The Lindenwood wrestling team hosted its sixth annual Joe Parisi Open sponsored by MSW Marketing all day Saturday from Hyland Arena and the Evans Commons. The Lions flourished as they placed seven wrestlers including a champion, a runner-up, and three fourth-place finishers.
The highlight of the day came from the performance of
Ronald Gentile, who made his Lion debut in this tournament. He dominated his way to win the 149-pound flight of the Black Division behind a major decision, a pin, an injury default, a technical fall, and a decision. Gentile cruised his way through the semifinals when he torched his opponent Josh Adams from Ellsworth Community College by a 21-5 technical fall. After sustaining a brief injury in the second round of the finals, Gentile rebounded towards a 9-3 decision to capture the title over Dylanger Potter of Chattanooga.
David Hamil made his season debut in this event by finishing second place in the 184-pound flight of the Black Division. He won back-to-back major decisions to reach the semifinals versus Devin Crawl of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Hamil beat him by a 5-2 decision before ultimately falling just short of the title, losing 3-2 in the finals.
Patrick Kristin also had a huge day in the 174-pound flight of the Black Division when he lured in five total victories including two in the main draw. Before he finished fourth place, Kristin registered a 19-4 technical fall in the consolation semifinals over Skylar Bloomer of Labette Community College.
Both
Kyle Jolas and
Hunter Haralson finished fourth place in their respective weight classes in the Gold Division. Jolas won two matches in the main draw including a pin to reach the semifinals. He won a tiebreaker in the consolation semifinals before losing a close 6-3 decision. Haralson collected three victories in the consolation including a pin before being defeated in the third-place match.
Jake Borgmeyer placed fifth in the 285-pound flight of the Gold Division, winning three total matches. He fell to the eventual champion
Jared Johnson of Chattanooga in the quarterfinals.
Shea Spradley made noise in the 157-pound flight of the Black Division when he earned a sixth-place finish. He lost his first round, but pulled off a five-match winning streak including a pin 57 seconds into a match. Although he lost his next two matches, his resilience stood out.
The Lions will take a break before hitting the road to Hays, Kan. to take on MIAA-rival Fort Hays State in their first dual of the season. They will face off on Thursday, December 1 at 7 pm.
