Nick Costa

Nick Costa

Redshirt Sophomore
184
Eric Lewandowski

Eric Lewandowski

Redshirt Junior
157
John Marotto

John Marotto

Redshirt Senior
141
Chris Matthews

Chris Matthews

Redshirt Junior
165/174
Garret Smith

Garret Smith

Redshirt Senior
157/165
Jake Stratton

Jake Stratton

Junior
174
Ethan Budd

Ethan Budd

Freshman
197/Hwt.
Carmine Ciotti

Carmine Ciotti

Freshman
133
Giovanni Ciotti

Giovanni Ciotti

Sophomore
141