Findlay, Ohio – A day filled with quality competition at all levels of wrestling ended with a pair of champions and eight place winners for the No. 2 West Liberty University wrestling team. No. 1 Ty McGeary (184 pounds) and No. 4 Vincent Scollo (133 pounds) both went 5-0 on the day to remain undefeated on the season and claim their first open titles of the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• No. 4 Vincent Scollo went 5-0 on the day and won the 133 pound weight class. He opened the day with back-to-back tech falls against Nick Varanelli of Indianapolis (17-0) and Brenden Hamilton of Lake Erie (16-1). In the quarterfinals he won by a 4-0 decision over the No. 14 NAIA wrestler in the weight class, Elijah Anthony of Indiana Tech. He then went on to win both the semifinal and first place match by decision, defeating Elon Rodriguez of Wisconsin-Parkside (7-0) and Jeremiah Echevarria of Gannon (7-0).
• Khyvon Grace, the No. 3 regionally ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, finished fourth place in the weight class after going 4-2 on the day. He opened his tournament with a 10-5 win by decision over Gavin Weaver of Ashland, and then a 15-0 win by tech fall over Michael Lewison of Willmington. He then punched his ticket into the quarterfinals with a 5-4 win by decision over No. 3 Jake Niffenegger of Mercyhurst, getting his revenge after losing a close battle in the teams' dual a little over a week ago. He then won his quarterfinal bout by decision (1-1) over Kaden Jett of Ohio. Facing his second ranked opponent of the day, he fell in a 4-2 decision to Cayden Henschel of Wisconsin-Parkside in the semifinals. His day ended with yet another close match decided by decision, falling 8-6 to Troy Dolphin of Wisconsin-Parkside in the third place match.
• Jordan Watters, the No. 4 regionally ranked wrestler at 149 pounds continued to wrestle at 157 pounds and finished the day with a sixth place finish and 4-2 record. He opened the tournament with a 7-0 win by decision over his teammate, Carter Winegardner who was competing unattached, and then advanced to the quarterfinals with a win by fall (1:07) over Gustavo DeLima of Grand Valley State. He lost an 8-6 decision to Logan Sanom of Findlay in his quarterfinal bout but responded with a pair of wins in the consolation bracket to reach the fifth place match. He won a 3-1 decision over Maddox Simcoe who was competing unattached for GVSU and then defeated the No. 22 wrestler in the NAIA, Elijah Chacon of Indiana Tech in a 15-8 decision. He medically forfeited his fifth place match to Ethan Richner of Gannon.
• No. 3 Alec Cook went 4-2 on the day to finish fourth place in the 165 pound weight class at the Findlay Open, including three bonus point wins. He opened the day with a win by fall (2:50) over Dakota Planty of Jamestown CC and followed it with a 12-0 win by major decision over Isaac Riddle of Wisconsin-Parkside. He advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 6-5 win by decision over Josh Howey of Lake Erie. He earned his second win by major decision of the day with a 10-0 victory over Daeveon Cheeks who wrestled unattached for Indianapolis in the quarterfinal bout. He fell in a narrow 11-10 decision in the semifinals to Carter Chase of Ohio State and fell by a 6-3 decision in the third place match to Brady Schuh of Wisconsin-Parkside.
• No. 1 Ty McGeary remained unbeaten on the year and claimed the 184 pound title with a perfect 5-0 record on the day. He opened the day with a 4-2 win by decision in a top-5 bout, defeating No. 5 Reece Worachek of Wisconsin-Parkside. He then won earned three consecutive bonus point wins, first winning by fall (4:06) against Richard Legg of Ashland, then he recorded a 17-1 win by tech fall over Seth Konynenbelt of Grand Valley State, and lastly a 10-2 win by major decision over Brayden Mirjavadi who wrestled unattached for GVSU. He secured the title with a 4-1 win in sudden victory-1 over Peyton Lemon of Ashland.
• Christian Chavez gave West Liberty their second top-4 finish in the 184 pound weight class, finishing fourth place with a record of 3-2 on the day. He began the tournament with three straight wins, first scoring a 14-8 win by decision over Joe King of Notre Dame, then defeating Matthew Morris of Grand Valley State in an 11-4 decision, and finally winning his quarterfinal bout in a 5-4 decision over Mikey Durham of Indiana Tech. He fell in the semifinals in an 18-7 major decision against Peyton Lemon of Ashland. His tournament ended in a loss by decision 7-2 against Brayden Mirjavadi who wrestled unattached for GVSU.
• Mason Christian turned in a fourth place finish at 197 pounds for the Hilltoppers, going 3-2 on the day. He started the tournament with back-to-back tech falls, first with a 17-1 win over Landon Christie of Mercyhurst and then a 17-2 win over Tyler Shellenbarger who wrestled unattached for Lake Erie. In the quarterfinal bout he won in sudden victory-1 over Paul Scarmuzzino of Lake Erie, winning 8-5 in the match. He was on the other side of the sudden victory-1 decision in the semifinals, falling 2-1 to Marvelous Rutledge of Notre Dame. The third place match also came down to the very end as he fell in tiebreak-1, 3-2 to No. 12 Brylan Clouse of Lake Erie.
• Carter Winegardner, who competed unattached at the Findlay Open, finished eighth place in the 157 pound weight class and earned a 4-2 record on the day. He opened the tournament with a 7-0 loss by decision to his teammate, Jordan Watters. He then won by fall (2:06) over Prince Smith of Tiffin, followed by a 9-3 win by decision over Patrick Downing of Ohio State, and he earned his second bonus point win of the day with a 21-5 tech fall over another teammate, Tyler Beckley. He advanced to the consolation semifinals with a 4-2 decision over Dustin Mallory of Davenport. In his final match of the day, he lost by major decision, 9-0, to Ethan Richner of Gannon.

POST MEET QUOTES
"There is nothing like the Findlay Open every season because it really challenges everybody's mental fitness! There are so many positives to build on as we no longer have clues on how to get better results, rather facts based on what's been a really good November!" – Danny Irwin
 
"It was awesome to compete with a full team at a tough tournament. From the beginning to the end our guys brought it and made a statement. It's tough to wrestle five matches in a single day and there aren't a lot of days like that so it's a good test for me and for the team. We have a lot to take away from the weekend and I am excited to get back to work!" – Ty McGeary
 
"You know today went well, I felt great and when I'm on the offense I definitely feel I'm one of the best Italians in the neighborhood. It was also a great time being able to compete next to my brothers! I think what we have here is something special and I can't wait to get back in the room on Monday and sharpen our tools #CTH." – Vincent Scollo
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will next be in action on December 2 when they travel to the Little State Invite, hosted by Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Indiana.