Laker grapplers second at RIT Invitational

The Oswego State wrestling team continued to perform well this season as the Lakers finished second with three individual champions at the 39th Annual RIT Invitational held in Rochester.

John Carroll University ranked tenth nationally tallied 147.5 points to claim the title in the 16-team field. The 18th-ranked Lakers earned 129.5 points to finish second just ahead of Johnson and Wales University with 125.5 points. Thiel College finished fourth with 87 points while SUNY Cortland rounded out the top five with 84 points.

Laker Tenkoran Agyeman (Bronx) claimed his third invitational title of the season as the senior won the 141- pound weight class. The two-time All-American defeated Luke Emmons of Rhode Island College by major decision 13-4 in the finals to claim his third consecutive RIT Invitational crown.

Agyeman opened the tournament with two falls as he pinned Robert Doherty of Johnson & Wales in 1:36 and Richard Chute of Rhode Island in 5:29. The Laker co-captain then defeated Mike Colagiavanni of Wilkes University by major decision 12-3 to advance to the finals. Agyeman improved to 14-0 on the year and 108-18 overall.

Dane LaPlante (Carthage/Beaver River) made it two titles in a row for Oswego as he claimed the 149-pound weight class. LaPlante the second seed in the tournament opened with a 4-0 decision over Ed Michno of the US Coast Guard Academy. The Laker sophomore won by fall over Jared Hirtz of Thiel in 5:52 to advance to the semi-finals where he defeated teammate Martino Barletta (Syracuse/Fowler) by the score of 10-3. LaPlante claimed his first collegiate title by defeating Anthony McCovey of Thiel College by the score of 10-6.

The final Laker title came at 165 pounds as senior Frank Petrucci (Montebello) defeated Corey Murphy of Thiel College by the score of 8-3 in the finals. Petrucci the top seed defeated Scott Marhoter of John Carroll by the score of 3-1 in the first round. The Laker captain then beat Brian Blevins of the US Coast Guard Academy by technical fall 17-2. Petrucci defeated Troy Tooley of Cortland 8-2 to advance to the championship match. Petrucci improved his record to 14-1 on the year.

Also contributing to the Laker scoring was Walter Sosnowski (Massapequa) who compiled a 4-1 record at 125 pounds for a third place finish. John Spinner (Malone/Franklin Academy) was 3-1 on the day at 125 pounds and finished fourth. Local product Josh LeVea (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) got untracked and compiled a 4-2 record and a fifth place finish at 133 pounds. The final Laker to place was freshman Martino Barletta who was fourth at 149 pounds with a 4-2 record.

Oswego State returns to the mat on Wednesday, Dec. 8, as they will host eighth ranked Ithaca College in dual meet action in Laker Hall's Max Ziel Gymnasium beginning at 7 pm.

39th Annual RIT Invitational Team Standings:
1) John Carroll 147.5; 2) Oswego State 129.5; 3) Johnson & Wales 125.5; 4) Thiel 87; 5) Cortland 84; 6) Wesleyan 83; 7) Rhode Island 79.5; 8) RIT 70.5; 9) Wilkes 62; 10) Baldwin Wallace 48; 11) USCGA 45.5; 12) Case Western 40; 13) Plymouth 37.5; 14) Morrisville 25; 15) MIT 23; 16) UNH 21.5.

Individual Championship Matches:
125 Brandon McDonough (JWU) wbf Matt Sganga (Cortland) 7:57 2ndtb; 133 lbs. Tim Lennox (JCU) maj.dec. Mike Lambert (MIT) 11-2; 141 lbs. Tenkoran Agyeman (Oswego) major dec. Luke Emmons (RIC) 13-4; 149 lbs. Dane LaPlante (Oswego) dec Anthony McCovey (Thiel) 10-6; 157 lbs. Chad Sutliff (RIT) dec. Jim Staneck (JCU) 6-1; 165 lbs. Frank Petrucci (Oswego) dec. Corey Murphey (Thiel) 8-3; 174 lbs. Tim Ruberg (JWU) dec. Mark Hawald (JCU) 7-3; 184 lbs. Josh Boyle (USCGA) dec. Ryan Summers (JCU) 3-2; 197 lbs. Devin Carmen (BW) dec. Brandon Kelly (Wilkes) 5-2; 285 lbs. Derek Bendau (JCU) wbf. Derek Ankney (JCU) :43