Elizabethtown Dual Match Results (.pdf)
Messiah Open Brackets (.pdf)
 
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 26) – The Waynesburg University wrestling team split up for a full Saturday that included both dual and tournament competition. While the Yellow Jacket starters were busy pulling out a 21-16 victory over Elizabethtown, sophomore Shane Foster was leading the Waynesburg contingency competing in the Messiah Open.
 
The Jackets (5-9) got off to a fast start against the Blue Jays (4-2) by winning four of the day's first five bouts. Freshman Gordan Bieber got things started by gutting out a 5-4 decision at 125 pounds and senior 133-pounder Alex Crown followed with an 8-4 triumph to put Waynesburg up 6-0.
 
After Elizabethtown bounced back with a technical fall victory at 141 to cut the Jackets' lead to 6-5, sophomore Chris Milligan had a quick response, which came in the form of a 9-3 win that pushed the visitor's lead up to 9-5. Junior Sam Lombardo scored the Jackets' fourth decision victory in the first five bouts by using an escape and a riding point to pick up a 2-0 win.
 
Already up 12-5, sophomore Sam Guidi gave his team a double-digit lead thanks to a pin in just 2:17 at 165 pounds. After scoring the fall, the Orange and Black jumped ahead 18-5 and appeared poised to put the match away after just a handful of bouts. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, had other plans, as they won the next three contests, including a technical fall at 197 pounds, to make the score 18-16. However, one of the team's veterans was up to the challenge of sealing the deal at heavyweight.
 
Senior big man Marty Kisla did the honors by piecing together a 4-2 win. After a scoreless first period, Kisla rode his opponent, Steven Paul, for the entire second period. The native of Houston, Pa. then scored an escape from the down position and added a takedown before being awarded a point for riding time to wrap up the victory.
 
At the same time that the Jackets were dispatching of the Blue Jays, other representatives of the Waynesburg wrestling team were part of the field at the Messiah Open, which included a slew of Division I opponents. Foster led the charge for the Jackets with a fourth-place showing at 157 pounds.
 
The spring semester transfer got off to a fast start as the number-seven seed by winning his first three matches at the event. After scoring back-to-back decisions over unseeded opponents, Foster pinned second-seeded Adam Will in 6:56 to advance to the semifinal round. Unfortunately, the Dalton, Ohio native fell to the third seed out of Drexel and into the consolation rounds, where he defeated Anthony Guidice of Maryland 6-0 to advance to the third-place bout. Foster squared off with another Terrapin, top-seeded Ben Dorsay, for the bronze and wound up settling for fourth place.
 
Junior Dan Bruni added a fifth-place showing at 141 pounds after going 4-2 on the day. Freshman heavyweight Greg Kumer went 2-2 with a pair of pins, as did senior 133-pounder Brandon Grainy.
 
With a busy weekend wrapped up, Waynesburg is off until Thursday, Jan. 31, when they host the Penn State branch campuses at Fayette, Beaver and Greater Allegheny. The first matches are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.