West Liberty, W.Va. – The No. 9/10-ranked West Liberty University wrestling team claimed a hard-fought 24-18 victory over No. 12/14 Gannon in a nationally ranked showdown Friday night at the ASRC.
The dual featured several tightly contested matches and high-level performances, with the Hilltoppers pulling ahead late to secure the win.
The evening began with Gannon taking the first two matches. At 125 lbs., No. 14/12 Logan Sallot defeated No. 8/7 Logan Davis of West Liberty in an 8-5 decision. At 133 lbs., No. 9/10 Jerry Echevarria held off a strong push from West Liberty's James Armstrong Jr., earning a narrow 2-1 decision to give Gannon an early 6-0 lead.
West Liberty quickly responded. At 141 lbs., returning All-American Khyvon Grace put the Hilltoppers on the board with an 8-3 decision over Brock Christian. Then, at 149 lbs., Tony Wood delivered a dominant performance, earning a 17-4 major decision over Isaac Piatek to tie the dual at 6-6.
Gannon regained the lead at 157 lbs. when Chance Kimmy pinned Jayden Jett at the 3:22 mark, making it 12-6 in favor of the Golden Knights.
The Hilltoppers answered at 165 lbs. with Toby Abbott securing an 8-5 decision over Christian Scheller, cutting the deficit to 12-9.
The pivotal moment came at 174 lbs., where No. 13/8 Carter Winegardner defeated No. 8/10 Patrick Jackson in a battle of ranked wrestlers. Winegardner's 9-3 decision put West Liberty ahead 13-12.
At 184 lbs., two-time national champion and top-ranked Ty McGeary continued his dominant season, pinning Gaetano Savelli at 2:33 to extend West Liberty's lead to 19-12.
Gannon closed the gap at 197 lbs. with Eli Reese pinning Devon Bell at 4:25, cutting the Hilltoppers' lead to 19-18.
The dual came down to the heavyweight bout at 285 lbs., where No. 12/7 Parker Bentley delivered in dramatic fashion. Bentley powered his way to a 19-1 tech fall over Shane Davidson at 3:23, sealing the 24-18 victory for the Hilltoppers.
Match Results
|
Weight
|
Winner (Team)
|
Opponent
|
Result
|
Team Points
|
|
125
|
Logan Sallot (Gannon)
|
Logan Davis (WLU)
|
Dec 8-5
|
Gannon +3
|
|
133
|
Jeremiah Echevarria (Gannon)
|
James Armstrong Jr. (WLU)
|
Dec 2-1
|
Gannon +3
|
|
141
|
Khyvon Grace (WLU)
|
Brock Christian (Gannon)
|
Dec 8-3
|
WLU +3
|
|
149
|
Tony Wood (WLU)
|
Isaac Piatek (Gannon)
|
MD 17-4
|
WLU +4
|
|
157
|
Chance Kimmy (Gannon)
|
Jayden Jett (WLU)
|
Fall 3:22
|
Gannon +6
|
|
165
|
Toby Abbott (WLU)
|
Christian Scheller (Gannon)
|
Dec 8-5
|
WLU +3
|
|
174
|
Carter Winegardner (WLU)
|
Patrick Jackson (Gannon)
|
Dec 9-3
|
WLU +3
|
|
184
|
Ty McGeary (WLU)
|
Gaetano Savelli (Gannon)
|
Fall 2:33
|
WLU +6
|
|
197
|
Eli Reese (Gannon)
|
Devon Bell (WLU)
|
Fall 4:25
|
Gannon +6
|
|
285
|
Parker Bentley (WLU)
|
Shane Davidson (Gannon)
|
TF 19-1, 3:23
|
WLU +5
|
Final Team Score: West Liberty 24, Gannon 18
The Toppers return to the mat Saturday at Noon when they host Davis & Elkins at the ASRC.
