STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Rick Durso went 7-1 at the Nittany Lion Open hosted by Penn State on Sunday to lead Franklin & Marshall's wrestling team with a third-place finish at 141, breaking the program's all-time wins record in the process. Antonio Pelusi also had a memorable tournament, taking down top competition en route to a fifth-place finish at 285.
As a team, F&M accumulated 45.5 points, good for 13th place out 51 scoring teams. A complete bracket from the tournament can be found here.
Improving to 17-6 on the season, the Diplomats' three-time NCAA qualifier and 2014 All-American now has a 123-24 record, breaking Craig Blackman's '81 career mark of 117-31-2.
Ranked third in the bracket and 18th in the nation, Durso opened action on a tear, rattling off three consecutive pins to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. Eventual runner-up Matthew Kolodzik edged F&M's grappler by a narrow 6-4 decision, before Durso answered with three straight victories in the wrestle backs to reach the third-place match. Facing off against the bracket's No. 2 ranked wrestler Jared Prince of Navy, Durso came away with a 9-6 decision.
With his three pins on the day, Durso climbed into the top 10 of the career falls leader list and now has 21 during his time as a Diplomat.
Pelusi recorded a 5-2 record at 285, bouncing back from a 6-2 opening round loss to Ohio State's Thomas Haines with four straight wins to reach the consolation semifinals. N.C. State's Mike Kosoy pinned Pelusi, before a medical forfeit from Lehigh's Douglas Vollaro awarded him fifth.
Dan Martoccio (133) picked up a 6-2 decision over Lehigh's Peter Lipari in his opening bout at 125, before a pair of losses ended his tournament. Paddy Quinlan went 2-2 at 141, including 7-4 decision over Kent State's Kyle Lukowich in the round of 64. Teammates Samuel Butler and Brandon Giovanetti faced off in the consolations of 149, with Giovanetti registering a 12-5 decision.
Giovanetti continued his run in the wrestle backs with another two wins to earn a spot in the round of eight, before falling to NCAA qualifier Shyheim Brown of Maryland by a 17-5 mark.
At 157, David Brennan dominated Edinboro's Zaal Zafari with an 18-4 major decision in the consolation bracket, while Robbie King (165) picked up a 3-1 decision in the wrestle backs.
The Diplomats return to the mat near the end of the month when F&M sends wrestlers out to Northwestern to compete at the historic Midlands, set to run from Dec. 29-30. On Wednesday, Dec. 30, the Diplomats will also host the annual David H. Lehman F&M Open at the Lancaster Marriott.
