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Finalists determined at Matmen Open; Amine vs. Hall finals set at 184; tight team race being fought in wrestlebacks
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Myles Amine of Michigan with his arm raised at the Matmen Open. Amine, an Olympic medalist, will face Mark Hall in a featured finals on Thursday night. Photo by Sam Janicki.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – The finals have been set for the inaugural Matmen Open, which held a dramatic morning session with semifinals and consolations on Thursday.
Two of the world’s best freestyle wrestlers will battle in folkstyle in the 184-pound finals. Myles Amine of Michigan, who won a 2020 Olympic bronze medal for San Marino, will face two-time Junior World champion and U.S. Senior Nationals champion Mark Hall of the Pennsylvania RTC. Amine has a No. 2 ranking in Div. I right now. Hall is a graduate of Penn State, where he won an NCAA title, and now trains in Philadelphia for the PRTC.
Three teams have pushed three athletes into the gold-medal finals, Penn, Pitt and Wisconsin. These are the top three teams in the standings as the consolation rounds are being contested to set up the other medal matches.
Penn’s three finalists are nationally ranked #33 Ryan Miller (125), unranked CJ Composto (141) and #20 Doug Zapf (157).
Penn entered two wrestlers at 141, with Composto along with #32 Carmen Ferrante. To reach the finals, Composto scored a 7-5 win over #24 Cole Matthews of Pitt. Composto will face #4 ranked Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers in the finals. Ferrante wrestled back to the seventh-place match.
Miller has drawn #29 Justin Cardiani of Illinois in the finals, while Zapf will battle #28 Elijah Cleary of Pitt in the finals.
Pitt’s finalists include Cleary, #6 Micky Philippi (133) and #2 Nino Bonaccorsi (197). Cleary reached the finals when #10 Kendall Coleman of Purdue withdrew from the competition today after qualifying for the semifinals last night.
Philippi will face #7 Lucas Byrd of Illinois in the finals, while Bonaccorsi has drawn #12 Greg Bulsak of Rutgers.
Wisconsin’s semifinalists are #11 Austin Gomez (149), #17 Dean Hamiti (165) and #5 Trent Hilger. Gomez will battle #10 Josh Heil of Campbell in the finals, while Hamiti will face #14 Philip Conigliaro of Harvard and Hilger will battle Ethan Laird, who is competing unattached from Rider.
A finalist not in college at this time is unattached Edmond Ruth, who will battle #30 Mason Kauffman of Northern Illinois for the 174-pound title. Ruth is no longer with Lehigh wrestling and competing independently.
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 the finals and medal matches at 6:00 p.m. CT
MATMEN OPEN
At Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Finals pairings (with most recent InterMat rankings)
125 - #33 Ryan Miller (Penn) vs. #29 Justin Cardani (Illinois)
133 - #7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. #6 Micky Philippi (Pitt)
141 - #4 Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) vs. unranked CJ Composto (Penn)
149 - #10 Josh Heil (Campbell) vs. #11 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)
157 - #28 Elijah Cleary (Pitt) vs. #20 Doug Zapf (Penn)
165 - #14 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) vs. #17 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)
174 - #30 Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) vs. Edmond Ruth (unattached)**
184 - Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC)** vs. #2 Myles Amine (Michigan)
197 - #2 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) vs. #12 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)
285 - #5 Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) vs. Ethan Laird (unattached-Rider)
** - Not in college
Semifinal results
125
Ryan Miller (Penn) dec. Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), 5-3, SV1
Justin Cardani (Illinois) dec. Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly), 3-1
133
Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. Drew Mattin (Michigan), 8-3
Micky Philippi (Pitt) maj. dec. Carter Bailey (Lehigh), 11-3
141
Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) maj. dec. Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin), 11-1
CJ Composto (Penn) dec. Cole Matthews (Pitt), 7-5
149
Josh Heil (Campbell) dec. Anthony White (unattached-Rutgers), 2-0
Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Anthony Artalona (Penn), 17-4
157
Elijah Cleary (Pitt) won by forfeit over Kendall Coleman (Purdue)
Doug Zapf (Penn) dec. Alex Carida (Bloomsburg), 3-1
165
Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. Jake Wentzel (Pitt), 1-0
Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) pin Zach Hartman (Bucknell), 5:51
174
Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) dec. Reece Heller (Hofstra), 5-2
Edmond Ruth (unattached) dec. Manuel Rojas (unattached), 11-6
184
Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC) dec. Bernie Truax (Cal Poly), 7-3
Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Britt Wilson (Northern Illinois), 7-0
197
Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec. Ryan Reyes (Oregon State), 10-2
Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) dec. Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), 6-2
285
Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Jake Slinger (Pitt), 10-2
Ethan Laird (unattached-Rider) pin Luke Luffman (Illinois), 3:51
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – The finals have been set for the inaugural Matmen Open, which held a dramatic morning session with semifinals and consolations on Thursday.
Two of the world’s best freestyle wrestlers will battle in folkstyle in the 184-pound finals. Myles Amine of Michigan, who won a 2020 Olympic bronze medal for San Marino, will face two-time Junior World champion and U.S. Senior Nationals champion Mark Hall of the Pennsylvania RTC. Amine has a No. 2 ranking in Div. I right now. Hall is a graduate of Penn State, where he won an NCAA title, and now trains in Philadelphia for the PRTC.
Three teams have pushed three athletes into the gold-medal finals, Penn, Pitt and Wisconsin. These are the top three teams in the standings as the consolation rounds are being contested to set up the other medal matches.
Penn’s three finalists are nationally ranked #33 Ryan Miller (125), unranked CJ Composto (141) and #20 Doug Zapf (157).
Penn entered two wrestlers at 141, with Composto along with #32 Carmen Ferrante. To reach the finals, Composto scored a 7-5 win over #24 Cole Matthews of Pitt. Composto will face #4 ranked Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers in the finals. Ferrante wrestled back to the seventh-place match.
Miller has drawn #29 Justin Cardiani of Illinois in the finals, while Zapf will battle #28 Elijah Cleary of Pitt in the finals.
Pitt’s finalists include Cleary, #6 Micky Philippi (133) and #2 Nino Bonaccorsi (197). Cleary reached the finals when #10 Kendall Coleman of Purdue withdrew from the competition today after qualifying for the semifinals last night.
Philippi will face #7 Lucas Byrd of Illinois in the finals, while Bonaccorsi has drawn #12 Greg Bulsak of Rutgers.
Wisconsin’s semifinalists are #11 Austin Gomez (149), #17 Dean Hamiti (165) and #5 Trent Hilger. Gomez will battle #10 Josh Heil of Campbell in the finals, while Hamiti will face #14 Philip Conigliaro of Harvard and Hilger will battle Ethan Laird, who is competing unattached from Rider.
A finalist not in college at this time is unattached Edmond Ruth, who will battle #30 Mason Kauffman of Northern Illinois for the 174-pound title. Ruth is no longer with Lehigh wrestling and competing independently.
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 the finals and medal matches at 6:00 p.m. CT
MATMEN OPEN
At Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Finals pairings (with most recent InterMat rankings)
125 - #33 Ryan Miller (Penn) vs. #29 Justin Cardani (Illinois)
133 - #7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. #6 Micky Philippi (Pitt)
141 - #4 Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) vs. unranked CJ Composto (Penn)
149 - #10 Josh Heil (Campbell) vs. #11 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)
157 - #28 Elijah Cleary (Pitt) vs. #20 Doug Zapf (Penn)
165 - #14 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) vs. #17 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)
174 - #30 Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) vs. Edmond Ruth (unattached)**
184 - Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC)** vs. #2 Myles Amine (Michigan)
197 - #2 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) vs. #12 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)
285 - #5 Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) vs. Ethan Laird (unattached-Rider)
** - Not in college
Semifinal results
125
Ryan Miller (Penn) dec. Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), 5-3, SV1
Justin Cardani (Illinois) dec. Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly), 3-1
133
Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. Drew Mattin (Michigan), 8-3
Micky Philippi (Pitt) maj. dec. Carter Bailey (Lehigh), 11-3
141
Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) maj. dec. Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin), 11-1
CJ Composto (Penn) dec. Cole Matthews (Pitt), 7-5
149
Josh Heil (Campbell) dec. Anthony White (unattached-Rutgers), 2-0
Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Anthony Artalona (Penn), 17-4
157
Elijah Cleary (Pitt) won by forfeit over Kendall Coleman (Purdue)
Doug Zapf (Penn) dec. Alex Carida (Bloomsburg), 3-1
165
Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. Jake Wentzel (Pitt), 1-0
Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) pin Zach Hartman (Bucknell), 5:51
174
Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) dec. Reece Heller (Hofstra), 5-2
Edmond Ruth (unattached) dec. Manuel Rojas (unattached), 11-6
184
Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC) dec. Bernie Truax (Cal Poly), 7-3
Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Britt Wilson (Northern Illinois), 7-0
197
Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec. Ryan Reyes (Oregon State), 10-2
Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) dec. Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), 6-2
285
Trent Hilger (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Jake Slinger (Pitt), 10-2
Ethan Laird (unattached-Rider) pin Luke Luffman (Illinois), 3:51