WASHINGTON, Pa. (November 9, 2019)  – Five wrestlers earned first-place finishes in their respective weight classes to lead No. 8 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling to first place Saturday at the Washington & Jefferson Invitational.

Freshman Hunter Gutierrez topped the field at 133 in his first collegiate event, senior Troy Stanich finished first at 141, junior Brett Kaliner took first at 149, senior Thomas Poklikuha took first at 165 in his first collegiate action in 18 months and sophomore Michael Dooley took the crown at 197, as the Ducks bested the field with 188 total points. Washington and Lee finished second in the team event with 164.5 points, while the hosting Presidents finished third with 119.5. The event gave Stevens an opportunity to compete against several teams in the Southeast Region, which provides the program with a path to the NCAA Championship after Stevens joined the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) last July.

Freshman Nick Ciraulo finished second at 141, sophomore Robert Gennat took third at 184, freshman Pasquale Vizzoni placed fourth at 141, junior Dylan Van Sickell earned fifth at 157, sophomore Nico Ziccardi took sixth at 174 and junior Bruce Parola finished sixth at 184, as 11 student-athletes placed in the event. Additionally, every Stevens wrestler won at least one match in the tournament.

At 125 pounds, freshman Arjun Khari fell in his first collegiate bout via technical fall to Davis & Elkins' (Division II) Vincent Scollo. However, the South Brunswick, New Jersey native rebounded to defeat Thiel College's Brynen Kisiel via a 17-2 technical fall for his first career victory. Khari then scored his first career fall with a quick pin of Thiel's Kace Sabedra, however, Khari's run through the consolation bracket soon ended, however, with a 15-4 major decision loss to Alderson Broaddus University's Noah Hodges.

Gutierrez began his tournament with a first-period pin of Jamestown Community College's Jomar Medero. The Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey native picked up his second pin of the day, stopping Muskingum University's Sammy Southers in 2:16. Gutierrez advanced to the semifinals with an 18-0 technical fall over Waynesburg University's Dylan Williams, before advancing to the championship bout with a second-period pin of Washington and Lee's Russ Zimmerman. 

In the championship bout, Gutierrez earned his fourth pin of the tournament, stopping Washington and Lee's Mark Fasciocoo in the first period.

At 141, Stanich and Ciraulo came from opposite ends of the bracket to meet in the division's championship bout. Stanich, ranked sixth in the country in the weight class, collected a technical fall, a traditional fall and a decision victory to reach the final, while Ciraulo won his first collegiate match with a first-period pin, to go along with a pair of decision victories to match up with the Ducks' two-time All-American.

Stanich captured his first championship of the season, defeating Ciraulo via a 15-0 technical fall. Also of note at 141, Vizzoni posted his first collegiate victory with an 8-0 major decision over Lycoming College's Ethan Landis. Vizzoni also earned a decision win before falling to Ciraulo in the semifinals. The Flemington, New Jersey native dropped a 5-2 decision to Millersville (DII) University's Ryan McGuire in the consolation final to close out his first event..

Freshman Trevor Mastorio earned his first career victory in the 141-pound division, with a 19-2 technical fall over Davis & Elkins' Tyler Cutright. The Sayreville, New York then pinned Jamestown's Joey Perry before dropping a pair of decisions to bow out of the tournament.

Coming off his second straight top-three national finish, Kaliner scored three pins and a major en route to his first tournament victory of the season. The West Chester, Pennsylvania, who is ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds, pinned Jamestown's Colten Studley in the opening period, before pinning Alderson Broaddus' Syrus Colon in the final period. Kaliner earned a 16-5 major over Millersville's Jackson Erb in his only non-fall victory of the event. He closed out his championship run with an emphatic first-period pin of Washington & Jefferson's Michael Heinl to capture first.

Sophomore Joe Schneider also competed at 149, picking up his first victory of the season via a 16-0 technical fall over Millersville's Alex Jablonski. The Newtown, Pennsylvania native then dropped a pair of decisions to bow out of the tournament.

At 157, Van Sickell was the Ducks' highest finisher, placing fifth. The Little Silver, New Jersey native began his final collegiate season with a first-period pin of Lycoming's Josiah McClarren, before dropping to the consolation bracket after a 4-2 setback to Waynesburg's Colby Morris. 

In the consolation bracket, Van Sickell, who finished third on the team with 10 pins in 2018-19, earned a pair of falls to reach the fifth-place bout, where the senior grappled downed No. 9 Hunter Neely via a 9-2 decision round out his day. Morris would go on to win the weight class.

Additionally, freshmen Carsten DiGiantomasso earned his first collegiate victory with a 7-2 decision over Washington & Lee's Colby Boudreau in the consolation bracket, and classmates Jonah Schechtman and James Snyder also earned their first collegiate wins before falling out of the tournament.

At 165, Poklikuha earned a pair of majors and a technical fall to reach the championship bout against No. 9 Jared Walker of Washington & Jefferson. Ranked eighth in the weight class, the West Creek, New Jersey native showed little effects from his layoff and downed the ninth-ranked wrestler in the weight class via a spirited 10-3 decision.

Freshman Stefan Major made his collegiate debut at 165 and picked up his first career pin in the opening round, before dropping a 19-4 technical fall to fall to the consolation bracket, where the Fort Salonga native earned a major decision over Lycoming's Ryan Bohringer, before ultimately bowing out of the tournament.

Ziccardi finished sixth for the Ducks at 174, earning a major, a pin and a decision in his best showing on Castle Point. The Northport, New York native opened his second campaign with a 9-1 major over Heiderlberg's Braden Kahl before falling to the consolation bracket. Ziccardi battled back to win a pair of matches, before falling to Washington and Lee's Alec Horne to close out the event.

Senior Carl Vasti returned to the mat at 174 and collected his first pin of the year, topping Heidelberg University's Alex Westbrook in the opening period, before dropping consecutive matches to fall out of the event. Additionally, freshman Frank Medina notched his first career victory with a 19-9 major over Heiderlberg's Adam Medeiros. 

After earning 16 victories in his freshman campaign, Gennat racked up his first three wins of the year at 184. The Sparta, New Jersey native downed Thiel's Landon Westover via a 14-8 decision, before pinning Waynesburg's Luke Lavarnway in the second period. Gennat dropped a 17-2 technical fall to Heidelberg's fourth-ranked Dylan Roth in the semifinals, before closing out his day with a first-period pin of Davis & Elkin's Kyle Wojtaszek to claim third place in the weight class. Roth would go on to finish first in the weight class.

Junior Bruce Parola also placed at 184, earning a 10-4 decision over Lycoming's Peter Kenny and a 5-4 decision over Waynesburg's Dillon Charlton. The Moscow, Pennsylvania native fell to Washington and Lee's Matt Majoy to conclude the day with a six-place finish.

Dooley, who collected 21 victories en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance, got his 2019-20 campaign off to a fast start with a second-period pin of Muskingum's Garrett Mitchell. The Hillsborough, New Jersey native then posted a 10-1 major over Lycoming's Brett Keefe. Dooley, the ninth-ranked wrestler at 197, capped his championship run with a 10-3 decision over Washington & Jefferson's Alex Donohue.

The Ducks did not have an entrant at heavyweight.

Up Next: No. 8 Wrestling welcomes No. 14 Ithaca College to Canavan Arena for the first dual meet of the season. It will be the first dual between the programs since Nov. 14, 2015.

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