Nick Anderson

Men's Wrestling 1/13/2024 9:48:00 PM Nick Anderson (Athletic Communications Assistant)

Golden Wolves Secure Virginia Duals Team Title

Hampton, Va (January 13, 2024) - Alvernia University defeated Reinhardt University and Elizabethtown College en route to the team title Saturday night at the Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum.

Alvernia took on Reinhardt University in the semifinal match and downed the Eagles, 25-18 to advance to the finals. The Golden Wolves then faced off against Elizabethtown to decide the Virginia Duals Team Champion. The Golden Wolves took down the Blue Jays by a score of 23-13 to secure the team title.

How it Happened

The Golden Wolves faced off against Reinhardt University in the semifinal dual and defeated the Eagles 25-18 to advance to the finals.
Alvernia got things going early with back to back tech falls by Keito Shaw at 125 pounds and Anthony Portillo at 133 pounds. Shaw defeated William Bishop, 15-0 and Portillo recorded a 16-1 tech fall over Easton Bishop to put Alvernia up 10-0.
Avery Leonard wrestled in the 141 pound bout for the Golden Wolves and took down Domenico Digena from Reinhardt by decision, 9-2 to secure three more points for Alvernia.
Quinn Tobin fell to Trevor Burdick in the 149 pound bout and Jason Rezac lost in the 159 pound match as the Eagles pulled within one, 13-12.
The Golden Wolves got back on track after a Matthew Lackman victory by decision in the 165 pound bout. Lackman took down Matt Jenkins, 5-0 to extend the Alvernia lead to four, 16-12.
James Circle followed Lackman up with a 16-1 tech fall victory over Jaheim Mills in the 174 pound bout to make it 21-12 Golden Wolves heading into the final three bouts of the dual.
The Eagles clawed back and pulled within three, 21-18 after back to back victories at 184 and 197 pounds. Gavin Hollingsworth fell to Jonathon Paramore at 184 pounds, 4-2 and Isaac Kassis dropped his match at 197 pounds in overtime, 4-1.
Mauro Pellot-Vazquez wrestled the heavyweight match for the Golden Wolves and secured the 25-18 victory with a 14-3 major decision over John Lovett.

The Golden Wolves took on Elizabethtown in the championship dual and…
Alvernia started things off with a Keito Shaw 3-2 decision over Ethan Liptzin in the 125 pound bout. The score was all square at zero after the first two periods before Shaw recorded a takedown in the final seconds of the third period to secure the 3-2 victory and give the Golden Wolves a 3-0 advantage early.
Anthony Portillo followed Shaw up with an 8-5 decision in the 133 pound bout to secure three more points for Alvernia and extend the lead to 6-0.
The Golden Wolves then got a massive five points from Avery Leonard in the 141 pound bout when Leonard recorded a 15-0 tech fall over Elizabethtown's Scott Reagan to put Alvernia up 11-0.
Quinn Tobin took on Shane Strausser from Elizabethtown in the 149 pound bout and Strausser secured the first points of the match for the Blue Jays with a 6-1 decision over Tobin and pulled ETown within eight, 11-3.
Jason Rezac responded immediately in the 157 pound match and secured six team points for the Golden Wolves after pinning Gavin Fehr in the final seconds of the first period.
#1 ranked 165 pounder Matthew Lackman took on #4 ranked 165 pounder Brian Schneider from Elizabethtown. Lackman recorded a 6-0 decision over Schneider and tallied three more points for Alvernia.
Chance Babb took on #13 ranked Ganon Smith in the 174 pound bout with Smith recording a 7-1 decision over Babb but the Golden Wolves still held a 20-6 lead.
James Circle dropped the 184 pound match to Will Davis from Elizabethtown by decision, 9-2.
Mauro Pellot-Vazquez faced off against Traisach Roland and secured a 3-1 decision after a late takedown in the third period. The victory pushed the Alvernia lead out of reach for the Blue Jays and secured the team title for the Golden Wolves.
Brian Czaus took on Dylan Waller in the heavyweight bout with Waller recording an 8-0 major decision to add four more points to ETown's total but it was not enough as the Golden Wolves held on for a 23-13 victory, securing the team title.

Inside the Results

Matthew Lackman, Keito Shaw, and Mauro Pellot-Vazquez all recorded perfect 4-0 records at the duals.
Avery Leonard tallied a 3-0 record on the weekend.

Of Note

The team title marks the first team dual tournament title for the Golden Wolves.

Up Next

Alvernia is back in action on Saturday when they travel to York for the MAC Championships. Action is set to start at 10:00 AM.

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Players Mentioned

Chance Babb: 149/157; Sophomore

James Circle: 174; Sophomore

Brian Czaus: 285; Senior

Gavin Hollingsworth: 174; Graduate Student

Isaac Kassis: 184; Senior

Matthew Lackman: 165; Senior

Avery Leonard: 141; Sophomore

Mauro Pellot-Vazquez: 197; Junior

Anthony Portillo: 133; Senior

Jason Rezac: 157; Senior

Players Mentioned

Chance Babb
: Sophomore
: 149/157

James Circle
: Sophomore
: 174

Brian Czaus
: Senior
: 285

Gavin Hollingsworth
: Graduate Student
: 174

Isaac Kassis
: Senior
: 184

Matthew Lackman
: Senior
: 165

Avery Leonard
: Sophomore
: 141

Mauro Pellot-Vazquez
: Junior
: 197

Anthony Portillo
: Senior
: 133

Jason Rezac
: Senior
: 157