Dom Means vs. Mercyhurst
Ed Mailliard

Men's Wrestling Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Trio of Pins Power No. 6 Gannon to 25-17 Win at No. 18 Mercyhurst

ERIE, Pa. – The latest version of the Gannon-Mercyhurst rivalry saw the Gannon men's wrestling program rally late for a 25-17 win over Mercyhurst at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Golden Knights won on the strength of three falls in the last five bouts. The matchup between two-nationally-ranked teams, with Gannon sixth in the NWCA Division II Top 25 and Mercyhurst ranked 18th, was evenly-contested from the start. The victory boosted the Golden Knights to 3-2 overall, with the losses to Division I Buffalo and Edinboro, along with 2-0 in the PSAC. Mercyhurst dropped to 4-5 and is now 0-1 in the conference.

Gannon found itself trailing 17-13 after eight matches as Mercyhurst looked to post the upset in the home opener. But Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) and Freddie Nixon (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) had other plans. Leise, ranked third at 197 lbs. by the NWCA, jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a takedown five seconds into the match. However, the redshirt junior was suddenly trailing 3-2 a minute later on Hunter Harnish's escape and takedown. Harnish settled on top and rode Leise until an escape knotted the score at 3-3 after one period.

Harnish chose down to start the second period and would never reach his feet. Leise patiently worked a cradle and recorded his fourth fall of the season at 4:14 to improve to 6-0 on the season. The six points gave Gannon its third lead of the night at 19-17.

Nixon followed at heavyweight against Mike DeLuca and would improve to 12-1 with a fall at 2:18. The senior took a 2-0 lead with a takedown 22 seconds into the match and wrapped up the win moments later.

The two teams won five matches apiece, but four of Gannon's wins produced bonus points, with three falls and a major decision. The match began with a pair of bonus point victories, one for each team.

Jacob Dunlop (Rostraver Township, Pa./Belle Vernon) coasted to a 13-2 major decision over Jacob Ruggeri at 125 lbs. The senior is now 12-2. He led 4-1 after one period on the strength of a pair of takedowns. He would turn Ruggeri twice in the second period for a total of six points and would lead 11-1 after two periods. He added a stalling point and owned 4:25 in riding time.

Eric Bartos, ranked 12th at 133 lbs., gave Mercyhurst a 5-4 advantage with a 16-1 technical fall over Aseel Almudhala (Dearborn, Mich./Fordson), winning at the seven-minute mark.

Austin Hertel (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) and Alexis Soriano battled next at 141 lbs., with Soriano coming away with a 6-3 decision. Hertel, now 6-4, trailed 2-0 after one period. The two exchanged reversals in the second period, with Soriano clinging to a 5-3 advantage after two periods. The lone scoring in the third period was a Soriano escape.

Second-ranked Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) remained undefeated at 149 lbs. thanks to a 12-5 decision over Alex Samson. The redshirt junior is now 8-0. He found himself trailing 4-1 midway through the first period on a pair of takedowns, but an escape and takedown knotted the score at 4-4 after a period. He forged ahead with an escape and takedown in the second period, then recorded his third takedown in the third. He picked up two stalling points and had two minutes in riding time.

Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander), ranked 10th at 157 lbs., returned to the mat for the first time in a month and found himself in a battle with Max Stedeford.  Stedeford would lead 4-0 after two periods, recording the lone takedown of the match in the first period. Young looked ready to rally with a reversal to start the third period, but he would end up suffering a 6-2 loss to fall to 12-7 on the season. Mercyhurst was ahead 11-7 at that point.

Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside), the top-ranked wrestler in Division II at 165 lbs., came up with the first of Gannon's three falls as the Golden Knights regained the lead at 13-11. He built a 4-1 lead after a period with a pair of takedowns, and added a third early in the second period before flattening Mike Clark at 4:07. Farenchak is now 8-2.

The Lakers regained the lead at 14-13 on a tough loss for redshirt freshman Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) (14-4) at 174 lbs. Petrella and Dillon Walker exchanged escapes in the second and third periods to head to sudden victory. With just 12 seconds remaining in the extra period, Petrella was hit with his second stalling warning to give Walker the 2-1 win.     

Cameron Page (Frewsburg, N.Y./Falconer Central) (0-4) jumped out to an early lead over eighth-ranked Luke McGonigal thanks to a takedown less than 20 seconds into the match. He maintained a 2-1 lead after one period, but McGonigal took control in the second period with a six-point move. After Page chose neutral, McGonigal took a 3-2 lead with a takedown midway through the period and followed with four near fall points with 30 seconds remaining. Page would counter with a takedown in the third period but would drop an 8-4 decision, setting up Gannon's two-fall rally.  

Gannon returns to action on Sunday, January 23 hosting East Stroudsburg in a PSAC match. The action gets underway at 2:00 p.m. at the Hammermill Center.
 
 
No. 6 GANNON 25, No. 18 MERCYHURST 17
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Mercyhurst Athletic Center
Erie, Pa.
 
125 lbs. – Jacob Dunlop (Rostraver Township, Pa./Belle Vernon) (GU) maj. dec. Jacob Ruggeri (MU), 13-2   GU 4-0
133 lbs. – No. 12 Eric Bartos (MU) tech. fall Aseel Almudhala (Dearborn, Mich./Fordson) (GU), 16-1 (7:00)    MU 5-4
141 lbs. – Alexis Soriano (MU) dec. Austin Hertel (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) (GU), 6-3    MU 8-4
149 lbs. – No. 2 Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) (GU) dec. Alex Samson (MU), 12-5   MU 8-7
157 lbs. – Max Stedeford (MU) dec. #10 Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (GU), 6-2    MU 11-7
165 lbs. – No. 1 Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) (GU) fall over Mike Clark (MU), 4:07  GU 13-11
174 lbs. – Dillon Walker (MU) dec. #12 Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) (GU), 2-1 SV    MU 14-13
184 lbs. – #8 Luke McGonigal (MU) dec. Cameron Page (Frewsburg, N.Y./Falconer Central) (GU), 8-4   MU 17-13
197 lbs. – #3 Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) (GU) fall over Hunter Harnish (MU), 4:14    GU 19-17
Hwt. – Freddie Nixon (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) (GU) fall over Mike DeLuca (MU), 2:18   GU 25-17
 
RECORDS:  Gannon 3-2, 2-0 PSAC; Mercyhurst 4-5, 0-1 PSAC   
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Jacob Dunlop

Jacob Dunlop

Senior
125
Alex Farenchak

Alex Farenchak

Redshirt Sophomore
165
Austin Hertel

Austin Hertel

Senior
133
Joel Leise

Joel Leise

Redshirt Junior
184
Dom Means

Dom Means

Redshirt Junior
149
Freddie Nixon

Freddie Nixon

Senior
197
Cameron Page

Cameron Page

Redshirt Junior
184
Nick Young

Nick Young

Junior
141
Joey Petrella

Joey Petrella

Freshman
174
Aseel Almudhala

Aseel Almudhala

125/133
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jacob Dunlop

Jacob Dunlop

Senior
125
Alex Farenchak

Alex Farenchak

Redshirt Sophomore
165
Austin Hertel

Austin Hertel

Senior
133
Joel Leise

Joel Leise

Redshirt Junior
184
Dom Means

Dom Means

Redshirt Junior
149
Freddie Nixon

Freddie Nixon

Senior
197
Cameron Page

Cameron Page

Redshirt Junior
184
Nick Young

Nick Young

Junior
141
Joey Petrella

Joey Petrella

Freshman
174
Aseel Almudhala

Aseel Almudhala

Redshirt Sophomore
125/133