WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Washington and Lee University's wrestling team earned a 23-16 victory over Messiah University on Saturday morning in the semifinals of the 5-8 pod bracket at the Budd Whitehill National Duals. The Generals then finished in 6th place after a narrow 26-22 loss to No. 14 Stevens Institute of Technology in the 5th-place match.
In the semifinal bout against Messiah, W&L started strong with a first-period fall by Anthony Urso (125 pounds) and a major decision by Calvin Wiedemer (133 pounds). Evan Lindner (149 pounds) added another major decision, while John Santowski (197 pounds) and Carter Stack (285 pounds) closed the match with key wins. Satowksi's decision win over regionally-ranked Sawyer Deresynki put the Generals within striking distance of Messiah at 16-14 and Stack's second-period fall sealed the victory for the Generals.
Messiah performed well in the middleweight classes, highlighted by a major decision from Ryder Slayton (184 pounds), but W&L's dominance at the lower and upper weights proved decisive.
In the 5th-place match, Washington and Lee faced 14th-ranked Stevens, which advanced with a 34-19 win over Wilkes. The Generals started strong, earning a forfeit win at 125 pounds for Anthony Urso and a first-period fall by Vincent Ziccardi (133 pounds). Calvin Wiedemer (141 pounds) added a decision victory, while John Santowski (197 pounds) and Carter Stack (285 pounds) contributed key wins, with Stack securing a major decision.
Santowski's impressive 5-1 decision came against Blaise Wagner, ranked ninth nationally, but it wasn't enough to give Stack an opportunity to clinch the win over the Ducks.
Stevens, featuring four nationally ranked wrestlers in its lineup, gained critical momentum in the middleweight classes, recording four bonus-point wins, including three falls, to edge out W&L and secure 5th place. The Generals concluded the Budd Whitehill National Duals with a 6th-place finish out of 16 teams, demonstrating strong performances and competitiveness throughout the tournament.
For more information and results from the duals click, HERE.
UP NEXT:
The Blue and White will host Ferrum College in an ODAC dual on Thursday, January 16 at 7 p.m. in the Class of 1969 Doreumus Gymnasium.
Washington and Lee Wrestling Defeats Messiah, Advances to 5-8 Pod Finals
| Weight Class |
Match Summary |
W&L |
MESS |
| 125 |
Anthony Urso (Washington & Lee) over Austin Jeffrey (Messiah) Fall 0:56 |
6.0 |
0.0 |
| 133 |
Calvin Wiedemer (Washington & Lee) over Mason Casey (Messiah) Maj 14-5 |
4.0 |
0.0 |
| 141 |
Camerin Deville (Messiah) over Isaiah Wilson (Washington & Lee) Dec 5-4 |
0.0 |
3.0 |
| 149 |
Evan Lindner (Washington & Lee) over Dalton Monger (Messiah) Maj 20-6 |
4.0 |
0.0 |
| 157 |
Clay Gainer (Messiah) over Colin Bridges (Washington & Lee) Dec 8-2 |
0.0 |
3.0 |
| 165 |
Keegan Demarest (Messiah) over Mark Troni (Washington & Lee) Dec 4-1 |
0.0 |
3.0 |
| 174 |
Austin Brass (Messiah) over Jacob Wright (Washington & Lee) Dec 4-3 |
0.0 |
3.0 |
| 184 |
Ryder Slayton (Messiah) over Jack McCusker (Washington & Lee) Maj 11-0 |
0.0 |
4.0 |
| 197 |
John Santowski (Washington & Lee) over Sawyer Dereszynski (Messiah) Dec 8-2 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
| 285 |
Carter Stack (Washington & Lee) over Micah Martinez (Messiah) Fall 2:17 |
6.0 |
0.0 |
| Dual Meet Score |
|
23.0 |
16.0 |
W&L Finishes 6th at Budd Whitehill National Duals with Narrow Loss to Stevens
| Weight Class |
Match Summary |
W&L |
STE |
| 125 |
Anthony Urso (Washington & Lee) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf |
6.0 |
0.0 |
| 133 |
Vincent Ziccardi (Washington & Lee) over Naci Robinson (Stevens) Fall 1:44 |
6.0 |
0.0 |
| 141 |
Calvin Wiedemer (Washington & Lee) over Joseph Bodnar (Stevens) Dec 10-7 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
| 149 |
Carmen Cortese (Stevens) over Tharun Svetanant (Washington & Lee) Fall 6:28 |
0.0 |
6.0 |
| 157 |
Ryan Smith (Stevens) over William Flanagan (Washington & Lee) Maj 22-10 |
0.0 |
4.0 |
| 165 |
Christopher Stathopoulos (Stevens) over Mark Troni (Washington & Lee) Maj 11-2 |
0.0 |
4.0 |
| 174 |
Harrison Hinojosa (Stevens) over Jacob Wright (Washington & Lee) Fall 1:55 |
0.0 |
6.0 |
| 184 |
Joel Martsinovsky (Stevens) over Evan Surmay (Washington & Lee) Fall 2:46 |
0.0 |
6.0 |
| 197 |
John Santowski (Washington & Lee) over Blaise Wagner (Stevens) Dec 5-1 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
| 285 |
Carter Stack (Washington & Lee) over Maximo Ruiz (Stevens) Maj 13-2 |
4.0 |
0.0 |
| Dual Meet Score |
|
22.0 |
26.0 |
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
