Full Results
GRANTHAM, Pa. – Behind eight wrestlers earning top-six finishes, the Ursinus College men's wrestling team placed third in their season opener at the Messiah Invitational on Saturday.
 
 
Junior Anthony Cerulli paced the Bears lineup by placing first in the 174lb weight class behind a perfect 5-0 record including three first-period pins. Senior Franco Mazza (125lbs) also made the championship bout but finished second, while junior Michael Adams joined Mazza on the podium with a third-place finish in the 125lb bracket.
 

Sophomores Andrew Schaen (141lbs), Max Parnis (149lbs), and Mohamed Abdelatty (285lbs) made an instant impact by each placing fourth in their respective weight classes. At 197lbs, sophomore Jake Gross placed sixth and first-year Samuel Rock III shined in his collegiate debut by taking third at 285lbs.
 
 
Messiah University won the team championship behind a total score of 162.5 with Washington & Lee taking second with a final tally of 161. Behind Ursinus (121), Elizabethtown College (115) placed fourth with Centennial Conference foes McDaniel College (110) earning fifth-place, and Johns Hopkins (58.5) ranking eighth.
 
 
 "The boys wrestled really well today," Director of Wrestling Joseph Jamison said. "The first tournament of the season gives us an early look at what we're doing well, and we need to work on. Everyone that competed today wrestled whistle to whistle with a lot of energy, and as coaches that's all we can really ask for."
 

Cerulli opened with three consecutive first period falls, before using an 18-2 technical fall over Johns Hopkins' Connor Powell in the semifinals to make the finals. In the championship bout, he met Messiah's Austin Brass and earned a victory via an 8-5 decision to win the 174lb bracket. Last season, Brass placed eighth at Regionals and is currently ranked sixth in Region III. Cerulli clinched the match with a takedown with 43 seconds remaining in the third period.
 

In the 125lb bracket, Mazza and Adams shined on the top half of the bracket before meeting in the semifinals. Mazza recorded a technical fall in his opening bout and advanced to the semis with a 10-5 decision over Washington & Lee's Ben Rubin. Meanwhile, Adams tallied a 51-second fall in his first match and advanced to the semifinals with a second period fall over Liberty's Aiden Scheeringa. Mazza collected a 10-8 decision over Adams, before falling in the finals to McDaniel's Alex DuFour via a major decision. Adams won his third-place match via a 17-2 technical fall and finished his day with a 4-1 record with each victory coming via bonus points.
 
 
Schaen earned his first two victories by technical fall, before advancing to the semifinals via a victory by disqualification. He dropped his next match against Washington and Lee's Skyler Hickman via a 7-3 decision, before bouncing back with a 14-4 major decision over Brockport's Jaden Friel to advance to the third-place match. At 149lbs, Parnis finished with a 4-2 record with each victory coming via bonus points. He won each of his first two bouts by technical fall, while a pinfall, and technical fall landed him a fourth-place finish.
 

At 285lbs, Rock III and Abdelatty shined for the Bears by finishing third and fourth, respectively. Abdelatty collected a pair of pinfalls throughout his day, while Rock III dropped his opening bout, before rallying off five straight victories to place third in his collegiate debut including a victory by medical forfeit by Abdelatty in the consolation championship.
 

First-years Aiden Leypoldt (133lbs), Matt Copeland (141lbs), Nicolas Brockson (141lbs), Michael Filoon (165lbs), and Aidan Healey (197lbs) each earned their first collegiate victories on the day.
 
 
The Bears will return to action on Saturday, November 9th as they host their annual Racich Rumble at 10 a.m. from the Floy Lewis Bakes Field House.