Pioneers Compete on Day One of NCWA Duals

The Alfred State wrestling team went 1-2 in Pool A action on Day one of the NCWA Duals at Liberty University.

In their opening match of the day the Pioneers squared off with #1 seed Central Florida and fell 37-11. Casey Connor (Barnstable, MA) got the team on the board with a 6-4 victory at 149 lbs. over Justin Trinh. Two matches later, Devin Horton (Owego Free) earned a 4-2 win at 165 over Salvatore Spera. At 184 lbs. George Van Valen (Ithaca) eared a 16-0 tech fall over Bradley Kata to account for five team points. 

Versus #7 Springfield Tech in their second match of the day, the Pioneers earned three victories in a 42-15 loss. Patrick Lehman (Marathon) pinned Muslim Aslanov in 3:19 at 125, Connor earned a 21-14 over Rey Dshmey at 149, and Van Valen earned a 15-0 tech fall over Josh Fontanez at 184.

In their final match the Pioneers and Washington State battled in a tight match. WSU took the first two matches to grab a 9-0 lead. Ryan Thierman (Portville) earned a forfeit win at 141, Connor earned his third win of the day with a pin of Gunner Charboneau in 5:40 at 149, and Mike Galton (Warsaw) won 8-3 at 157 to give the Pioneers a 15-9 lead. The Cougars won the next two bouts to re-grab the lead by Van Valen pinned Rogan Kopper in 6:56 to get the lead back. In a pivotal match, Joshua O'Neil (Jasper Troupsburg) won 14-0 victory over Tristan Barnett at 197. After a forfeit at 235, Ryan Mattison (Brockport) sealed the win, 31-24, with a pin of Nic Carborne in 1:11.

The Pioneers will take on the #16 seed RPI to start competition on Saturday. The team will look to finish in the top ten of the tournament.