Wheeling, W. Va. – After having the weekend off, the Wheeling University Wrestling team (2-0, 1-0) returned to the mat for dual meet action against Washington & Jefferson on Wednesday. They welcomed in the Presidents for their second dual meet of the year and would go 2-0 on the season with a 36-12 win. The effort was fueled by early pins that got the Cardinals out in front and they never looked back the rest of the night.
It began right away in the 125lb weight class as Neal Krysty once again kicked off the night. He would take on Washington & Jefferson's Brandon Dami and got out to an early lead on a takedown, and controlled the rest of the period. At the 2:36 mark he was able to flip his opponent on his back and pick up his third pin fall of the season. It was the second straight dual meet that Krysty would start with a pin as he got the Cardinals out in front early. The pin streak would continue as the night went on, with Leroy Steagall coming up next in the 133 lb match. Like his teammate, Steagall would gain the early advantage With a takedown and was quickly able to flip his opponent on his back. After scoring four near fall points, Steagall kept the pressure on and secured his first Collegiate pin. It came at the 1:15 mark of the first period and had the Cardinals out to a 12-0 advantage after two matches.
The freshman just kept things rolling at 141 with Jack Dinwiddie taking the mat. After the two circled early Dinwiddie would Make his move with a takedown at the 30 second mark, and was able to gain control on top of his opponent. He would end up recording the fastest pinfall of the night, besting his opponent in 1:08 and the Cardinals jumped out to an 18-0 lead. They would end up adding six more points to that in the 149lb weight class, with Mannix Wasco earning a forfeit victory And just like that the Cardinals were out in front 24-0 with six bouts to go. The most exciting match of the night would come in the 157lb weight class as Wheeling's Bradley Spencer battled Washington & Jefferson's Josiah Gardner. The two wrestlers went back and forth throughout the three periods and Spencer would hold the lead late at 4-2. However, in the final second of that third period, Gardner would earn a takedown that flipped the scoreboard and gave the Presidents their first three points of the night.
As the weight classes went up, the competition got more fierce, and Washington & Jefferson won their second match of the night at 165lb. The Presidents' Jiovanni DeChicchis bested Tucker Steiner in a 9-0 Major Decision as the score moved to 24-7. At 174lb, Frank Aquila would get Wheeling back on the board as he shut out his opponent. He would win with a series of three takedowns and an escape point to pick up the major decision with a 10-0 victory. At 184lb, Washington & Jefferson would add five more points to their day as Vitali Daniels defeated Vincint Sefic in a 15-0 tech fall. 197lb would be another close bout with Jaxon Burcher taking the mat. He would earn a 1-0 decision over W&J's Jaden Fields and the Cardinals headed into the final match with a 28-12 lead. Gavin Harper would come out for the 285lb match and finished the night strong with an 18-3 tech fall to bring the match to its final score of 36-12.
The full list of results for the night are listed below:
125: Neal Krysty (WHL) over Brandon Dami (W&J) (Fall 2:36) WHL 6, W&J 0
133: Leroy Steagall (WHL) over Alexander Tucker (W&J) (Fall 1:15) WHL 12, W&J 0
141: Jack Dinwiddie (WHL) over Joshua Smith (W&J) (Fall 1:06) WHL 18, W&J 0
149: Mannix Wasco (WHL) win by Forfeit WHL 24, W&J 0
157: Josiah Gardner (W&J) over Bradley Spencer (WHL) (DEC 5-4) WHL 24, W&J 3
165: Jiovanni DeChicchis (W&J) over Tucker Steiner (WHL) (MD 9-0) WHL 24, W&J 7
174: Frank Aquila (WHL) over John Starusko (W&J) (MD 10-0) WHL 28, W&J 7
184: Vitali Danies (W&J) over Vincint Sefic (WHL) (TF 15-0 4:24) WHL 28, W&J 12
197: Jaxon Burcher (WHL) over Jaden Fields (W&J) (DEC 1-0) WHL 31, W&J 12
285: Gavin Harper (WHL) over Fre'Jon Beasley (W&J) (TF 18-3, 3:20) WHL 36, W&J 12
The Wheeling University Wrestling team returns to action on Saturday, November 15th, when they take on the Findlay Open at 9 AM.
