CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton wrestling team split its matchups against two top-25 ranked opponents in Saturday's Castleton Tri-Match, hosted in Glenbrook Gym. The team fell to No. 4 Roanoke, 26-16, in the second dual of the day before closing out the evening with a thrilling 28-14 victory over No. 24 Stevens.
No. 4 Roanoke 26, Castleton 16
Drew Marchese started the Spartans off at 125 pounds, taking down Connor Lenahan, 8-0 for a win via major decision, putting Castleton up 4-0.
Aidan Shufelt matched up with Jude Robson at 133 pounds, but fell 17-2 via technical fall.
Stone Farnsworth battled the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country at 141 pounds, Mark Samuel, but fell 20-5 for a technical fall loss. At 149 pounds,
Nicolas Balella fell 22-3 via technical fall against Taylor Smith, the No. 5-ranked wrestler nationally.
Nathaniel Camiscioli and Casey Smith met for a top-10 matchup at 157 pounds. Camiscioli, ranked sixth in the country, grabbed a tight 1-0 win via decision from riding time over the ninth-ranked Smith.
At 165 pounds,
Jashon Holmes earned a 2-0 decision win over Kyle Lee, cutting the Maroons' lead to 15-10, just over halfway through the dual. At 174 pounds,
Colby Celuck battled with No. 5 Xavier Preston, but fell via technical fall, 15-0, as Roanoke took a 20-10 lead. No. 14
Desmond McLaughlin won his first of two matches today at 184 pounds, upsetting No. 7 Vincenzo Corvetto with a 12-5 decision victory. At 197 pounds,
Josh Negron also grabbed his first of two wins on the day, with a 7-2 decision win over Hunter Moore.
Keonta Crawford battled with Lorenzo Pellot at 285 pounds, but was pinned in 2:41 as Roanoke took the 26-16 victory.
Castleton 28, No. 24 Stevens 14
Dual two of the day for Castleton saw Marchese nab a 19-4 technical fall win at 125 pounds against Charles Piccione, putting the Spartans up 5-0. Shufelt bounced back from match one and took a commanding 18-2 win via technical fall against Vincent Principe at 133 pounds, putting Castleton up by 10. Farnsworth met with No. 14 Nico Diaz at 141 pounds, falling via major decision, 17-4. At 149 pounds, Balella fell 11-1 to No. 10 Cole Handlovic, and Camiscioli fell 4-0 via decision at 157 pounds against No. 4 Ryan Smith, as the Ducks took the lead, 11-10.
Castleton's comeback started with Holmes at 165 pounds, with a 13-11 decision win to take back the lead by two (13-11). Celuck dropped a close 5-4 decision against Ian Flanagan at 174 pounds, with Stevens taking a 14-13 edge with only three matches left. McLaughlin wasted no time in his second win of the day at 184 pounds, pinning Sawyer Pugh in 1:16 to put the Spartans ahead 19-14. At 197 pounds, Negron battled with Cole Greiner as the crowd erupted when he pinned him in 1:35, putting Castleton up 25-14 heading into the final match of the day. Crawford used the energy as momentum in the final match at 285 pounds, taking a 5-2 win via decision as Castleton upset Stevens, 28-14.
The team takes a short break for the holiday and returns to action on Saturday, December 6, when they head to Maine for the Ted Reece Invitational, hosted by Southern Maine, at 10 a.m.
