Three Place in Top Four at Season Opener
Park City, Kan.–A plethora of William Penn men’s wrestlers had their hands raised in triumph as the 2021-2022 campaign began at the Friends Falcon Invitational Saturday.
Three grapplers made it into the top four, guided by 149-pounder Cameron Hargrove (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill., Undecided), who was 5-1 at take third place. The freshman won one match by fall and another by major decision en route to the bronze.
Makail Stanley (Fr., Orena, Ill., Biology) matched his teammate in third place, going 4-1 at 174 pounds. He won once by fall and twice by major decision.
True freshman Jesse Schwery (Panama, Iowa) made an impressive Statesmen debut Saturday, winning four of his six matches to take fourth at 197 pounds, headlined by a trio of falls.
157-pounder Steven Skewes (Fr., Duchesne, Utah, Exercise Science) narrowly joined the aforementioned trio in the top four, tallying a 4-2 record with three falls and a major decision.
Five more Statesmen recorded multiple victories in Kansas, highlighted by Matheson Meade (Fr., Knoxville, Tenn., Exercise Science) with two falls at 165 pounds.
Heavyweights Cameron Mitchell (So., Houston, Texas, Kinesiology), with one fall, and Branson Bottorff (So., Mackinaw, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) both won twice at the sport’s biggest weight class.
125-pounder Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (Sr., Miramar, Fla., Sports Management) and 197-pounder Ray Lugo (So., Hollywood, Fla., Exercise Science) also won twice Saturday, while Marcus Wilson (Fr., Raytown, Mo., Industrial Management) pinned one foe at 125 pounds and Mason Walters (Independence, Mo., Exercise Science) defeated one opponent by major decision at 184 pounds.
“I am extremely proud of our performance,” Head Coach Aron Scott said. “Our effort was there all day. We beat some tough opponents and were in some close ones as well. It was a great start to the season and we look forward to continuing that momentum this week.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Forest City next Tuesday to battle Waldorf in a Heart of America Athletic Conference dual meet at 7 p.m.
