Reading, Pa. (November 7, 2026) - Alvernia University men's wrestling kicked off its 2026-2027 season Saturday and hosted its annual Tonee Ellis Memorial Tournament in Alvernia's Tom and Helen Flynn PLEX. The Golden Wolves picked up the team victory with 193 points winning by a margin of 55 points. Alvernia had two first place finishers highlighted by Tristan Cooper and Abramm Schaffer. 

Alvernia Men's Wrestling hosts the Tonee Ellis Memorial tournament every year in its first competition of the season. The event is named after former Alvernia student-athlete and member of the men's wrestling team, Tonee Ellis, who tragically passed away in the summer of 2023. Ellis was a member of the inaugural men's wrestling team at Alvernia University and was one of the first Alvernia men's wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA DIII National Championships in the 2019-2020 season. 

How it Happened 

• Hayden McLellan - McLellan cruised in his first two matches to earn himself a spot in the quarterfinals match. When there, McLellan would defeat his opponent with two nearfalls and one takedown to advance in the bracket. After winning his semifinal match in a 10-7 decision, McLellan would finish second overall for Alvernia.

• Luke Thomas - Thomas competed well for the Golden Wolves winning his first three matches 21-7, 7-2, and 2-1 en route to a semifinal contest. Thomas would drop both the semifinal match and finish in fourth place.

• Owen Reber - Reber performed well for the Golden Wolves reaching the semifinal match in the 287 pound bracket. Reber defeated his first three opponents to earn himself a semifinal appearance. Despite dropping that match, Reber would finish third overall.

• Ian Vitalo - The Golden Wolves had two guys finish in the top three in the 174 pound bracket. Vitalo won his first match by tech fall 17-1, then picked up a tight quarterfinal win to advance to the semifinals. Despite dropping that match, Vitalo would take third place with a 3-0 win.

• Jake Ebaugh - Ebaugh was Vitalo's counterpart in the 174 pound bracket. Ebaugh would win all four of his matches in impressive fashion to advance to the first place match. Ebaugh would finish second overall for the Golden Wolves.

• Rocco Monteferrante - Monteferrante had an impressive run in the 125 bracket. Picking up wins in the first three rounds before dropping his semifinal contest to send him into the third place match. Monteferrante would finish in fourth place.

• Abramm Schaffer - After a first round bye, Schaffer picked up a 7-0 victory after a take down and a nearfall in the first period to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Schaffer won by technical fall with 2:05 remaining in the first period. After a dominating 7-0 win in the semis, Schaffer controlled the entire first place match with four takedowns winning 12-3.

• Tyler Garvin - Garvin cruised his way to a semifinal appearance after tech falling all three of his opponents. Garvin would pick up the 7-0 win in the semifinal match to advance into the first place contest. However, Garvin would finish second with a tight 0-2 loss.

• Chase Homan - Homan received a first round bye, following the rest he tech falled his first opponent winning by a score of 20-5. Homan would go on to win a major decision in the quarterfinals 11-3. Homan dominated his semifinal match with a 17-3 tech fall victory. Homan would drop the first place match to finish in second place. 

• Aiden Swann - Swann had a good run winning his five of his six matches in the 157 pound class. Despite falling in the quarterfinals match, Swann rallied to win three straight consolation matches to take fifth place.

• Jason Chiodi - Chiodi has a strong showing in the 197 pound bracket for the Golden Wolves. Chiodi won his three matches in dominating fashion, no match would go past the second period. Chiodi would fall short in the first place match but placed second for the Golden Wolves.

• Cole Staker - In his first collegiate tournament, Staker had an impressive outing. Staker would win his first match with a 10-2 major decision, then followed it up with a 6-4 decision win to advance to the semifinals. Stakers would end his championship bracket run, but finished in third place with a 6-2 victory.

• Tristan Cooper - Cooper was the second champion for the Golden Wolves in the Tonee Ellis Memorial tournament. Cooper won all four of his matches in strong fashion en route to a first place finish. 

Up Next:
The Golden Wolves will travel to Collegeville, Pa for the Racich Rumble at Ursinus College on Saturday, November. 14th.