Match Results

WILLIAMSPORTS, Pa. (Jan. 11) – After suffering through bitterly close defeats that were ultimately determined by two bad cases of the flu as much as its opponents, the Waynesburg University wrestling team finally got to enjoy something positive during its final match of day one at the Bud Whitehill Division III Wrestling Duals, which are hosted by Lycoming College.
 
With his team trailing by one point going into the heavyweight bout against Trine, senior Marty Kisla, who was thrust into the starting position because of an injury to Waynesburg starter Brandon Fedorka, took to the mat looking to send his team out with a win. The veteran big man pulled through for his teammates with a gritty 1-0 victory over Shane Hendrickson to snatch away a 21-19 victory from the Thunder.
 
After a scoreless first period, Hendrickson chose the down position to start the second period. Kisla showed his veteran know-how from the top and was able to ride out Hendrickson for two crucial minutes of riding time. Rather than going from the down position to try and go ahead with a one-point escape, Kisla chose the neutral position to begin the third-and-final two minutes of action. The move paid off, as Hendrickson was unable to take the Waynesburg (2-7) big man down and the Yellow Jacket victory was secured.
 
For a third-straight match, the Jackets found themselves in a deep early hole, as Trine (1-9) built up a 13-0 lead heading into the 149-pound bout. Six of those points came during a forfeit at 133 pounds, where senior Alex Crown was unable to compete because of a severe flu-like ailment that stopped him in the middle of his opening match of the tournament. Crown was leading the bout 14-0 during the Jackets' battle with top-seeded Wisconsin-Stevens Point, when he became simply too sick to continue. His backup, senior Brandon Grainy, had to miss the team's trip with a similar ailment.
 
Sophomore 149-pounder Chris Milligan got things rolling for the Yellow Jackets with a 10-6 decision victory and he was followed by sophomore Shane Foster, who won his first match of the day by 10-2 major decision. After the two wins, Waynesburg trailed 13-7, but some valuable bonus points were just around the corner.
 
Sophomore Sam Guidi completed a fantastic first day of competition by cruising to a 17-0 technical fall win that took 6:37 to accomplish. Down by just two (13-12), junior Anthony Bonaventura took to the mat for Waynesburg against the eighth-ranked 174-pounder in the country, Trine senior Ryan Pieper. Bonaventura was unable to pull the upset against Pieper, but he held tough and gave up just a 3-1 decision to make the score 16-12 Trine.
 
Like Guidi, senior 184-pounder Cody Catalina wrapped up a three-victory day with bonus points. The veteran came through in a big way for the Jackets by sticking Nicholas Fruits in 2:10 for the Jackets' only pin of the day. That fall finally gave Waynesburg its first lead at 18-16.
 
It looked like the Jackets were going to increase their advantage at 197 pounds, where sophomore Patrick Jennings built up a 4-1 first-period lead. Unfortunately, that advantage evaporated in a 7-5 defeat. Luckily for the Orange and Black, Kisla was up to the challenge and clinched the win in thrilling fashion.
 
With the victory, the Jackets advanced in the “Challenge Brackets” of the consolation round to face the host Warriors tomorrow at 12 p.m.