EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Two Gannon seniors won titles and seven Golden Knights earned trips to Nationals in a highly successful performance at the Super Regional 1 tournament on Saturday.

Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) won the 165-pound championship, and Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) placed first in the 197-pound division as Gannon placed second as a team in the tourney at Koehler Fieldhouse. Gannon also had four runner-up wrestlers and a third-place finisher.

Jose Diaz (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) (125 pounds), Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) (141), Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (149), and Cole Casilio (Wilcox, Pa./Johnsonburg Area) (174) placed second for Gannon, while Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) (157) took third place.

The top three in each weight class earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championships on March 10-11 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Only three Gannon wrestlers did not advance on Saturday.
 
SECOND IN TEAM STANDINGS

Coach Don Henry's Golden Knights finished with 134 points, finishing behind only Pitt-Johnstown (148.5) in the 11-team field. It is the second consecutive year that the Knights have placed second in the tournament after winning it in 2021.

Gannon won its first 13 matches in the tourney on Saturday. Young and Cole Hivnor (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) (184) won first-round matches, and all 10 of the Gannon competitors won their quarterfinal matches.

The Golden Knights then went 6-4 in the semifinals as Gannon led all teams with six finalists. UPJ had five finalists and four champions.

 

Farenchak and Leise win titles; second place team finish with seven NCAA qualifiers! #GannonWrestling pic.twitter.com/tMJDmykkYF

— Gannon WRESTLING (@Gannon_MWR) February 26, 2023

 
FARENCHAK IS BACK

Farenchak placed second in Division II nationally in 2021 and will return to the NCAA Championships after missing the tournament last year. He suffered a season-ending injury last season when he was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

He was workmanlike on Saturday in winning the 165-pound division in the super regional. After a first-round bye, the top-seeded Farenchak claimed a 9-0 major decision over Kyler Everly of Shippensburg.

He then topped Kutztown's Dalton Gimbor 5-2 in the semifinals to secure a berth at Nationals.

Farenchak shut out Brandon Connor of Millersville 4-0 in the finals as the Gannon wrestler stayed unbeaten with an 11-0 record.

This was Farenchak's first Super Region 1 title after a pair of second-place performances. He is a two-time All-American.

 

Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) wins the regional title with a takedown in overtime at 197lbs! #GannonWrestling pic.twitter.com/TUlS0rihfx

— Gannon WRESTLING (@Gannon_MWR) February 26, 2023

 
LEISE RISES

This is Leise's first Super Region 1 title after placing second twice and finishing third once and fifth once in the previous four seasons. He claimed a spot in the NCAA Division II Championships for the fourth time in his career.

After a first-round bye, Leise turned in a 16-0 technical fall of Seton Hill's William Whittington in the quarterfinals. Leise edged Pitt-Johnstown's Dakoda Rodger 2-0 in the semifinals to clinch another spot in Nationals.

Leise, the No. 2 seed, then faced a tough challenge in the championship match when he faced top-seeded Luke McGonigal of Mercyhurst. After the two wrestled to a 1-1 tie in regulation, Leise pulled out a 3-1 win in sudden victory.

McGonigal had beaten Leise 3-1 win in sudden victory during the Gannon-Mercyhurst dual meet on Jan. 13.

Leise's 3-0 mark in the tournament improved his season record to 11-2.
 
YOUNG'S STRONG EFFORT

Young was dominant during the first three rounds at 149 pounds. He recorded a fall against Eric Falleni of East Stroudsburg in 2:20 in the first round before pinning Kutztown's Kibwe McNair in 4:41 in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Young claimed a 12-3 major decision over Millersville's Craig Cook, the No. 5 wrestler in D-II.

That set up a showdown between the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the country in the 149-pound finals. Pitt-Johnstown's Jacob Ealy, the top seed, claimed a 5-4 victory over Young in the title bout.

Young is 26-5 this season, and three of his losses have been 2-point, 1-point, and 1-point losses to Ealy.

This is the fourth time that Young has qualified for Nationals in his career. He earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at Nationals in 2020-21.
 
MEANS MACHINE

Means was impressive in earning third place at 157 pounds and claiming a spot in Nationals. It was the third straight year he has finished third in the Super Region 1 tournament.

He placed second in Super Regional 1 in 2019-20 when he was accorded All-America honors after the NCAA Division II Championships were canceled because of the pandemic.

After a first-round bye on Saturday, Means won a decision in the quarterfinals before losing a decision in the semifinals. That meant Means would have to win back-to-back matches in the consolations to earn third place and secure a berth in Nationals.

That's what he did.

Means claimed a 6-2 decision over Mercyhurst's Max Stedeford in the consolation semifinals before pinning Millersville's Jonathan Parrilla in 6:03 of the third-place match.

With his 3-1 record on Saturday, Means improved to 25-7 on the season. He entered the tournament ranked No. 8 in the country.

Cole Casilio (Wilcox, Pa./Johnsonburg Area) gets in done in OT to qualify for his first NCAA Division II Championships at 174lbs! #GannonWrestling pic.twitter.com/d5AeKPUokh

— Gannon WRESTLING (@Gannon_MWR) February 25, 2023

 
THREE SECOND-PLACE FINISHERS

Three Gannon wrestlers finished second on Saturday to claim their first berths in the NCAA Division II Championships.

Diaz, a redshirt senior who transferred during the offseason from Franklin & Marshall, won two decisions to advance to the finals. He then lost 12-3 to Pitt-Johnstown's to Trevon Gray in the 125-pound championship match.

Ryan, a sophomore who redshirted last season, also advanced at 141 pounds. He won an 18-0 technical fall in the first round before upsetting Kutztown's Collin Wickramaratna 9-4 in the semifinals. Ryan then dropped a 4-2 decision in sudden victory against Jake Niffenegger of Mercyhurst in the finals.

Casilio, a redshirt freshman, has improved throughout the season. He earned a trip to Nationals on Saturday by winning a 3-1 decision in the quarterfinals before pulling out a dramatic 5-3 win over UPJ's James Weber in sudden victory. Casilio lost a 4-1 decision to Mercyhurst Dillon Walker in the championship match.

Gannon's other three wrestlers were Eli Reese (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) (fourth place at 285), Chase McLaughlin (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) (fifth at 133), and Cole Hivnor (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) (sixth at 184). Hivnor was slowed by an undisclosed injury during the tournament and had to medically forfeit the fifth-place match.

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FINAL TEAM RESULTS

1. Pitt-Johnstown 148.5
2. Gannon 134.0
3. Mercyhurst 109.5
4. Kutztown 77.5
5. Millersville 71.0
6. Seton Hill 69.0
7. East Stroudsburg 50.5
8. Shippensburg 46.5
9. Fairmont State 34.0
10. American International 28.5
11. Alderson Broaddus 14.5
 
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GANNON INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
 
125 POUNDS
Jose Diaz (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) (2-1) placed 2nd
Champ. Round 1 - Diaz (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Diaz (GU) dec. Billy Smith (Mercyhurst) 9-3
Semifinal - Diaz (GU) dec. Brady Carter (East Stroudsburg) 8-7
1st Place Match - Trevon Gray (Pitt-Johnstown) maj. dec. Diaz (GU) 11-3
 
133 POUNDS
Chase McLaughlin (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) (2-2) placed 5th
Champ. Round 1 - McLaughlin (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - McLaughlin (GU) injury def. over Cameron Enriquez (East Stroudsburg) 0:15
Semifinal - Devin Flannery (Millersville) dec. McLaughlin (GU) 4-2
Cons. Semi - Byron Daubert (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. McLaughlin (GU) 7-2
5th Place Match - McLaughlin (GU) maj. dec. Nathan Pelesky (Fairmont State) 11-1
 
141 POUNDS
Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) (2-1) placed 2nd
Champ. Round 1 - Ryan (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Ryan (GU) tech. fall Alex Miscovich (Shippensburg) 2:48, 18-0
Semifinal - Ryan (GU) dec. Collin Wickramaratna (Kutztown) 9-4
1st Place Match - Jake Niffenegger (Mercyhurst) dec. Ryan (GU) 4-2, SV-1
 
149 POUNDS
Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (3-1) placed 2nd
Champ. Round 1 - Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (GU) fall over Eric Falleni (East Stroudsburg) 2:20
Quarterfinal - Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (GU) fall over Kibwe Mcnair (Kutztown) 4:41
Semifinal - Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (GU) maj. dec. over Craig Cook (Millersville) 12-3
1st Place Match - Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) (GU) 5-4
 
157 POUNDS
Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) (3-1) placed 3rd
Champ. Round 1 - Means (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Means (GU) dec. Joel Morth (American Int.) 9-4
Semifinal - Avery Shay (Shippensburg) dec. Means (GU) 11-5
Cons. Semi - Means (GU) dec. Max Stedeford (Mercyhurst) 6-2
3rd Place Match - Means (GU) fall over Jonathan Parrilla (Millersville) 6:03
 
165 POUNDS
Alex Farenchak (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) (3-0) placed 1st
Champ. Round 1 - Farenchak (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Farenchak (GU) maj. dec. Kyler Everly (Shippensburg) 9-0
Semifinal - Farenchak (GU) dec. Dalton Gimbor (Kutztown) 5-2
1st Place Match - Farenchak (GU) dec. Brandon Connor (Millersville) 4-0
 
174 POUNDS
Cole Casilio (Wilcox, Pa./Johnsonburg Area) (2-1) placed 2nd
Champ. Round 1 - Casilio (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Casilio (GU) dec. Ethan Baney (Kutztown) 3-1
Semifinal - Casilio (GU) dec. James Weber (Pitt-Johnstown) 5-3, SV-1
1st Place Match - Dillon Walker (Mercyhurst) dec. Casilio (GU) 4-1
 
184 POUNDS
Cole Hivnor (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) (2-3) placed 6th
Champ. Round 1 - Hivnor (GU) maj. dec. Markys Lissaint (American Int.) 9-0
Quarterfinal - Hivnor (GU) fall over Owen Koch (Shippensburg) 1:43
Semifinal - Brock Biddle (Pitt-Johnstown) inj. default over Hivnor (GU) 2:04
Cons. Semi - Austin Gibson (Fairmont State) dec. Hivnor (GU) 5-4
5th Place Match - Josh Leidig (East Stroudsburg) med. forfeit Hivnor (GU)
 
197 POUNDS
Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) (3-0) placed 1st
Champ. Round 1 - Leise (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Leise (GU) tech. fall William Whittington (Seton Hill) 4:54, 16-0
Semifinal - Leise (GU) dec. Dakoda Rodger (Pitt-Johnstown) 2-0
1st Place Match - Leise (GU) dec. Luke McGonigal (Mercyhurst) 3-1, SV-1
 
285 POUNDS
Eli Reese (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) (2-2) placed 4th
Champ. Round 1 - Reese (GU) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Reese (GU) dec. Hunter Harnish (Mercyhurst) 8-3
Semifinal - Isaiah Vance (Pitt-Johnstown) fall over Reese (GU) 1:48
Cons. Semi - Reese (GU) dec. Bishop McCoy (Millersville) 5-3
3rd Place Match - Daniel Scheib (Shippensburg) dec. Reese (GU) 8-3