SALEM, Va. -- Senior Cole Cameron blitzed the 149-pound bracket for his first tournament title as a Blue Jay and eight Elizabethtown wrestlers finished as place winners during Sunday's U.S. Marine Corps Star City Open at the Salem Civic Center.

Elizabethtown came within 10.5 points of successfully defending its team title at the tournament. Otterbein (Ohio) took top honors with 137 points, Averett (N.C.) was second at 127.5 and the Blue Jays third at 126.5.

Cameron stormed to the finals in his weight class with two straight pins and a major decision. After receiving a first round bye, Cameron pinned Apprentice's Tyler Johnson late in the first period (2:39) of their second round match. He did the same to Huntingdon's Toren Pollard in the third period (6:27) of a quarterfinal bout. The Howell, New Jersey native cruised to a 13-2 major decision over Huntingdon's Quintez Pearson in the semifinals before meeting Washington and Lee's Bryce Crew in the finals.

Cameron and Crew were all even at five through seven minutes of wrestling, but the Blue Jay senior came through with an 8-5 sudden victory to claim the title.

Sophomore 157-pounder Kyle Bythell also reached the championship round before falling to another Washington and Lee entry, Ryan Luth, by pin in 1:03. Bythell was impressive in his run to the final, securing a 16-0 technical fall (6:07) against Ferrum's Malik Barr in round two and a one-minute, twelve-second pin of Averett's Logan Howell in the quarterfinals. An 11-6 decision over Averett's Joshua Linkous pushed Bythell, another New Jerseyan, into the title match.

Nikolay Savin pieced together back-to-back decisions in advancing to the semifinals at 197. Though his championship hopes ended with a loss to Otterbein's Luke Hess in the semis, Savin rebounded to pin Donnell Solomon of Bluefield in 3:22 to win the third-place match.

It was an all E-town battle for fifth in the 165-pound bracket, as Hunter Beaudet and Colton Shriner squared off. Shriner got the better of his freshman classmate on this day with a 16-0 tech fall in 1:49. Shriner ended the day with a 4-1 record, two pins, a tech fall and a major decision. Sixth-place finisher Beaudet was 3-2 with two pins and a decision.

Junior Josh Paisley settled for a fifth-place tie at 141 after both he and Averett's Tony Blackman exhausted their six-match limit for the day before the final match could be contested. Paisley was dominant at times with a 17-2 tech fall (5:00) over Zach Berdysz of Mount Union in his opening round match, a 16-0 tech fall (2:39) over East Carolina's Evan Brinkley in a consolation second round match, a 14-0 major decision over West Virginia Tech's Nate McClaugherty in the consolation third round and a 6:53 pin of Mount Union's Dakota McCloskey in the consi quarterfinals.

Austin Jones (125) and Josh McLaughlin (133) rounded out the Blue Jays' place winners with sixth-place showings in their respective weight classes. Jones collected three decisions and a pin, while McLaughlin recorded a decision, default victory and major decision.

Junior Dayne Ross produced consecutive pins in consolation matches against Greensboro's Anthony Clavijo (2:28) and Huntingdon's Austin Phillips (0:49) before falling in the consi semifinals. Tyler Mentzer (174) and Max Rhoden (285) each had one pin on the day and Colton Rex (141) registered a tech fall.

Elizabethtown breaks for the Thanksgiving holiday later this week before taking part in the New Standard Corporation Invitational at York College on Saturday, Dec. 1.