The Waynesburg University wrestling team took part in the Will Abele Invitational Saturday at Ursinus College. Waynesburg had a productive day, finishing 6th out of 16 teams by scoring 76 team points. The Yellow Jackets had two champions from the day as well as two other place winners.
The first of the Yellow Jacket placers was at 149 pounds, where junior Josh Kuslock took sixth. Kuslock started the tournament on a bye, then added a 8-2 decision victory and a fall in the first period to reach the semi-finals. In the semis, Kuslock faced the top seeded seeded Shawn Marchesano from host Ursinus and lost 8-3. After the loss in the semis, Kuslock wouldn’t win a match the rest of the tournament.
At 157, Waynesburg Central product Colby Morris was the third-seeded wrestler in his weight class, and ended the day as one of Waynesburg’s two champions. The freshman picked up a decision victory in every single of his matches while knocking off the numbers two and three seeds in the process.
Senior 165 pounder Zach Mackall was the second seed in his bracket, but was unseated in his first match of the day losing to Dylan Fischer of Rowan College 8-5. After that loss, Mackall didn’t have another setback the rest of the day. picking up three straight pins and then a 9-7 win over the first seeded Jeremiah Oakes.
Freshman heavyweight Rocky McGeary, as usual, did his job, Heading into the tournament, McGeary was ranked fifth by D3wrestle.com in the heavyweight class. McGeary didn’t disappoint. The freshman phenom won his first two matches by fall and then won his next two by decision to secure another first place finish at a tournament.
Harley Constable, Matt Lascola, Caleb Baxter, Cory Supan, Dillon Charlton, Luke Lavanway, Dan Verhovsek, Leo Fetterolf and Zach Baughman also picked up wins for Waynesburg.
The wrestling Yellow Jackets are off until Thursday night, when they travel up I-79 to take on President’s Athletic Conference rival, the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents.