Wabash took sixth place out of 20 teams at the Budd Whitehill Invitational, held Friday and Saturday at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania. The Little Giants finished the two-day event with a team record of 4-2.
The Little Giants opened action Friday against fourth-seeded Heidelberg College, already a winner over Wisconsin-Whitewater in the opening round. The Student Princes defeated Wabash 29-11, and would eventually see the Little Giants in the finals. Garrett Pino scored a major decision in his 133-pound bout with a 13-3 decision over Kurt Froelich. Joe Seger also picked up a major decision with his 16-2 victory over Brian Lichty at 174 pounds. Garrett Thiel was the final individual winner for the Little Giants, recording a 7-0 shutout over Tony Carothers at heavyweight.
Falling to the consolation bracket, Wabash rallied for two wins Friday afternoon and evening. The Little Giants started with a 20-19 victory over Case Western Reserve in the sixth round. Freshman Jared Tribbett scored his first pin of the weekend at the 4:07 mark of his 149-pound bout against Jamie Vaughn to erase a 10-0 lead by Case Western. Seger added another pin at 4:38 over Nate Klingensmith at 174 pounds to trim the lead to 16-12. Will Clarke then tied the team score at 16-16 with a major decision at 184 pounds, outscoring Dave Bernholt 16-4. A win by Case Western at 197 pounds put Wabash down 19-16 with the hopes of the Little Giants in the hands of Thiel. The sophomore responded with a 13-4 major decision over Norm Birenbaum, giving Wabash the four points it needed to advance in the next day’s bracket.
The Little Giants defeated 10th-seeded Johnson & Wales in Saturday’s opening round, winning 28-17. Pino pinned Collin Goldsmith 2:26 into their 133-pound match for the first of four pins for Wabash. Tribbett added the next at the 4:44 mark of his 149-pound match against Robert Doherty, followed by a win for Steven Mosier over Shane Corsi at 4:42 into the 157-pound event. Clarke’s pin at 6:14 over fellow 184-pounder William Esposito added the final six points for the Little Giants. Keith Garrard was an 8-3 victor at 197 pounds, and Thiel took a 3-2 win at heavyweight to send Wabash into the semifinals.
Wabash faced York College in the semis, taking a 24-20 victory. Pino picked up his second pin of the day, sticking Gary Heckler to the mat at 1:35. Tribbett also scored a pin against Mike Webber at 5:24. Mosier kept pace with his second straight pin of the day, winning by fall at 4:13 over Garrett Faulkner. Seger claimed a 7-4 victory at 174 pounds before Garrard’s 15-10 win put Wabash in the finals to face fourth-seeded Heidelberg in the finals.
Pino made short work of his opponent in the final match of the tournament, this time pinning Froelich just 45 seconds into the match. But the Student Princes would win the next four matches before Seger could manage a 7-3 victory over 174-pounder Aaron Jonhenry. Will Clarke defeated Kyle Henry 3-1, but it would not be enough, giving Heidelberg the 28-12 win.
Wabash returns to the mat Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. dual meet at Chadwick Court against Tri-State University.