At a glance
"Our coaching staff is extremely proud of the efforts of our entire program today. To run the conference tournament and represent ourselves on and off the mats the way we did all day today was great to see and be a part of."
Justin Signorelli
Head Coach
The Alfred State men's wrestling team repeated as Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) champions as they totaled 191.5 points. Seven Pioneers won conference titles while 14 placed in the top four in the competition held at the Orvis Activities Center.
Head Coach Justin Signorelli added, "Our coaching staff is extremely proud of the efforts of our entire program today. To run the conference tournament and represent ourselves on and off the mats the way we did all day today was great to see and be a part of."
Sean Malenfant (Averill Park, NY) was named most outstanding wrestler on his way to becoming the 184 champion. After a bye in the first round he pinned Andy Muzika (Penn College) in 1:28 fall to earn a spot in the first-place match. In the finals, he pinned teammate Aaron Johnson to claim the title.
Mason Drew (Hornell, NY) had the first match of the day and won by an 11-3 major decision over Jashad Bumpers (Penn State Behrend.) He pinned Ryan Farley (Alfred State) to advance to the first-place match and ten pinned Luke Heimbach (Penn College) in 3:49 to claim the 125 championship.
Zach Levey (Horesheads, NY) claimed the 133 AMCC title after a 3-0 day. His day started with a 3:19 fall over Jacob Rodgers (Pitt Bradford). In the semis, he tallied another fall this time in 4:11 over Cole Neil (Penn State Behrend). In the finals, he earned a tight 4-1 sudden victory win over teammate Elijah Moshenek for the title.
The 165 title was claimed by Justin Smith (Rushville, NY). Smith notched a 1:01 fall over Justin Hockenberger (Penn State Behrend) to advance to the finals. He then earned an 8-4 decision win over Dennis Slovick (Pitt Bradford) to claim the title.
Brent Perry (Granville, NY) won the 174 title after going 3-0 on the day. In his opening match, Perry notched a late first round fall over Zane Anderson (Penn State Behrend). He followed with an 8-1 decision win over Jimmy Thomas (Hiram) to earn a spot in the finals. He won a 5-0 decision over Colton Gietler (Pitt Bradford) to cap his title.
Blake Ilges (Canisteo, NY) claimed the 197 title. He started the day with a 2:15 fall over Zach Harper (Hiram) before notching a 21-3 tech fall win over Nolan Fenton (Penn State Behrend). In the championship match, Ilges tallied a 15-5 major decision win over Matthew Caldwell (Behrend).
Nick Barrett (Avoca, NY) capped the day by claiming the 285 title. Barrett started the day with a pin of Edward Powers (Hiram) in 1:20. He tallied a 3-1 decision win over Nicholai Brotzman (Penn College) before defeating Gavin Thompson (Pitt Bradford) 6-1 to claim the title.
Aaron Johnson (Elmira, NY), Elijah Moshenek (Ringgold, VA), and Ethan Morrison (Marthon, NY) all wrestled to second team all-conference honors. Johnson was 2-1 in the 184 bracket, Moshenek was 1-1 at 133, and Morrison was 1-1 at 157.
Dominick Vinci (Spencerport, NY) at 141, Benjamin Lloyd (Alfred, NY) at 149, and George Racz (Westtown, NY) at 174 each finished 3rd while Ryan Farley (Avon, NY) finished 4th at 125.
Alfred State's 191.5 points was 68 points ahead of second place Penn College. Penn State Behrend was 3rd (96), Pitt Bradford was 4th (52.5), and Hiram was 5th (21.5).
The wrestling team is the third Alfred State athletic team this school year to claim a conference championship. The men's soccer team won the AMCC title this fall while the football team won the ECFC title.
The Pioneers will shift their focus to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship to be held March 1-2.