The Road to the Circle ?
— Utica Pioneers (@Utica_Pioneers) November 5, 2026
With their season-opening dual at Onondaga CC on Saturday, the Pioneers are ready to hit the mat! Check out the Utica men’s wrestling season preview on our athletics site for more on the season ahead!
#FearTheMoose #GoPioneers #d3wrestle https://t.co/XNsgqKc5Z8
Men’s Wrestling to Begin 2026-27 Slate at Onondaga CC Dual
UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's wrestling team will begin its fourth season of competition on Saturday, November 7th, when the Pioneers travel to face Onondaga Community College at 1:00 pm. Utica enters the 2026-27 campaign under the direction of new head coach Pankil Chander, who enters with a strong coaching resume. The orange and blue return several experienced wrestlers from a squad that posted the program's first winning dual record last season.
Last Season at a Glance: The Pioneers finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 5-2 dual record, improving upon their 2-12 mark from the previous season. Utica wrestlers combined for 104 individual victories, including 46 wins by fall. Seven of those victories via fall belonged to returning 133-pounder Rian Kirker (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook), who went 11-13 during his junior campaign.
Matt Bonato (Syracuse, NY/Liverpool) added nine wins, including four technical falls and three falls, while Lukas Charles (Nyack, NY/Nyack), Marco Milankovic (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park), and TJ Monahan (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue) each collected five victories. The Pioneers will look to that returning group and their fellow veterans to build on last season's progress.
Chander Takes Charge: Chander became the third head coach in the program's history when he was hired in May 2026. He comes to Utica after two seasons as associate head coach at his alma mater, Wilkes University, where he helped coach NCAA Championships finalist Cam Butka and three NCAA Championships qualifiers. The Colonels also produced 12 NCAA All-Region wrestlers during his two seasons.
Prior to his return to Wilkes, Chander spent two seasons as the head coach at Penn College. Under his leadership, the Wildcats earned their first national top-25 team ranking, first winning dual record, and first NCAA Championships appearance. Penn College also claimed its first tournament team title at the RIT Invitational and recorded its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent during his tenure.
Joining Chander is Justin Fortugno, a former Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestler who won a WIAC championship and qualified for the NCAA Championships during the 2025-26 season. A two-time Academic All-American, Fortugno joins the Pioneers while pursuing his Master of Business Administration at Utica.
Mapping the Matches: The Pioneers open the season with four consecutive road events. Following Saturday's dual at Onondaga Community College, Utica will travel to the Electric City Duals at the University of Scranton on November 15th. The orange and blue will then compete at the Doug Parker Invitational on November 21st and the RIT Invitational on December 5th.
Utica returns from the semester break with a tri-meet at SUNY Brockport on January 8th, where the Pioneers will face Brockport and Jamestown Community College. A January 14th dual at St. John Fisher precedes the SUNYAC Championships in Ithaca on January 23rd.
The Pioneers' home opener comes on January 30th, when Keystone College and Oneonta visit Miga Court for the Utica Tri-Meet. Utica will host another tri-meet on February 13th, welcoming Lycoming College and Onondaga Community College. Between those home events, the Pioneers will travel to the Scranton Duals on February 7th and visit Elmira College on February 12th.
The regular-season schedule concludes at the Joseph Pellicano Invitational on February 20th. The NCAA Region 1 Championships are scheduled for February 26th-27th, followed by the NCAA Division III Championships on March 12th-13th in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Veteran Ventures: Kirker enters his senior season after leading Utica's returning wrestlers with 11 victories a year ago. Seven of his wins came by fall, bringing his two-season record with the Pioneers to 16-22. He is listed at 133 pounds.
Bonato returns at 149 and 157 pounds after improving from one win as a sophomore to nine as a junior. Eight of his nine victories last season came by technical fall or fall. Senior Hunter Morton (Hillsdale, NJ/Pascack Hills) is listed at 157 and 165 pounds and enters the season with 11 career wins, including four during the 2025-26 campaign.
At 125 pounds, Monahan returns for his junior year after increasing his win total from two as a freshman to five as a sophomore. Milankovic, listed at 133 and 141 pounds, also recorded five victories last season, including three via fall. Seniors Billy Beseth (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) and Terrence Walden (White Plains, NY/Iona Prep) provide additional experience after competing at 141 pounds last year.
In the heavyweight class, Charles returns for his sophomore season after collecting five wins as a freshman, while junior Vincent Geritano (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) is back after earning two victories, including one by fall. The roster also features senior Parraish Brinson (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) at 174 and 184 pounds and senior Jim Post (Ilion, NY/Ilion).
Rookie Reinforcements: Utica welcomes 11 freshmen to the program for the 2026-27 season. Among them is 125-pounder Prince Seawright (Rochester, NY/East Rochester Union), who joins the Pioneers after winning a sectional championship and placing at the New York State qualifiers in 2026.
Majesty Thomas (New York, NY/Eagle Academy) is listed at 133 and 141 pounds after winning a PSAL 1A championship during the 2025-26 season. Brad Rosembarg (Jericho, NY/Jericho), a 157-pounder, was a four-time all-conference wrestler during his high school career.
Jack Converse (Watertown, NY/Watertown) and Jose Vidal (Lakewood, NJ/Lakewood) join the Pioneers at 174 pounds, with Converse also listed at 184. Aidan Martorano (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) adds a newcomer at 285 pounds, while Matteo Gioia (Staten Island, NY/Saint Peter's), Caiden Hylton (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon STEAM), Steven McCann (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester), and Brady Standridge (Scituate, MA/Scituate) round out the freshman class.
Up Next: After Saturday's season-opening dual at Onondaga, the Pioneers will head to Scranton, Pennsylvania, for the Electric City Duals on Sunday, November 15th. Competition is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am.