The Case Western Reserve University wrestling team began the 2025-26 season on Saturday with a trip to Alliance, Ohio, for the Mount Union Invitational hosted by the University of Mount Union in the Peterson Field House.

CWRU placed third out of 14 schools competing, finishing with 138.0 points. Division II Gannon won the invite with 182.5 points, followed by Division II Seton Hill with 159.0 points.

Top Eight Finishers

• Senior Art Martinez was the team's top finisher, placing second at 133 pounds with a record of 3-1
  • Martinez won by fall and sudden victory
  • He lost a 4-0 decision in the final to James Armstrong Jr. of West Liberty
• Senior Thomas Wagner placed third in the 157A bracket, going 4-1
  • Wagner pinned two opponents and earned a technical fall
  • His only loss came by sudden victory, 9-6
• Sophomore Chase Crutchley also placed third, going 5-1 at 174 pounds
  • Crutchley secured a pin in his first match in 1:48
• First-year Christopher Bezzeg advanced to the semifinal of the 157B bracket, placing fourth with a record of 3-2
  • Bezzeg picked up his first win and pin in 4:30 in his first collegiate match
  • He later earned a technical fall and his second pin in the consolation semifinal
• Senior Marty Landes placed fifth at 165 pounds
  • Landes went 3-2 in five matches
  • His wins came by technical fall, major decision, and decision
• Senior E.J. Alizio won four matches to place fifth at 125 pounds
  • Alizio started the day with a fall and technical fall
  • He reached the semifinal with a 9-0 major decision
• Junior Mathew Gummere placed fifth at 184 pounds
  • Gummere won two of his four matches
  • He pinned Tyler Balint of Randolph in 4:45
• First-year Hunter Keane finished sixth in the 141-pound bracket, going 4-2 on the day
  • Keane won by fall over teammate Cole Rose
  • He added a technical fall in the consolation third round, 17-1 in 4:48
• Sophomore Robert Minden placed eighth in the 149A bracket
  • Minden went 3-3 across six matches
  • He earned two decisions and one win by fall
• Senior Aidan Gassel won two matches at 197 pounds to place sixth, though his day was cut short by injury

Notable Performances

• Junior Mike Valerino pinned Ricky Holmes of John Carroll in 6:52 at 141 pounds
• Junior Louka Babic went 2-2 in the 174-pound bracket, winning by fall in 2:54 in the first round

Spartan Notes

• First-years Tatsu Homma (125 pounds) and Thomas Trout (184 pounds) made their collegiate debuts
• First-year Kodi Pfeiffer won a pair of matches, including one by sudden victory in his first collegiate meet
• Rose earned his first collegiate win and fall in 1:05 over Muskingum's Tommy Boyer, and first-year Nate Boyd started his Spartan career with a pin in 3:40 of Jack Peterson from Muskingum

Up Next

CWRU will host the Bob Del Rosa Open inside the Veale Center on Sunday, November 9. Action is slated to begin at 10 a.m.