Complete Brackets (.pdf)
Team Results (.pdf)

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (Jan. 6) – Saturday's Fairmont State Invitational was more about quality than quantity for the Waynesburg University wrestling team. Despite only entering nine competitors in a total of six weight classes, the Yellow Jackets put three into the finals and a fourth into the fifth-place bout on their way to a fourth-place team finish.
 
A pair of Waynesburg natives, one of which was making his Yellow Jacket debut, led the charge for the Orange and Black by winning titles at their respective weight classes.
 
Freshman transfer Cole Homet (Waynesburg, Pa. / Waynesburg Central) blew through the 149-pound bracket to the tune of a 4-0 run, with all four wins featuring bonus points. Homet opened with a 13-0 major decision over Manchester's Jason Rooney, before tallying a 12-1 major decision over Armon Netty of Division II West Liberty. He rolled into the finals with an impressive 18-3 technical fall over Will Nix of Division II Belmont Abbey. The third-seeded Homet downed another West Liberty wrestler – fourth-seeded Brock Wygle – by way of a 12-1 major decision to clinch the crown.
 
Senior Colby Morris (Waynesburg, Pa. / Waynesburg Central) added another individual title to a very successful 2023-24 campaign by going 5-0 in a massive 174-pound bracket. Morris opened his run to his latest crown by pinning West Liberty's Caden Kenworthy in 5:19. He made it two falls in two bouts by sticking Rio Grande's Isaac Gray in 6:09. Morris faced his toughest opponent in Kutztown's Ethan Baney. The two veterans battled over seven minutes, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, Morris got his hand raised with a 4-2 victory.
 
After his battle with Baney, Morris still had enough in the tank to pin another Kutztown wrester, Alex Ward, in 4:12 and reach the finals. The nationally-ranked standout added a second decision to his day, this time over West Liberty's Oliver Byerly, to grab the title.
 
Freshman Jessie Orbin (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) continued to put together a successful debut season by reaching the championship match at 184 pounds. He started his run with a pin in 4:10 over Hiram's Jaden Bell, before sticking Trine's Jacob Saylor in 3:45. Orbin reached the finals by way of an injury default victory. Unfortunately, he came one win short of a title when he lost to Kutztown's Matt Wineberg, who is ranked third in the country in Division II.
 
The Jackets' fourth medalist was junior Seth Evans (Sharon, Pa. / Sharon), who took sixth at 157 pounds. Evans started strong with a 15-3 major decision over Thomas More's Joseph Hunt. After dropping into consolations following a decision loss, Evans got back on the winning track by pinning Ohio Wesleyan's Alex Boukheir in 4:16. He advanced to the fifth-place bout by downing Kutztown's Sean Smith 13-8.
 
Freshman Jacob Wilson (Wills Point, Texas / Princeton) won his season debut at 174 pounds by pinning Campbellsville's Pate Eastin in 6:12. After dropping into consolations, Wilson shut out West Liberty's Jalen King in an 11-0 major decision, before ending a 2-2 day.
 
Junior Ayden Bishoff (Kingwood, W.Va. / Preston) posted a 2-2 performance of his own at 197 pounds. He pinned Hiram's Zach Harper in 2:27 and added a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Belmont Abbey's Connor Billingsley.
 
The Jackets are next in action on Thursday, Jan. 11, when they open Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) competition at Saint Vincent. It is the first time the two schools have faced each other as conference rivals. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m.