Glenville, W. Va. – After kicking off the dual match season with a Mountain East Conference (MEC) match on Wednesday, the Wheeling University Wrestling team would keep the conference play going into tournament season. They took on the Glenville State Invitational on Saturday, and placed 10th out of the 11 teams in action, scoring 37.0 team points. The Cardinals did have one wrestler compete for a championship as they continue to show growth on the mat.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was heavyweight
Jake Powell, who made it all the way to the championship match. He began the day with a bye that moved him on to the second round, where he would face Millersville's Jordan Espinosa. He would pick up a 6-1 Decision to move to 1-0 on the day and head to the Quarterfinals round. There, he would meet up with Seton Hill's Lucas Allen and had an event stronger showing than before. He picked up a Major Decision win, 11-2, and would move to the semifinals, where he faced his first conference opponent. It would come in the form of Glenville State's Gavin Shamblin, and it took Powell just 22 seconds to score his first collegiate pin. He moved to 3-0 on the day and headed to the championship match, where he squared off with Millersville's Bishop McCoy. It was another close fight, but Powell fell 4-1 ending his day as the second place finisher to start the year.
The other placer for the Cardinals was Zach LaRue, who competed in the 141-pound weight class. After receiving a bye, Larue fell to King's Nico Crosnoe to head to the consolation bracket. After receiving another bye, he picked up an MEC win over Glenville State's Dalton Minnick with a pin at the 1:22 mark. That pin would flip the momentum in his favor as he picked up two more pins on his way to the consolation semifinals. He pinned Kutztown's Jared Fulton in 49 seconds and got revenge over Crosnoe in their consolation match, pinning him in 4:30. A medical forfeit advanced him to the fifth place match and another forfeit would earn him fifth in the 141-pound class. Larue finished the day 5-1, including three pins as he continues his early season success.
The final three Cardinals wrestlers on the night were
Caden Canning (133),
Brian Crevar (165), and
Alex Finsley (184). Canning led the group, finishing the day with a 2-2 record on the day. His wins came via a bye and a pinfall as he took down Glenville State's Cameron Fentress in 4:01 for his first pinfall of the 2023 season.
Brian Crevar would be up next in the 165-pound weight class, and he picked up his first collegiate win. After he fell in his opening matchup, Crevar came back and picked up a 4-2 Decision over Glenville State's Zachary Houlston to gain that win and go 1-2 on the day.
Alex Finsley wrapped up the day with an 0-2 effort in the 184-pound weight class as he drops his season record to 1-2. The Cardinals already topped their highest placing from last season and look to continue to grow.
The Wheeling University Wrestling team returns to action on Sunday, November 12th, when they take on the Ohio Collegiate Open at 9 AM.
