Match Results (.pdf)
 
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 7) – The Waynesburg University wrestling team continued through the torturous opening to its 2012-13 dual season on Friday night, when West Liberty University, the number-12 team in the NCAA Division II ranks, came to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Despite facing a monumental challenge, the Yellow Jackets wrestled hard and gave the Hilltoppers plenty to deal with as the match was still in doubt heading into the heavyweight bout. WLU won the final contest of the night, and took the match 22-14, but Waynesburg had plenty of highlights on the evening.
 
The Jackets' (0-5) biggest win of the night game at 174 pounds, where junior Anthony Bonaventura picked up maybe the biggest win of his collegiate career, when he used a late takedown and superior  conditioning to score a 7-5 upset of senior Matt Littleton. Littleton was an NCAA Division II national qualifier last season.
 
After West Lib (2-0) opened the night with a decision win at 125 pounds, Waynesburg senior Alex Crown gave the Yellow Jackets the lead with an impressive 15-0 technical fall victory at 133 pounds that took just 3:16 to accomplish. Already up 5-3, the home team extended its advantage to 8-3 thanks to sophomore 141-pounder Aaron Mills' 10-3 decision victory over Johnny McComas.
 
After the visitors regained control of the match with three-straight wins from 149 to 165, the last of the trio coming by a 3-1 score in sudden victory, Bonaventura brought the home crowd to its feet with his thrilling victory and pulled his team back into the match. West Liberty got back on the winning track at 184 pounds with a decision victory that put the Black and Gold up 18-11. However, sophomore Patrick Jenning put his team in position to pull out the win with a 6-2 triumph at 197 pounds.
 
Trailing by just four points (18-14) heading into the heavyweight match, the Jackets sent junior heavyweight Brandon Fedorka out to the mat for his first match of the season against a tough Division II opponent in senior Matt Carpenter. Fedorka came out strong, nearly taking Carpenter down twice and coming painfully close to locking up a cradle that could have ended the bout quickly and given the Jackets the victory. However, Carpenter wriggled out of trouble and eventually picked up the match-clinching victory.
 
After finally finishing a taxing opening portion of its dual schedule that included two nationally ranked Division II programs (Shippensburg and West Liberty) and York College, the 24^th-ranked team in Division III, Waynesburg will get a week off to prepare for a dual against Muskingum College on Friday, Dec. 14. Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the contest will be followed by a high school match featuring a pair of traditionally strong local programs in Waynesburg Central and Jefferson-Morgan.