Behrend Wrestling Competes at Lycoming Invitational
The Penn State Behrend wrestling team opened the 2024-25 season with a strong showing at the Lycoming Invitational on Sunday afternoon. The Lions competed in a three-man round robin and had five wrestlers go undefeated on the day.
LYCOMING, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend wrestling team opened the 2024-25 season with a strong showing at the Lycoming Invitational on Sunday afternoon. The Lions competed in a three-man round robin and had five wrestlers go undefeated on the day.
Key Moments:
* Leading the way at 197, sophomore Abraham Keep (Girard, PA/Girard) registered a tech. fall win (15-0) over Johnathan Sklavounos of Scranton and then pinned Benjamin Tybur of Scranton in 0:21
* He tallied his second win by pin in the third round over James Ellis of Lycoming in 2:02 and then defeated Simeon Hunte of Misericordia 5-4
* Freshman Konnor Tubin (Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee) had consecutive technical fall wins against two Cortland State opponents at 174 and then added a 10-3 win over Eli Cassidy of Otterbein to finish 3-0
* At 165, Treyden Saxer (Buffalo, NY/Williamsville) was the third Lion to go unscathed with a major decision (21-10) over Ian Harris of Marymount and a pin against Dean Visconti of Oneonta State in 4:33 before getting his final victory due to medical forfeit
* At heavyweight, Samuel Kightlinger (Erie, PA/Iroquois) earned three straight wins, with the first coming by fall over Seth Northrop from Utica (1:28)
* Kightlinger then tallied a 4-2 and 4-0 decision wins in his first outing as a Behrend Lion
* Nolan Fenton (Kersey, PA/Saint Marys), wrestling at 197, had a pair of pins and a technical fall for the final 3-0 record
* Fenton registered pins in 1:35 and 2:39, while using a 19-1 tech. fall over Elijah Myers of Cortland State
* Behrend had nine wrestlers with two wins and five others with just one
* Returning at 184, Ryan Gildersleeve (DuBois, PA/DuBois) was able to collected a pair of decision wins
* Gildersleeve posted a 10-7 win over Caiden Hooks of Otterbein and then a 9-3 victory against Nick Parrella of Lycoming
* After falling in the first round at 125, Matt Tucci (Bayport, NY/Bayport Blue Point) picked up back-to-back wins
* Tucci won by injury default and then registered his first collegiate pin over Marco Milankovic of Utica in 2:23
* C. Morris (Laurel, MD/Meade), competing at 149, tallied his first pin over Kyle Barber of Cortland State in 1:20 and then earned a 15-0 technical fall over Nathan Bonno of Otterbein
* Trent Turner (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) rebounded from a first-round loss to win by tech. fall over Wyatt Kent from Lycoming (18-0) and a pin in 2:27 vs. Kyle Barber of Cortland State
* Rudy Brown (Burgettstown, PA/Burgettstown) also posted a 2-1 record by pinning Jayden Torres of Oneonta State in just 53 seconds and winning by major decision, 15-2, over Kevin McCarvill of Scranton
* At 149, Jake Brown (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) bounced back from one-point decision loss to win the next two matches
* Brown pinned Luke Leshaj of Oneonta State in 2:20 and then defeated Kruz McCusker of Misericordia by a score of 7-1
* Matthew Melchior (Lawrence Township, NJ/Lawrence) started the season with two pins at 174, while freshman Anthony Salvini (McDonald, PA/Fort Cherry) posted one win by tech. fall and another by a medical forfeit at 184
* At 197, Matt Caldwell (North Tonawanda, NY/Starpoint) finished with two wins including a tech. fall over Elias Lussi of St. John Fisher (15-0) and a major decision against Joseph Redden of Marymount (11-2)
Next Up:
* Behrend returns to action on Saturday at Washington & Jefferson Invitational.