Men's Wrestling 11/7/2026 10:16:00 PM

Linder Wins 149 lb. Weight Class, Men’s Wrestling Takes Fifth Overall At Tonee Ellis Invitational

ALVERNIA, Pa. (November 7, 2026) – The Western New England men's wrestling team competed to the fifth-place finish at Saturday's Tonee Ellis Invitational at Alvernia University, while James Linder won the 149 lb. weight class, picking up a win over a nationally ranked opponent to finish off the championship. In total, eight Golden Bears placed in the top seven of their respective weight classes.

How it Happened:

At 149 lbs., Linder claimed a technical fall victory, 18-3, in 2:04 to advance to the next round. Linder then picked up a decision victory, 7-4, over Eastern University's Isisah Womack to advance to the quarterfinal round. Linder dominated the quarters, earning a major decision victory over Joshua Gray of Alvernia, picking up a 16-4 win to cruise into the semifinal round. In the semis, Linder needed an extra period to close out the win, defeating Eastern's Ryan Mansueto, 8-5, to get into the championship match. Linder finished off the weight class with a 4-2 decision win over nationally ranked Jake Mitchell of Gettysburg College to pick up the win.

Matthew Rodriguez took third overall in the 157 lb. weight class for Western New England. Rodriguez earned a fall victory in the opening round in 4:25 to remain in the championship bracket. Rodriguez put up another big victory in his second match of the day, picking up a 16-5 major decision victory and advancing to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal, it took Rodriguez just 1:19 to come up with a fall victory to get to the semifinals. In the semis, Rodriguez fell on a major decision, 14-4, though picked up the forfeit victory in the third-place match to finish out the afternoon.

Maxwell Bluhm picked up three victories in five matches on the day, opening with an 11-6 decision victory over Jahanzaib Nasiri of Gettysburg. Bluhm's second match was a major decision victory, knocking down Alfred's Chris Herriman. Bluhm earned a fall win in the quarterfinal round, advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Bluhm fell on a 5-0 decision and couldn't bounce back in the third-place match, falling on a 5-2 decision, taking fourth overall at 184 lbs.

Antonio Intintoli was also 3-0 through his first three matches on the day. The WNE junior opened with a fall victory in 2:28 to start the day. Intintoli then earned a decision victory, 14-7, to enter the quarterfinal round. Intintoli had a competitive QF round that went the distance, but he claimed a 7-5 decision win to advance to the semifinals. Intintoli fell in the semifinals and third-place match to claim fourth overall in the 133 lb. weight class.

Nicholas Baccala went 4-1 on the day to come away with a fifth-place finish in the 174 lb. weight class. Baccala started the day with a 2-0 decision win, but was pinned in the quarterfinal round, wrestling back to save fifth-place. Baccala battled back for a 6-1 decision win, followed by a 15-1 major decision win, and an 11-7 win in the 5^th/6^th place match to round out the day.

Beniamino Dicocco was victorious on a sudden-victory decision in the 125 lb. weight class to start the day, picking up a 14-12 win. Dicocco then won by technical fall, 18-2, in the championship bracket. Dicocco needed to wrestle back after dropping a fall decision in 2:05. Dicocco finished off the day with a decision win, 6-4, and a 15-0 technical win, but fell in the 5^th/6^th place match, 7-0, to take sixth overall.

Sophomore Ethan Robar fell in his first match of the day but came all the way back to get into the 5^th/6^th place match. Robar picked up an 8-3 decision win in the consolation round of three, a fall victory in just 20 seconds in the fourth round of the consolation side, and a fall in the semifinal to get back to the 5^th/6^th place match. Robar fell in that match, though took sixth in the 197 lb. weight class to finish the day.

Trevor Young had an impressive day for WNE, wrestling in six total matches, going 4-2. Young picked up two wins to open the day, a fall win in 3:50, followed by a 15-0 technical fall victory in 2:36 to get to the quarterfinal round. Young dropped the QF match, but wrestled back for two more wins, getting a win in the round of four on the consolation side before taking the win on a 16-4 major decision in the 7^th/8^th place match to take 7^th at 141 lbs.

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