KUTZTOWN, Pa. - A program record was set as five Millersville Marauders punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and eight Marauders scored a podium finish.
Devin Flannery executed a flawless 4-0 performance and was crowned the champion of the 133-pound weight class. Craig Cook finished as the runner-up at 149 pounds, Brandon Connor (165), Jonathan Parrilla (174) and Anthony Giampietro (184) all placed third to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
For the first time in his career, Flannery took the first-place finish at the Super Region 1 Championships. In 2022 he placed third, and in 2023 he finished as the runner-up. Flannery had a technical fall, pin, and two decision wins to claim first. In his championship round, Flannery had an early takedown in the first period, a reversal in the second, and riding time added at the end of the match to win by decision 6-1 over Thierno Diallo from Frostburg State.
Cook (149) guaranteed his trip to nationals with a thrilling win in the semifinals. Cook fell short to conference foe Jacob Ealy from Pitt-Johnstown in the championship bout but earned the runner-up spot on the podium. Cook finished the day 3-1 with a technical fall, major decision, and clutch decision win over James Ryan from Gannon to send him to the championship round. Going into the third period, Ryan led, 5-1. Ryan got called for a second stalling with 1:14 remaining. Cook slowly made the comeback, and scored a reversal with 27 seconds left. Ryan escaped three seconds later. With time winding down, Cook had a takedown and nearfall earning him five points within seconds to claim the 9-7 decision win.
Connor (165) defied the odds by placing third with four nationally ranked wrestlers in his bracket including three higher than him. Connor posted a 3-1 finish on the day with a sudden victory, major decision, and decision win. Connor squared off with Dillon Keane from Pitt-Johnstown for a win-or-go-home match for third. Connor won 4-1 in sudden victory over Keane in his first match of the day, and facing Keane for the second time that day, all of the action came in the third period with Connor scoring an escape and takedown to clinch the 4-2 decision win.
Parrilla's advancing win was a thriller as well as he won it in sudden victory. Parrilla scored early with takedowns in the first period. Both times, his opponent, Jack MacKiernan, from American International escaped. In period two, MacKiernan had a take down and an escape in period three to tie it all up, 6-6. In overtime, Parrilla scored a takedown to secure his first trip to the NCAA Championships. Parrilla wrestled hard as all of his wins were close decision wins, two of which were in sudden victory.
Giampietro also went 3-1 on the day with a major decision win and two decision wins. In the third-place match, Giampietro squared off with Noah Gnibus from Pitt-Johnstown. Giampietro saw Gnibus earlier in the season and won by decision, 10-3. Giampietro had a takedown in the first, escaped in the second period followed by another takedown. Giampietro led 7-1 going into the third period, and Gnibus could only earn points from escapes. Giampietro claimed his third-place finish with a 8-2 decision win.
Stellar performances were also shown by
Bryce Beatty (125) and
Bruce Vaughan (197). Both Beatty and Vaughan fell one place short of earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament as they both earned fourth place. Beatty ended the day 3-2 with two decision wins and a technical fall. Vaughan went 2-2 with two overtimes wins.
Aidan Micheli made his debut at the Super Region 1 Championships and walked away as a fifth-place finisher in the 141- pound bracket. Micheli went 3-2 with two decision wins and a medical forfeit win.
Nick Bennet (157) and
Avery Kuhns (285) also made their postseason debuts for the Marauders. Bennet went 0-2 on the day while Kuhns went 1-2. Kuhns had an 8-3 decision win to earn his first win as a Marauder in the Super Region 1 Tournament.
As a team, Millersville placed fifth at the championships, accumulating 100 points. Taking first at the tournament was Gannon followed by Pitt-Johnstown, Kutztown, and Mercyhurst.
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH JERRY BOLAND
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Thoughts on having a program high of five wrestlers qualify: "I'm excited for Millersville wrestling today. This is a program with a strong tradition and anyone who ever puts on a 'Ville singlet should be proud of the effort our guys gave today. I can't say enough about the heart these guys showed today."
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Thoughts on Devin taking first place: "Dev was locked in today. He was on a mission and he got the job done. He's put a lot into this sport, and it was nice to see him win this thing today. I'm happy for him and his family."
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Thoughts on the third-place winners: "I always say the best guy will win the tournament and the toughest guy takes third. It takes a special level of mental toughness to rebound from a tough loss and come back to punch your ticket. G, B.C., and Johnny found a way to get the job done. "
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Thoughts on Cook's effort and the team's performance: "It was awesome to see Craig qualify after falling short last year. His semifinal match was electric, avenging a 10-0 loss a month ago. And also placing eight in the top six just says a lot for the work that these guys have put in this year."
UP NEXT
- Flannery, Cook, Connor, Parrilla, and Giampietro will all suit up and take off for Wichita on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16.
RESULTS
Bryce Beatty (125) placed 4th
- Quarterfinal - William Burgess (Seton Hill) 25-8 won by decision over Bryce Beatty (Millersville) 3-2 (Dec 13-7)
- Cons. Round 2 - Bryce Beatty (Millersville) 3-2 won by decision over Jason Athey (East Stroudsburg) 8-6 (Dec 8-2)
- Cons. Round 3 - Bryce Beatty (Millersville) 3-2 won by tech fall over Liam Pritchard Holland (American International) 8-10 (TF-1.5 6:14 (18-2))
- Cons. Semi - Bryce Beatty (Millersville) 3-2 won by decision over Billy Smith (Mercyhurst) 10-12 (Dec 6-1)
- 3rd Place Match - William Burgess (Seton Hill) 25-8 won by major decision over Bryce Beatty (Millersville) 3-2 (MD 13-3)
Devin Flannery (133) placed 1st
- Champ. Round 1 - Devin Flannery (Millersville) 4-0 won by tech fall over Calvin Lederer (Shippensburg) 0-2 (TF-1.5 1:16 (15-0))
- Quarterfinal - Devin Flannery (Millersville) 4-0 won by fall over Joseph Aldrich (American International) 9-19 (Fall 4:15)
- Semifinal - Devin Flannery (Millersville) 4-0 won by decision over Byron Daubert (Pitt-Johnstown) 2-2 (Dec 4-2)
- 1st Place Match - Devin Flannery (Millersville) 4-0 won by decision over Thierno Diallo (Frostburg State) 20-5 (Dec 6-1)
Aidan Micheli (141) placed 5th
- Champ. Round 1 - Aidan Micheli (Millersville) 3-2 won by decision over Jared Fulton (Kutztown) 0-2 (Dec 7-2)
- Quarterfinal - Caleb Chaves (Gannon) 18-11 won by fall over Aidan Micheli (Millersville) 3-2 (Fall 4:35)
- Cons. Round 3 - Aidan Micheli (Millersville) 3-2 won by decision over Dylan Montgomery (Frostburg State) 6-6 (Dec 4-1)
- Cons. Semi - Colton Stoneking (Fairmont State) 22-4 won by decision over Aidan Micheli (Millersville) 3-2 (Dec 7-5)
- 5th Place Match - Aidan Micheli (Millersville) 3-2 won by medical forfeit over Gregory (Andrew) Wert (Shippensburg) 14-5 (M. For.)
Craig Cook (149) placed 2nd
- Champ. Round 1 - Craig Cook (Millersville) 3-1 won by tech fall over Trace Ragland (Fairmont State) 20-19 (TF-1.5 3:58 (16-1)
- Quarterfinal - Craig Cook (Millersville) 3-1 won by major decision over Bret Minnick (Mercyhurst) 12-12 (MD 10-1)
- Semifinal - Craig Cook (Millersville) 3-1 won by decision over James Ryan (Gannon) 20-6 (Dec 9-7)
- 1st Place Match - Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown) 3-0 won by tech fall over Craig Cook (Millersville) 3-1 (TF-1.5 5:19 (18-1))
Nick Bennet (157)
- Quarterfinal - Ethan Richner (Gannon) 15-7 won by fall over Nicholas Bennet (Millersville) 0-2 (Fall 4:44)
- Cons. Round 2 - Eric Falleni (East Stroudsburg) 25-12 won by major decision over Nicholas Bennet (Millersville) 0-2 (MD 12-3)
Brandon Connor (165) placed 3rd
- Quarterfinal - Brandon Connor (Millersville) 3-1 won in sudden victory - 1 over Dillon Keane (Pitt-Johnstown) 3-2 (SV-1 4-1)
- Semifinal - Nicholas Coreno (Gannon) 26-5 won by tech fall over Brandon Connor (Millersville) 3-1 (TF-1.5 5:25 (17-1))
- Cons. Semi - Brandon Connor (Millersville) 3-1 won by major decision over Luke Ciampa (East Stroudsburg) 28-9 (MD 11-3)
- 3rd Place Match - Brandon Connor (Millersville) 3-1 won by decision over Dillon Keane (Pitt-Johnstown) 3-2 (Dec 4-2)
Jonathan Parrilla (174) placed 3rd
- Quarterfinal - Jonathan Parrilla (Millersville) 3-1 won by decision over Anthony Salopek (Pitt-Johnstown) 0-2 (Dec 7-5)
- Semifinal - Cole Hivnor (Gannon) 20-6 won by decision over Jonathan Parrilla (Millersville) 3-1 (Dec 4-1)
- Cons. Semi - Jonathan Parrilla (Millersville) 3-1 won in sudden victory - 1 over Duncan Kammar (Frostburg State) 12-15 (SV-1 10-7)
- 3rd Place Match - Jonathan Parrilla (Millersville) 3-1 won in sudden victory - 1 over Jack MacKiernan (American International) 24-7 (SV-1 9-6)
Anthony Giampietro (184) placed 3rd
- Quarterfinal - Anthony Giampietro (Millersville) 3-1 won by major decision over Vincent Scaramuzzino (Mercyhurst) 12-15 (MD 15-1)
- Semifinal - Cole Casilio (Gannon) 22-9 won by decision over Anthony Giampietro (Millersville) 3-1 (Dec 9-2)
- Cons. Semi - Anthony Giampietro (Millersville) 3-1 won by decision over Nick McCarthy (Frostburg State) 4-16 (Dec 10-3)
- 3rd Place Match - Anthony Giampietro (Millersville) 3-1 won by decision over Noah Gnibus (Pitt-Johnstown) 2-2 (Dec 8-2)
Bruce Vaughan (197) placed 4th
- Quarterfinal - Dwayne Johnson (Fairmont State) 31-11 won by decision over Bruce Vaughan (Millersville) 2-2 (Dec 4-3)
- Cons. Round 3 - Bruce Vaughan (Millersville) 2-2 won in double overtime over Diesel Koser (Shippensburg) 8-9 (2-OT 2-2)
- Cons. Semi - Bruce Vaughan (Millersville) 2-2 won in TB-2 by riding time over Anthony Glessner (Gannon) 12-15 (TB-2 (RT) 2-2)
- 3rd Place Match - Wayne McIntyre (Kutztown) 4-1 won by fall over Bruce Vaughan (Millersville) 2-2 (Fall 4:06)
Avery Kuhns (285)
- Champ. Round 1 - Isaiah Vance (Pitt-Johnstown) 3-0 won by fall over Avery Kuhns (Millersville) 1-2 (Fall 1:58)
- Cons. Round 2 - Avery Kuhns (Millersville) 1-2 won by decision over Ethan Babay (Fairmont State) 12-21 (Dec 8-3)
- Cons. Round 3 - Dustin Swanson (Kutztown) 2-2 won by fall over Avery Kuhns (Millersville) 1-2 (Fall 0:22)
