Dom Means, Don Henry, Tom Boyd vs. Mercyhurst
Ed Mailliard
Joel Leise is one of Gannon's top returnees this season for Don Henry, right.

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

Golden Knights Begin 39th Year Under Henry with High Expectations

ERIE, Pa. – Long-time head coach Don Henry has built the Gannon men's wrestling program into a force to be reckoned with in Division II wrestling circles. A year ago he guided Gannon to an 8-3 record, finishing second at the Super Region One Championships and going on to place tenth at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Expectations are high once again as four of last year's eight national qualifiers return, including one 2022 All-American and three other former All-Americans. Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) finished seventh at 197 lbs. and will rejoin the Golden Knights after the first semester. Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) and Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) have earned All-American honors in the past, as did Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside). Farenchak finished as the national runner-up at 165 lbs. in 2021 and ranked number one in the country last year before going down with a season-ending injury.

Gannon enters the 2022-23 campaign ranked 15th in the NWCA Division II preseason poll, with four wrestlers ranked individually. Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) and Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) are ranked seventh at 149 and 157 lbs., respectively, with Farenchak fifth at 165 lbs. and Joey Petrellla tenth at 184 lbs.  

"We will return a veteran squad, many with national experience," Henry pointed out. "We have set our sights on a PSAC, NCAA regional, and NCAA championship."

Gannon opens the season on Saturday, November 5 competing at the Mount Union Invitational.



Head Coach:
Don Henry was brought in as head coach in 1984 to restart the Gannon wrestling program. Over the years he has built the program into one that was regionally recognized and now nationally recognized. A year ago the Golden Knights finished second at the Super Region One Championships and then went on to place tenth at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Three Golden Knights earned All-American honors, giving Henry 44 during his tenure. He has been named the Super Region One Coach of the Year five times and the NWCA National Coach of the Year in 2021. He was the recipient of the NWCA Robert Bubb Coaching Excellence Award in 2002-03 and again in 2011-12.  Henry was inducted into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Slippery Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. 
 
Breaking Down the Weight Classes:
125 lbs. – Gannon must replace former All-American Jacob Dunlop, who was the Super Region One champion and finished at 25-8. Enter redshirt senior Jose Diaz (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler), a transfer from Franklin & Marshall who was the starter at 125 lbs. for Div. I F&M in 2019-20 and departed with 30 career wins. Chris Petteys (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) was 2-11 as a freshman last year.

133 lbs. – The Golden Knights had several wrestlers fill the lineup at 133 lbs., including Chase McLaughlin (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area). The sophomore was 7-10 last year with four falls. Jacob Wright (Arnold, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) finished with over 120 wins, over 60 via pin, at Mount Saint Joseph High School (Md.).

141 lbs. – A wide-open weight class will have a number of wrestlers battling for the top spot. Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) enjoyed a highly-successful redshirt year, going 20-11. Caleb Chaves (Odenton, Md./Arundel) also redshirted and was 8-6. Redshirt sophomore Joel Huck (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) was 5-3 with four falls, while Parker Loera (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) is the most experienced of the group. The junior was 5-11 a year ago.

149 lbs. -- Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) and Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) are flip-flopping weight classes, with Young moving down to 149 lbs. A graduate student, Young earned All-American honors at 157 lbs. in 2020-21 thanks to a sixth-place finish. He was 20-12 last year, qualifying for Nationals for the second time thanks to a second-place showing at the Super Region One Championships. Young is ranked seventh in the NWCA Division II preseason poll. Junior Hayden Butterfield (Erie, Pa./McDowell) provides a solid backup after going 15-9 last year. Redshirt freshman Carson Filer (Mercer, Pa./Mercer Area) is also available.

157 lbs. – Like Young, Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) is a two-time national qualifier, and the redshirt senior was accorded NWCA All-American honors at 149 lbs. in 2019-20. He moves up a weight class and is ranked seventh in the preseason rankings after going 15-4 a year ago with a third-place finish at the Super Region One Championships. Junior Nick Coreno (Willoughby, Ohio/Lake Catholic) was 19-11 with eight falls while competing as a backup. Freshman Shawn Szymanski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Burrell) will also compete at 157 lbs. 

165 lbs. – What you see in November likely won't be what you see in February. Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) was sitting atop the Division II national rankings at 165 lbs. after finishing as the national runner-up in 2020-21 before suffering a season-ending injury in early February. A two-time All-American, the graduate student will return in the second semester to make another run at becoming Gannon's second national champion. He is ranked fifth in the NWCA preseason poll. Henry has several other options until Farenchak returns. Junior Marques McLorin was 3-5 last year, and Robert Boley (Concord Township, Ohio/Lake Catholic), a sophomore, was 9-10. Jason Richner is a transfer from Division I South Dakota State. Richner is a redshirt freshman who was a two-time PIAA placewinner as a prepster at Bellefonte Area High School.

174 lbs. – This weight class was in the capable hands of Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) last year, but Petrella is moving up to 184 lbs. this year. Cole Casilio (Wilcox, Pa./Johnsonburg Area), 9-12 a year ago while redshirting, looks to take over for Petrella.  

184 lbs. – Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) enjoyed great success as a redshirt freshman while competing at 174 lb.s He finished as the Super Region One regional champion and finished with a 25-6 record with six falls. Petrella is ranked tenth in the preseason poll at 184 lbs. Pitt transfer Cole Hivnor (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) will also compete here. The freshman placed fourth at 182 lbs. at the OHSAA State Championships as a senior.

197 lbs. – Like the situation at 165 lbs., things will only get better in the second semester. That's when All American Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) rejoins the team. A year ago the redshirt senior was 17-3 with a team-high 12 falls. He earned All-American honors thanks to a seventh-place finish. Trent Tidball (Meadville, Pa./Meadville), a Kent State transfer who joined the team in the second semester, was 4-4.  

Hwt. – Gone is Freddie Nixon, a wrestler who was the true anchor of the lineup. Nixon would earn All-American honors with an eighth-place finish, going 23-6. Redshirt sophomore Matt Long (Corry, Pa./Union City) (0-2) and redshirt freshman Eli Reese (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) (1-2) will battle to replace Nixon. Gehrig Hutchinson, a late addition to the roster who was 9-7 last year, has competed at both 197 and heavyweight in the past.

Season Opener:
Saturday, November 5: at Mount Union Invitational, All Day
 
Home Opener:
Saturday, December 10: vs. Lake Erie, 2:00 p.m.
 
Preseason Polls:
Gannon is ranked 15th in the NWCA Division II Preseason Poll
Four wrestlers are ranked individually – Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (7th – 149 lbs.); Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) (7th – 157 lbs.); Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) (5th – 165 lbs.); Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) (10th – 184 lbs.).
 
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