KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The middle of the Gannon wrestling team's lineup has been dominant all season. On Friday night, the top of the lineup was impressive, too.

No. 11 Gannon won six of the first seven matches on the way to a 29-12 win over Kutztown in a PSAC dual at Keystone Arena.

Coach Don Henry's Golden Knights improved to 6-5 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC while handing Kutztown (6-2, 2-1) its first PSAC loss of the season.

As usual, Gannon's three nationally ranked middleweights stood out, piling up 14 team points.

However, the Knights got off to a strong start by winning the first two matches by decision and building a 6-0 lead before the middle of the lineup took the mat.

Gannon 125-pounder Jose Diaz (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) and Kutztown's Julien Maldonado wrestled a back-and-forth match before Diaz emerged with a takedown for a 9-7 decision in sudden victory. Diaz, a redshirt senior, evened his record at 6-6.

Chase McLaughlin (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) then followed with a tough 4-2 win over KJ Fenstermacher at 133 pounds to make the team score 6-0. McLaughlin also evened his record at 10-10.

After a loss at 141 pounds, Gannon then sent out three nationally ranked wrestlers in a row.

No. 2 Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) improved to 20-4 by piling up the near-fall points while turning in a 15-0 technical fall over Kibwe McNair.

No. 8 Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) then gave Gannon a quick boost by pinning Bryce Buckman in 1:40 at 157 pounds. Means moved to 19-6 while helping the Golden Knights extend their lead to 17-3.

At 165 pounds, No. 4 Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) improved to 7-0 with a workmanlike 4-3 win over Dalton Gimbor, a talented redshirt freshman who entered the match with a 12-2 record.

One of the biggest highlights of the night for Gannon was the return of Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) at 174 pounds. He had missed several duals, but he turned in a comeback victory that drew a roar from the Gannon bench.

Petrella trailed Ethan Baney 4-0 midway through the match, but the Gannon sophomore steadily worked his way back into the match before getting a late takedown for a 6-5 victory. His win upped his record to 6-1 while giving the Golden Knights a 23-3 lead and sealing the dual victory.

After a Gannon loss at 184 pounds, No. 11 Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) accepted a forfeit win at 197 pounds to conclude GU's scoring.

Heavyweight Eli Reese (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) made a late push in the final match, but he could not get a decisive takedown as Kutztown's Dustin Swanson held him off for a 4-3 victory.

Gannon returns to action on Saturday at 10 a.m. when the Knights visit East Stroudsburg (3-4, 0-2).
 
PSAC 
NO. 11 GANNON 29, KUTZTOWN 12
125 lbs. – Jose Diaz (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) (GU) dec. Julien Maldonado (KU) 9-7, sv-1
133 lbs. – Chase McLaughlin (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) (GU) dec. KJ Fenstermacher (KU) 4-2
141 lbs. – Collin Wickramaratna (KU) dec. Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) (GU) 12-7
149 lbs. – No. 2 Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (GU) tech. fall Kibwe McNair (KU) 15-0
157 lbs. – No. 8 Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) (GU) fall over Bryce Buckman (KU) 1:40
165 lbs. – No. 4 Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) (GU) dec. Dalton Gimbor (KU) 4-3
174 lbs. – Joey Petrella (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) (GU) dec. Ethan Baney (KU) 6-5
184 lbs. –No. 6 Matthew Weinberg (KU) fall over Cole Hivnor (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) (GU) 3:22
197 lbs. – No. 11 Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) (GU) by forfeit
285 lbs. – Dustin Swanson (KU) dec. Eli Reese (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) (GU) 4-3
 
Exhibition:
165 lbs. – Ethan Richner (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area High) (GU) fall over John Horton (KU) 1:51