General | 2/14/2026 9:20:00 PM

THE DUAL FACTS

•  Final Score: #3 Gannon 18, #5 UPJ 12

• Gannon Record: 12-1 (6-0 PSAC), W9

• Location: Highmark Events Center

• Next Meet: NCAA DII Super Regional One (East Stroudsburg, PA) - Saturday, February 28th

ERIE, PA - History! On a night to remember at the Highmark Events Center, the third ranked Golden Knights edged fifth ranked UPJ, 18-12, to claim the outright PSAC Men's Wrestling championship. Gannon trailed early but used a strong of four wins in five matches to build a lead that they wouldn't lose. 

The match was incredibly close - every bout was won by decision, and one went to a sudden victory. GU used a combination of back to back wins in multiple spots to pick up the victory - wins from Jerry Echevarria (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) (133) and Jake Niffenegger (Mason, Ohio/La Salle) (141), and then Holden Huhn (Loveland, Ohio/La Salle) (157) preceded Grant MacKay (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) (165). 

Pat Jackson would win at 184 by a 2-0 shutout decision before Dorian Crosby (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) closed out Isaiah Vance, 6-2, in what could be an early preview of the Regional and National championship at 285. 

WIth the win, the Golden Knights also set a program record for wins in a single season, now with 12 on the campaign. This breaks the mark set in 1996-97 (11). 

HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS - GU vs UPJ

125: Trevon Gray (UPJ) over Logan Sallot (Erie, PA/McDowell High School) (GU) (Dec 8-6)
133: Jerry Echevarria (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) (GU) over Brady Baker (UPJ) (Dec 5-3)
141: Jake Niffenegger (Mason, Ohio/La Salle) (GU) over Chad Ozias (UPJ) (Dec 10-7)
149: Matthew Sarbo (UPJ) over Kenny Kiser (Meadville, Pa./Saegertown) (GU) (Dec 13-7)
157: Holden Huhn (Loveland, Ohio/La Salle) (GU) over Cooper Warshel (UPJ) (Dec 4-1)
165: Grant MacKay (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) (GU) over Trent Hoover (UPJ) (Dec 4-0)
174: Tyler Morrison (UPJ) over Dillon Walker (Mason, Ohio/Mason) (GU) (SV-1 6-3)
184: Patrick Jackson (Harpers Ferry, WV/Spring Mills High) (GU) over Noah Gnibus (UPJ) (Dec 2-0)
197: Bradley Morrison (UPJ) over Joey Lyons (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) (GU) (Dec 6-3)
285: Dorian Crosby (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) (GU) over Isaiah Vance (UPJ) (Dec 6-2)

THE KNIGHT CAP

• Jerry & Jake Deliver - After Logan Sallot (Erie, PA/McDowell High School) nearly defeated the top ranked wrestler in the nation at 125, Jerry Echevarria (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) responded. Down 3-2 in the third, the senior found a late takedown to get GU on the board for the first time on the night. Transfer standout Jake Niffenegger (Mason, Ohio/La Salle) followed suit, winning 10-7 in one of the highest scoring bouts of the evening. 
• Huhn Holds Tough-  In just his seventh match of the year and second dual competition, Holden Huhn (Loveland, Ohio/La Salle) picked up three important points at 57. Not allowing any takedowns, the freshman secured one of his own late to claim the bout, 4-1. 
• Mackay Tacks On - Right after, MacKay earned what would be Gannon's first of two shutout victories on the night. A 4-0 decision at 165 put the Golden Knights in front, 12-6. Pat Jackson had the other shutout at 184, a 2-0 decision. 
• Dorian Does What Dorian Does - Never doubted, Dorian Crosby (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) secured an early takedown and didn't give up the lead, defeating fourth ranked Isaiah Vance, 6-2 to clinch the match. If these two have their way, they'll face off twice more this season; Crosby & Vance competed in the Super Regional and NCAA Championships a year ago (1-1). 
• One Step Closer - Multiple Golden Knights are inching closer to 100 career wins. Echevarria's win on Saturday puts him at 92 wins for his career, while Dorian Crosby (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) improves to 93 career wins.
• Team Success - The win means that Gannon finishes 12-1 in dual meets this season and 6-0 in conference matches. Remarkably, the Golden Knights allowed just 51 total points to opponents in their final nine dual match winning streak.
• Record Breaking - The win sets a program record for wins in a single season, with 12. This breaks the mark previously set in 1996-97 (11). 

THE NEXT MEET

Regionals. Gannon will get a week of before heading to the NCAA Super Regional One in East Stroudsburg, PA. GU had nine national qualifiers a year ago. Now, they'll look to send all ten entrants to Sioux Falls. 

This story was written using the support of AI.