Steve Finkernagel

Michael Fleck was one of two individual champions for Wilkes at the Monarch Invitational

WILKES WRESTLING OPENS 4TH AT MONARCH INVITATIONAL WITH 10 COLONELS EARNING TOP SIX FINISHES

11/1/2014 7:08:00 PM

WILKES WRESTLING OPENS 4^TH AT MONARCH INVITATIONAL WITH 10 COLONELS EARNING TOP SIX FINISHES

WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University wrestling team opened the 2014-15 with a fourth place team finish at the Monarch Invitational Saturday in the Scandlon Gymnasium. Wilkes finished with 108 total team points and saw ten wrestlers earn top-six finishes.

Roger Williams claim the invitational title finishing with 140 team points. York (Pa.) followed in second with 120 points while Cortland finished third in front of the Colonels with 116.5 team points.

Wilkes first championship came at 133-pounds when Michael Fleck (Easton, PA/Wilson Area) earned a 3-2 decision over teammate Matthew Grossmann (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) in the finals. Grossmann, wrestling in his first collegiate event, settled for second place after three straight decision wins to reach the title bout. Fellow freshman Thomas Stokes (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) finished third in the bracket with a 4-2 decision win over Ryan Flynn of York in the third place bout. Corey Fleming (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris) earned the Colonels a sixth place spot falling to Rogers Williams' Carter Merecki in the fifth place bout in 3:35.

Pankil Chander (Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence) was Wilkes' other champion in the event capturing the title at 141-pounds using three decision wins before edging out Caleb Willey of Lycoming in the finals in overtime 8-6. Ryan Smith (Honesdale, PA/Honesdale) joined Chander in the top-six claiming fifth place in the bracket with a 16-0 technical fall over Roger Williams' Jason Bowen.

Mason McIntyre (Bethlehem, PA/Easton) earned the lone top-six finish at 165-pounds finishing sixth in the event. McIntyre fell int eh quarterfinals before wrestling back with two decision wins to reach the fifth place bout before settling for sixth.

Kyle Diesel (Westtown, NY/Minisink Valley), one of two ranked wrestlers for Wilkes entering the invitational, finished third at the event. Diesel posted decision wins in the first round and quarterfinals before falling 4-3 in a hard-fought match in the semifinals to eventual champion Tyler Rhoads of York. Diesel bounced back with a 3-0 decision win in the wrestle backs before receiving a medical forfeit win in the third place bout.

James McNally (Scranton, PA/Scranton) earned fourth place for Wilkes at 184-pounds winning his opening match then falling in the semifinals before wrestling back to post a 16-7 decision to reach the third place bout. McNally settled for fourth falling to Roger Williams Joe Albina 9-4 in his final match of the day.

David Oberrender rounded out the Colonel finishers finishing third at heavyweight. Oberrender went 5-0 and 6-1 to reach the semifinals before falling 12-5 to Lance Moore of Cortland, the eventual champion. He then finished with a 3-1 decision win and received a medical forfeit to take third.

Wilkes opens its home dual match schedule on Wednesday night hosting Penn College at 7:00 p.m. at the Marts Center.

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