FINAL BRACKETS

BRISTOL, R.I. – Freshman Anthony Dushaj took home first place in the 157-pound weight class to lead a group of four total Pioneers to place at the Scott Viera Open Tournament hosted by Roger Williams University on Sunday, Jan. 6.
 
Dushaj was the top finisher out of six Pioneers competing at the open event. Fellow classmate Tim Nagosky earned a third place finish in the heavyweight division while freshman Kenny Cooper took fourth in the 165-pound weight class. Sophomore Mark Malico also finished fourth in the 197-pound division.
 
Freshmen Justin Popp and Tom Digennaro also competed for LIU Post, with Digennaro earning one victory in the consolation bracket.
 
It was a perfect 3-0 day for Dushaj who started the morning with a bye during the first round. Dushaj made light work of Roger Williams University's Luke Wassel (13-3) and Jerad Habben of the Naval Academy Prep School (13-3) with two major decision victories to reach the championship bout. In the finals, the freshman held off Roger Williams' Jack Kelly for a 6-2 decision win for the title.
 
Nagosky has a breakout day after starting his collegiate career with a 5-11 overall record. After falling by a 6-3 decision to Ryan Higgins of Bridgewater State University, Nagosky bounced back with five victories in the consolation bracket for the third place finish. The run was highlight by a pinfall victory in the second round of the consolation bracket against Daniel Macneil of Bridgewater State and eventually closed out with his day with a 16-3 major decision against Adam Krieger of the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
 
A pinfall victory in the round of 16 jumpstarted Cooper's day and the freshman advanced to the semifinal round of the championship bracket after defeating Mount Saint Vincent's Antonio Britto by a 7-5 decision. After a setback in the semifinals, Cooper earned 13 points in a decision victory against Johnson & Wales University's Chris Behen in the consolation bracket's semifinal round to reach the third place bout before falling by pinfall to Dillan Palaszewski of Springfield College. Malico on the other hand, needed a similar route to the fourth place finish to Nagosky after falling by pinfall in the first round of the championship bracket. After earning a first round bye in the consolation bracket, Malicao pinned his next two opponents to reach the semifinal round. In a much closer matchup, Malico held off Anthony Malfitano of Roger Williams for a 7-4 decision to advance to the third place bout. In his final match of the day, he suffered a pinfall defeat to Tommy Wrzesien from Johnson & Wales to settle for the fourth place finish.
 
The Green and Gold return to the mat on Wednesday, Jan. 9 when they travel to western Pennsylvania for a matchup with Clarion University at 7:00 p.m. Live results and video are available for the match on www.liupostpioneers.com