Four Lehigh wrestlers win titles at 84th annual Wilkes Open
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by Lehigh University, Wilkes University and Flo Arena
Photo of Cole Walter of Lehigh from LehighSports.com by Rich Wamke
One of the great traditions of American wrestling is the Wilkes Open, a premier holiday season open wrestling tournament hosted by Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
Known for years as the "Rose Bowl of Wrestling," the Wilkes Open has featured top college and Senior level wrestlers from the Eastern USA and other locations. The event is stocked with Div. I wrestlers and athletes from many college levels, looking for a quality competition during the holiday break.
Athletes often compete unattached at this tournament, although some represent their university. This event has a long and storied history, hosted by Wilkes University, which now competes at Div. III level but was a Div. I programs years ago.
Lehigh University Press Release by Steve Lomangino
Four claim titles, Minotti makes season debut at Wilkes Open
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – With final exams now completed, 11 Lehigh wrestlers competed at the Wilkes Open Thursday. Four Mountain Hawks claimed individual titles, highlighting a strong showing in which seven wrestlers placed in the top four in their respective weight classes. In addition, senior captain Mitch Minotti made his season debut, going 3-0 at 165 in his tune-up for the upcoming Southern Scuffle.
Lehigh’s four champions were sophomore Cortlandt Schuyler (149), who like Minotti made his season debut, freshman Ryan Pomrinca (141), freshman Cole Walter (165) and freshman Joe Lobeck (133). Freshman Jake Jakobsen reached the finals at 197, where he settled for a second place finish, while freshman Chase Gallik took second at 165, earning a medical forfeit win over Minotti before medically forfeiting to Walter in the finals.
Schuyler posted a 5-0 record with a pair of wins by fall. In the finals, he earned 12-6 decision over Kyle Brady of Sacred Heart.
Pomrinca and Walter also went 5-0 in their respective brackets. Pomrinca’s tournament began with a fall and ended with a 12-3 major decision over Brown’s Zeke Salvo in the finals. Prior to his medical forfeit victory in the finals, Walter won three of his first four bouts by technical fall.
Lobeck, who was competing unattached, captured his first open tournament title, pinning his way into the finals before topping Bloomsburg’s Matt Noble 8-3.
Gallik opened his tournament with three consecutive pins before the two forfeits, while Jakobsen registered a pin and a decision before suffering a 4-2 defeat to Nick Hall of North Carolina State in the finals.
Minotti got three bouts in, securing bonus wins in all three, prior to forfeiting out. He opened with a 14-6 major decision over Eric Fasnacht and then posted wins by fall over opponents from Bloomsburg and Wilkes.
Freshmen Paul Dunn and Nick Farro battled back through the consolations to make the consolation finals. After a loss by fall in overtime in his second round match at 184, Dunn came back with four wins in the consolations to finish in third place. Farro went 4-2 at 133 with both losses coming to Tariq Wilson of North Carolina State.
Also competing for the Mountain Hawks were junior Jonathan Mele, who went 3-2 at 149 and freshman Aaron Burkett, who went 1-2 at 125.
WILKES OPEN
at Wilkes, Pa., December 22
125 pounds
1st - Gage Curry (Unatt-American University) DEC Guesseppe Rea (Wilkes), 6-1
3rd - Louie Hayes (Unatt-Virginia) F Jonathon Tropea (Unatt-Rider), 6:53
133
1st - Joe Lobeck (Unatt-Lehigh University) DEC Matt Noble (Bloomsburg University), 8-3
3rd - Tariq Wilson (Unatt-NC State) DEC Nick Farro (Unatt-Lehigh University), 10-5
141
1st - Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh University) MD Zeke Salvo (Unatt-Brown University), 12-3
3rd - Mark Mccormick (Unatt-Rider) DEC Kizhan Clarke (Unatt-American University), 3-1 SV
149
1st - Cortlandt Schuyler (Lehigh University) DEC Kyle Brady (Sacred Heart), 12-6
3rd - Jesse Rodgers (Rider) F Adam Whitesell (Maryland), 3:57
157
1st - Justin Staudenmayer (Unatt-Brown University) TF Ricky Stamm (Unatt-Hofstra), 16-0 2:38
3rd - Sam Melikian (Unatt-NC State) F Cole Moseley (American University), 1:55
165
1st - Cole Walter (Lehigh University) M FOR Chase Gallik (Lehigh University)
3rd - Luke Drugac (Unatt-Old Dominion) DEC Austin Weigel (Buffalo), 2-1
174
1st - Wayne Stinson (Rider) M FOR Dean Sherry (Rider)
3rd - Garrett Peppleman (Unatt-Unattached) DEC Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg University), 10-6
184
1st - Stephen Loiseau (Unatt-Drexel) DEC Kyle Murphy (Bloomsburg University), 1-0
3rd - Paul Dunn (Lehigh University) DEC Cory Damiana (Unatt-Hofstra), 7-1
197
1st - Nick Hall (NC State) DEC John Jakobsen (Unatt-Lehigh University), 4-2
3rd - Jeric Kasunic (American University) MD Luke Farinaro (Unatt-Duke), 12-3
285
1st - Michael Hughes (Unatt-Hofstra) F Mauro Correnti (Rider), 2:34
4th - Tyler Love (Unatt-Virginia) DEC Michael Rogers (Unatt-NC State), 7-5
Team Standings (top 20)
1 Lehigh University 101.5
2 Rider 66.5
3 Unatt-Brown University 53.5
4 Bloomsburg University 52.5
5 Unatt-Hofstra 42.5
6 American University 40.5
6 Unatt-Lehigh University 40.5
8 Wilkes 39.5
9 Unatt-Virginia 38
10 Unatt-NC State 35
11 Sacred Heart 32
12 Unatt-Rider 31
13 Unatt-American University 27
14 Buffalo 24.5
15 Unatt-Drexel 23
16 Chicago 22
17 NC State 17
18 Unatt-Old Dominion 16
19 Unatt-Unattached 15
20 Rhode Island College 14
20 Unatt-Bloomsburg University 14
(of 42 teams)
One of the great traditions of American wrestling is the Wilkes Open, a premier holiday season open wrestling tournament hosted by Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
Known for years as the "Rose Bowl of Wrestling," the Wilkes Open has featured top college and Senior level wrestlers from the Eastern USA and other locations. The event is stocked with Div. I wrestlers and athletes from many college levels, looking for a quality competition during the holiday break.
Athletes often compete unattached at this tournament, although some represent their university. This event has a long and storied history, hosted by Wilkes University, which now competes at Div. III level but was a Div. I programs years ago.
Lehigh University Press Release by Steve Lomangino
Four claim titles, Minotti makes season debut at Wilkes Open
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – With final exams now completed, 11 Lehigh wrestlers competed at the Wilkes Open Thursday. Four Mountain Hawks claimed individual titles, highlighting a strong showing in which seven wrestlers placed in the top four in their respective weight classes. In addition, senior captain Mitch Minotti made his season debut, going 3-0 at 165 in his tune-up for the upcoming Southern Scuffle.
Lehigh’s four champions were sophomore Cortlandt Schuyler (149), who like Minotti made his season debut, freshman Ryan Pomrinca (141), freshman Cole Walter (165) and freshman Joe Lobeck (133). Freshman Jake Jakobsen reached the finals at 197, where he settled for a second place finish, while freshman Chase Gallik took second at 165, earning a medical forfeit win over Minotti before medically forfeiting to Walter in the finals.
Schuyler posted a 5-0 record with a pair of wins by fall. In the finals, he earned 12-6 decision over Kyle Brady of Sacred Heart.
Pomrinca and Walter also went 5-0 in their respective brackets. Pomrinca’s tournament began with a fall and ended with a 12-3 major decision over Brown’s Zeke Salvo in the finals. Prior to his medical forfeit victory in the finals, Walter won three of his first four bouts by technical fall.
Lobeck, who was competing unattached, captured his first open tournament title, pinning his way into the finals before topping Bloomsburg’s Matt Noble 8-3.
Gallik opened his tournament with three consecutive pins before the two forfeits, while Jakobsen registered a pin and a decision before suffering a 4-2 defeat to Nick Hall of North Carolina State in the finals.
Minotti got three bouts in, securing bonus wins in all three, prior to forfeiting out. He opened with a 14-6 major decision over Eric Fasnacht and then posted wins by fall over opponents from Bloomsburg and Wilkes.
Freshmen Paul Dunn and Nick Farro battled back through the consolations to make the consolation finals. After a loss by fall in overtime in his second round match at 184, Dunn came back with four wins in the consolations to finish in third place. Farro went 4-2 at 133 with both losses coming to Tariq Wilson of North Carolina State.
Also competing for the Mountain Hawks were junior Jonathan Mele, who went 3-2 at 149 and freshman Aaron Burkett, who went 1-2 at 125.
WILKES OPEN
at Wilkes, Pa., December 22
125 pounds
1st - Gage Curry (Unatt-American University) DEC Guesseppe Rea (Wilkes), 6-1
3rd - Louie Hayes (Unatt-Virginia) F Jonathon Tropea (Unatt-Rider), 6:53
133
1st - Joe Lobeck (Unatt-Lehigh University) DEC Matt Noble (Bloomsburg University), 8-3
3rd - Tariq Wilson (Unatt-NC State) DEC Nick Farro (Unatt-Lehigh University), 10-5
141
1st - Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh University) MD Zeke Salvo (Unatt-Brown University), 12-3
3rd - Mark Mccormick (Unatt-Rider) DEC Kizhan Clarke (Unatt-American University), 3-1 SV
149
1st - Cortlandt Schuyler (Lehigh University) DEC Kyle Brady (Sacred Heart), 12-6
3rd - Jesse Rodgers (Rider) F Adam Whitesell (Maryland), 3:57
157
1st - Justin Staudenmayer (Unatt-Brown University) TF Ricky Stamm (Unatt-Hofstra), 16-0 2:38
3rd - Sam Melikian (Unatt-NC State) F Cole Moseley (American University), 1:55
165
1st - Cole Walter (Lehigh University) M FOR Chase Gallik (Lehigh University)
3rd - Luke Drugac (Unatt-Old Dominion) DEC Austin Weigel (Buffalo), 2-1
174
1st - Wayne Stinson (Rider) M FOR Dean Sherry (Rider)
3rd - Garrett Peppleman (Unatt-Unattached) DEC Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg University), 10-6
184
1st - Stephen Loiseau (Unatt-Drexel) DEC Kyle Murphy (Bloomsburg University), 1-0
3rd - Paul Dunn (Lehigh University) DEC Cory Damiana (Unatt-Hofstra), 7-1
197
1st - Nick Hall (NC State) DEC John Jakobsen (Unatt-Lehigh University), 4-2
3rd - Jeric Kasunic (American University) MD Luke Farinaro (Unatt-Duke), 12-3
285
1st - Michael Hughes (Unatt-Hofstra) F Mauro Correnti (Rider), 2:34
4th - Tyler Love (Unatt-Virginia) DEC Michael Rogers (Unatt-NC State), 7-5
Team Standings (top 20)
1 Lehigh University 101.5
2 Rider 66.5
3 Unatt-Brown University 53.5
4 Bloomsburg University 52.5
5 Unatt-Hofstra 42.5
6 American University 40.5
6 Unatt-Lehigh University 40.5
8 Wilkes 39.5
9 Unatt-Virginia 38
10 Unatt-NC State 35
11 Sacred Heart 32
12 Unatt-Rider 31
13 Unatt-American University 27
14 Buffalo 24.5
15 Unatt-Drexel 23
16 Chicago 22
17 NC State 17
18 Unatt-Old Dominion 16
19 Unatt-Unattached 15
20 Rhode Island College 14
20 Unatt-Bloomsburg University 14
(of 42 teams)
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