Two Kent State Tuscarawas wrestlers earned top five finishes at the USCAA National Championships held in Uniontown, PA on Sunday. As a team, the Golden Eagles finished ninth out of 12 teams in the tournament with a team total of 36.5 points. Apprentice School outdistanced the field scoring 175 points to capture the team title.
The invitational was held on the Penn State Fayette campus, as part of the Penn State University Athletic Conference Invitational and All-American status was awarded to wrestlers who finished in one of the top six spots of their respective weight class.
Seven Golden Eagles grapplers competed in the event. The highest finish for a KSU Tusc wrestler was earned by Devan Welch in the 285 lb. division when he claimed third place overall. Welch won by a 13-5 major decision over Penn State Mont Alto's Eric Wilson in the third place match. Mason Contini was fourth in the 174 lb. class losing a 5-2 decision to David McElravy from Apprentice School. Elliott Dean (133 lb.) and Tyler Ernst (141 lb.) both finished sixth in their divisions.
The remaining Eagles wrestlers, Collin Mancuso (157 lb.), Chad Van Pelt (165 lb.) and Derek Skeehan (235 lb.) failed to qualify did not place in the top five in their respective divisions.
The KSU wrestlers will move onto the Great Lakes Conference Regional Tournament held at Mott Community College in Flint, MI on Saturday, February 29th. They will wrestler for a chance to move onto the National Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships in Allen, TX on March 12.
Mason Contini finished fourth at 174 lbs. (Photos by Dave Contini)