WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The Elizabethtown College wrestling team finished fourth on Saturday at the Wilkes Invitational, led by first-place finishes from
Sav Niewiadomy,
Ganon Smith, and
Justice Hockenberry.
Hockenberry's run to the 165-pound final wasn't met with too much resistance. Already the Jays' leader in tech falls, the junior added two more to his season total on Saturday, then also winning by fall, and taking the first-place match with a major decision.
At 184, Smith cruised into his top-ranked match up with Oneonta's Jack Ryan, a familiar opponent for Smith. The two met twice at last year's NCAA Championships and it would be Smith getting some redemption in the final. After three falls leading into the first-place match, Smith took down the top-seeded Ryan with a 5-2 decision.
Niewiadomy had the most dominant day of the Elizabethtown wrestlers, going 4-for-4 in falls en route to his heavyweight class title at Wilkes. None of the sophomore's matches made it out of the first period, earning pins at 1:43, 0:47, 1:07, and 1:27 in the first-place match. He moves into second on the team with six falls this season, one behind Smith.
At 197,
Will Davis won by tech fall in each of his first three matches, but would take second after a 4-2 decision in the first-place match.
Gavin Wagner added a second place finisher at 197 for the Blue Jays, taking fifth for Etown.
Elizabethtown competes next at the Scotty Wood Tournament hosted at Muhlenberg College next Saturday, November 22.
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