Contact: Sam Fretto, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

Results

ELMHURST, Ill. (Jan. 18, 2025)- The North Central College men's wrestling team traveled back to Elmhurst two days after defeating the Elmhurst Bluejays in a dual meet for the Al Hanke Invitational inside of R.A. Faganel Hall. With 10 teams competing, the Cardinals placed second while placing 17 wrestlers in the top eight of their respective weight classes, with one coming out on top. 

The University of Chicago placed first with 151 points, with North Central coming in second with 130.5 points. The Milwaukee School of Engineering got third place with 122.5 points. 

The winner of the 133-pound class was Ethan Spacht, as he went 3-0, starting off with a first-round bye. In the quarterfinal, Spacht defeated Zach Miller (Carthage College) in a very quick 59-second pin. He then went on to defeat a pair of wrestlers from the University of Chicago with a major decision on Zach Parisi (17-6) and a 5-0 decision on Jackson Rustad. 

Wrestling in the 149-pound weight class, Kenny Siwicki placed second, going 4-1 on the day. Siwicki started off with a bout against Makoa Kong (Carthage College) and earned a pinfall victory. He went on to dominate Nehemian Belfort with a 17-1 technical fall before winning via decision (9-3) over Ashton Hayhurst (Triton College) in the quarterfinal. The semifinal saw Siwicki take down Connor Nagela (MSOE) in a 6-4 decision. Siwicki then fell in the first-place match to Lucio Morgan (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater) by a 10-3 decision. 

Julian Valtierrez earned a third-place finish in the 133-pound bracket, going 2-1 after starting out with a bye. Valtierrez defeated Liam Anderson (MSOE) in the quarterfinal by a 17-5 major decision before falling in the semifinal match to Jackson Rustad (U-Chicago) via a 4-2 decision. The third-place match went Valtierrez's way after defeating Parisi by a 19-5 major decision. 

In the 174-pound weight class, PT Schoolman placed third with a 3-1 record on the day. After receiving a bye, Schoolman faced off against Bryce Buchanan (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) and won by a major decision (10-1). Moving on to the quarterfinal, Schoolman defeated Leonard Kiser (Carthage) via injury stoppage. Schoolman would fall in the semifinal match to Ryan Riser (Whitewater) via major decision (14-4). Schoolman won the third-place match over Garrett Boyd (Wheaton) by medical forfeit. 

A 2-2 day for Davion Johnson allowed him to come away in fourth place in the 125-pound weight class. Logan Gould (UW-Stevens Point) fell to Johnson with a 20-4 technical fall. The quarterfinal match ended in a fall victory for Johnson as he pinned Anthony Bigham (Elmhurst) in 48 seconds, his first of the season. Johnson fell in his final two matches to Joey Sikorsky (Harper College) by a 12-9 decision. It was another close match in the third place match as Johnson lost to Luke Berktold (Whitewater) via a 10-4 decision. 

Tyler Starr finished as the fourth-place 149-pound wrestler after a 2-2 day. Starr began his day with a bye before defeating Amir Williams (U-Chicago) by an 18-2 technical fall. He would then face North Central teammate Jared Gumila in the quarterfinal and defeat him via 11-2 major decision. Starr fell in his final two matches, facing Morgan (Whitewater) and losing by a decision (4-1). The third-place match featured Nagela (MSOE), where Starr would medically forfeit. 

North Central had four wrestlers finish fifth in their respective weight classes. Raymond Cavey earned fifth in the 141-pound weight class after going 3-2 at the invite. Gumila earned fifth in the 149-pound class after going 4-1, with his only loss coming in the quarterfinal match. Luke Christie placed fifth in the 157-pound weight class, going 5-1 with three technical falls and a pinfall. The final fifth-place finish was Casey Aikman in the 197-pound weight class. Aikman went 4-1; after a first-round bye, he earned a technical fall and a pin victory. 

The five sixth-place finishers for the Cardinals were Kayle Bearson at 141-pounds, Nolan Flores at 157-pounds, Bransen Byrd in the 165-pound weight class, Jovanni Piazza in the 184-pound class, and Aidan Trujillo at 285-pounds. 

Elijah Brockie and Jack Barracca both placed eighth, with Brockie wrestling at 197-pounds and Barracca at 165-pounds. 

North Central hits the road again on Thursday, Jan. 25, as they face the Millikin Big Blue in Decatur, Illinois, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) dual meet. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. in the Griswold Center. Click HERE for the full schedule. 

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