HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. – The Ursinus College men's wrestling team made their debut at the Gator Boot Duals finishing with an 1-2 record from Hendersonville High School on Saturday afternoon.
 

Sophomore Max Parnis went unblemished 3-0 at 149lbs for the Bears who now sit at 2-4 on the young season after losing to University of Ozarks (22-19) and Luther College (36-10), while defeating Averett University 27-14 in the finale.  

"I'm really proud of how our guys responded today," Director of Wrestling Joe Jamison said. "This event was incredibly tough and we went toe-to-toe with some of the nation's best and didn't back down. It was great to see where we stack up and now we know what we need to work on to improve. We will not shy away from tough competition. It was great to have some of our guys back in the lineup, and Max Parnis was lights out today."
 
University of Ozarks 22, Ursinus 19

The Bears opening dual came down to the final bout at 285lbs as tied 19-19, Ozarks' Jadaan Anderson earned a 5-4 decision over first-year Samuel Rock III to earn the 22-19 match victory. The Eagles jumped out to an early 13-0 lead through the first three matches as a pin, 13-3 major decision, and a 12-8 decision left Ursinus trailing heading into the 149lb match.
 
Parnis brought the Bears deficit to seven as he earned a fall at the 1:31-mark of the first period over Hayden Rofkahr to bring the match score to 13-6. The Eagles responded with back-to-back decisions as 149 and 157lbs to stretch their advantage to 19-6 with four matches remaining. Senior Dante Monaco made his season debut for Ursinus at 157lbs, but fell by an 8-5 score in sudden victory. At 174lbs, junior Anthony Cerulli responded with a pin over Gabriel Sheikh at the 1:30-mark, while a 13-5 major decision from classmate Nils Updale made the Bears deficit 19-16. For Updale, it marks his first appearance this season for the Bears and his return to 184lbs after wrestling at 197lbs last season.
 
Senior Connor Fritsch recorded a 6-1 decision at 197lbs over Robert Morris to even the match score heading into the final bout. Unfortunately for the Bears, Ozarks' Anderson earned the close 5-4 decision resulting in the 22-19 defeat for Ursinus.

 
Luther College 36, Ursinus 10

Senior Franco Mazza gave Ursinus an early lead with a 20-7 major decision over Luther's Yoursuf Zigan to give Ursinus a 4-0 lead after the 125lb match. The Norse responded with a fall at 133lbs and a 4-1 sudden victory decision at 141lbs to regain a 9-4 heading into the 149lb match. Parnis put the Bears back ahead wit his second pin of the day over Luther's Derren Adams to give the Bears a 12-10 match lead. Luther responded with six consecutive victories including four by bonus points to give the Norse a 36-10 match victory.
 
 
Ursinus 27, Averett University 14

The Cougars jumped out to an early 6-0 lead behind back-to-back decisions at 125 and 133lbs. In the opening bout, Mazza fell by a 7-1 decision to nationally ranked No. 3 Mason Barrett while junior, while classmate Michael Adams fell by a 9-5 score against Averett's AJ Orlando. Ursinus responded with three straight victories as sophomore Andrew Shaen regained the momentum for the Bears with an 11-8 sudden victory over Trey Ruehl to make the match score 6-3. At 149lbs, Parnis capped off his stellar tournament performance with his third straight first period pin with a fall over Andres Cortes to give Ursinus a 9-6 advantage.
 

Monaco extended the Bears lead to six with a 7-2 decision over Cooper Comer at 157lbs, but a technical fall at 165lbs cut the Bears advantage to 12-11. Cerulli, Updale, and sophomore Mohamed Abdelatty closed out the contest winning three of the final four bouts enroute to the 27-14 victory. Cerulli added a first-period fall at the 1:37-mark over Tyler Nicholas Ritz, while Updale provided a key victory by a 5-2 decision to stretch the Bears lead to 21-11. Abdelatty closed out the tournament with a first-period fall at the 2:24-mark over Braeden Fluke to give Ursinus the 27-14 victory.
 

The Bears will enjoy the holiday season before returning to action on Saturday, January 11th to host the Manganaro Duals at 10 a.m. from the Floy Lewis Bakes Center.