ALLENTOWN, PA. - Sopohmore Stone Franczyk captured the 157-pound title at the Mideast Futures Tournament held Sunday at Muhlenberg. The Bears produced four place-winners and earned a 6th place finish overall.
Franco Mazza (125) and Jake Ahmad (285) each notched a second place finish, while Jackson Brandt (174) took third.
Francyzk opened with a 9-4 decision over Gettysburg's Cooper Leszczuk and followed up with a 10-8 decision over RIT"s Liam Strouse. In the semifinals, Franczyk earned a trip to the finals with a 7-3 decision over Muhlenberg's Riley McHale. In the finals, trailing 4-3 Francyk used a duck under to gain a takedown in the closing seconds to be named the lone champion for the Bears.
Mazza was one of three Bears to reach the finals of his bracket, after earning three straight decisions before falling in the championship bout. Mazza picked up a decision over Gettybsurg's Antonio Abae in round two, followed by a 8-4 decision over Brian McCaw of Muhlenberg. In the semifinals, Mazza earned a 7-5 victory over Braden Schuyler of Elizabthtown to reach the finals at 125lbs.
Ahmad reached the finals in remarkable fashion, with back-to-back pins of Elizabethtown's Kurt Driscoll and Tade Omisore of Washington & Lee. In his semifinal match, Ahmad earned a fall in just 17 seconds but fell in the championship bout to TCNJ's Peter Wersinger by a score of 3-1.
Sophomore Jackson Brandt had an impressive showing for the Bears as well, earning a third place finish after losing his opening match. In the consolations, Brandt earned four straight victories all by pinfall, with his qucikest pin coming against Gettysburg's Russell Canova midway through the first period.
"The coaching staff is really impressed with how we competed today," head coach Joe Jamison said. "To finish 6th out of 15 teams while only filling 6 weight classes really show's our program's depth of talent and is a testament to how hard these guys have worked all season. Seeing some of the guys avenge losses and close the gap on their opponents from eariler this season is really encouraging."
The Bears will return to the mat next weekend as they travel to Elizabethtown for the Mideast Regionals.