USA WrestlingCollegeUSAW

Wisconsin leads Pitt in team standings after day one of Matmen Open

by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) squares off with Chris Kober (Campbell) in the MatMen Open quarterfinals. Photo by Sam Janicki.


HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Led by five semifinalists and a balanced team effort, Wisconsin leads the team race after the first day of the inaugural Matmen Open which started today.


Wisconsin has scored 66 points, 8.5 points ahead of second place Pitt, which as the most semifinalists with six.


Badgers who will compete in Thursday morning’s semifinals are Joseph Zargo (141) , Austin Gomez (149), Dean Hamiti (165), Braxton Amos (197) and Trent Hilger (285).


Pitt will be represented in the semifinals by Micky Philippi (133), Cole Matthews (141), Elijah Cleary (157), Jake Wentzel (165), Nino Bonaccorsi (197) and Jake Slinger (285).


Rounding out the top five teams are third-place Rutgers with 49 points, fourth-place Penn with 48.5 points and fifth-place Illinois with 42 points.


Two-time Junior World champion and past NCAA champion Mark Hall, who is representing the Pennsylvania RTC, has reached the 184-pound semifinals.


A pair of unattached wrestlers reached the semifinals at 174 pounds, Manuel Rojas and Edmond Ruth. Rojas beat Gerrit Nijenhuis of Purdue, 8-6, while Ruth stopped Nick Incontrera of Penn, 4-3.


The event is being live streamed on Rokfin, on the Illinois Matmen channel. Fans wishing to follow the brackets can check them out HERE.


The event was created and produced by wrestling leaders, including Willie Saylor, Izzy Martinez, Illinois Matmen and Frank Popolizio who stepped up after the Midlands Championships was cancelled on December 22.


The tournament concludes on Thursday, with the semifinals at 10:00 a.m. and the finals and medal matches at 6:00 p.m.

MATMEN OPEN

At Hoffman Estates, Ill.



Semifinal pairings



125

Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) vs. Ryan Miller (Penn)

Justin Cardani (Illinois) vs. Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly)


133

Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. Drew Mattin (Michigan)

Carter Bailey (Lehigh) vs. Micky Philippi (Pitt)


141

Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) vs. Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin)

Cole Matthews (Pitt) vs. CJ Composto (Penn)


149

Josh Heil (Campbell) vs. Anthony White (unattached-Rutgers)

Anthony Artalona (Penn) vs. Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)


157

Kendall Coleman (Purdue) vs. Elijah Cleary (Pitt)

Alex Carida (Bloomsburg) vs. Doug Zapf (Penn)


165

Jake Wentzel (Pitt) vs. Philip Conigliaro (Harvard)

Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) vs. Zach Hartman (Bucknell)


174

Reece Heller (Hofstra) vs. Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois)

Manuel Rojas (unattached) vs. Edmond Ruth (unattached)


184

Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC) vs. Bernie Truax (Cal Poly)

Britt Wilson (Northern Illinois) vs. Myles Amine (Michigan)


197

Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) vs. Ryan Reyes (Oregon State)

Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) vs. Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)


285

Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) vs. Jake Slinger (Pitt)

Luke Luffman (Illinois) vs. Ethan Laird (unattached-Rider)

Quarterfinal results


125

Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) dec. Zurich Storm (Campbell), 3-2

Ryan Miller (Penn) dec. Blake West (Northern Illinois), 9-3

Justin Cardani (Illinois) dec. Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh), 3-2

Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly) dec. Gage Curry (Pitt), 7-5, SV


133

Lucas Byrd (Illinois) pin Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg), 2:46

Drew Mattin (Michigan) dec. Michael Colaiocco (Penn), 10-3

Carter Bailey (Lehigh) pin Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers), 2:20

Micky Philippi (Pitt) dec. Joey Olivieri (unattached-Rutgers), 2-0


141

Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) tech. fall McKenzie Bell (unattached-Rider), 6:56

Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) dec. Carmen Ferrante (Penn), 5-2

Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. Ethan Basile (Northern Iowa), 9-2

CJ Composto (Penn) maj. dec. Parker Filius (Purdue), 9-1


149

Josh Heil (Campbell) dec. Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois), 3-1

Anthony White (unattached-Rutgers) dec. Kolby Depron (Bucknell), 5-1

Anthony Artalona (Penn) dec. Max Brignola (Lehigh), 6-3

Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) pin Marshall Keller (Princeton), 1:15


157

Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec. Grant Zamin (unattached), 6-2

Elijah Cleary (Pitt) dec. Brawley Lamer (Cal Poly), 5-4

Alex Carida (Bloomsburg) dec. Jake Keating (unattached-Virginia), 7-2

Doug Zapf (Penn) dec. Garett Model (Wisconsin), 9-6


165

Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. Holden Heller (Hofstra), 5-2

Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois), 6-3

Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Dan Braunagel (Illinois), 10-0

Zach Hartman (Bucknell) dec. Lucas Revano (Penn), 4-3


174

Reece Heller (Hofstra) pin Nate Dugan (Princeton), 4:41

Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) dec. Josh Kim (Harvard), 6-3

Manuel Rojas (unattached) dec. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue), 8-6

Edmond Ruth (unattached) dec. Nick Incontrera (Penn), 4-3


184

Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC) dec. Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 10-4

Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) dec. Zach Braunagel (Illinois), 6-1

Britt Wilson (Northern Illinois) dec, Trey Munoz (Oregon State), 2-1

Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Neil Andrassian (Penn), 7-1


197

Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec.. Levi Hopkins (Campbell), 11-3

Ryan Reyes (Oregon State) dec. Cole Urbas (Penn), 4-2

Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) dec. Chris Kober (Campbell), 7-1

Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) maj. dec. Cody Baldridge (North Central), 13-2


285

Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) maj dec Michael Woulfe (Purdue), 11-3

Jake Slinger (Pitt) dec. Boone McDermott (Rutgers), 8-5

Luke Luffman (Illinois) dec. Ben Goldin (Penn), 6-2

Ethan Laird (unattached-Rider) dec. Sam Aguilar (Cal Poly), 12-4

Top 10 team scores

Wisconsin 66.0

Pittsburgh 57.5

Rutgers 49.0

Penn 48.5

Illinois 42.0

Cal Poly 31.5

Bucknell 30.0

Northern Illinois 29.0

Michigan 23.0

Purdue 20.5

Semifinalists by team

6 – Pittsburgh

5 – Wisconsin

4 – Rutgers, Penn

3 – Illinois

2 – Cal Poly, Michigan, Northern Illinois

1 – Lehigh, Campbell, Purdue, Bloomsburg, Harvard, Bucknell, Hofstra, Oregon State, Pennsylvania RTC

4 – unattached semifinalists