Wrestling 1/27/2018 7:30:00 PM

Ghione wins 141 title at Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational

WHEATON, Ill. -- Elizabethtown College wrestling crowned a champion at the Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational for the first time since 2012, Saturday, as senior Joe Ghione used two more pins to win the 141-pound weight class.

Ghione came into the weekend with only two pins, but tripled that total with four in a row to win his weight class. The Division I transfer's semifinal bout against third-seeded James McAuliffe of Elmhurst nearly went the full seven minutes, but with five second remaining Ghione got McAuliffe on his back and recorded the fall (6:55).

Looking for his second tournament title of the season, Ghione came out on fire against John Carroll's Jarrod Brezovec, the No. 4 seed. Ghione amassed 14 unanswered points before registering a pin 12 seconds into the second period.

Ghione, who captured the Star City Open at 149 pounds back in November, elevated his record to 17-3 with a perfect 4-0 weekend and became the first Blue Jay to win a weight class at the prestigious tournament since Billy Meaney claimed the 197-pound title in 2012.

Third-seeded Rocco Hladney also competed for the Blue and Gray on Saturday and placed eighth at 197 pounds.

Hladney dropped a consolation quarterfinal to Mount Union's Grant Martin by major decision, 12-4, and was clipped for seventh by Heidelberg's Tyler Hammack, 16-12, in a high-scoring affair.

Elizabethtown was one of eight teams to feature a weight class champion, ending the weekend tied for 12th out of 35 in the final team standings with 48.5 points. It was the Jays' best result at Wheaton going back to a sixth-place finish in 2013. Messiah scored a tournament-high 137 points on the strength of three champions and two second-place finishes. Mount Union (130.5), Wisconsin-Whitewater (120.5), Baldwin Wallace (118) and Wisconsin-La Crosse (108) made up the rest of the top five.

The Blue Jays are back at home Friday for Alumni Night and Senior Night. They'll face King's (Pa.) at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Rocco Hladney: 197; 5' 11"; Senior

Joe Ghione: 141/149; 5' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Rocco Hladney
: 5' 11"; Senior
: 197

Joe Ghione
: 5' 5"; Senior
: 141/149