WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Wilkes University wrestling team went 0-3, with a 28-21 loss to SUNY Cortland, a 35-16 loss to No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology, and a 27-17 loss to Wesleyan University to begin competition at the 2023 Budd Whitehill National Duals hosted by Lycoming College at Lamade Gymnasium Friday.

Wilkes is now 3-10 in dual matches this season following today's action.

Full Results

The Colonels opened the day facing Cortland for the second time in the past week. Austin Fashouer (Scranton, PA/West Scranton), regionally ranked sixth at 125-pounds in the Southeast Region by the NWCA, put Wilkes ahead 6-0 with a fall over Richard Munoz, regionally ranked fifth in the Mid-East Region, at the 3:51 mark. The sophomore led 3-0 at the time of the second period fall. The bout was scoreless through the first period before Fashouer earned an escape at the start of the second and a takedown 14 seconds later before finishing off the pin.

Jayden Cardenas, nationally ranked No. 4 at 133-pounds, defeated Michael Richardson (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) by technical fall with the score 23-8 to make the team score 6-5 Wilkes. Jack Bauer (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central), regionally ranked sixth at 141-pounds, put the Colonels ahead 12-5 with a fall at the 2:55 mark over Shane Walczyk. The senior led 6-0 at the time of the fall as he had earned a takedown 38 seconds into the first period and then four nearfall points with 1:03 left in the first before finishing the pin.

The Red Dragons earned a 21-6 technical fall at 149, a fall in 1:48 at 157, and a sudden victory 11-5 decision at 165 to take a 19-12 lead in the match.

Christopher Nuss (Gore, VA/James Wood) earned a 5-3 decision victory in the 174-pound bout over Brian Torres, the third ranked wrestler at 184-pounds in the Mid-East Region. Torres gained a 2-0 lead with a first period takedown. Nuss went ahead 3-2 with an escape 1:16 into the second period as the sophomore started on the bottom. Nuss then used a takedown 17 seconds later to take the lead. Torres tied the score with an early escape in the third period before Nuss earned the winning takedown with 39 seconds left to make the score 19-15.

A victory by fall at 184-pounds put Cortland ahead 25-15 and Demitreus Henry sealed the Red Dragons win at 197-pounds with a 15-10 decision. Caleb Burkhart (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville), the defending MAC Wrestler of the Week, earned his second pin of Dylan Houseknecht in the past week at the 4:31 mark of the 285-pound bout to end the match with Wilkes trailing 28-21. The sophomore led 6-0 at the time of the fall. The two went scoreless through the first period and Burkhart chose down to start the second. He worked a reversal and then four nearfall points to gain the lead before the fall.

The Colonels faced Stevens, ranked No. 6 in the nation by the NWCA in the latest dual match team rankings, in the second match of the day and Fashouer again put Wilkes ahead 6-0 with an opening pin at 125-pounds. Fashouer scored a takedown in the first period and then two nearfall points at the start of the second period as he started on top. He then pinned Arjun Khatri with six second remaining in the second period.

Stevens won the next seven bouts to race ahead to a 35-6 lead starting with a 3-2 decision at 133. Kyle Slendorn, No. 3 nationally at 141-pounds, won by fall. Wilkes forfeited the 149-pound weight class and Hunter Gutierrez, and third nationally at 149-pounds, won a close 7-3 decision against Jaryn Hartranft (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua) up a weight class at 157. Harrision Hinojosa, ranked second in the Southeast Region at 165, won by fall. The Ducks took the 174-pound and 184-pound bouts by technical fall and fall respectively.

Cameron Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton), ranked third in the Southeast Region at 197-pounds, won a 13-5 major decision over Maximo Ruiz to make the score 35-10. The sophomore earned three first-period takedowns to lead 7-3 after the first three minutes. He then chose bottom to start the second and used an escape and takedown to increase his lead to 10-3. Butka maneuvered one more takedown in the second period and added a riding time point at the end of the third to score the major decision. Burkhart finished the match with a forfeit win at 285 to make the final score 35-16 for Stevens.

Fashouer finished the day 3-0 by starting Wilkes off with a decision victory in the final Group A match of the day against Wesleyan. He won 3-0 over Greg Fischer with an escape in the second period and a takedown with 22 seconds left in the third. Wesleyan went ahead 4-3 with a major decision at 133. Bauer then put Wilkes back ahead 8-4 with a 16-0 technical fall over Kellen Horst. Bauer scored points in the first period with a takedown and four nearfall points. In the second period he scored a takedown and twice recorded four nearfall points to end the match at the 4:21 mark.

Wesleyan then won the next five bouts to take a 27-8 lead including a win by fall from Aaron Goldman, ranked No. 15 nationally at 157-pounds, and another by Marco Gaita, ranked No. 14 nationally at 174. Jack Reusing, ranked sixth in the Northeast Region, had a decision win at 165 and Aris Dashiell, ranked sixth in the Northeast Region at 184, also won by decision.

Butka won with a 3-0 decision over Joe Colon at 197 to put Wilkes back on the board to make it 27-11. He had an escape in the second round and a takedown with 1:35 left in the third period. Burkhart pinned Kolton Gagnon at 285-pounds as he was leading 3-2 at the 1:40 mark of the first period to produce the 27-17 final score.

Wilkes will close out competition at the Budd Whitehill Duals tomorrow facing Ferrum College in the Group 13-16 bracket at 9:00 a.m. The Colonels will then face either Oswego State or Penn College at 12:00 p.m. to close out the duals.

Cortland 28, WU 21
125 – A. Fashouer (W) fall R. Munoz (C) 3:51
133 – J. Cardenas (C) tech. fall M. Richardson (W) 23-8, 6:43
141 – J. Bauer (W) fall S. Walczyk (C) 2:55
149 – A. Centrone (C) tech. fall B. Grater (W) 21-6, 4:22
157 – N. Ross (C) fall C. Dix (W) 1:48
165 – J. Datz (C) dec. J. Geiger (W) SV-1 11-5
174 – C. Nuss (W) dec. B. Torres (C) 5-3
184 – S. Gazzillo (C) fall J. Devito (W) 4:24
197 – D. Henry (C) dec. C. Butka (W) 15-10
285 – C. Burkhart (W) fall D. Houseknecht 4:31
 
No. 6 Stevens 35, WU 16
125 – A. Fashouer (W) fall A. Khatri (S) 4:54
133 – A. Finateri (S) dec. S. Kimmel (W) 3-2
141 – K. Slendorn (S) fall B. Sitton (W) 4:03
149 – P. Vizzoni (S) win by forfeit
157 – H. Gutierrez (S) dec. J. Hartranft (W) 7-3
165 – H. Hinojosa (S) fall C. Everdale (W) 3:51
174 – B. Wagner (S) tech. fall S. Diarra (W) 22-7, 4:25
184 – J. Martsinovsky (S) fall J. Devito (W) 1:54
197 – C. Butka (W) major dec. M. Ruiz (S) 13-5
285 – C. Burkhart (W) win by forfeit
 
Wesleyan 27, WU 17
125 – A. Fashouer (W) dec. G. Fischer (Wes) 3-0
133 – S. Savur (Wes) major dec. M. Richardson (W) 10-0
141 – J. Bauer (W) tech. fall K. Horst (Wes) 16-0, 4:21
149 – J. Wemmilinger (Wes) tech. fall B. Sitton (W) 16-0, 2:51
157 – A. Goldman (Wes) fall J. Hartranft (W) 4:10
165 – J. Reusing (Wes) dec. J. Geiger (W) 10-8
174 – M. Gaita (Wes) fall C. Nuss (W) 6:31
184 – A. Dashiell (Wes) dec. J. Devito (W) 8-1
197 – C. Butka (W) dec. J. Colon (Wes) 3-0
285 – C. Burkhart (W) fall K. Gagnon (Wes) 1:40
 
Exhibitions:
133 – C. Erml (York) tech. fall S. Kimmel (W) 20-4, 5:41
197 – J. Black (Ferrum) fall H. Lowe (W) 5:32
141 – T. Stewart (Springfield) fall B. Sitton (W) 1:59
197 – H. Lowe (W) tech. fall E. Chen (Williams) 16-0
174 – W. Jirardi (UW-Eau Claire) tech. fall R. Wynn (W) 16-0
285 – T. Gitski (W) dec. J. Davis (Lycoming) 3-1
157 – N. Alejandro (W&L) dec. N. Partsanakis (W) 11-4
285 – T. Gitski (W) fall C. Connor (Messiah) 4:42
125 – M. Martin (W) fall B. Newman (Lycoming) 0:30
165 – C. Everdale (W) major dec. B. Bienus (Ithaca) 10-1