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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University wrestling team recorded four top-six finishes on Saturday at the 2018 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Wrestling Championships inside Keystone Arena.
 
The 2018-19 PSAC Wrestling Tournament featured a new structure from previous years. Continuing the tradition of the past 75 plus years, individual champions at the each of the 10 respective weight classes were recognized. Beginning this year, no team champion was determined from the tournament. At the end of the season, a Division I PSAC and Division II PSAC champion will be crowned based on dual results within the conference vs. respective NCAA level opponents.
 
Redshirt senior Dylan Nace delivered a third-place finish at 141 pounds after going 3-1 on the day. Nace started with a 15-7 major decision victory against Shippensburg's Cole Rush. He would drop his semifinal matchup but responded with a 12-3 major decision victory over Seton Hill's Tyler Kenney to advance to the third-place match. Nace would face Kutztown's Anthony Petril and record a fall (5:29) to secure the win.
 
Mike Raccioppi would need to tally three victories in the consolation round to advance to the third-place match at 174 pounds. The redshirt junior notched consecutive major decision wins to advance to the consolation semifinals. Raccioppi recorded a 3-2 decision over Clarion's Taylor Cahill to advance to the third-place bout, where he would drop a hard-fought 11-9 decision against Brock Biddle from Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Junior Richard Viruet went 2-2 on his way to a fifth-place finish for the Warriors at 165 pounds. Viruet would defeat Mikey O'Brien from Kutztown with a 6-5 decision to advance to the semifinals. Viruet dropped a major decision in the semis followed by a 5-2 decision in the consolation semis. He would be victorious in his fifth-place bout via medical forfeit over O'Brien.
 
The 157-pound weight class saw sophomore Marquan Payne participate in six bouts and finish with a 3-3 mark. Payne finished sixth for ESU after tallying a pair of victories in the second and third rounds of the consolation bracket. He started his day with a 13-5 major decision victory over Jake Jones from Kutztown before dropping a 10-2 major decision against Bloomsburg's Nate Newberry in the quarterfinals. Payne faced Gage Thomas from Pitt-Johnstown in the fifth-place bout, where Thomas notched a fall (1:52) for the victory.
Sophomore Nick Klinoff also recorded a victory on the day for ESU wrestling at 197 pounds. Klinoff went 1-2 in his first trip to the PSAC Championships, notching a win in the second round of the consolation bracket over Pitt-Johnstown's Mike Geyer.
 
The Warriors are back in action on Dec. 15 as the Warriors travel to Brookville, N.Y. for a dual match to face LIU Post at 2 p.m.