Men's Wrestling 2020 National Qualifiers

Men's Wrestling David Rung, Director of Athletics Media Relations

Golden Knights Send Eight To Nationals, Finish Second At Super Region Championships

THE RUNDOWN
  • Event: 2020 NCAA Division II Super Region 1 Championships
  • Location: Mercyhurst Athletic Center – Erie, Pa. (Hosted by Mercyhurst)
  • Competing Teams: American International, Alderson Broaddus, East Stroudsburg, Farimont State, Gannon, Kutztown, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, Shippensburg
  • Result: 2nd out of 11 teams
 
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
TEAM SCORES
1. Pitt-Johnstown – 147.5
2. Gannon – 130.5
3. Mercyhurst – 116.0
4. Seton Hill – 108.0
5. East Stroudsburg – 52.5
 
GANNON RESULTS
  • 125 – Jacob Dunlop (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) – 3-1 (2nd Place) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 133 – Austin Hertel (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) – 2-2 (5th)
  • 141 – Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) – 4-1 (3rd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 149 – Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) – 2-1 (2nd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 157 – Evan Fisler (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) – 2-1 (2nd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 165 – Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) – 2-1 (2nd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 174 – Luigi Yates (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) – 3-1 (3rd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 184 – Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) – 3-1 (3rd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 197 – Freddie Nixon (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) – 3-1 (2nd) – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
  • 285 – Gehrig Hutchison (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) – 1-2


    BOUT-BY-BOUT RESULTS
     
    125
  • Dunlop ripped through the first three rounds of the day by bonus points in each match, starting with a 22-second fall, followed by a tech fall and a 9-0 major. He faced off against 3rd-ranked Brendan Howard of Pitt-Johnstown in the final, where Howard did just enough to hold him off with a 9-4 decision.
 
133
  • Hertel grabbed a fall in the quarterfinals to reach the semis, but there he ran into Kutztown's eventual region champ Collin Wickramaratna, who dealt him a 7-3 setback. Hertel dropped into the fifth-place match after a tough 3-1 defeat against Mercyhurst's Eric Bartos in the consolation semifinals, but he closed his day on a strong note, majoring Millersville's Jacob Lehman 13-5 to finish fifth.
 
141
  • Young skipped through to the semifinals, registering a pin in the opening round, then an 8-3 decision in the quarterfinals to go up against top-seeded Jacob Ealy of UPJ. Ealy, who went on to win the bracket, turned in a 13-2 major, but Young responded with two impressive matches, pinning Shippensburg's Matt Milbrand in the third period in the consolation semi, then making a first-period takedown hold up in an exciting 4-3 win for third place.
 
149
  • Means used a pair of workmanlike performances in his first two bouts to reach the final. A late takedown secured a 5-2 win in the quarters, and his takedown in the second period against Seton Hill's Austin Shaw in the semis made the difference in a 3-1 win. A matchup against UPJ's two-time national champ Chris Eddins in the final was a tough one, as the riding time point gave Eddins an 8-0 major.
 
157
  • Fisler rolled up a 12-point first period on his way to a tech fall in his quarterfinal, then used a four-point move in the final minute to secure an 8-5 win over Seton Hill's Logan McKoy in the semis to reach the final. There, he was in a 2-1 match with American International's top-seeded Baltazar Gonzalez, when Gonzalez caught Fisler with a toss on a flurry of action to record a fall to give Fisler a second-place finish.
 
165
  • Farenchak earned a fall in the third period of his quarterfinal to set up a semifinal rematch against UPJ's eighth-ranked Devin Austin. He trailed 4-2 after the first, but got a takedown midway through the second to get within a point, and his ride out in that period gave him the tying point at the end of regulation. In sudden victory, Farenchak got the takedown with 20 seconds left to head to the final. There, Mercyhurst's Logan Grass hit a couple of big moves to earn a tech fall and give Farenchak a runner-up finish.

174
  • Yates picked up a 9-0 major in the quarterfinals, but ran up against the nation's top-ranked 174-pounder in East Stroudsburg's Michael Raccioppi in the semis. Racioppi sent Yates to the consolation bracket, but Yates bounced back with a 12-9 decision of Ship's Colton Babcock to reach the third-place bout, and earned the bronze with a thrilling 3-1 win in sudden victory over Seton Hill's Brandon Matthews.
 
184
  • A 5-2 decision in the quarterfinals sent Leise to the semis, where a second-period reversal from top-seeded Connor Craig of UPJ proved the difference in a 3-0 decision. Leise made quick work of Seton Hill's William Romjue with a cradle in the consolation semis, then made it a second straight overtime winner on the third-place mat, getting around Alderson Broaddus's Gino Sita for a 4-2 win.
 
197
  • Nixon didn't need to go past the first period in his first two bouts, registering first-period falls to reach the semis. There, he got the only takedown of the match against Seton Hill's Billy Bowlen, holding on for a 3-2 victory after a video review reversal of a penalty point that would have tied it up late. In the final against Mercyhurst's Luke McGonigal, there was plenty of action, but only a pair of escapes as the match went to overtime. Two more escapes in the rideout sessions made it 2-2, but McGonigal grabbed the winning takedown in the second sudden-victory period.
 
285
  • Hutchison started his day off against the nation's top-ranked heavyweight in Kutztown's Andrew Dunn, where he suffered a tech fall defeat. Takedowns in the first period and in the final seconds secured a 5-1 win in his first consolation bout, but Seton Hill's Jacob Beistel finished off a pin in the second period in the consolation quarterfinals to end Hutchison's day.
 
TEAM NOTES
  • Gannon's eight national qualifiers is a new program best.
  • The Golden Knights went 9-for-9 in the quarterfinals and held the lead in the team race heading into the semifinal session.
  • The Knights then followed that up with a 5-for-9 performance in the semis to get five finalists.
  • Gannon went 8-2 in the consolation bracket while facing elimination.
  • Dunlop and Nixon will be making their second appearance at nationals. Young, Means, Fisler, Farenchak, Yates and Leise will be making their first appearance.
  • All eight national qualifiers are underclassmen.
 
UP NEXT
  • Gannon's eight qualifiers will compete at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jacob Dunlop

Jacob Dunlop

Junior
125
Alex Farenchak

Alex Farenchak

Redshirt Freshman
165
Evan Fisler

Evan Fisler

Redshirt Sophomore
157
Austin Hertel

Austin Hertel

Junior
133
Gehrig Hutchison

Gehrig Hutchison

Redshirt Freshman
Hwt.
Joel Leise

Joel Leise

Redshirt Sophomore
184
Dom Means

Dom Means

Redshirt Sophomore
149
Freddie Nixon

Freddie Nixon

Junior
197
Luigi Yates

Luigi Yates

Redshirt Freshman
174
Nick Young

Nick Young

Sophomore
141

Players Mentioned

Jacob Dunlop

Jacob Dunlop

Junior
125
Alex Farenchak

Alex Farenchak

Redshirt Freshman
165
Evan Fisler

Evan Fisler

Redshirt Sophomore
157
Austin Hertel

Austin Hertel

Junior
133
Gehrig Hutchison

Gehrig Hutchison

Redshirt Freshman
Hwt.
Joel Leise

Joel Leise

Redshirt Sophomore
184
Dom Means

Dom Means

Redshirt Sophomore
149
Freddie Nixon

Freddie Nixon

Junior
197
Luigi Yates

Luigi Yates

Redshirt Freshman
174
Nick Young

Nick Young

Sophomore
141