BEREA, OH – The College at Brockport Wrestling team placed at least one individual in nine of the 10 weight classes at the 30th Annual John Summa Invitational hosted by Baldwin Wallace Saturday evening including first place finishes by Eric Velez, Triston Engle and Cole Tristram to bypass nationally ranked Wabash and Baldwin Wallace claiming first place.
Brockport scored 156.5 points topping 10 other colleges that were in attendance. Wabash, currently tied as the 13th ranked team in tournaments by "InterMatWrestling.com," placed second with 141 points just ahead of host institute Baldwin Wallace's 136 (Baldwin Wallace is currently ranked 19th in dual meets). Velez (133), Engle (197) and Tristram (285) placed first with Jeff Palmeri (184) taking second, Jordan Dyer (149) and Sean O'Hagan (141) placing third. Also placing for Brockport were Asher Kramer (125), Dillon Stowell (125), Josh Brabon (157), Michael Falcon (165), Pete Ottaviano (149) and Wyatt DeMarre (149).
133-lb
Velez won four total matches on the night using a major 15-3 decision to secure his first win of the night. His second match was over in the second period. He pinned his opponent in 3:58. Sending Velez to the championship match was a major 9-1 decision. The title match was a bit closer, but Velez pulled out the 8-3 win.
197-lb
Engle made quick work of his first two challengers, pinning both opponents in the first period before going the entire distance with the final two. In his first match he pinned Baldwin Wallace's Sam Groff in 1:13 before pinning the next man up in 1:25. A 12-5 decision in favor of Engle sent him onto the championship bout which he secured with a major 12-2 decision.
285-lb
Tristram dominated the opposition in all but one match, pinning two out of his three opponents. His first match was over in 1:35 before Tristram's most challenging battle against Andrew Sierawski of Baldwin Wallace. Tristram scored an 8-5 decision over Sierawski, who wound up fighting his way through the consolation bracket for third place. After Tristram's narrow victory, a medical forfeit pushed him onto the championship round. He pinned the challenger in 1:55 securing Brockport's third first place finish and also the Golden Eagles collective first place victory.
In a large field of wrestlers, Palmeri received multiple byes before his first competition of the night. He squeaked out a 4-3 decision before scoring a 9-2 decision sending him to the finals. He fell in 2:47 settling for second place.
Dyer finished strong after initially coming up short in his first match of the day in the championship bracket. The senior 149-pounder rallied for five straight victories to take third overall in his weight class after dropping an 11-4 decision to Nick Kusich of Waynesburg. Dyer got his revenge as he took the battle for third in a rematch between Kusich with a major 13-2 decision. Teammates Ottaviano and DeMarre also placed fifth and sixth respectively.
O'Hagan's only loss on the day came because of a medical forfeit when he was unable to go in the semifinal round. He won four other matches including two in the consolation bracket to fight his way back up the charts claiming third place overall.
Kramer cruised all the way to the semifinals behind a 2:51 fall and tech fall 19-4 victory before being knocked out of the championship bracket. Interestingly enough, his first match in the consolation bracket was against teammate Stowell. He scored a 3-2 decision before settling for fourth place. Stowell won his next match so that the 125-pound tandem placed back-to-back fourth and fifth.
Brabon scored a major 12-3 decision sending him onto the semifinals after his first match. He fell in his next challenge but scored a 6-2 decision in the consolation bracket to give him a shot at third place. Brabon dropped a 10-2 decision settling for fourth.
Falcon won two straight matches which sent him to the semifinals of the 165-pound bracket. However he dropped his next two placing sixth overall.
James Roberts had the fastest pin in the entire tournament. He pinned his first opponent in 23 seconds in the 174-pound bracket.
The Golden Eagles travel to Scranton, PA. on Sunday February 14 for the University of Scranton Duals at 10 a.m. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle scores and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page. For a more in depth look at wrestling like "The College at Brockport Wrestling" Facebook page.
