WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Wilkes University wrestling team went 2-1 in action during day one of the 2022 Budd Whitehill Duals in Lamade Gymnasium on the campus of Lycoming College. The Colonels will wrestle two matches tomorrow with a chance to finish fifth out of the 12 team field.

The Colonels started the day in Group A action against Castleton University, the tournament's top seed and the 24th ranked team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Dual Team Rankings. Wilkes won three of the 10 bouts but fell by a 22-14 final to the Spartans.

Austin Fashouer (Scranton, PA/West Scranton), ranked 13th in the NWCA individual rankings at 125-pounds, won his match over Owen Kretschmer with a 3-2 decision to put Wilkes ahead 3-0. The Colonels then suffered three-straight decision losses as Castleton took a 9-3 lead with Collin Rolak's (Forked River, NJ/Lacey Township) loss coming to No. 12 James Rodriguez by a 7-2 score at 141-pounds.

Liam Flaherty (Needmore, PA/Southern Fulton) then won by fall over Logan Dubuque at the 6:29 mark of his 157-pound bout to even the team score at 9-9 midway through. No. 10 Michael Angers then gave the Spartans the lead back with a decision victory over Charles Everdale (Freeland, PA/Hazleton Area) and Castleton also took the 174-pound bout by decision to go ahead 15-9.

Colton Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) ranked No. 14 at 184-pounds then brought the Colonels back within one point with a 17-2 technical fall over Sampson Wilkins. Castleton won by a major decision at 197-pounds and Wilkes went to the final bout with a chance to still pull off the upset. The Spartans would close the door with a tight 4-2 decision at 285 to win 22-14.

Wilkes then took on Ohio Northern University's JV Team in its second Group A bout of the day and came out on top 28-20 to finish second in the group.

Fashouer earned a forfeit victory at 125 and Jack Bauer (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) followed with a 10-5 decision over Dylan Le at 133 to give Wilkes a 9-0 lead. The Polar Bears then won the next three bouts to take a 14-9 lead on a tech fall, injury forfeit and decision.

Everdale then made the score 14-13 with a 15-2 major decision over Noah Williamson at 165-pounds. John Devito (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) followed with a 10-6 decision at 174 to give Wilkes the lead back at 16-14 by beating Adam Dillon. Babcock then pinned Zac Dabney in 1:19 that coupled with a Cameron Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) forfeit win at 197 helped the Colonels clinch the match. Ohio Northern finished the matchup with its second injury forfeit victory at 285.

The Colonels also participated in a Challenge Match against Southern Virginia University that was outside of the Budd Whitehill Duals brackets. Wilkes won that match by a 45-12 score by taking eight of the 10 bouts.

Nicholas Bauer (Coplay, PA/Wyoming Seminary) started things with a fall over Jaden Nelson at 5:56 in the 125-pound bout. J. Bauer followed with a 20-2 technical fall over Harper Thompson. Fashouer then wrestled up at 141-pounds and won with a 20-5 tech fall over Francisco Ramirez. Eli Blackwell put the Knights on the board with a fall at 149-pounds, but Flaherty put Wilkes back on the winning track with a 17-0 tech fall over Weston Hirschi to put Wilkes ahead 21-6 at the midway point.

Everdale, Devito, and Babcock all then won by forfeit and Butka pinned Cache Holmes in 4:16 to bring Wilkes to 45 team points. Donnell Solomon capped the match for Southern Virginia with a fall at 285 to produce the 45-12 final.

Wilkes moved to 3-3 in dual matches on the season and now sit at 898 victories in program history heading into tomorrow when the Colonels will wrestle two more matches at the Budd Whitehill Duals. The Colonels will square off with York College (Pa.) at 9:00 a.m. and then either wrestle in the fifth or seventh place match against either Messiah University or Lycoming at 10:30 a.m.

No. 24 Castleton 22, WU 14
125 – A. Fashouer (W) dec. O. Kretschmer (C) 3-2
133 – M. Gonyea (C) dec. J. Bauer (W) 4-0
141 – J. Rodriguez (C) dec. C. Rolak (W) 7-2
149 – N. Roeger (C) dec. M. Shaffer (W) 4-2
157 – L. Flaherty (W) fall L. Dubuque (C) 6:29
165 – M. Angers (C) dec. C. Everdale (W) 8-2
174 – C. Fleming (C) dec. J. Devito (W) 7-2
184 – C. Babcock (W) tech. fall S. Wilkins (C) 17-2
197 – C. LaPier (C) major dec. C. Butka (W) 12-3
285 – S. Garand (C) dec. S. McCurdy (W) TB-1 4-2
 
WU 28, Ohio Northern (JV) 20
125 – A. Fashouer (W) forfeit
133 – J. Bauer (W) dec. D. Le (O) 10-5
141 – C. Vanderhorst (O) tech. fall C. Rolak (W) 15-0
149 – J. Jones (O) injury forfeit M. Shaffer (W) 1:49
157 – S. Wagner (O) dec. B. Griffith (W) 7-3
165 – C. Everdale (W) major dec. N. Williamson (O) 15-2
174 – J. Devito (W) dec. A. Dillon (O) 10-6
184 – C. Babcock (W) fall D. Dabney (O) 1:19
197 – C. Butka (W) forfeit
285 – J. Brownlee (O) injury forfeit S. McCurdy 6:44
 
WU 45, Southern Virginia 12
125 – N. Bauer (W) fall J. Nelson (S) 5:56
133 – J. Bauer (W) tech. fall H. Thompson (S) 20-2
141 – A. Fashouer (W) tech. fall F. Ramirez (S) 20-5
149 – E. Blackwell (S) fall M. Shaffer (W) 1:19
157 – L. Flaherty (W) tech fall W. Hirschi (S) 17-0
165 – C. Everdale (W) forfeit
174 – J. Devito (W) forfeit
184 – C. Babcock (W) forfeit
197 – C. Butka (W) fall C. Holmes (S) 4:16
285 – D. Solomon (S) fall S. McCurdy (W) 1:34
 
Exhibition
141 – A. Brunk (Messiah) major dec. J. Lundin (W) 15-5
157 – B. Griffith (W) fall J. Cinguemani (York) 2:42
125 – N. Bauer (W) fall F. Ramirez (Southern Virginia) 1:37
149 – E. Sladek (York) dec. E. Neff (W) 8-4
174 – C. Nuss (W) dec. J. Hipps (York) 3-1
184 – A. Perez (W) dec. S. Jennings (Castleton) 7-3
197 – H. Lowe (W) dec. J. Davis (Lycoming) 3-1
141 – R. Trevino (W) fall P. Jackson (Messiah) 4:05
149 – I. Bryner (Messiah) major dec. A. Kokilananda 12-2
165 – D. Mangiafico (Castleton) dec. T. DuBoff (W) 7-2
197 – H. Lowe (W) fall D. Flagg (Castleton) 4:33
125 – N. Bauer (W) major dec. B. Arnold (Messiah) 13-5
141 – A. Brunk (Messiah) fall R. Trevino (W) 5:36