Five members of the Case Western Reserve University wrestling team placed in the top eight on Saturday at the historic Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational at King Arena in Wheaton, Illinois, leading the Spartans to their best finish at the prestigious event in a generation.
CWRU finished ninth out of 30 teams at the invite with 78.0 points.
First-year Hunter Keane finished second in the 141-pound bracket, the best individual finish by a Case Western Reserve wrestler since Isaac Dukes placed second at 149 pounds in 2011. In addition to Keane, seniors Art Martinez, E.J. Alizio, and Aidan Gassel and sophomore Chase Crutchley secured top eight finishes in their weight classes. The Spartans had not had more than two wrestlers place at the event in at least the last 20 years. The program last had multiple podium finishes in 2014.
Individual Results
- Keane, second, 141 lbs.
- Semifinal: defeated Sean Conway (Chicago), ranked eighth nationally by the NWCA, by decision, 5-4
- First-place match: lost to Justin Fortugno (Wisconsin-Whitewater), ranked ninth nationally, by decision, 13-11
- Finished weekend with 4-1 record
- Martinez¸ fifth, 133 lbs.
- Semifinal: lost to Jordan Rasof (Wisconsin-Whitewater) on last-second takedown, 5-4
- Consolation semifinal: lost to Wyatt Unser (Wisconsin-Eau Claire) on last-second takedown, 5-4
- Fifth-place match: defeated Jacob Blair (Arcadia) by medical forfeit
- Finished weekend with 4-2 record
- Alizio, seventh, 125 lbs.
- Consolation quarterfinal: lost by decision, 7-1, to Jase Van Pelt (Cornell)
- Seventh-place match: defeated Joey Sikorsky (North Central) by major decision, 10-2
- Finished weekend with 5-2 record
- Gassel, seventh, 197 lbs.
- Consolation quarterfinal: lost to Jackson Brinker (Cornell) by technical fall, 19-3, in 4:57
- Seventh-place match: defeated Tucker Seidel (Messiah) by decision, 10-6
- Finished weekend with 4-2 record
- Crutchley, eighth, 174 lbs.
- Consolation quarterfinal: lost to Aidan Faria (Rhode Island) by decision, 11-4
- Seventh-place match: lost to Zach Needles (Messiah), ranked 14th nationally, by decision, 10-7
- Finished weekend with 3-3 record
Spartan Notes
- Keane, Alizio, Gassel, and Crutchley all placed at the invite for the first time in their careers
- Martinez also finished fifth in the 133-pound weight class last year. He is the third Spartan wrestler to place multiple times at Pete Willson in the last 20 years, joining Dukes (2011, 2010, 2009) and Drew Gardella (2009, 2007)
- Keane's second-place finish is the best by a CWRU first-year wrestler in the last two decades
- The team's ninth place finish marks its best at the event in at least 20 years
Up Next
CWRU will travel across town for the 39th Annual John Summa Invitational, hosted by Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Ohio. Action is slated to begin on Saturday, February 7 at 10 a.m. It will be the team's final tuneup before the University Athletic Association Championship.
