GRANTHAM, PA – The Wilkes University men's wrestling team competed at the 2025 Messiah Open on Saturday afternoon as the Colonels saw three wrestlers earn top-seven finishes.
 
At 285-pounds, Trevor Gitski (Alburtis, PA/Emmaus) finished in third place going 3-2 on the day. He began his run with a 16-5 major decision win over Myles Brown of Alvernia University before taking a hard-fought 2-1 decision win over Ben Krauss of Muhlenberg College in the quarterfinals. Gtiski fell to Liberty's Wade Wheeler in the semifinals before bouncing back with an 8-1 decision over Jake Rickett of Franklin and Marshall in the consolation semifinals. Gitski then finished the day with an 8-0 defeat to Dawson Bundy of Penn State to settle for third place in the tournament.
 
At 174-pounds, Melquan Warren (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) finished in seventh place with a 3-2 mark on the day. Warren started with a 16-7 major decision over Liberty's Ronald Black before falling by fall to Duke University's Logan Richey in the quarterfinals. He battled back with a fall in :59 over Messiah's Jared Butler before being pin in his next match in the consolation fifth round bout. Warren finished off the day with a 3:50 fall over Colorado State's Tyler Woodworth in the seventh place match.
 
Brayden Shannon (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) was the final top-seven finisher for Wilkes taking home seventh place at 165-pounds. After falling in his first bout of the day by technical fall, Shannon used a fall over Nick Acque of TCNJ to move into the consolation fifth round. There he fell by major decision before taking an 8-2 decision victory over Makoa Niebel of F&M in the seventh pace bout.
 
In total, 28 Colonels wrestled in the open tournament.
 
Up next Wilkes is set to host cross-town rival King's College on Friday at 7:00 p.m. on senior night.