LIU POST RESULTS
FINAL BRACKETS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The 19th-ranked LIU Post wrestling team returned to form at the Wildcat Open hosted by Johnson & Wales University, placing five wrestlers in four different weight classes on Sunday, Jan. 27.
 
The Wildcat Open marked the final open competition of the regular season for the Pioneers as the Green and Gold feature just two more dual matches before the NCAA postseason begins. Despite competing in just eight weight classes on Sunday, the Pioneers had five individuals finish in fourth-place or higher during the event which featured participants from over 20 programs.
 
Graduate student Joe Calderone led the Pioneer effort with a first-place finish in the 141-pound weight class, while senior Dan Arkow placed second at 174, junior Dan McClure finished second and freshman James Langan tallied a fourth-place finish at 184, and freshman Tim Nagosky added a fourth-place finish in the heavyweight division.
 
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Freshman Brandon Mercado opened the event with a bye during the first round before suffering a pinfall setback to Kyle Randall in the quarterfinal round. Following another bye in the second round of the consolation bracket, Mercado suffered an overtime defeat to Wilson Gomes of Bridgewater State after Gomes earned one point for a takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining in the bout.
 
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Freshman Jacob Zuller competed during two bouts at 133, suffering a technical fall loss to eventual second-place finisher Anthony Sciotti of the U.S. Naval Academy Prep squad. After advancing via a forfeit in the first round of the consolation bracket, Christopher Caban earned a 7-2 decision against Zuller in the second round.
 
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It was a 4-0 day for Calderone who earned a bye into the second round of the championship bracket. During the second round, Calderone advanced in less than one minute when he pinned Christian LaChance of Bridgewater State. Calderone continued to roll with an 11-0 victory against Joseph Parsons (Springfield) during the quarterfinals and earned a bid into the championship bout with a 5-2 decision against Logan Brown during the semifinal round.
 
In the championship bout, Calderone faced off against Brown's Theodore Powers and earned the early advantage with a takedown during the first minute. After a scoreless second period, Calderone earned another two points by reversal to earn a 4-2 victory to claim the title.
 
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LIU Post had three individuals competing at the 165-pound weight class, including freshman Kenny Cooper who earned two victories on the day. After a first round bye, Cooper suffered a 5-1 setback to Trinity's Jack Reilly to move to the consolation bracket. Fellow freshman Justin Popp suffered a loss in the first round of the championship bracket and the two teammates found themselves paired against each other in the second round of the consolation bracket.
 
The LIU Post battle came down to the final seconds. Cooper held a 6-4 lead through two periods, but Popp stormed back with five points during the final stanza. Popp's takedown with eight seconds remaining gave him a 9-7 advantage in the match, though it was not enough to earn the victory as Cooper tallied a reversal and a nearfall with just two seconds remaining in the match for four points and the 11-9 decision.
 
Cooper earned an overtime victory against Bill Dun (Plymouth State), garnering a takedown with 43 seconds left to earn the win during the consolation bracket's third round. His run came to an end, however, when he could not overcome Adam Wilhelm from Coast Guard during the fourth round, suffering a 4-2 defeat.
 
Freshman Mike Parrish also competed at the 165-pound weight class but could not overcome two Johnson & Wales wrestlers.    
 
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Senior Dan Arkow rolled through the competition on Sunday, taking down Jordi Perez (Johnson & Wales) by a 16-1 final. After consecutive four-point wins, he faced off against Phillip Rogers (Coast Guard) during the championship bout.
 
A takedown and a reversal gave Arkow a 4-1 advantage late in the second period before Rogers garnered two points by a reversal with 14 seconds remaining. In the final period, Rogers leveled the scoring when he was awarded one point by a penalty and took two the lead with a reversal in what proved to be the final points of the match as Rogers held on for the 6-4 victory, giving Arkow the second-place finish.
 
Freshman Tom DiGennero also saw action in the 174 bracket but suffered two defeats to Rogers during the opening round and Sacred Heart's Matthew Fallon during the second round of the consolation bracket.
 
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Two Pioneers posted a top-four finish in the 184-pound bracket, with McClure reaching the championship bout and Langan appearing in the third-place bout. McClure opened his day with a 5-2 victory against Nicholas Munsch (Johnson & Wales) to advance to the semifinal bout. A shutout victory against Brickroad's Brandon Conrad helped McClure reach the championship bout against Brown's Brett Bastinelli.
 
During the championship bout, Bastinelli took an early lead and held on the rest of the way, garnering four points during each of the first two periods to earn a 9-4 victory.
 
Langan earned a 7-1 victory against Nicholas Fierro (Sacred Heart Unat.) during the first round but could not get past NYU's Jackson Kligerman during the quarterfinals. Langan earned back-to-back pins on the consolation side of the bracket to reach the semifinal round. Two takedowns during the overtime round of the consolation semifinals helped Langan reach the third-place bout in a rematch with Kligerman. Both wrestlers earned just one point via escapes during the regulation periods, sending the bout into overtime. Kligerman earned a takedown with just 14 seconds remaining to earn the victory, however, as Langan settled for a fourth-place finish.
 
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Freshman Dan Shafran earned a 15-6 victory against Roger Williams' Noah Tandy during the opening round of the day but suffered two losses in his next two bouts. Junior Mark Malico was upended by Trinity's Mason Sangillo during the first round of the championship bracket but bounced back with a 7-3 victory against George McBurney (Coast Guard) in his next bout. During the third round of the consolation bracket, Malico was stopped by Matt Froio (Plymouth State) in a low-scoring contest, 3-2.
 
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Nagosky opened his day with a 9-3 victory against Jose Diaz (Johnson & Wales) to advance to the quarterfinals. In his second bout, Nagosky came up short to Paul Robinson of U.S. Military Academy Prep in what proved to be a preview of the third-place bout to come. It took a battle, but Nagosky ultimately earned a 3-2 victory against Adam Krieger (Mount Saint Vincent) and a 3-1 overtime win against Daniel MacNeil (Bridgewater State) to reach the third-place matchup.
 
After the first period, Robinson held a 3-1 lead with Nagosky earning one point by escape. The battle came up short during the second period however, as Robinson earned the win by pinfall, giving Nagosky a fourth-place finish.
 
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 2 when they take on SUNY Cortland in a dual match at 12:00 p.m.