WHEATON, Ill. – The Messiah wrestling team took eight wrestlers to the Pete Wilson Wheaton Invitational this week.
Josiah Gehr (141 lbs.) and
Nick Barnhart (157 lbs.) both advanced to the semifinals in their respective weight classes while
Jake Coniglio (149 lbs.) and
Carter Urich (285 lbs.) remained alive in the consolation bracket.
Both Gehr and Barnhart went 3-0 on Friday, picking up a pair of falls while advancing to the semifinals. Barnhart is the top seed at 157 lbs. and Gehr is the second seed at 141 lbs.
Gehr, Barnhart, Coniglio, and Urich will be back on the mat tomorrow morning for day two, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. CT.
Gehr and Barnhart are Perfect
Highlighting the day for the Falcons were the efforts of
Josiah Gehr (141 lbs.) and
Nick Barnhart (157 lbs.). Both Gehr and Barnhart went a perfect 3-0 on the day, earning a pair of falls in the process. Gehr started his day with pins over Millikin's DJ Millett (4:03) and Case Western Reserve's Brandon Callow (0:57) before earning a 10-2 major decision against Jake Dado (Ozarks) in the quarterfinals.
Barnhart had a similar day at 157 lbs., earning a first-period fall over Jack Campbell of Roanoke in 2:35 to begin his day. A 9-5 decision against Wisconsin Whitewater's Ty Miller followed before Barnhart capped off his Friday with a fall in 5:59 against Jack O`Donnell (Concordia-Wisconsin).
Both Gehr and Barnhart move into the semifinals and have clinched at least a sixth-place finish this weekend.
Coniglio and Urich Stay Alive
At 149 lbs.,
Jake Coniglio started his day with a pair of falls over Cortez Bradley (Defiance, 5:00) and Alex Cruz (Augustana, 1:08) to advance to the quarterfinals. Coniglio dropped a tight, 4-2 decision against Chandler Merwin (SUNY Cortland), but rebounded to advance to Saturday with a 14-4 major decision over Mount Union's Luke Hernandez.
Carter Urich also remained in the tournament after Friday's action, going 2-1 on the day. Urich was given a bye to start the tournament and then after that is was pin or get pinned for Urich. The Falcons' heavyweight earned a pair of falls on the day, moving his season total up to a dozen. Urich earned falls over Shelby Jones (Wisconsin-Whitewater, 3:52) and Ben Klei (SUNY Cortland, 1:09), but was pinned Robby Bates (North Central, 5:39). His two falls helped move him into the action on Saturday.
Remaining Efforts
As mentioned, a total of eight Falcons were in action on Friday in Wheaton.
John Sumner and
Ryder Slayton highlighted the remaining effort for the Falcons. Sumner went 1-2 at 174 lbs. on Friday, winning his first bout of the day against Sawyer Dereszynski (Roanoke) by an 11-4 decision. Sumner dropped a pair of one-point decisions by scores of 8-7 and 6-5 to be bounced from the tournament.
Ryder Slayton went 2-2 on the day at 184 lbs. He earned both of his victories in the consolation bracket. After dropping his first bout of the day, Slayton picked up a first-period fall against Defiance's Jack Minner (1:20) and a 6-1 decision over Heidelberg's Adam Medeiros. His day concluded at the hands of Mahlic Sallah, dropping a 6-1 decision.
What's Up Next
Gehr, Barnhart, Coniglio, and Urich will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as they compete to see where they will place. Gehr and Barnhart are just two wins away from winning the title at 141 lbs. and 157 lbs., respectively.
In other action, the rest of the Messiah wrestling team will be in action at the Alvernia Quad, with duals against Alvernia, Sourthern Virginia, and Trinity beginning at 11:00 a.m.
