MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — The No. 8 Washington and Lee University wrestling team earned 10 individual podium finishes, highlighted by a championship performance from junior
Liam Flanagan at 157 pounds, as the Generals placed second among 11 teams at the Messiah Invitational on Saturday.
Washington and Lee totaled 140.5 team points, finishing behind Wisconsin-Eau Claire (169.5) and ahead of Elizabethtown (120.5), Brockport (119.5) and host Messiah (117.5). The Generals recorded one individual champion, two runners-up, two third-place finishes, one fourth-place finish, two fifth-place finishes and two sixth-place finishes.
Flanagan, a returning NCAA All-American ranked second nationally at 157 pounds, captured the title with a 4-2 decision over Elizabethtown's Zack Jaffe in the championship bout. He opened with consecutive falls over McDaniel's Chase Ullmann (5:25) and Messiah's Garret Fowler (6:00) before advancing through the quarterfinals by injury default and the semifinals by medical forfeit. Flanagan contributed a team-high 24 points.
Noah Danforth (165) and
Jacob Wright (184) each advanced to their respective championship bouts to earn runner-up finishes. Danforth recorded four consecutive bonus-point victories, including two falls, a technical fall and a major decision, before falling to top-ranked Keegan Demarest of Messiah in the finals. Wright reached the championship bout with three consecutive victories, including a 10-1 major decision over Wheaton's Jonathan Elsen, before falling to Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Zak McPhee.
Giosue Hickman (149) and eighth-ranked
Carter Stack (285) rounded out the Generals' top-three finishers. Hickman posted a 5-1 record, recording three technical falls, a fall and a major decision en route to third place, with his lone loss coming against No. 10 Landon Church of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He also led all tournament competitors with 82 total match points. Stack finished 4-1 with four bonus-point victories, including two technical falls and two falls, with his lone setback coming against No. 10 Sloan Welch of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He capped his tournament with a pin over Elizabethtown's Ksawery Niewadomy in the third-place bout.
Jacob Hillis (174) added a fourth-place finish, falling to No. 15 Justice Hockenberry-Folk of Elizabethtown in the semifinals, while
Calvin Wiedemer (133) and
Kweku Arthur-Mensah (197) each placed fifth. Wiedemer's tournament included a semifinal matchup against No. 4 Wyatt Unser of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Eli Chesla (141) and
Evan Owen (149) completed the Generals' podium finishes with sixth-place showings. Chesla faced No. 8 Andrew Schaen of Ursinus in the quarterfinals.
The Generals recorded 16 falls and 12 technical falls, combining for 28 victories by fall or technical fall. Washington and Lee also accumulated 604 total match points, the fourth-highest total among the 11 competing programs.
UP NEXT
Washington and Lee returns to Lexington for its Old Dominion Athletic Conference dual-meet opener against Randolph College on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. inside the Class of 1969 Doremus Gymnasium.
W&L INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
133 Pounds — Calvin Wiedemer (Fifth Place, 3-1 on the mat)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Carter Hoffman (Elizabethtown), Fall (4:31)
- Championship Round 2: Def. Lucas Raymond (Liberty), Fall (1:17)
- Quarterfinals: Def. Liam Qureshi (Johns Hopkins), Dec. 7-4
- Semifinals: Lost to Wyatt Unser (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, No. 4 Nationally), Tech. Fall 19-3 (6:50)
- Consolation Semifinals: Lost to Travis Moelter (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Medical Forfeit
- Fifth Place: Def. Aidan Flynn (Arcadia), Medical Forfeit
141 Pounds — Eli Chesla (Sixth Place, 4-2 on the mat)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Will Stapleton (Elizabethtown), Fall (2:10)
- Championship Round 2: Def. Andrew Dolezel (McDaniel), Tech. Fall 17-1 (6:33)
- Quarterfinals: Lost to Andrew Schaen (Ursinus, No. 8 Nationally), Maj. Dec. 11-1
- Consolation Round 4: Def. Jacob Plant (Arcadia), Fall (4:05)
- Consolation Round 5: Def. Rhys Ferguson (McDaniel), Tech. Fall 17-1 (4:00)
- Consolation Semifinals: Lost to Jacob Cunningham (Messiah), Dec. 8-2
- Fifth Place: No Contest vs. Shaun Quirk (Messiah)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Lucas Tirpak (Arcadia), Dec. 12-5
- Championship Round 2: Def. Rhys Ferguson (McDaniel), Tech. Fall 15-0 (3:48)
- Quarterfinals: Lost to Jacob Cunningham (Messiah), Dec. 4-1
- Consolation Round 4: Def. Max Apsel (Johns Hopkins), Fall (1:33)
- Consolation Round 5: Lost to Garrett VerHeecke (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Dec. 7-1
149 Pounds — Giosue Hickman (Third Place, 5-1)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Dan O'Dea (Brockport), Tech. Fall 23-7 (5:00)
- Championship Round 2: Def. Brennan Myra (Wheaton), Fall (0:29)
- Quarterfinals: Def. Freddy Pimental (Johns Hopkins), Tech. Fall 21-6 (4:44)
- Semifinals: Lost to Landon Church (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, No. 10 Nationally), Dec. 4-2
- Consolation Semifinals: Def. Evan Owen (Washington and Lee), Tech. Fall 20-4 (5:36)
- Third Place: Def. Freddy Pimental (Johns Hopkins), Maj. Dec. 13-5
149 Pounds — Evan Owen (Sixth Place, 4-2)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Brady Beaver (Wheaton), Fall (1:44)
- Championship Round 2: Def. Gordon Watson (Liberty), Dec. 8-3
- Quarterfinals: Lost to Levi Snyder (Messiah), Dec. 9-5
- Consolation Round 4: Def. Evan Shriberg (Ursinus), Fall (5:27)
- Consolation Round 5: Def. Brody Bishop (Johns Hopkins), Maj. Dec. 13-0
- Consolation Semifinals: Lost to Giosue Hickman (Washington and Lee), Tech. Fall 20-4 (5:36)
- Fifth Place: No Contest vs. Gabriel Goss (Brockport)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Casey Spina (Elizabethtown), Dec. 9-4
- Championship Round 2: Lost to Brody Bishop (Johns Hopkins), Fall (2:05)
- Consolation Round 2: Lost to Michael Horn (Arcadia), Dec. 9-7
157 Pounds — Liam Flanagan (Champion, 3-0 on the mat)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Chase Ullmann (McDaniel), Fall (5:25)
- Championship Round 2: Def. Garret Fowler (Messiah), Fall (6:00)
- Quarterfinals: Def. Mikey Hollar (Messiah), Injury Default (6:43)
- Semifinals: Def. Finn Bloomquist (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Medical Forfeit
- Championship: Def. Zack Jaffe (Elizabethtown), Dec. 4-2
- Championship Preliminary: Def. Nathan Cali (Liberty), Maj. Dec. 16-2
- Championship Round 1: Def. Soren Myra (Wheaton), Maj. Dec. 10-1
- Championship Round 2: Lost to Zack Jaffe (Elizabethtown), Tech. Fall 17-1 (4:58)
- Consolation Round 2: Def. Toben Miller (Liberty), Dec. 8-3
- Consolation Round 3: Lost to Justin Craig (Messiah), Maj. Dec. 14-4
165 Pounds — Noah Danforth (Runner-Up, 4-1)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Emil Corporan (Brockport), Fall (1:07)
- Championship Round 2: Def. Quinn Smith (Ursinus), Fall (0:50)
- Quarterfinals: Def. Dylan Forant (Brockport), Tech. Fall 17-1 (4:40)
- Semifinals: Def. Caleb Cox (Wheaton), Maj. Dec. 12-2
- Championship: Lost to Keegan Demarest (Messiah, No. 1 Nationally), Maj. Dec. 15-6
165 Pounds — Jax Obe (1-2 on the mat)
- Championship Round 1: Lost to Paul Sanderson (Elizabethtown), Dec. 12-6
- Consolation Round 1: Def. Vernon Jinks IV (Brockport), Fall (1:00)
- Consolation Round 2: Def. Gavin Fehr (Elizabethtown), Medical Forfeit
- Consolation Round 3: Lost to Riley Gutierrez (Arcadia), Dec. 4-1
- Championship Round 1: Lost to Aiden Hines (Elizabethtown), Fall (1:14)
- Consolation Round 1: Def. Noah Bernstein (Ursinus), Tech. Fall 20-5 (2:55)
- Consolation Round 2: Lost to Dillon Lombardi (Ursinus), Fall (1:44)
174 Pounds — Jacob Hillis (Fourth Place, 4-2)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Landon Lazarek (Brockport), Maj. Dec. 12-1
- Championship Round 2: Def. Sladen Wolf (Messiah), Tech. Fall 15-0 (2:57)
- Quarterfinals: Def. Jackson Hanselman (Johns Hopkins), Dec. 10-4
- Semifinals: Lost to Justice Hockenberry-Folk (Elizabethtown, No. 15 Nationally), Fall (1:18)
- Consolation Semifinals: Def. Crew Farrell (Liberty), Dec. 4-1
- Third Place: Lost to Brady Brewick (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Fall (6:34)
184 Pounds — Jacob Wright (Runner-Up, 3-1)
- Championship Round 1: Bye
- Championship Round 2: Def. Jonathan Elsen (Wheaton), Maj. Dec. 10-1
- Quarterfinals: Def. Sergio Garcia (Messiah), Dec. 5-1
- Semifinals: Def. Avery Bustamante (Brockport), Dec. 8-2
- Championship: Lost to Zak McPhee (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Fall (4:34)
- Championship Round 1: Def. Jacob Speed (Elizabethtown), Dec. 5-4
- Championship Round 2: Def. John Gregory (McDaniel), Fall (4:26)
- Quarterfinals: Lost to Ezra Masood (Messiah), Dec. 4-1 (SV)
- Consolation Round 4: Lost to Jonathan Heiser (Elizabethtown), Dec. 10-4
- Championship Round 1: Def. Soren Wynn (McDaniel), Dec. 6-5
- Championship Round 2: Lost to Evananegelo Mercado (Arcadia), Maj. Dec. 12-0
- Consolation Round 2: Lost to Omid Shirzoi (McDaniel), Forfeit
- Championship Round 1: Def. Jesse Rappazzo (Wheaton), Tech. Fall 25-10 (5:51)
- Quarterfinals: Lost to Gavin Wagner (Elizabethtown), Fall (6:23)
- Consolation Round 2: Def. Seamus Carroll (Brockport), Maj. Dec. 11-0
- Consolation Round 3: Def. Luke Herendeen (Brockport), Dec. 4-0
- Consolation Semifinals: Lost to Isaac Ogunlade (McDaniel), Dec. 2-1 (SV)
- Fifth Place: Def. Jake Gross (Ursinus), Dec. 11-4
285 Pounds — Carter Stack (Third Place, 4-1)
- Championship Round 1: Bye
- Championship Round 2: Def. Alex Copestick (Wheaton), Tech. Fall 17-1 (6:32)
- Quarterfinals: Def. Xavier Nichols (McDaniel), Fall (2:33)
- Semifinals: Lost to Sloan Welch (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, No. 10 Nationally), Dec. 4-1
- Consolation Semifinals: Def. Brody Perry (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Tech. Fall 15-0 (3:00)
- Third Place: Def. Ksawery Niewadomy (Elizabethtown), Fall (4:28)
- Championship Round 1: Bye
- Championship Round 2: Lost to Jeffrey Gessner (Arcadia), Maj. Dec. 20-10
- Consolation Round 2: Bye
- Consolation Round 3: Lost to Brandon Romero (Liberty), Dec. 4-1
BY THE NUMBERS
- 2nd: Washington and Lee's finish among 11 competing teams.
- 140.5: Team points scored by the Generals.
- 10: Individual placewinners, including one champion, two runners-up, two third-place finishes, one fourth-place finish, two fifth-place finishes and two sixth-place finishes.
- 24: Team points contributed by Liam Flanagan, the most by a W&L wrestler.
- 16: Falls recorded by Washington and Lee, fourth-most among participating teams, with a combined fall time of 47:05.
- 12: Technical falls recorded by the Generals, tied for second-most in the tournament, with a combined time of 55:36.
- 28: Combined falls and technical falls, fourth-most in the field.
- 604: Total match points scored by W&L, fourth-most among the 11 teams.
- 82: Total match points scored by Giosue Hickman, the highest individual total in the tournament.
- 59: Total match points scored by Kweku Arthur-Mensah, tied for seventh-most among tournament competitors.
- 0:29: Hickman's fall over Wheaton's Brennan Myra.
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
169.5 |
| 2 |
Washington and Lee |
140.5 |
| 3 |
Elizabethtown |
120.5 |
| 4 |
Brockport |
119.5 |
| 5 |
Messiah |
117.5 |
| 6 |
Ursinus |
88.0 |
| 7 |
Johns Hopkins |
71.5 |
| 8 |
Arcadia |
68.5 |
| 9 |
Liberty |
56.0 |
| 10 |
McDaniel |
49.0 |
| 11 |
Wheaton |
36.5 |
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.
