Team Score | 125-149 Brackets | 157-285 Brackets
WHEATON, Ill. -
Brian Shermeyer led the Falcons on Day Two of the Wheaton Invitational, finishing in third-place at 174 lbs. for the top finish of any Messiah wrestler on the weekend. In addition to Shermeyer's finish, Messiah also had
Josiah Gehr place, taking fifth-place on Saturday.
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As a team, Messiah finished in 17th place in the 38-team field with 47.5 team points. Mount Union won the event with 135 team points, North Central (105.5 points) was the only other team with triple digits team points, finishing in second-place.
See below for a recap of Messiah's action on Saturday:
125 lbs. - Josiah Gehr
Semifinals - Mike Tortorice (Wisconsin - Whitewater) decision (10-4) over Josiah Gehr
  Mike Tortorice (Wisconsin - Whitewater) advanced to the finals at 125 lbs. with a 10-4 decision over
Josiah Gehr in the semifinals. Tortorice took a 6-4 lead after the first period with a takedown, a two-point nearfall, a penalty, and an escape. Gehr countered with a reversal in the middle of the opening period and a takedown, but Tortorice added four nearfall points in the second to claim the 10-4 decision.
Consolation Bracket - Andrew Perelka (John Carroll) pins (0:45) Josiah Gehr
  John Carroll's Andrew Perelka earned a quick takedown just over 20 seconds into the match and put Gehr to his back, earning the fall in 45 seconds.
Fifth-Place Match - Josiah Gehr decision (8-5) over Sawyer Sarbacker (Wisconsin - La Crosse)
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Josiah Gehr fell into an early 4-0 hole, but battled back to earn fifth-place with an 8-5 decision. With 30 seconds left in the third period and the scored tied 5-5, Gehr needed a takedown to seal the deal. After a riding time point, Gehr earned the decision.
157 lbs. - Kevin Edwards
Consolation Bracket - Joey Bradberry (Otterbein) major decision (19-8) over Kevin Edwards
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Kevin Edwards battled back after falling into a 12-0 hole against Otterbein's Joey Bradberry in his consolation bracket match on Saturday. Bradberrry took a 10-0 lead after the opening period thanks to a takedown and two separate four-point nearfalls. Bradberry then opened the second with a takedown before Edwards earned six points with a takedown and a four-point nearfall. It was not enough for Edwards, as Bradbury went on for the 19-8 major.
174 lbs. - Brian Shermeyer
Semifinals - Kyle Peisker (Chicago) decision (5-2) over Brian Shermeyer
  A first-period takedown and a second-period reversal gave Kyle Peisker (Chicago) a 4-0 lead heading to the third period. Shermeyer was able to pick-up a late takedown, but a riding time point went to Peisker and he advanced to the finals with a 5-2 decision.
Consolation Bracket - Brian Shermeyer decision (8-1) over Drew Matticks (Milwaukee School of Engineering)
  In his first match of the consolation bracket,
Brian Shermeyer took a 4-0 lead over Drew Matticks (Milwaukee School of Engineering) with a takedown and a nearfall in the first period. After an escape from Matticks in the second, Shermeyer picked up an escape, a takedown, and a riding time point to claim the decision and advance to the third-place match.
Third-Place Match - Brian Shermeyer decision (7-2) over Haydn Kinjorski (Olivet)
  Shermeyer finished a takedown late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead over Haydn Kinjorski (Olivet) in the third-place match. After Shermeyer escaped in the second he led 3-0 heading to the third period. In the final period, Shermeyer claimed a pair of takedowns while Kinjorski escaped twice, but the escapes were not enough for Kinjorski to comeback and Shermeyer finished the 174 lbs. bracket in third place.
