No. 3 Cardinals surge past Seton Hill on Senior Night, 26-19
February 8, 2019
WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 8) - Despite falling behind on the scoreboard early on, the No. 3 Wheeling Jesuit University wrestling team rallied for a 26-19 dual win over Seton Hill on Senior Night Friday inside the McDonough Center.
The Cardinals, ranked No. 3 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II poll, close out the dual season at 14-3 overall and establish a new program-record for wins in a single-season.
"What a fun dual for the fans tonight," Head Coach Danny Irwin said afterward. "It offered everything you could want! I'm proud of the way we competed and that we were able to come out of it on top!"
Things started off great for the Cardinals when freshman Frankie Bonura (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) earned a technical fall at 125 pounds to open the night. Seton Hill claimed four of the next five matches, which included two falls and a major decision to establish a 19-8 lead in the dual. The one exception was an entertaining bout at 141, where senior Brandon Tenney (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) earned a hard-fought 8-6 decision.
Wheeling Jesuit got things rolling at 174, where No. 5 ranked Connor Craig (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) battled for a 12-7 decision over defending regional-champion Damon Greenwald.
"Connor Craig continues to grow and is building confidence that he can score points in a lot of different ways," said Irwin afterwards. "He has moved past letting a takedown against him rattle him in any way. To beat one of their studs on his birthday makes it a even better day for him!"
Sophomore Aidan Pasiuk (Carrollton, Ohio/Carrollton) had one of the most exciting moments of the night when he earned a fall with less than two seconds remaining in the second period of his match to bring the Cardinals back to within two points, 19-17, on the scoreboard.
Junior Greg Brusco (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) followed suit with a major-decision at 197 to give Wheeling Jesuit the lead, before senior Terrance Fanning (Bruceton Mills, W.Va./Preston) closed out the night with a dominant 18-2 technical fall in his final home dual to seal the victory for the Cardinals.
"It was cool for Terrance to have the opportunity to cap the night off for us," Irwin said. "He is fun to watch and is a crowd favorite. What is special to me though is that he is my daughters "buddy boy" and treats everyone he comes across with respect and sincerity!"
Fanning commented on the home crowd and was very grateful for the opportunity to wrestle at Wheeling Jesuit following the dual.
"There is no experience like it," he said. "Having a small school and community come together to support us and cheering as loud as they can! It's one of the happiest times in my life I've ever been wrestling here. I will miss wrestling at Wheeling Jesuit University and the community, students, and faculty cheering and supporting us."
Prior to the dual, the Cardinals honored their five senior student-athletes for their contributions to the program over the past four years. Along with Tenney and Fanning, the team honored seniors Nat Brown (Crownsville, Md./St. Marys), Tyler Houge (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central), and Keegan Driscoll (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley).
"We have five amazing men graduating out of our program this year," Irwin said. "They have helped make Wheeling Jesuit a special place to wrestle and get an education. More importantly they have made it family and showed the younger guys how to welcome the next class of men in."
The Cardinals will set their sights on the NCAA East Super Regional on Saturday, February 23 at nearby West Liberty University.
#3 Wheeling Jesuit 26, Seton Hill 19
125: Frankie Bonura (WJU) def. Derrick Christie (SHU) TF 16-1
133: Alan Diltz (SHU) def. Alex Godinez (WJU) FALL 0:58
141: Brandon Tenney (WJU) def. Tyler Kenney (SHU) DEC 8-6
149: Austin Shaw (SHU) def. Tyler Alberts (WJU) MD 11-3
157: Alec Shaw (SHU) def. Dylan Taylor (WJU) DEC 14-12
165: Jake Willochell def. Christian Rivera (WJU) FALL 1:39
174: #5 Connor Craig (WJU) def. Damon Greenwald (SHU) DEC 12-7
184: Aidan Pasiuk (WJU) def. Billy Bowlen (SHU) FALL 2:58
197: Greg Brusco (WJU) def. Jody Crouse (SHU) MD 12-2
285: #2 Terrance Fanning (WJU) def. Jake Beistel (SHU) TF 18-2
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