BEREA, OH – The Wilkes University wrestling team saw 14 grapplers place in the top eight of their respective weight class, including seven within the top three, on Saturday at the John Summa Invitational hosted by Baldwin Wallace University as the team placed second overall. Sophomore Jaryn Hartranft (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua) won the 157-pound title and junior Cameron Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) won the 197-pound championship.

Full Results

The Colonels took second with 147.0 team points, only behind the fifth-ranked team in the NWCA Tournament Team Rankings in host Baldwin Wallace who had 187.0 points. Wilkes finished ahead of No. 12 Ohio Northern University who placed fourth with 89.0 points. St. John Fisher University was third of the 13 total teams with 103.5 points.

Hartranft won his second title of the season as he went 5-0 on the day. He started his run in the Round of 32 with a 15-0 technical fall over Justin Ritchie of Baldwin Wallace. He then won his Round of 16 bout by a fall in 0:59 over Justin Sweeney of Case Western Reserve. Hartranft picked up a second straight fall in the Quarterfinals this time in 2:47 over Jacob Williams of Otterbein University. The sophomore then won in the Semifinals by a 17-4 major decision over Baldwin Wallace's Emmanuel Scordos. In the Final he defeated his third Baldwin Wallace grappler, this time Thomas West by an 11-4 decision to take the championship.

Butka won his fourth championship of the season with a 4-0 showing. He started his run in the Round of 16 with a 14-3 major decision over Mitch Sanders of Baldwin Wallace. Butka then picked up a Quarterfinal technical fall by a 17-2 score over Anthony Gencarelli of West Liberty. A 10-2 major decision in the Semifinals over Cole Willaims of Ohio Northern pushed Butka into the Final where he defeated Luke Hopkins of Baldwin Wallace by an 11-6 decision to win the title.

At 184-pounds, Hunter Lowe (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill) placed second with a 3-1 day. In the Round of 16 he defeated EJ Bonet of Brockport by fall in 2:59. Lowe then won by fall in 2:18 over Nathan Coon of St. John Fisher in the Quarterfinals. A 17-0 technical fall over Gary Steele of Otterbein followed in the Semifinals. The senior then lost a close 6-3 decision to Alfred State's Sean Malenfant in the Final.

Caleb Burkhart (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville) placed second at 285-pounds as he went 3-1 as well. Burkhart started the day with a fall in 0:42 in the Round of 16 over Cole Mullenix of Case Western Reserve. He then won by fall in 2:21 over Jamie Kilmer of West Liberty in the Quarterfinals before advancing to the Final with a medical forfeit win in the Semifinals. Francesco Borsellino of West Liberty won the title bout with a third period fall.

Connor Kerwin (Totowa, NJ/Passaic Valley) placed third at 125-pounds as he went 3-1 overall. He won his Quarterfinal bout with a 13-0 major decision over Edward McCarthy of Thiel College. He then lost his Semifinal bout to Jacob Decatur of Baldwin Wallace. He advanced to the Third-Place bout with a medical forfeit win and then won third by earning an 18-1 technical fall over Mason Drew of Alfred State.

Michael Richardson (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) was third at 133-pounds as he went 5-1 on the day. He won his Round of 32 bout by a fall in 3:26 over Matt Englehardt of West Liberty. Richardson then won by fall again, this time in 0:43 over Jaime Jarquin Duarte of Alfred State in the Round of 16. He lost a tight 8-6 decision to Thiel's Evan Whiteside. In the wrestle backs he won by fall two more times in 3:33 and 2:57 and then reached the Third-Place bout with an 8-6 decision over Elijah Moshenek of Alfred State where he was awarded third with his earlier victory over Englehardt.

Mason Livio (Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Pinelands Regional) also placed third in his 141-pound weight class as he went 4-1 overall. Livio began with a Round of 32 win over Luke Miller of West Liberty by a 12-2 major decision. In the Round of 16 he won by fall in 2:30 over Keegan McMahon of Baldwin Wallace. He picked up a 12-5 decision win the Quarterfinals over Luke Yorke of St. John Fisher before losing in the Semifinals to Alex Samson of St. John Fisher. He then defeated teammate Caden Temple (Orangeville, PA/Benton) with a 7-5 decision to reach the Third-Place bout where he was awarded third with a no contest due to his previous win over McMahon.

Temple was fifth at 141-pounds. Rocky Finnegan (Laporte, PA/Sullivan County) took fifth at 125-pounds, Colton Thorpe (Southington, CT/Southington) fifth at 149-pounds, and Lucas Miller (Kempton, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) was fifth at 174-pounds. Cadden Kucek (Forty Fort, PA/Wyoming Valley West) took sixth at 125-pounds. Noah Rosa (Reading, PA/Berks Catholic) placed eighth at 125-pounds and Jackson Brady (Goshen, NY/Goshen Central) eighth at 149-pounds to give Wilkes 14 total place-winners.

Wilkes is back in action on Friday, February 9 with a dual match at Ithaca College.