Wrestling team places third at ONU Invitational

ADA, Ohio – Behind a runner-up finish at 157 pounds by junior Ross Pennock, the Olivet College wrestling team finished in third-place out of 15 schools at the 35th Annual Ohio Northern University Invitational today inside the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse. In addition, junior Jesse Judge placed fifth at 285 pounds and won the Most Falls in Least Time award with five pins in four minutes and 32 seconds.

The Comets totaled 112.5 points to finish behind champion Campbellsville (Ky.) University who had 145 points and second-place Alma College who had 125 points. Heidelberg (Ohio) University was just behind Olivet with 110 points. The remaining top 10 teams were Tiffin (Ohio) University, 100.5; University of Findlay (Ohio), 99.5; Waynesburg (Pa.) University, 98.5; Adrian College, 80.5; Lycoming (Pa.) College, 74.5; and Ohio Northern, 72.

Pennock won his first three matches with a first-period pin. The first was in 31 seconds over Jared Fleming from Alma, the second in 22 seconds over Bryce Hoffman from Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College and the third in 37 seconds over top-seed Kyle Terry from Campbellsville. In the championship match, he fell to Shawn Brewer from Alma, 19-13.

Senior Rodney Harvey placed third in the 184-pound bracket. He won by pin in 4:26 in his first match and got the riding time point at the end of the match to slip past Caleb Huff from Alma, 2-1, in the quarterfinals. After losing 5-3 in the semifinals, Harvey bounced back with two straight wins – 10-2 over Jared Chambers from Tiffin and 4-2 over Ryan Shank from Waynesburg – to claim third-place. The deciding points in the third-place match was a takedown with four seconds left in the third period.

After being pinned in his first match, Judge piled up the team points with four straight first-period pins, 1:56 over Cody Hogston from Findlay, 0:28 over Tom Lynd from Lycoming, 1:04 over Greg Kumer from Waynesburg and 0:45 over teammate Youssef El-Sayed. He lost his next match before recording his fastest pin of the day, 19 seconds over John Eckroth from Heidelberg, in the fifth-place match.

Also finishing in fifth-place was junior Austin Kelley at 149 pounds. He started the day with a 16-0 technical fall win over Anthony Lesko from Alma and 2-1 decision over Doug Roejm from Findlay. After losing 5-1 in the quarterfinals, Kelley pinned Cody Ohnmeiss from Findlay and beat Gavin Nelson from Ohio Northern, 6-2. A 7-2 loss dropped him into the fifth-place match, where Kelley edged Matthew Sicurella from Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) University. An escape to start third period was the difference in the match.

Wrestling as the No. 1 seed, junior Michael Schmidt finished sixth at 125 pounds. He had two wins to advance to the semifinals. No. 4 seed Tristan Buxton scored a takedown in the final second of the first overtime period to beat Schmidt, 6-4, in the semis. Schmidt medically forfeited his two consolation bracket matches to place sixth.

With a 4-2 record, El-Sayed placed seventh at 285 pounds. He won his first two matches with ease and then lost to Kody Bellamy, 5-3, in the quarterfinals. Dropping to the consolation bracket, El-Sayed pinned Cameron Lee from Alma before being pinned by Judge. In the seventh-place match, El-Sayed pinned Caleb Fry from Tiffin in 2:23.

Senior Thomas Hall was seventh at 197 pounds. He defeated Robert Rankin from Alma, 8-3, to advance to the quarterfinals, where he lost, 16-1. Hall rebounded with an 11-2 major decision over Matt Shurina from Heidelberg and then was pinned in his next match. In the seventh-place match, Hall defeated Chance Smith from Alma, 7-1.

Two Comet wrestlers – senior Anthony Long at 157 pounds and junior Kevin Papak at 165 pounds – finished in eighth-place in their respective weight class.

Olivet will split its squad at two different competitions next Saturday, Dec. 12. The first-team wrestlers will compete in a dual match at University of Indianapolis, while the remaining wrestlers will participate in the North Central College Invitational in Naperville, Illinois.