5th place finish for Blue Jays Wrestling

On Saturday the Hopkins wrestling team traveled to York, Pa. to compete in the New Standard Corporation Invitational at York College.

The Blue Jays came into the day after a strong finish last week in the Doug Parker Invitational. Hopkins knew strong individual performances from sophomore Paul Bewak and senior Paul Marcello would help to lead the way.  The talented duo once again came through to help power the Blue Jays to a promising fifth place finish.

Bewak accumulated three decisions and a major to secure an individual title in the 125 lb weight class.

The victories included a 3-1 win over Ithaca College’s fourth-seeded Anthony Cabrera in the semifinals along with another 3-1 decision against Matthias Elias of Brockport in the finals.  Bewak currently holds the number one spot nationally on d3wrestle.com along NWCA’s second spot.  The top wrestler allowed a meager two points in his four matches of the tournament.  On the entire day Bewak outpaced his opponents 22-2, clearly flashing his superiority over the inferior wrestlers.

Meanwhile, Marcello used a pair of decisions and majors to secure the title at the 141 lb weight class.  The first match of the day was the tightest for Marcello, who squeaked past Brockport’s Eliah Golding 4-3.  Marcello then cruised the rest of the way.  He dominated Elizabethtown’s Jesse Meaney in the quarterfinals 12-4, before securing a 6-4 victory over TCNJ’s Patrick Schmidt in the semifinals.  Marcello had an emphatic finish to the day with another powerful performance in the finals, winning 11-3 over York’s Charles Glatz.  The d3wrestle.com standings prior to Marcello’s victory had the senior ranked eleventh nationally.

Bewak and Marcello’s individual titles were not the only strong performances on the day.  Third seed junior Henry Stauber cruised to the finals with an opening 12-4 win over York’s John Allenson and a 3-1 second round victory over John Palisi of TCNJ.  Stauber then entered the championship match after securing wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals on medical forfeits.  Stauber put forward a strong fight in the championship match before falling to Delaware Valley’s Emanuel Ajagbe 10-4.

In the 133 lb weight division fifth seeded junior Ray Yagloski earned a fourth place finish.  He opened up the tournament with an 8-3 win over Millersville’s Kyle Loeb and then upset fourth-seeded Chad Lammer of Elizabethtown 6-3.  Yagloski then dropped a tough 4-0 loss to top seeded Nathaniel Giorgio of the Coast Guard Academy.  Giorgio is currently ranked as the nation’s seventh wrestler in the 133 lb weight class.  In the third place match, York’s Joey Graccio fought for a 4-1 victory to give Yagloski his fourth place finish on the day.

Along with the four place-winners strong efforts, it was a full team effort that highlighted Hopkins’ performance on the day.  Each Hopkins wrestler scored points in their individual weight classes helping to contribute to the team’s 60.5 points.

Finishing in front of the Blue Jays was eighth ranked Ithaca College, tallying a tournament high 86 points.  21st-ranked College of New Jersey (TCNJ) record 81.5 points, 20th-ranked York College secured 66.5, and Elizabethtown College totaled 66 points.  The Blue Jays had to be proud of their victories over traditional powers Delaware Valley and 30th-ranked Johnson & Wales who finished 7th and 9th respectively.

With the arrival of finals, the wrestling team has a sizable break until their next tournament.  On January 7th the team will compete in the Waynesburg Invitational.   Once again the tournament should prove to be strong competition with schools as Ohio Valley, Mt. St. Joseph, and Washington & Jefferson taking part.  Many wrestlers competing are some of the top in the nation and will certainly provide Hopkins with the challenges they are seeking.  As head coach Keith Norris challenges his talented team over the break, the Blue Jays will continue to strive for another Centennial Conference championship.