WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Six different wrestlers finished in the top-five in their respective weight classes as No. 21 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling took fifth (out of 15 teams) at the Ned McGinley Invitational in the opening event of the 2024-25 season.
Sophomore Carmen Cortese, the No. 3 seed at 149 pounds, took the top spot, with first-year Tyler Roe finishing fourth in the class. Junior Ryan Smith took 2nd at 157 pounds, as did senior Chris Stathopoulos at 165 pounds. Senior Blaise Wagner (197 pounds) and junior Jason Smith (165 pounds) rounded out the top-five finishers for the Ducks, who saw 23 men compete during the day.
The Rundown
- After receiving a bye to the Round of 32, Cortese started his day with a fall 43 seconds in, then moved to the quarterfinals with a 22-5 tech fall victory in the Round of 16. Facing No. 8 Anmar Khan from NYU, Cortese moved to the semifinals via a 12-2 majority decision win. In an all-Middle Atlantic Conference semi, Cortese knocked off Shane Kibler from King's, 9-3. Cortese closed out his day in style, picking up a 19-4 technical fall win to claim the top spot at 149.
- (Ryan) Smith started his draw at 157 pounds with three straight falls, quickly advancing to the quarterfinals, where he knocked off No. 7 Owen Hicks from the US Military Academy Prep School via decision, 8-2. Smith posted an identical 8-2 decision win in the semis over another USMAPS product, No. 6 Kellen Smith. Smith's day came to an end with a majority decision loss to the top seed, Cooper Pontelandolfo of NYU.
- Stathopoulos began his day of action with a 21-4 tech fall victory in the Round of 32, then advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-1 majority decision win. Facing No. 6 Maxwell Corral of the US Merchant Marine Academy, Stathopoulos punched his ticket to the semis with a 4-1 decision victory. After ending unranked Jack Lamson's (RIT) run in the semifinals with a 12-4 majority decision, the senior lost in the bracket final to Arvin Khosravy from USMAPS.
- In his first official collegiate match, Roe earned a fall in 1:06, then a 16-1 technical fall in his second match of the day. After punching his ticket to the quarterfinal with a 17-9 majority decision, the unranked Roe knocked off No. 2 Vincenzo Napolitano with a 10-6 decision win. That was Roe's final win of the day, as he dropped both his semifinal and consolation matches.
- Wagner earned three dominant victories in his first three matches Saturday. After a 17-2 technical fall in the Round of 32, the senior pinned his Round of 16 opponent in just 63 seconds. After a 20-5 tech fall win over No. 6 Ryland Whitworth in the quarterfinals, Wagner dropped his semifinal match to No. 2 Spencer Fetrow from Roger Williams, then his consolation match to Brenton Russell of USMAPS.
- (Jason) Smith garnered a pinfall in 1:24 in his first match Saturday, then added a 15-0 tech fall in his second match. After dropping his quarterfinal match to Khosravy (USMAPS), Smith ran through his three matches in the consolation bracket, earning a pinfall in 39 seconds, a 15-0 tech fall, and a 7-2 decision win over Corral (USMMA).
- Elsewhere, Justin Ciliotta and Vincent Principe (one via forfeit) had four wins; Branden Bulatao, Ian Flanagan, Jack Bailey, and Max Ruiz had three wins; Anthony Bistany, Bodhi Mccormack, Chris Piazza, Joseph Bodnar had two wins.
Top Performers
- The Ducks totaled 99.5 points and finished fifth, behind NYU (175.5), RIT (135.5), USMAPS (116.5), and Wilkes (104).
- In addition to Roe, the event marked the collegiate debut for Bodnar, Mccormack, George Pavis, and Tyler Venet.
From the Mat
"This was a great event to start off the year. Solid competition to gauge where we stand as a team. I thought we fought really hard and wrestled hard for seven minutes. We showed our depth at a few weights and very proud of the effort that was displayed throughout the 10 weight classes. Definitely need to keep working and improve in certain areas, but overall happy with our competitiveness for our first event." -- Head Coach Anthony Bonaventura.
"Something that definitely contributed to my performance this weekend was getting down to scratch weight. The weight cut went very well and it made me feel good with my footwork. I tried to keep the pace high on all my opponents and be discipline with my hand fighting to open them up as much as possible. I think my mindset this weekend also allowed me to let it fly and go for every scoring opportunity that was available and having fun with it." – Carmen Cortese.
Up Next
Dual season for the Ducks begins next Friday, November 8 in Doylestown, Pa. against Delaware Valley.
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