In the event frequently referred to as the "Rose Bowl of Wrestling", two Builders managed to place fifth while many others recorded some quality wins. Freshman Josh Seaton and sophomore Matthew Henson were the lone placewinners in two of the smaller brackets.

 

After a first round bye in the 174 pound bracket, Seaton fell in his first bout to the top-seeded wrestler from Pitt-Johnstown. In the wrestle-backs, he reeled off three consecutive victories for fifth place as only semifinalists were eligible to wrestle for third. Seaton improves to 11-6 on the season with eight of his wins by pinfall.

 

Henson's path to fifth place was a little different. After dropping a decision to the second-seeded 197 pounder, he received two forfeits in the wrestle-backs without breaking a sweat.

 

Several others had equally impressive performances that did not place as they were in much larger brackets.

 

At 133 pounds, both Dillon Messick and Bruno Alves fell in their opening bouts to redshirts from Lock Haven and Rutgers, respectively. In the consolations, Messick won three straight including a 15-0 technical fall over Ursinus. Alves won two more with a tech-fall of his own and a major decision.

 

At 141 pounds, Jordan Robins was one of only two Builders to advance to the quarterfinals. He recorded a dominant pin over Franklin & Marshall in his opening bout. In the second round, Jordan was trailing his opponent from Binghamton, 14-1, heading into the final period. He would pour on the pressure in the third, forcing an injury default win. In the quarters, he dropped a 6-0 decision to the top seed from Bloomsburg and was eliminated after a major decision loss to Rutgers. All five of Jordan's bouts were against NCAA Division I opponents.

 

Freshman David Norris continued to open eyes at 157 pounds, also reaching the quarterfinals after a bye and a 9-4 decision over Penn Tech. After dropping 8-3 decision to the second seed from F&M, he found a pin over a different opponent from Penn Tech. He was eventually eliminated by the eventual fifth place wrestler from Ohio Northern.

 

Both Builders went 1-2 at 165 pounds as Ethan Baker and AJ Deutel would lose their opening bouts before recording pins in the wrestle-backs.

 

With four Apprentice entries at heavyweight, two advanced just short of finishing on the podium. Senior Peter Cortapasso would find a quick pin in his opening bout over Penn Tech, before falling to the fourth seed from Binghamton. In the consolations, he recorded two more pins, including one in 21 seconds over Ursinus. After a first round bye, Caleb Hartung dropped a 8-4 decision to the eventual champion from Lehigh before bouncing back with three consecutive pins over Penn Tech, Ohio Northern and Muhlenberg. He ended up one win short of placing top six.

 

As the wrestling squad wraps up competition for the year, they will begin preparing for more NCWA competition as the make a run for their second national title.