That's five on the podium for @GUWrestling, and a fifth-place team finish at the 41st Annual Midwest Classic!#UKnighted pic.twitter.com/dsJOtEmh8O

— Gannon Athletics (@GUKnights) December 15, 2019

THE RUNDOWN

• Event: 41st Annual Midwest Classic| Host: Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Competing Teams: 37
• Result: 5th place (74.0 points).
• The Short Story: Five Gannon wrestlers found a spot on the podium, leading the Golden Knights to a fifth-place team finish at the 41st Annual Midwest Classic Sunday.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER

• Gannon Results: Click Here
• Gameday Twitter Thread: Click Here
• Final Brackets: Click Here

GANNON RESULTS
125 – Jacob Dunlop (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) – 4-2 – 7th place

• Dunlop opened his Sunday with a round-of-12 matchup, building up nearly four minutes of riding time in a 7-0 win over Melvin Rubio of Queens. From there, he suffered a 5-2 defeat against No. 3 Nick Daggett of UNC Pembroke, but bounced back with a 4-2 win over Wisconsin-Parkside's Joe Arroyo to lock up seventh place.

133 – Austin Hertel (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) – 5-2 – 7th place

• Hertel grabbed a forfeit in the first bout of the day to lock up a top-eight finish, but fell to No. 6 Tyler Lawley of Newman in the consolation quarterfinals. He kept the hot streak in place matches going though, getting an early takedown and allowing just three escapes in a 6-3 win over Bellarmine's Zach Larue to earn seventh place.

149 – Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) – 4-2 – 5th place

• The first of two Golden Knights starting Sunday in the semifinals, Means got a second-period takedown and a late reversal to keep things interesting against No. 10 Carson Speelman of Ashland, but dropped to the consolation bracket with a 8-4 defeat. Seton Hill's Austin Shaw topped him in the consolation semis, but Means bounced back with a convincing 7-3 win against McKendree's Juwan Edmond to earn fifth.

165 – Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) – 5-2 – 4th place

• Farenchak opened his day with a stiff challenge, taking on the No. 1-ranked 174-pounder in McKendree's Nick Foster in the semis. Farenchak pushed him to the brink, forcing two stalling calls in the third period before Foster escaped with a 5-4 decision. Farenchak followed that up with his third win over a ranked opponent on the weekend, bouncing back from an early deficit to get a third-period takedown and ride out No. 12 Garrett Beam of Limestone to grab a 4-3 win, and would have to settle for fourth place after getting caught for a fall in the consolation final.

184 – Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) – 3-2

• Leise took on Colorado Mines' Anderson Salisbury in the round of 12, and built up over two minutes of riding time in the first period, but Salisbury got a takedown with less than 30 seconds left to hold on for a 4-3 win.

197 – Freddie Nixon (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) – 6-2 – 4th place

• Nixon put together an impressive run through the consolation bracket, starting with a wild third period against Mercyhurst's Luke McGonigal that finished with a 7-4 win for Nixon. He followed that up by not allowing an offensive point in a 7-3 win over No. 12 Billy Bowlen of Seton Hill in the consolation quarters, then reached the third-place match after receiving a forfeit. A tough task against No. 4 Nick Mason of Tiffin in the consolation final awaited, but Nixon ripped off seven first-period points to build a lead before Mason turned Nixon to start the second and registered a fall.

 
EVENT NOTES

• The Golden Knights earned five place winners, matching the second-most for Gannon in 13 trips to the Midwest Classic. They placed six in 2008, and also put five on the podium in both 1999 and 2001.
• Farenchak rung up three wins over nationally-ranked opponents on the weekend, outscoring four total ranked foes by a combined 20-12.
• Nixon bounced back from a tough overtime defeat in the second round Saturday to win five straight consolation bouts and reach the third-place match.
• Hertel took a similar path, dropping a tough second-round matchup before winning three straight on the back side.
• The Golden Knights put up their best team finish since also finishing fifth in the 2007-08 season in Indianapolis.

 
UP NEXT

• Gannon opens up 2020 with a pair of duals against Division I foes, facing Edinboro and Buffalo on Jan. 5 at Edinboro.