Results
GRANTHAM, Pa.
Sophomore Luke Kowalski (Derwood, Md./Saint John’s College) made the most of his collegiate debut by winning the 133-pound bracket at the season-opening Messiah University Invitational on Saturday.
Team Scores
| 1. | UW-Eau Clarie | 151.5 |
| 2. | Washington & Lee | 127.5 |
| 3. | Messiah | 112.5 |
| 4. | Liberty | 106.5 |
| 5. | Ursinus | 104.0 |
| 6. | Wheaton | 90.5 |
| 7. | Johns Hopkins | 72.5 |
| 8. | Elizabethtown | 71.0 |
| 9. | Gettysburg | 55.5 |
| 10. | McDaniel | 47.0 |
Top Performers
| Name | Weight | Record | Finish |
| Bobby Crofford ’25 | 125 | 2-2 | |
| Antonio Abate ’24 | 125 | 3-2 | |
| Luke Kowalski ’24 | 133 | 4-0 | 1st |
| Eric Mougalian ’23 | 149 | 2-2 | |
| David Bancroft Jr. ’24 | 157 | 2-2 | |
| Ray Martin ’22 | 174 | 4-2 | 6th |
| Mason Canonico ’22 | 174 | 2-2 | |
| Russell Canova ’24 | 184 | 3-2 | |
| Brendan Loder ’23 | 197 | 2-2 |
Math Highlights
- Kowalski wrapped up his first collegiate title with four victories. He opened with a 7-1 win over Messiah’s Jordan Howard and blanked Romeo Rodriguez from Ursinus for a 13-0 major decision. In the semifinals, he faced off with 2020 national qualifier Ethan Harsted from Wheaton (Ill.) College and posted a 13-6 win. Kowalski’s final victim was Dalton Daugherty from Messiah and the Gettysburg sophomore dominated the contest to the tune of an 11-2 major decision.
- Senior Ray Martin (Downingtown, Pa./Henderson) scored a sixth-place finish on the strength of four wins at 174 pounds. He began his campaign with a first-period fall and tacked on a 5-3 decision in his second bout. After dropping his third match, Martin rebounded with 8-1 and 9-4 decisions to reach the placement matches. He fell by a technical fall to Joe Paul of Johns Hopkins University in the consolation semis and did not wrestle in the fifth-place bout.
- Freshman Bobby Crofford (Morristown, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) and sophomore Antonio Abate (Northvale, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) accounted for five wins at 125 pounds. Crofford won each of his first two collegiate matches by pin fall, while Abate ran off three consecutive wins in the wrestleback, including two by fall.
- Sophomore Russell Canova (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) won all three of his matches at 184 pounds by pin. He opened the season with a fall in his opening match and won two matches in the consolation bracket with the same finish.
By the Numbers
- Gettysburg placed ninth out of 10 teams. Wisonsin-Eau Claire won the team title by 24 points over Washington and Lee with Messiah finishing third.
- The Bullets returned to competition on the mats for the first time in 616 days. Gettysburg’s last event pre-pandemic was the NCAA Division III Southeast Regional on Feb. 29, 2020.
- Kowalski became the second member of his family to win an individual title at the Messiah Invitational. His older brother, Colin ’19, won the 174-pound crown at the 2018 Messiah Invite. Colin won a total of five individual tournament titles in his career and was a two-time national qualifier for the Bullets.
Next Up
Gettysburg competes at the Washington and Jefferson Invitational next Saturday, Nov. 13, at 9:45 a.m.
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.