WHEATON, Ill. - The Messiah wrestling team split their efforts on Saturday with their starting line-up wrapping up the Pete Wilson Wheaton Invitational in Illinois and the rest of the squad heading to Reading for the Alvernia Quad. In Wheaton,
Josiah Gehr led the effort with a third-place finish while four total Falcons placed in the two-day event. As a team, Messiah finished the weekend with 70 points, placing them in 10th place among the 35 teams at the event.
At the Alvernia Quad, Messiah went 0-3, dropping duals to Alvernia (49-0, Southern Virginia (32-18), and Trinity (37-6).
Messiah will be back in action for a dual against the York Spartans on Friday, Feb. 4 in York. Friday's dual is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons will then quickly turn around for the Messiah Open the following day in Hitchcock Arena at 10:00 a.m.
Update From Wheaton
As a team, Messiah finished the two-day tournament in 10th place, earning 70 total points. Both
Josiah Gehr (141 lbs.) and
Carter Urich (285 lbs.) advanced to the third-place match. Gehr earned an 8-4 decision in the match, claiming third for the weekend while Urch finished fourth at 285 lbs.
After starting his day in the semifinals,
Josiah Gehr dropped a wild 17-12 decision to Zach Sato (Wisconsin - Eau Claire) to move into the consolation bracket. Once there, Gehr earned a first-period fall against Ferrum's Levi Englman to advance to the third-place match. Gehr claimed an 8-4 decision against John Carroll's Jarrod Brezovec to earn third-place honors on the weekend.
At 285 lbs.
Carter Urich earned his way to the third-place match by winning a 5-2 decision against Ka'Ron Lewis (Ozarks) and claiming a fall in 7:14 against Millikin's Brayan Reyes. Once in the third-place match, Urich was pinned by Jace Grossman from Heidelberg in 3:47, but finished his weekend with in fourth place.
At 157 lbs.,
Nick Barnhart entered Saturday in the semifinals, but suffered a tough 6-5 loss to Chicago's Darian Estevez to fall into the consolation bracket. In a tight match, Estevez took down Barnhart late and while Barnhart earned the escape, he was unable to tie the score up. In the consolation bracket, Barnhart was pinned by Nebraska Wesleyan's Collin Quandt, but rallied to take fifth place by pinning Jack O'Donnell from Corcordia Wisconsin for the second time on the weekend. Earning the fall in 4:19 in the fifth-place match.
Jake Coniglio earned eighth place at 149 lbs. He dropped an 8-1 decision to Jordan Carson (Millikin) to start his day before medically forfeiting his seventh-place match.
Update from Alvernia Quad
Alvernia defeats Messiah 49-0
The Falcons could not find the scoreboard against the Golden Wolves in their first dual of the day. Alvernia won all nine matches contested. Messiah's efforts were highlighted by
Camerin Deville (149 lbs.),
Ike Bryner (157 lbs.), and
Micah Kunkle (197 lbs.), who all dropped decisions to their opponents.
In an exhibition match,
Payton Jackson earned a 17-0 technical fall over Corey Jenkins.
Alvernia 49, Messiah 0
125 - Robert Philpot (Alvernia) over
Bryce Arnold (Messiah) (TF 20-1 5:43)
133 - Kyle Seibert (Alvernia) over
Joshua Flores (Messiah) (TF 19-0 3:00)
141 - Quinn Tobin (Alvernia) over
Asa Brunk (Messiah) (Fall 1:34)
149 - Paul Kakos (Alvernia) over
Camerin Deville (Messiah) (Dec 6-2)
157 - Robert Lawlor (Alvernia) over
Ike Bryner (Messiah) (Dec 6-3)
165 - Matt Lackman (Alvernia) over Unknown (For.)
174 - Gavin Hollingsworth (Alvernia) over
Tyler Riley (Messiah) (Fall 0:00)
184 - Mauro Pellot (Alvernia) over
Christopher Cratsley (Messiah) (Fall 1:08)
197 - Tonee Ellis (Alvernia) over
Micah Kunkle (Messiah) (Dec 10-3)
285 - Chase Smith (Alvernia) over
Christian Conner (Messiah) (Fall 1:56)
Extra -
Payton Jackson (Messiah) over Corey Jenkins (Alvernia) (TF 17-0 4:04)
Extra - Anthony Bauer (Alvernia) over
Wyatt Bingaman (Messiah) (Fall 1:00)
Southern Virginia defeats Messiah - 32-18
In their second dual of the day, Messiah raced out to a 12-0 lead over the Sourthern Virginia Knights with
Bryce Arnold (125 lbs.),
Dalton Daugherty (133 lbs.), and
Asa Brunk (141 lbs.) all earning victories. After those three wins, the Knights took control. Sourthern Virginia won the next six bouts to build a 32-12 lead before forfeiting the 285 lbs. match to
Hayden Benner.
Arnold got the dual started with an 11-2 major decision against Jaden Nelson. Daugherty followed with an 11-7 decision before Brunk earned a 19-3 technical fall to push the Falcons early lead to 12-0.
Southern Virginia responded with four-straight falls and a pair of major decisions to clinch the victory.
Southern Virginia 32, Messiah 18
125 -
Bryce Arnold (Messiah) over Jaden Nelson (Southern Virginia) (MD 11-2)
133 -
Dalton Daugherty (Messiah) over Harper Thompson (Southern Virginia) (Dec 11-7)
141 -
Asa Brunk (Messiah) over Sawyer Ferry (Southern Virginia) (TF 19-3 5:22)
149 - Elijah Blackwell (Southern Virginia) over
Camerin Deville (Messiah) (Fall 4:26)
157 - Weston Hirschi (Southern Virginia) over
Ike Bryner (Messiah) (Fall 2:16)
165 - James Wiggins (Southern Virginia) over
Joshua Rosado (Messiah) (Dec 7-4)
174 - Tyson Hoopes (Southern Virginia) over
Tyler Riley (Messiah) (Fall 2:54)
184 - Scott Chambers (Southern Virginia) over
Christopher Cratsley (Messiah) (MD 13-0)
197 - Cache Holmes (Southern Virginia) over
Micah Kunkle (Messiah) (MD 15-2)
285 -
Hayden Benner (Messiah) over Unknown (For.)
Extra -
Mason Casey (Messiah) over Jacob Smith (Southern Virginia) (Fall 0:26)
Extra -
Wyatt Bingaman (Messiah) over Ricardo Diego (Southern Virginia) (Fall 0:48)
Extra - Ikia Garcia (Southern Virginia) over
Donte Hibbert (Messiah) (Fall 3:24)
Trinity (Conn.) defeats Messiah - 37-6
Messiah wrapped up their day at Alvernia with a dual against the Trinity Bantams, falling by a final score of 37-6. The Bantams claimed the first four bouts to build a 20-0 lead, earning a technical fall at 125 lbs. and back-to-back pins at 141 lbs. and 149 lbs.
Ike Bryner stopped the Trinity streak with a 6-3 decision over Nicholas Crotty and later in the dual
Christopher Cratsley earned a 5-3 decision against Dylan Sofield at 184 lbs. Those two decisions would account for all of the Falcons' points in the loss, falling by a 37-6 final.
Trinity 37, Messiah 6
125 - Jacob Marselli (Trinity) over
Bryce Arnold (Messiah) (TF 18-3 4:14)
133 - Donald Ryan (Trinity) over
Dalton Daugherty (Messiah) (Dec 13-9)
141 - Chris Perry (Trinity) over
Asa Brunk (Messiah) (Fall 1:44)
149 - Aiden Hebert (Trinity) over
Camerin Deville (Messiah) (Fall 1:09)
157 -
Ike Bryner (Messiah) over Nicholas Crotty (Trinity) (Dec 6-3)
165 - Kevin Lyskawa (Trinity)over
Joshua Rosado (Messiah) (Fall 1:35)
174 - Adam Frost (Trinity) over
Tyler Riley (Messiah) (TF 16-0 3:52)
184 -
Christopher Cratsley (Messiah) over Dylan Sofield (Trinity) (Dec 5-3)
197 - Booker Lester, Jr (Trinity)over
Micah Kunkle (Messiah) (Dec 5-3)
285 - John O`Brien (Trinity) over
Hayden Benner (Messiah) (Dec 9-5)
Extra -
Wyatt Bingaman (Messiah) over Dylan Reynolds (Trinity) (Dec 7-6)
Extra -
Christian Conner (Messiah) over Thomas Radzik (Trinity) (Fall 1:17)
Extra -
Joshua Flores (Messiah) over Mohammad Ali Zaidi (Trinity) (MD 16-6)
Extra - Finn McGovern (Trinity) over
Payton Jackson (Messiah) (Fall 1:32)
