Gettysburg Wrestlers Go to the Mats in Annual Ursinus Fall Brawl

Photo Credit: David Sinclair, Gettysburg College Communications & Marketing

The Gettysburg wrestling team is at it again!  The team continued the new season with a road trip on November 8 to Collegeville, Pa.  to compete in the annual Ursinus Fall Brawl. While no team scores were recorded, the Bullets showed their superior skills, recording victories in all but one of the nine weight classes where they were represented.

This season the Bullets are debuting a fresh lineup with twelve new players. In a team of nineteen, twelve freshmen may seem like a challenge but it is one the Bullets are up for.

Head Coach Andy Vogel explained, “For the season as a whole, it is exciting that we have such a young and promising team. Our lineup [has] a lot of freshmen and sophomores in it, so regardless of what happens this year, the future is bright. Our goal is to speed up the process of improvement and try to make an impact with a young and talented group.” Vogel went on to share that if his team’s positive attitude continues, he has great hopes for his team’s results this season.

Even people beyond the Bullets wrestling team have high hopes for the team’s record and performance this season. The Centennial Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll ranked this seasons’ team seventh, showing the promise they perceive in the Bullets’ young team.

Saturday’s results demonstrate that the Bullets new lineup is not only promising, but also full of dedicated athletes ready to hit the mat and stretch their skills to new levels. In a field of tough competitors, Gettysburg showed their true orange and blue spirit. Competing against NCAA Division I and nationally-ranked Division III programs, the Bullets tested their resolve and managed to walk away with several notable wins.

Leading the way for Gettysburg on Saturday was freshman Anthony Puca. Puca went the farthest for the Bullets, advancing to the heavyweight semifinals.  He won his opening bout 6-5 against Division I Charles Kerkesner of Franklin and Marshall. Puca then went on to upend Delaware Valley College’s Kyle Cocozza 4-2 in overtime to reach the semis. Unfortunately, several Division I contenders brought Puca’s reign to an end when they defeated him in both the championship and consolation brackets.

Puca reflected on his performance and shared, “I feel that I went out there and wrestled to the best of my ability on that given day. Obviously the main goal is to win each and every tournament and when that doesn’t happen it is a disappointment. I hope to keep improving to reach the level that I want to be at.”

Also pulling in wins for the Bullets was freshman Barrett Connor. Connor made his collegiate debut at 133, scoring a 15-4 landslide decision over Ursinus’ Kenny Hayes in his first match. In his first consolation match, Connor also added a 7-3 win over Sam Rudolph of West Chester University.

Classmate Jake Bracken added another freshman win for the Bullets. Bracken took on freshmen teammate Louie Carusillo, who won his first bout, 1-0 and Delaware Valley’s David Davidson in a major 13-2 decision.

Freshman Quinn Merrigan also demonstrated the team’s promising young skill before succumbing to an early injury. Merrigan posted a pair of pins in his first two matches. In a matchup against F&M’s Sharron Townsend, he earned an early second-period pin at 3:36. Merrigan’s second pin came in the third-period of his bout with Chris Kummere of Elizabethtown College.

In the 174 bracket, Junior Tyler Cunningham and freshman Brian Gianforte both brought in two wins. Gianforte won 8-4 in his first match and scored a 7-6 victory in his first contest in the wrestleback. Cunningham posted a decisive 9-1 decision in his second bout and a win by default of injury in his consolation bracket.

Rounding out Gettysburg’s wins was sophomore Camden Stoops in the184 bracket. Stoops won his fist consolation match over West Chester’s Nick Mattero and then went on to defeat freshmen teammate Shahn Savino 7-1.

Head Coach Vogel said that he was happy with his team’s overall performance at the Fall Brawl. He offered, “There were certainly some matches I felt like we could have won that slipped away, but our goal at this point in the season, especially with a young team, is to get experience, learn how to compete, and figure out how we can improve for the conference schedule and postseason.”

The next couple of weeks are certainly going to challenge the Bullets, as they adjust to their new lineup and look to gain more experience. Nonetheless, the team seems up for the task. As Coach Vogel stated, “If the team’s overall attitude continues the way it has been, [they] will be able to make great strides this season.”

Gettysburg will look to pin down McDaniel College next in their first dual of the season on November 22. Opening bouts begin at 12:00 p.m. in Westminster, Maryland.

Information gathered from: Gettysburg College Athletics (http://www.gettysburgsports.com/index.aspx?path=mwrest), Ursinus College Athletics (http://www.ursinusathletics.com/sports/wrest/index) and the Centennial Conference (http://www.centennial.org/sports/wrest/index).