EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Gannon University women's wrestling team, ranked No. 10 in the NWCA Women's Wrestling Coaches Preseason Poll, opened the season with a strong showing at the East Stroudsburg University Open, as nine of the eleven Gannon wrestlers entering into the brackets earned at least a fifth-place finish. The Golden Knights finished second in the team standings with 70 points, trailing only Tiffin University (113 points.) Each Gannon wrestler won at least two matches on the day in new head coach Breonnah Neal's first tournament in charge of the Knights.
 
Sophomore Mikayla Vega (Escalon, Calif./Escalon) was the lone Golden Knight to stand atop the podium, notching three wins on the day (including a 4-0 blanking of New Jersey City University's Johnae Drumright in the final) to claim the 109-pound title. Freshman Anya Knappenberger (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) advanced to the 130-pound final but could not get past New Jersey City's Naomi Henry, dropping the bout by tech fall 10-0 and finishing as runner-up.
 
Four other Knights wrestled back for third-place finishes. 101-pounder Kat Pendergrass (South Hill, Va./South Granville(NC)), ranked No. 6 in the nation in the preseason, dropped her second bout of the day to Tiffin's Olivia Shore but battled back in the consolation bracket and bested Tiffin's Shanna Morris 10-8 in the third-place match.
 
It was a similar run for Julianne Moccia (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) in the 109-pound bracket, dropping her second bout but ending her day with a 6-4 decision over New Jersey City's Izabella Frezzo to secure third place.
 
170-pounder Annabelle Helm (Vancouver, Wash./Union) and No. 5-ranked Amara Devericks (San Clemente, Calif./Corona) (191) had to wrestle quite a few more matches to earn their third-place finishes. Helm was 5-1 on Sunday and ended her run with a 4-0 decision over Tiffin's Morgan Davidson. Devericks lost her first match of the day 4-0 to eventual runner-up Sandra Guerrero of New Jersey City but went 4-0 after that, capping it off with a 7-3 win in the third-place match over Limestone's Kalani Rivas.
 
Other placewinners for the Golden Knights included Karleigh Steiner (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) (fifth at 101 pounds), Caleeann Blarr (Girard, Pa./Girard) (fifth at 123), and Stephanie Floor (Pago Pago, American Samoa/Leone) (fourth at 143).

Gannon is back in action next weekend in Michigan at the Adrian College Open on Sunday, Nov. 14.
 
FULL RESULTS FOR GANNON UNIVERSITY WRESTLERS
 
101 – Kat Pendergrass (South Hill, Va./South Granville(NC)) – 3-1 (3^rd place)
101 – Karleigh Steiner (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) – 2-2 (5^th place)
109 – Julianne Moccia (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) – 3-1 (3^rd place)
109 – Mikayla Vega (Escalon, Calif./Escalon) – 3-0 (1^st place)
123 – Caleeann Blarr (Girard, Pa./Girard) – 2-2 (5^th place)
130 – Anya Knappenberger (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) – 2-1 (2^nd place)
136 – Mikayla Dockweiler (Corpus Christi, Texas/Richard King) – 2-2
143 – Stephanie Floor (Pago Pago, American Samoa/Leone) – 3-2 (4^th place)
155 – Gabby Malinowski (Waterford, Pa./Fort Leboeuf) – 2-2
170 – Annabelle Helm (Vancouver, Wash./Union) – 5-1 (3^rd place)
191 – Amara Devericks (San Clemente, Calif./Corona) – 4-1 (3^rd place)