GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah wrestling team opened the 2021 season at home by hosting the Messiah Invitational in Hitchcock Arena. The Falcons welcomed nine other teams to Grantham on Saturday afternoon, finishing third of the 10 schools in attendance. The Falcons scored 112.5 team points on the afternoon with five individual wrestlers finishing in the top-three in their bracket.
Josiah Gehr (141 lbs.) and
Nick Barnhart (157 lbs.) led the Falcons' effort on the day, winning their respective weight classes. At 133 lbs.,
Dalton Daugherty finished as the Runner-Up while
Garret Cornell (157 lbs.) and
Joe Embleton (197 lbs.) each claimed third-place finishes for Messiah
Wisconsin Eau Claire won the team standings with 151.5 points. Washington & Lee took home second place with 127.5 points while Messiah (112.5), Liberty (106.5), and Ursinus (104) rounded out the top-five on the day.
Messiah will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Collegeville, Pa. for the Racich Rumble hosted by Ursinus College beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Falcons Win Two Weight Classes
Both
Josiah Gehr and
Nick Barnhart won their respective weight classes on Saturday with strong showings at 141 lbs. and 157 lbs. Gehr picked up falls in his first matches of the day earning a first-period pin against Liberty's Garrett Good in 1:01 before sticking Ursinus' Wesley Tosto in the final seconds of the third period to advance into the semifinals. Gehr then picked up a 12-2 major decision over Ethan Renager (Wheaton) to advance to the final. Once there, Gehr claimed the 141 lbs. title with a 6-1 decision over Charlie Cunningham (Washington and Lee).
Barnhart was nearly as dominate at 157 lbs., picking up a 16-2 major decision over Nick Alejandrop from Washington & Lee to start his day. A second-period pin of Gettysburg's David Barncroft in 3:19 and a 9-0 major decision put Barnhart into the semifinals. A fall in 6:04 of Shawn Marchesano (Ursinus) set him up with Ryan Luth in the title match. In his tightest bout of the day, Barnhart earned a 9-6 decision to put Luth away and claim the 157 lbs. weight class.
Daugherty Is a Runner-Up
At 133 lbs.,
Dalton Daugherty was stellar earning a pair of falls and a major decision to advance to the Championships Bout. Daugherty earned his falls over Gettysburg's Joseph Coppola (1:14) and Ursinus' Jagger Clapsadle (4:00). Gettysburg's J. Luke Kowolski overwhelmed Daugherty in the title bout, earning an 11-2 major decision, but Daugherty finished the day with a 3-1 record and a runner-up finish.
Other Notable Finishes
Messiah had four other top-six finishes in their respective weight classes.
Garret Cornell (157 lbs.) and
Joe Embleton (197 lbs.) both took home third place while
Zach Needles (165 lbs.) and
Asa Brunk (141 lbs.) earned fifth and sixth places finishes, respectively.
Cornell went 4-1 on the day, picking up a pair of falls in less than a minute. In the third-place match, Cornell picked up a fall in 47 seconds against Adam Rients (Wis. Eau Claire).
At 197 lbs.,
Joe Embleton also earned a pair of first-period falls on Saturday, dropping Brendan Loder (Gettysburg) and Michael Massa (Johns Hopkins).
Wrestling in his first collegiate tournament,
Zach Needles performed well, moving into the semifinals with a 16-0 technical fall of Gettysburg's Graham Chandler and a 7-5 decision over Jared Osborne (Johns Hopkins). After falling to the consolation bracket, Needles earned a 3-2 decision in the fifth-place match to end his day with a victory over Osborne again.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will travel east next Saturday for another early season tournament at the Racich Rumble at Ursinus. The action will get started at 10:00 a.m.
