CLARION, Pa. — With a loaded field of nearly 400 total competitors, including a host of nationally-ranked wrestlers from across the country, the Golden Eagle wrestling team kicked off their season with the Clarion Open at Tippin Gymnasium on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles boasted four semifinalists and three finalists on the day en route to a fourth-place finish as a team.
Some of the most eye-popping results of the day came in the 285-pound bracket, as John Meyers–a transfer from Seton Hill–worked his way to the finals, including an upset win over his bracket’s top seed.
Meyers started the day with an 8-3 decision over Kent State’s Brentan Simmerman, and a major decision over Michigan State’s James Campbell. The quarterfinal bout with Columbia’s Nolan Neves was a tight one, with neither man recording anything other than an escape through the first six minutes.
At that point Neves came in on a single leg and elevated, attempting to drive Meyers back and to the mat. Meyers kept his balance and used Neves’ momentum against him, spinning around and throwing him to his back for a quick third period fall.
Meyers then authored what was perhaps the biggest upset of the day for any Golden Eagle, beating Bucknell’s Dorian Crosby in the semifinal. Crosby–ranked 24th in FloWrestling’s opening rankings and a 2023 NCAA qualifier–could not manage a takedown against Meyers, but the latter was able to ride him down in a thunderous takedown early in the second period to take a 4-0 lead.
Meyers held on for a 4-3 decision for the upset victory, though he fell by decision in the final to another nationally-ranked opponent, Ohio State’s Nick Feldman.
The other two finalists for the Golden Eagles on Sunday were Alejandro Herrera-Rondon and Cam Pine, making their respective championship matches at 157 and 184 pounds. Herrera-Rondon picked up a technical fall over Columbia’s David Berkovich to start his day and then added a major decision over another Columbia athlete, beating Tyler Barrett by a 14-3 score.
After topping Kent State’s Dillon Carlson by decision in the quarterfinal match, Herrera-Rondon won a tight defensive bout against Pittsburgh’s Jared Keslar in the semifinal. It was a rare bout without a takedown, as Herrera-Rondon took a 1-0 lead on a second period escape.
Keslar took the down position to start the third period in an attempt to tie the match, but Herrera-Rondon rode him for the duration of the period to not only keep his opponent from scoring but also to snatching the riding point in the process, making it a 2-0 decision. Herrera-Rondon’s day ended in the championship match against 15th-ranked Paddy Gallagher of Ohio State, with the latter winning by 11-1 major decision.
Pine, meanwhile, rattled off three straight bonus point results to start his day. He kicked things off with a first period fall over Columbia’s Joseph Curtis, pinning him just 45 seconds into their bout, and then posted an 18-3 technical fall over Michigan State’s Luke Vanadia. Pine majored Navy’s Daniel Williams in the quarterfinal round and then took a close match over Purdue’s James Rowley, beating him by a 5-2 decision to make his way to the 184-pound championship bout. He faced off with Pittsburgh’s Reece Heller, with the latter earning a tech fall for the win.
John Worthing came up just short of joining his teammates in the finals, reaching the semifinals at 174 pounds. The 2023 NCAA qualifier won his opening round bout against Edinboro’s Gabe Stafford by 14-2 major decision, and then picked up a come-from-behind win by fall over Bucknell’s Myles Takats.
Takats started the third period in the top position and tilted Worthing for a two-point near fall, taking a 7-3 lead, but Worthing managed to not just reverse him but bring him to his back and pin him for the victory.
Worthing picked up an 8-0 major decision over Buffalo’s Dylan Schell but dropped his next match against Ohio State’s Rocco Welsh, losing by 5-2 decision and ultimately taking third in the bracket.
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