EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The Millersville wrestling team, powered by three first-place finishes, started its season with an impressive runner-up team finish at Sunday's ESU Open.
Devin Flannery (133),
Brandon Connor (165) and
Jordan Espinosa (285) led 11 total placewinners for the Marauders.
Millersville finished with 168.5 points, finishing behind Kutztown (201) in the team standings. Both Millersville and Kutztown had three winners.
In addition to Millersville's trio of first-place finishers,
Josh Tuckey (149) and Craig Cook (157) reached championship matches and finished as runners-up.
Flannery went 3-0 on the day. After an 11-5 decision in his first match, he scored a pin in 36 seconds in the semifinals and then rolled to a 15-4 major decision over Centenary's Devin Haws in the championship match.
At 149 pounds, Tuckey started his day with a 13-2 major decision over Troy Gentzel of East Stroudsburg, and then beat Gentzel's teammate, Zach Lewis, 5-3 before falling in the title bout to Tommy Nichols of American International, 10-3.
Millersville was loaded in the 157-pound class, placing four wrestlers in the top four. Cook went 3-1, losing only a narrow 5-4 decision to Kutztown's Bailey Gimbo in the championship match. Cook defeated teammate Jackson Erb in the semifinals 3-2. Erb went 2-1 with a pin, placing third.
Jonathan Parrilla scored a major decision and a pin before falling 7-4 to the eventual champ.
Connor dominated at 165, goimg 4-0 with three pins. He closed the day with a pin of Kutztown's Hunter Horton, needing just 1:19 to seal the bracket title.
Espinosa needed just two wins to take first at 285 pounds. The day started with nine wrestlers in the bracket, and Espinosa received a first-round bye. He defeated Kutztown's Dustin Swanson with a pin at the 5:48 mark and then topped unattached Thomas Flood by a 6-3 decision in the first-place match.
It was the first career tournament wins for Flannery and Espinosa. Connor won his pool at last season's Journeymen Classic.
Anthony Giampietro went 2-1 at 184 pounds, earning a pin in 1:11 in the first round.
The Marauders return to action at the George Mason duals on Nov. 12.
