GRANTHAM, Pa. - In a back-and-forth, tight dual against the defending MAC and Southeast Regional Champions, the Messiah wrestling team took down the Stevens Ducks by a final score of 21-17. Messiah earned a pair of forfeits at 285 and 184 lbs, but victories by Asa Brunk (125 lbs.), Matt Pangle (165 lbs.), and Brian Shermeyer (174 lbs.) solidified the victory for Messiah.
 
The trio of Brunk, Pangle, and Shermeyer each claimed decisions on the afternoon. In a losing effort, sophomore Garret Cornell gave the virtual fans the most exciting effort of the day at 149 lbs. Facing the top-ranked wrestler in the country, Cornell went toe-to-toe with Brett Kaliner, before ultimately falling 18-12.
 
Messiah will be back on the mats against Delaware Valley on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Messiah's third dual against the Aggies will take place on the road. The Falcons and Aggies have split that previous two meetings.
 
Back-and-Forth Start
After an early forfeit from the Stevens Ducks at 285 lbs. to Carter Urich, Messiah took a 6-0 lead. Asa Brunk got the first contested match of the afternoon started at 125 lbs. with a first-period takedown against Andrew Finateri. Brunk earned three takedowns in the bout en route to a 7-4 decision, making the team score 9-0 in favor of the Falcons.
 
Following the Falcons' early lead, the Ducks grabbed the next two matches with a 5-3 decision at 133 lbs. by Luke Hoerle and a major decision by Joe Slendorn at 141 lbs. to close the gap to 9-7 in favor of the Falcons.
 
Great Showing Against a Top Opponent
The best match of the day very well could have come in a Messiah loss at 149 lbs. with Garret Cornell holding his own against the top-ranked wrestler at 149 lbs. in the country, Brett Kaliner. Kaliner, a two-time All-American, was taken down by Cornell in the first minute of the opening period and after a mid-period reversal, the bout was tied 2-2 after three minutes on the mat.
 
Kaliner then earned five takedowns in the second period, cutting Cornell free each time to give the Stevens senior a 12-7 lead heading into the final period. Kaliner chose down to begin the period and Cornell's unconventional style quickly earned the tilt and a set of four near-fall points. The tilt made it a 12-11 match, but an escape from Kaliner combined with a pair of takedowns, and a riding time point gave Kaliner the decision by a score of 18-12.
 
Falcons Close It Out
The decision by Kaliner at 149 lbs. gave Stevens the lead at 10-9 and Nick Boggiano added three more points to the Ducks' total with a 13-6 decision at 157 lbs.
 
Facing a 13-9 deficit with four bouts to go, the Falcons earned back-to-back decisions from Matt Pangle (165 lbs.) and Brian Shermeyer (174 lbs.) to flip the score in favor of the Falcons.
 
Squaring off with Stevens' Joe Schneider, Matt Pangle earned two first-period takedowns to take a 4-1 lead after the opening period. After choosing down to begin the second, Pangle quickly escaped and claimed a third takedown later in the period to bump his lead to 7-1 heading to the third. Pangle was eyeing a major decision with a third period takedown, but Schneider earned a reversal late, but Pangle was able to hold on for the important 10-4 decision for the Falcons.
 
Next up was Brian Shermeyer for the Falcons at 174 lbs. Shermeyer claimed a total of three takedowns against the Ducks' Joel Martsinovsky en route to the 9-3 decision. Shermeyer accumulated a total of 2:50 of riding time in the match, thanks to early takedowns in the first and third period. The six-point decision by Shermeyer ensured a victory for Messiah in the dual, as the Ducks were forfeiting the 184 lbs. bout to David Stevens.
 
Despite a major decision by Stevens' Michael Dooley in the final bout of the dual, Messiah held on for the 21-17 victory.
 
Extra Matches
A total of 10 exhibition matches were contested on Saturday night with John Sumner highlighting the effort for the Falcons, going 2-0 in the extra bouts. Sumner quickly earned a fall of James Snyder in 1:33 for the only fall of the entire afternoon and then picked up a 6-3 decision against Jarrett Weir.
 
Dan Swarr also earned a 7-3 decision against James Snyder later in the exhibitions, accounting for Messiah's other victory in the extra matches.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will take on the Delaware Valley Aggies on Tuesday night for the third time this season. Messiah and Delaware Valley have split their previous two meetings. The action is scheduled to get started at 7:00 p.m. in Doylestown.


Messiah defeats Stevens – 21-17
285 – Carter Urich (M) wins by for.
125 – Asa Brunk (M) dec. (7-4) over Andrew Finateri (S)
133 – Luke Hoerle (S) dec. (5-3) over Hunter Rinehart (M)
141 – Joe Slendorn (S) maj. dec. (11-2) over Dalton Daugherty (M)
149 – Brett Kaliner (S) dec. (18-12) over Garret Cornell (M)
157 – Nick Boggiano (S) dec. (13-6) over Nick Barnhart (M)
165 – Matt Pangle (M) dec. (10-4) over Joe Schneider (S)
174 - Brian Shermeyer (M) dec. (9-3) over Joel Martsinovsky (S)
184 - David Stevens (M) win by for.
197 – Michael Dooley (S) maj. dec. (13-1) over Spencer Clements (M)

165 extra – John Sumner (M) fall (1:33) over James Snyder (S)
125 extra – Andrew Finateri (S) dec. (6-2) over Payton Jackson (M)
141 extra – Kyle Slendorn (S) win by tech fall (22-5, 2:13) over Joshua Flores (M)
141 extra – Trevor Mastorio (S) dec. (7-6) over Dalton Daugherty (M)
149 extra – Pasquale Vizzoni (S) dec. (6-4) over Jake Coniglio (M)
165 extra – Jonah Schechtman (S) dec. (8-2) over Tyler Riley (M)
165 extra - John Sumner (M) dec. (6-3) over  Jarrett Weir (S)
174 extra - Joel Martsinovsky (S) maj. dec. (14-2) over Max Martin (M)
174 extra - Dan Swarr (M) dec. (7-3) over James Snyder (S)
141 extra - Will Fernandez (S) maj. dec. (15-2)  Joshua Flores (M)

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