KINGS POINT, N.Y. – With nine wrestlers placing in the top four of their respective weight classes, the Ursinus College men's wrestling team returned to the top of the Centennial Conference mountain, capturing first place at the Centennial Conference Championships on Saturday at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

 
The Bears advanced six wrestlers to the championship finals and won three titles to claim their league-leading 14th Centennial Conference crown. Ursinus totaled 93.5 points to earn its third conference title in the last four years.
 

Gettysburg College finished second with 87.5 points, while host Merchant Marine placed third with 70. Muhlenberg took fourth with 48, McDaniel finished fifth with 40.5, and Johns Hopkins rounded out the six-team field in sixth with 33.5.
 

Seniors Anthony Cerulli (174) and Nils Updale (184), along with junior Mohamed Abdelatty (285), captured individual championships. Senior Michael Adams (125) and juniors Andrew Schaen (141) and Braden Kmak (157) each reached the finals and placed second. Sophomore Blaise Verdino (133) and junior Sean Cowan (197) earned third-place finishes, while junior Samuel Teti placed fourth at 149.
 

"We're proud of the guys for bringing the title back home," director of wrestling Joe Jamison said. "Today wasn't perfect, but we had a lot of guys step up and score points when we needed them. We'll enjoy this for the weekend, and then it's back to work on Monday."
 

Cerulli, the fourth-ranked wrestler at 174 in Region III, was dominant on his way to his second career Centennial Conference championship. After receiving a bye into the semifinals, he pinned McDaniel's Alex Taylor at the 1:40 mark to advance to the title bout. In the finals, Cerulli defeated Gettysburg's Justin Richey by 15-0 technical fall to win Centennial gold. The Churchville, Pennsylvania, native scored the opening takedown before adding four-point near-fall sequences to secure the victory. Cerulli extended his winning streak to nine straight matches and improved to 34-7 on the season.
 
 
At 184 pounds, Updale earned his first Centennial title after runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025. Following a first-round bye, he posted a 10-0 major decision over Merchant Marine's Aidan Dugan to reach the finals. Against Muhlenberg's Nick Stump, Updale trailed early but stayed within reach entering the third period. Starting from bottom, he earned an escape and secured two takedowns in the final stanza to claim a 13-4 major decision. Updale improved to 25-5 and has won 11 of his last 12 matches.
 

Abdelatty, ranked second in Region III and 11th nationally at 285 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, earned his first career conference championship after placing third last season. He went 2-0 with two pins, extending his winning streak to 20 straight matches. Abdelatty pinned Johns Hopkins' Jake Pomykata at the 1:18 mark in the semifinals before earning another first-period fall over McDaniel's Kaden Bryan at the 1:06 mark in the championship bout. He improved to 26-1 on the season.
 

At 125 pounds, Adams earned a runner-up finish after placing third last season at 133. He received a bye into the semifinals and defeated Gettysburg's Noah Hinkel by 17-6 major decision. In the finals, Adams fell by technical fall to Muhlenberg's CJ Horvath. He will enter regionals with a 24-8 record and is ranked sixth in Region III.
 

At 141 pounds, Schaen earned his second consecutive runner-up finish after placing fourth in 2024. The Harbeson, Delaware, native recorded an 11-0 major decision over McDaniel's Andrew Dolezel in the semifinals but fell to Gettysburg's Brendan Callahan in the finals. Schaen is 33-7 this season and ranked fifth in Region III.
 

Kmak added another runner-up finish at 157 pounds. The Region III's second-ranked wrestler entered the finals after earning a 13-8 overtime victory over Johns Hopkins' Giorgio Difalco. With the match tied 8-8 in sudden victory, Kmak countered a single-leg attempt and converted for the winning takedown with near-fall points. In the finals, he fell to Gettysburg's Gavin Pascoe by 7-0 decision to finish second. Kmak holds a 36-7 record this season.
 

In his first career appearance at the Centennial Championships, Verdino placed third at 133 pounds. After dropping his opening bout, he rebounded with a pin of Muhlenberg's Max Rotter in 3:46 and earned an 11-5 decision over McDaniel's Neil Sharma in the consolation finals.
 
 
 At 197 pounds, Cowan also finished third, improving to 31-8 on the season. After an opening loss, he responded with a fall over Johns Hopkins' Charles Dunn to reach the consolation finals. Cowan dominated Gettysburg's Phil Nave with an early lead and went on to win by 19-1 technical fall to secure third place.

 
Teti rounded out Ursinus' medalists with a fourth-place finish at 149. After an opening loss, he pinned Merchant Marine's Aidan Krass to reach the third-place bout but fell to Johns Hopkins' Fredy Pimental by 15-7 major decision.

 
The Bears will begin preparation for the NCAA Division III Region III Championships, which start Friday, February 27th.