Alvernia University’s wrestling team had an outstanding day at the Tonee Ellis Memorial Invitational, which was hosted at their own PLEX.
Facing off against ten other teams, Alvernia took third place overall, thanks to three amazing first-place wins from remarkable wrestlers Keito Shaw, Matthew Lackman, and Nathan Lackman.
All three wrestlers displayed exceptional skill and tenacity throughout their matches.
Western New England won the team title with 178 points, but Alvernia made its mark with strong matches all around.
Here’s a breakdown of how each wrestler’s day unfolded.
First up, Keito Shaw, at 125 lbs, had a solid start with a close 3-2 win over Gettysburg’s Noah Hinkel.
He kept his momentum, winning the quarterfinal by a 13-2 major decision against Domenic DeMarzo of Rowan, South Jersey.
In the semis, he continued his winning streak with an 11-4 decision over Brian McCaw from Muhlenberg.
Shaw took first place by defeating Clayton O’Connor of Western New England in a hard-fought 9-6 match.
What a way to finish the day!
Moving to 165 lbs, Matthew Lackman came out strong with a quick pin against Jimmy Do from Camden C.C., wrapping it up in under three minutes.
Matt then won by forfeit against his own teammate, Ryan LePore.
He took down Gettysburg’s Justin Richey in the semis with a decisive 7-1 win.
Matt went all out in the finals, winning 15-0 over Cam Hines from Western New England to lock in his first-place finish.
At 174 lbs, Nathan Lackman debuted as a Golden Wolf and was unstoppable, to the point where he pinned his first opponent, Piotr Bochenski from Camden C.C., in just 28 seconds.
In the quarterfinals, he won by a massive 17-1 technical fall over Chase Pollard of Delaware Valley.
In the semis, he picked up another technical fall, 15-0, against Aiden Weingrad from Muhlenberg.
Nathan claimed first place with a 2:36 pin over Western New England’s Nicholas Baccala, which marked a perfect start to his season.
And the wins didn’t stop there:
- Hayden McLellan snagged third place in the 184-lb category by beating Shippensburg’s Cole Lang 5-0.
- Ryan LePore and Aiden Swann both placed fourth, with Ryan competing at 165 lbs and Aiden at 149 lbs.
Other Alvernia wrestlers put up strong performances as well:
- 125 lbs: Keito Shaw went undefeated, winning all his matches, including his 3-0 decision over Noah Hinkel and his 9-6 final match victory over Clayton O’Connor.
- 133 lbs: James King fought through his matches, winning three times, including a close 9-6 match against Trevor Young from Western New England.
- 141 lbs: Sebastiano Spina had several good wins and earned five team points.
- 149 lbs: Nolan Brown won his first match 3-0 over Zachary Schonoff and then pinned Jason Dubrasky of Gettysburg.
- 149 lbs: Aiden Swann, who ended up fourth in the same weight class, put up a tough fight and won multiple matches.
- 165 lbs: Ryan LePore, alongside Matt Lackman, had a strong day, including a 21-6 tech fall over Payce Lamb from Muhlenberg.
- 285 lbs: Brian Czaus and Tyler Carter competed in the heavyweight class, battling hard in some very competitive matches.
It’s safe to say Alvernia’s wrestlers showed real grit throughout the tournament.
They battled hard in every match, and their team spirit was evident.
Now, the Golden Wolves are looking ahead to the Electric City Duals in Scranton on November 9th.
They hope to build on this strong performance and bring home more wins.
