WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Wilkes University wrestling team opened its 2018-19 season Saturday at the Ned McGinley Invitational hosted by King's College. Nicholas Racanelli (West Creek, NJ/Southern Regional) placed second, Thomas Stokes (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) third and Ashton Gyenizs (Madison, CT/Daniel Hand) fourth in their respective weight classes.

Wilkes placed fifth of 16 teams with 100.5 points while York College of PA took home the team title with 206.5 points.

Full Results

Racanelli, a two-time national qualifier, won his first four matches of the day to advance to the Finals of the 165-pound weight class. The senior picked up a fall over a wrestler from Muhlenberg in the Round of 32 in 2:33 and then had an 11-3 major decision over New York University (NYU) in the Round of 16. Racanelli then won his quarterfinal matchup against Stevens Institute of Technology by a 10-4 decision and narrowly made it past another NYU grappler 5-4 in the semifinals. Taylor Shay of Roger Williams University then defeated Racanelli 4-1 in the 1^st Place Bout.

Stokes went 5-1 on the day to place third at 141-pounds. The junior started with a close 5-4 Round of 32 decision before another close 4-2 decision in the Round of 16. Stokes then defeated a wrestler from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 10-6 in the quarterfinals before dropping his semifinal contest 4-2 to NYU. He advanced through the consi-semis by a forfeit and then defeated TCNJ in the 3^rd Place Bout by a 3-2 decision.

Gyenizs dropped his first match of the day before winning five consecutive matches in the consolation ladder of the 174-pound weight class. After starting his run with a 12-2 win by major forfeit at 5:19 he then won an 8-4 decision over TCNJ. The senior then picked up a 10-4 win over a University of Scranton wrestler. Gyenizs kept rolling with a 16-0 technical fall at 4:25 over Oneonta State and 10-5 decision against Roger Williams University to advance to the 3^rd Place Bout which went as a no-contest to place him fourth in the weight class along with Jordan Sciamanna of York College of PA.

Kyle Medrow (West Chester, PA/West Chester Henderson) started the day 3-0 with a major decision, fall and decision before a quarterfinal loss at 141-pounds.

At 125-pounds freshman Nicholas Bauer (Coplay, PA/Wyoming Seminary) picked his first career victory in the Round of 16 bout by fall over NYU at the 1:30 mark. Kyle Trout (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) lost his first match of the day but wrestled back with three wins before ending his day in the consolation Round of 4 compiling a 3-2 record on the day.

Freshman Joshua Brown (Plains, PA/Coughlin) won his first career collegiate match in the Round of 32 at 149-pounds with a 3-2 decision against Camden County College. Then in the consolation bracket Brown won two more matches, one by technical fall and the other against fellow Wilkes freshman Allen Kokilananda (Annandale, VA/Annandale) for a 3-2 record in his debut. Kokilananda went 2-2 on the day.

After dropping his first match, Michael Brown (Plains, PA/Coughlin) won three in a row including a fall over Washington & Jefferson. The junior ended the day with a 3-2 record at 157-pounds.

Freshmen Joshua Myers (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) (two wins), Mason Madden-Edwards (Gordon, PA/North Schuylkill) (two wins), Brandon Belfonti (Slatington, PA/Northern Lehigh) (two wins), Austin Sphar (Cresco, PA/East Stroudsburg South) (two wins), Max Shaffer (Doylestown, PA/Archbishop Wood) (one win), Cody Dix (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) (one win), Andrew Rivera (Dannemora, NY/Saranac Central) (one win), Cole Walters (Mifflintown, PA/Juniata) (one win), and Hunter Lowe (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill) (one win) all picked up their first collegiate wins on the day.

The Colonels will travel to Gettysburg, Pa. to compete at the Gettysburg Tournament next Saturday, November 10.