Brackets
Grantham, PA - Messiah wrestling opened their season with a strong showing at their own Messiah Invitational on Saturday.
Lucas Malmberg (125),
Larry Cannon (165), and
Ben Swarr (184) each took first for the Falcons.
Messiah also took the team title with 131.5 points, outpacing second-place Lycoming by more than 40 points.
Lee Cassel (141),
Derek Beitz (184), and
Dan Kiser (285) all took second, and both
Kyle Koser (197) and
Jeff Hojnacki (157) came in third.
The win represents a strong start to the Falcons' new campaign, one that also began with a No. 2 ranking in the NWCA Top 25 poll. Along with that team ranking were Malmberg and Swarr being picked No. 1 in their respective weight classes after they each won the National Championship last season.
One of the many notable finishes for the Falcons today was
Jeff Hojnacki's third-place finish: Hojnacki lost in the semifinal to Division I Tk Megonigal (Liberty University) by a close 8-5 decision, but then he defeated Tommy Grifa (Johns Hopkins) to finish a terrific showing. One class ahead
Larry Cannon was nothing short of impressive as he collected two decision, two major decisions, and a fall to win at 165. His closest match came in the final (6-1 decision) over Lycoming's Nolan Barger.
Final Scores
Messiah - 131.5 points
Lycoming - 88
Wheaton - 76
Liberty - 61
Ursinus - 52.5
Elizabethtown - 48
Gettysburg - 45.5
McDaniel - 34
UMBC - 26.5
Johns Hopkins - 19.5
