SALEM, Va. — The Washington and Lee University wrestling team opened its 2026-27 season Sunday at the Southeast Open presented by Resilite, earning three individual podium finishes and 18 total victories against a field featuring predominantly NCAA Division I competition.

Jacob Wright led the Generals with a third-place finish at 184 pounds, while Evan Owen placed fourth at 149 pounds and Noah Danforth took sixth at 165 pounds in the tournament's developmental bracket. Officially designated the Freshman/Sophomore Division, the bracket is open to wrestlers of all collegiate classifications and is designed to provide additional early-season competitive opportunities.

W&L also entered three wrestlers in the Men's Open Division, the tournament's highest competitive bracket, which is geared toward wrestlers seeking competition at the highest levels of Division I wrestling. Returning NCAA All-American Liam Flanagan (157), Giosuè Hickman (149) and Carter Stack (285) combined for six victories in the Open Division, including wins over opponents representing North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Chattanooga and Campbell.

The tournament featured competitors from numerous Division I programs, including Virginia Tech, NC State, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, George Mason, Appalachian State, Campbell, Ohio and Chattanooga, among others.

Flanagan paced the Generals' Open Division contingent with a 3-2 record at 157 pounds. After dropping his opening bout to Taylor Smith of Noke Wrestling RTC, the returning All-American responded with three consecutive consolation victories. He edged North Carolina's Cullen Kane, 8-5, in sudden victory before earning decisions over Chattanooga's Alexander Hutchcraft (4-2) and Campbell's Brandon Bauer (8-1). Flanagan's tournament concluded with an 11-2 major decision loss in a rematch against Smith.

G. Hickman added a pair of victories at 149 pounds, finishing 2-2 in the Open Division. Following a narrow 6-3 opening-round setback against West Virginia's TJ Langley, G. Hickman rebounded with a 6-1 decision over Virginia Tech's Christopher Bacchioni and an 8-1 victory against Maryland's Jackson Young. His tournament ended with a 6-4 loss to Appalachian State's Brayden Fahrbach.

At 285 pounds, Stack opened his Open Division competition with a 6-5 victory in the second tiebreaker period over Campbell's Sawyer Vanrider. The win advanced Stack to the quarterfinals, where he fell to Virginia Tech's Jimmy Mullen before concluding his tournament against Ohio's Wyatt Schmitt.

In the developmental bracket, Wright secured the Generals' highest individual placement with a third-place finish at 184 pounds. Following a first-round bye, Wright earned a 12-0 major decision over George Mason's Sean O'Keefe in the quarterfinals. He fell to George Mason's Dominic Sumpolec in the semifinals before bouncing back with an 11-4 decision against Mount Olive's Nicholas Mascolino in the third-place bout to finish 2-1.

Owen advanced to the 149-pound semifinals with three consecutive victories en route to fourth place. He opened with a 10-5 decision over Zahid Shujaee of Elevate before posting a 12-1 major decision against NC State's Michael Saba. Owen followed with a 9-4 quarterfinal victory over Jake Amiott of NC United before dropping a 6-2 semifinal decision to Drew Montgomery of Noke Wrestling RTC. He concluded his tournament with an 11-7 loss to Appalachian State's Brady Hand in the third-place match, finishing 3-2.

Danforth rounded out the Generals' podium finishes with a sixth-place showing at 165 pounds, posting a team-high four victories. He began the day with a first-round fall against Campbell's Malakhi Harrison before recording a 17-2 technical fall over Branson Dodge of Funky Monkey in 4:01. Following a 9-6 quarterfinal loss to West Virginia's Gage Wentzel, Danforth worked his way through the consolation bracket with a 9-6 decision over Noke Wrestling RTC's Topher Tryon and a 10-7 sudden-victory win against Appalachian State's Zachery Little. His tournament ended with a loss to West Virginia's Kaleo Garcia in the fifth-place bout.

Rob Pavlek added two victories at 141 pounds in the developmental bracket, including a 16-1 technical fall over VMI's John Ehrenberger and a 4-1 sudden-victory decision against Danny Gatto. Calvin Wiedemer also earned a victory at 133 pounds, defeating NC United's Paxton Kearns, 5-2.

The Southeast Open did not feature team scoring.

Up Next

Washington and Lee returns to competition Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Messiah Invitational in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with wrestling scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

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W&L Individual Results

Open Division

149 Pounds — Giosuè Hickman (2-2)

• Round of 32: Lost to TJ Langley (West Virginia), Dec. 6-3
• Consolation: Def. Christopher Bacchioni (Virginia Tech), Dec. 6-1
• Consolation: Def. Jackson Young (Maryland), Dec. 8-1
• Consolation: Lost to Brayden Fahrbach (Appalachian State), Dec. 6-4

157 Pounds — Liam Flanagan (3-2)

• Round of 32: Lost to Taylor Smith (Noke Wrestling RTC), Dec. 4-1
• Consolation: Def. Cullen Kane (North Carolina), Dec. 8-5 (SV)
• Consolation: Def. Alexander Hutchcraft (Chattanooga), Dec. 4-2
• Consolation: Def. Brandon Bauer (Campbell), Dec. 8-1
• Consolation: Lost to Taylor Smith (Noke Wrestling RTC), Maj. Dec. 11-2

285 Pounds — Carter Stack (1-2)

• Round of 16: Def. Sawyer Vanrider (Campbell), Dec. 6-5 (TB2)
• Quarterfinals: Lost to Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech), Tech. Fall 22-7 (3:00)
• Consolation: Lost to Wyatt Schmitt (Ohio), Maj. Dec. 14-1

Developmental Division

149 Pounds — Evan Owen (Fourth Place, 3-2)

• Round of 32: Def. Zahid Shujaee (Elevate), Dec. 10-5
• Round of 16: Def. Michael Saba (NC State), Maj. Dec. 12-1
• Quarterfinals: Def. Jake Amiott (NC United), Dec. 9-4
• Semifinals: Lost to Drew Montgomery (Noke Wrestling RTC), Dec. 6-2
• Third Place: Lost to Brady Hand (Appalachian State), Dec. 11-7

165 Pounds — Noah Danforth (Sixth Place, 4-2)

• Round of 32: Def. Malakhi Harrison (Campbell), Fall
• Round of 16: Def. Branson Dodge (Funky Monkey), Tech. Fall 17-2 (4:01)
• Quarterfinals: Lost to Gage Wentzel (West Virginia), Dec. 9-6
• Consolation: Def. Topher Tryon (Noke Wrestling RTC), Dec. 9-6
• Consolation: Def. Zachery Little (Appalachian State), Dec. 10-7 (SV)
• Fifth Place: Lost to Kaleo Garcia (West Virginia), Maj. Dec. 17-3

184 Pounds — Jacob Wright (Third Place, 2-1)

• Round of 16: Bye
• Quarterfinals: Def. Sean O'Keefe (George Mason), Maj. Dec. 12-0
• Semifinals: Lost to Dominic Sumpolec (George Mason), Fall
• Third Place: Def. Nicholas Mascolino (Mount Olive), Dec. 11-4

133 Pounds — Calvin Wiedemer (1-2)

• Round of 32: Def. Paxton Kearns (NC United), Dec. 5-2
• Round of 16: Lost to Collin Broxterman (Ohio), Tech. Fall 18-0 (4:15)
• Consolation: Lost to Cannan Smith (Ohio), Fall

141 Pounds — Robert Pavlek (2-2)

• Round of 32: Def. John Ehrenberger (VMI), Tech. Fall 16-1 (6:26)
• Round of 16: Def. Danny Gatto (Unaffiliated), Dec. 4-1 (SV)
• Quarterfinals: Lost to Cody Trevino (Davidson), Dec. 2-0
• Consolation: Lost to JoJo Gigliotti (Maryland), Maj. Dec. 11-3

165 Pounds — Jax Obe (0-2)

• Round of 32: Lost to Topher Tryon (Noke Wrestling RTC), Fall
• Consolation: Lost to Matthew Dailey (Unaffiliated), Dec. 8-2

By the Numbers

• 3: Developmental division podium finishes
• 3: Generals competing in the high-level Open Division
• 6: Open Division victories
• 18: Total individual victories
• 3: Technical falls
• 3: Major decisions
• 1: Fall
• 8: Generals recording at least one victory
• No team scoring was conducted at the tournament.

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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.