On Saturday, Feb. 25 the Elizabethtown College wrestling team hosted the D. Kenneth Ober Invitational and competed against nine other colleges to claim the top spot and win the tournament. By the end of the event, Etown came second with a score of 146.5 points behind the champions from Roanoke College.
In the 125 weight class, the Blue Jays had one participant, senior Braden Schuyler. Schuyler pinned his opponent in 49 seconds in round one, swiftly moving him into the second round. After Schuyler won the next round by a major decision, he lost the semi-final in sudden victory. However, Schuyler wrestled back in the consolation bracket and took home third place for the Jays.
In the 133 weight class, senior Corey Cope was the star of the show, getting a technical fall and an 8-1 victory to round out his first two matches. Cope lost in sudden victory in the semi-finals, but he took home a fourth-place finish. First-year Febian Dawit also competed for Etown, however, he was pinned in his first match and lost on a technical fall in the consolation match.
Blue Jay sophomores Casey Spina and Logan Ryan wrestled in the 149 class, with Spina winning his first match with a pin in the first period. Spina lost by fall before the semifinals and lost in the consolation match. Ryan battled hard, but lost his first match by a major decision and lost to Pavis in the consolation bracket by a major decision.
For the 157 weight class, Etown had four representatives, first-year Ethan Bliss, sophomore Michael Beers, first-year Peter Ranck and sophomore Johnny Maurer. Bliss lost his first match to a major decision and Maurer lost by a technical fall. The two won their next match, pinning the two against each other, where Maurer won. Maurer lost his next match in the consolation matchup before the semifinal. Beers won his matches up until the semifinals, where he lost on a fall and claimed fourth place in the class. After losing his first match, Ranck made a run in the consolation bracket, claiming three straight wins before losing in the match before the semi-final.
Sophomore Justice Hockenberry put some points on the board for Etown after sweeping the competition and winning first overall for the class. First-year Paul Sanderson finished in sixth place after losing in the semi-final consolation matchup. Sophomore Gavin Fehr won until the semi-final matchup where he lost in a sudden victory match against the eventual second-place winner. Fehr finished fourth in the weight class for 174.
Junior Ganon Smith proved to be the best wrestler in the competition, pinning every single one of his opponents en route to a first place finish in the 184 weight class. Senior Will Davis dominated the 197 weight class, putting himself in first place overall in the class by winning all of the matches. Junior Jimmy Yeingst put on a show, pushing to the final where he got second place overall, after losing by fall in the second period. First-year Ksawery Niewadomy finished sixth overall for the heavyweight class after battling through the consolation bracket.
