BEREA, Ohio (Nov. 23) -- The Thiel College wrestling team posted five top-eight finishers and finished tied for seventh as a team with 85 points Saturday at the Baldwin Wallace Invitational in Lou Higgins Center Fieldhouse.
Joey King (Cooperstown, Pa./Maplewood) posted an undefeated Saturday and took first place at 197 pounds.
King started his day with a 15-0 technical fall over Baldwin Wallace's Dominic Pagan. He followed that up with a pin (2:08) of James Standish from West Liberty in the quarterfinals. King advanced to the finals with a second 15-0 tech. fall, this time against Mount St. Joseph's Jermaine Poynter. King finished his day with a third 15-0 tech. fall in the final over West Liberty's Brandon Johnson.
King improved to 7-1 on the year following Saturday's 4-0 effort. The Notre Dame (Ohio) transfer placed second in the Washington & Jefferson Invitational at 184 pounds on Nov. 9.
Mequan Maxwell (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) took fourth at 141 pounds and went 3-2 on the day.
Maxwell notched a fall (0:48) over Liam Hatgas of Ohio Wesleyan in his opening bout before pinning West Liberty's Matt Englehardt in 47 seconds to advance to the semifinals where he dropped a 12-5 decision to BW's Robert Palmieri. Maxwell then posted a 14-6 major decision over Delaware State's Ryan Mansueto to advance to the third-place bout. The Sharon, Pa. native was pinned (1:45) by Cole McKinley from Lourdes to finish fourth.
Maxwell improves to 5-4 on the year and has won three bouts via fall.
Joey Peterson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) took seventh at 285 pounds and went 3-2 on the day.
Peterson dropped Baldwin Wallace's Caleb Ridgeley in 2:30 in his opening bout before losing a 6-2 decision to West Liberty's Zach Babiczuk in the quarterfinals. He got his second pin of the day over Trine's Kyler Bills in the consolation bracket in just 38 seconds before dropping a 15-1 major decision to Scotty Edwards of Muskingum. Peterson took the seventh-place bout with his third pin of the day (4:28), this time over Mount St. Joseph's Randall Wilson.
Peterson moved to 4-4 on the year and has won all four of his bouts via pin.
EJ McCarthy (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) took seventh at 125 pounds and went 3-2 on the day.
McCarthy won a 6-1 decision over Adrian's Jackson James before being pinned (4:03) by eventual champion Dorian Hoffman of host BW. A medical forfeit advanced him in the consolation bracket before being dropped by Manchester's Mason Jones (1:33). McCarthy ended his day with a fall (2:18) over Trine's Karrington Cooper to finish seventh.
McCarthy moves to 3-4 on the year.
Caullin Summers (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) placed sixth at 165 pounds and went 2-3 on the day.
Summers topped Adrian's Angelo Mastroianni with a 12-3 major decision in his first bout of the day before posting a strong 5-4 decision over BW's Donovan Palmer to advance to the semis where he was pinned (6:28) by Trine's Philp Burney. Summers' day ended with a medical forfeit and a forfeit in the consolation bracket to finish sixth.
The PAC Newcomer of the Week winner following his 3-1 showing at the W&J Invitational moves to 5-4 in his freshman campaign.
Thiel returns to action Thursday, Dec. 5, when they host Hiram on Maenpa Court at Beeghly Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
