Grantham, PA - Messiah College collected three straight pins to seal a 41-9 dual victory over Elizabethtown College on Saturday, winning in dominating fashion on senior day for the program. Senior
Tim Stewart collected his 100th career win with his pin in the 184 lb. class, preceding pins by
Travis Ebersole (197) and Jones (285).
The win gives Messiah their sixth straight dual victory dating back to a
25-10 win at Lycoming College on January 20. It also moved the Falcons' record to 15-6 as they now look forward to a final dual with McDaniel College before arriving in the Empire Conference Tournament on February 25.
On Saturday, freshman
Kaleb Loht gave Messiah a 6-4 lead after collecting a major decision in the 133 lb. weight class. Messiah never lost that lead, as they went on to take the advantage in eight of the 10 bouts.
The 41-9 victory was more one-sided than anticipated, as Elizabethtown came into the day ranked #22 in the most recent D3wrestle.com Top 25 poll. The Falcons were ranked #24.
"We came into today expecting a battle," said Messiah head coach
Bryan Brunk. "We've traded wins and losses with them in the past. Today, I don't think they were at full strength and we were able to take advantage our match-ups."
Though the Falcons took an early lead that they would build upon, a turning point in the match came when senior
Chris Hardenberg (157) fought back from a 5-3 deficit late in the third period to tie, and eventually win, in a decision over Herman Williams. The win gave Messiah complete control of the match's momentum, with the Blue Jays collecting only one more decision (165 lb. class) the rest of the way.
With Messiah leading 23-9, senior Stewart collected his aforementioned 100th career win with a thrilling pin over Kyle Deeds. With the match in hand, Ebersole and Jones added exclamation points with their own pins.
Stewart's 100th career win came one weekend after senior
Matt Cross collected his 100th win. The pair become the
13th and 14th wrestlers in Messiah College history to earn triple-digit career victories.
"Our senior class has meant a lot to this program," said Brunk, reflecting on Stewart, Cross, and the rest of the seniors who were celebrated on Saturday. "They each have put in the commitment and discipline it takes to get better. They're a big part of our program."
The Falcons next wrestle on Tuesday, February 14, when they travel to McDaniel College for a 7:00 match.
Messiah 41, Elizabethtown 9
125 William Bentley (E) won by forfeit
133
Kaleb Loht (M) major dec. Kyle McNutly, 12-2
141 Victory Bracey (M) tech. fall Michael Henning, 20-4
149
Ty Kanouff (M) tech. fall Ian Stoecki, 20-3
157
Chris Hardenberg (M) dec. Herman Williams, 6-5
165 Quint Eno (E) dec.
Ricardo Plummer, 9-2
174
Matt Cross (M) def. Julian Meany, 4:00
184
Tim Stewart (M) pinned Kyle Deeds, 2:04
197
Travis Ebersole (M) pinned Dylan Carmichael, 1:56
285
Russell Jones (M) pinned Jared Weaver, 2:56
