The Gannon University wrestling team dropped a close head-to-head matchup against No. 14 Kutztown University Friday.
The Knights, ranked No. 5 in the region, lost 21-19 to Kutztown, which is ranked No. 1 regionally. This matchup marks the second consecutive down-to-the-wire meet between Gannon and Kutztown.
Although the Knights came up short as a team, they captured head-to-head victories in half of the bouts including several highlight victories.
Matt Turek, Gannon’s standout 125-pound senior, said he thought his team needed to make minor adjustments to win the close matchup against top-ranked Kutztown.
“I think we wrestled very well against Kutztown,” Turek said. “We made some small mistakes that cost us the match.”
Turek won decisively over Kutztown’s Nick Demarco by a score of 16-6, securing a major decision. Turek put his talents on display as he scored seven takedowns during the course of the match, but said that he wasn’t pleased with the result.
“I was pretty disappointed with the major decision,” he said. “The team needed bonus points and I should have been able to get more points for the team through a tech or a pin.”
The redshirt senior ranks No. 1 regionally and No. 2 in all of NCAA Division II. He improved his overall record to 10-0 and in doing so, Turek gained sole possession of fifth place all time in career dual meet wins and ninth in career victories.
Sophomore Eric Lewandowski gave the Knights an early 3-0 lead with a 6-0 victory over Kutztown’s Joe Esposito at 149 pounds.
After a scoreless first and second period, Lewandowski strung together six unanswered points in the third period to secure a victory for the Knights in the first bout.
Lewandowski, who is currently No. 4 regionally, won his fourth consecutive match and improved his overall record to 9-5.
In the 174-pound bout, redshirt senior Adam Greenman kept the team score close by clinching a last-second takedown to obtain a 7-6 victory over Kutztown’s Ryan Krecker. The win tied the score 6-6.
Greenman recovered from an early deficit of 6-3 after the first period to achieve the victory for the Knights, and extended his winning streak to three consecutive matches.
Redshirt freshman Nigel Toussaint secured an upset victory in dramatic fashion as he defeated Brandan Clark in the 197-pound bout with a takedown in overtime to post a 3-1 sudden victory. Toussaint’s overtime victory tied the team score at 9-9.
But the meet turned when Kutztown’s Ziad Haddad – the nation’s top-ranked Division II heavyweight – pinned Nick Budd in 48 seconds, given Kutztown a 15-9 lead.
Turek’s major decision pulled the Knights within two, but Kutztown’s Travis Roper clinched the win for the Bears when he pinned Gannon’s Aaron Smith at 133 pounds.
In the night’s final bout, redshirt senior Adam Weinell was able to excite the crowd, despite the team score being too far out of reach, by posting a fall 1 minute, 33 seconds into the first period. Weinell wasted little time in obtaining his third pin of the season and improved his record to 11-12 overall.
The Knights return to action on the road Wednesday for a non-conference dual meet against No. 8 Lake Erie College.
The Knights hope to repeat last year’s performance against Lake Erie, which ended with a last second 3-2 victory by Budd, securing a 23-22 victory for the Knights.
CHASE MANTINI
