ALVERNIA, Pa. (November 2, 2024) – The Western New England men's wrestling team opened their season on Saturday afternoon with a team victory at the Tonee Ellis Memorial Tournament, hosted by Alvernia University. Eleven Golden Bears placed in the top four of their respective weight classes, leading WNE to a first-place finish out of 11 teams.

How it Happened:

Clayton O'Connor went 3-1 on the afternoon, finishing in second place in the 125 lb. weight class. O'Connor defeated RSJ's Joshua Kinchen in a 3-0 decision for his first win of the season. The WNE junior continued with a forfeit victory (injury) over Robert Philpot of Alvernia University to advance in the championship bracket of the 125 lb. weight class. O'Connor's final win of the afternoon came in a major decision over teammate Joe Weikel to move into the championship match, where he fell just short in a 9-6 decision.

Joseph Weikel earned a bye in his opening round match to advance to the second round in the 125 lb. weight class. Weikel picked up a technical fall (TF) victory in 4:59, 16-0, over MUHL's Max Rotter to continue in the weight class. After falling to O'Connor, Weikel defeated teammate Beniamino Dicocco in a 16-11 decision to enter the third-place match, where he finished fourth overall after a TF decision.

In the 133 lb. weight class, Antonio Intintoli received a bye in the opening round, moving quickly to the second round. Intintoli defeated MUHL's Jace Yannuciello in 4:17 by pinfall to reach the semifinals. He then defeated Kyle Collins of Gettysburg with a major decision, 11-1, advancing to the championship match, where the
first-year took second place after falling via pin in 4:18.

Matthew Rodriguez opened his first collegiate match with a win over Joe Dietz of Gettysburg in a 3-0 decision in the 157 lb. weight class. Rodriguez advanced in the weight class, defeating Thomas Kaliamouris to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, Rodriguez won 16-3 in a major decision before falling in the championship match to finish in second place overall.

Colin Carlin opened the 157 lb. weight class with a bye. Carlin lost in the quarterfinal round but battled back with a 5-4 decision win, a TF win in 5:33 by a score of 17-2, and a 19-1 TF victory to place third overall.

Tristan Julian earned a fourth-place finish for the Golden Bears after winning four matches on the day: a bye, a TF decision, 15-0 in 2:13, a forfeit victory (injury), and a 14-2 major decision win in the 157 lb. weight class.

Senior Cameron Hines picked up where he left off last season, coming away with a second-place finish in the 165 lb. weight class. Hines started the season 1-0 with a bye, followed by a major decision win over Emazar Baishbekov. He picked up another win via injury forfeit at the 6:34 mark to reach the championship match, where he finished second.

Nicholas Baccala opened the season successfully, picking up two bye wins before securing a 13-12 victory over William Knapp. Baccala then defeated teammate CJ Glaropoulos to reach the semifinals of the 174 lb. weight class. Baccala won a 9-6 decision to reach the championship match, finishing second in the weight class.

Charles Maloy took first place in the 197 lb. weight class for the Golden Bears, being the only Golden Bear to win a weight class on Saturday. Maloy won his first match by bye, then defeated Paul Parise in a 7-3 decision in the quarterfinal. Maloy won with a major decision in the semifinal round to reach the championship match, where he secured a pinfall win in 54 seconds to claim the 197 lb. title.

Spencer Dickinson finished second in the 285 lb. weight class for the Golden Bears, earning a 17-4 major decision win in his first match. Dickinson continued through the weight class with a 10-3 decision in the quarterfinals and a pinfall victory in 1:52 in the semifinal to reach the championship match, ultimately finishing second.

Nemo Pettway also placed in the heavyweight class, taking fourth for the Golden Bears with a 4-3 TB1 victory.

The Golden Bears finished first as a team out of 11 teams in the event to start the season.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England opens their home schedule on Saturday, November 9, at 10:00 AM, hosting the Springfield City Championships with Springfield College, STCC, and American International College.