KUTZTOWN – On Saturday, the East Stroudsburg University men's wrestling team saw
Layton Schmick punch his ticket to the NCAA Division II Championships as the freshman finished third place at 285 pounds at the Super Region I Championships inside Keystone Arena, on the campus of Kutztown University.
Dating back to 2010, Schmick became the program's first NCAA qualifier at 285 pounds, and it marks the second straight year ESU will be represented (
Brady Carter – 125 – 2022-23).
After dropping his semifinal match to Gannon's Matt Long (4-1), the Carlise native answered the bell with 2-1 and 2-0 decisions of Mercyhurst's Christian Taylor and Frostburg State's Gavin Bage to secure his spot in Wichita, Kansas on March 15 & 16.
As a team, the Warriors finished eighth in the team standings after totaling 36.5 points.
Notables
- In his first season in the red and black, Schmick heads to nationals 30-4 overall with 14 falls, six major decisions and one technical fall, while also becoming the sixth NCAA qualifier under fifth-year head coach Anibal Nieves.
- Eric Falleni earned a podium finish at 157 pounds as the senior took fifth place following a 3-2 day. Falleni earned a trio of major decision victories and concluded his career at ESU with a 53-30 record overall.
- Luke Ciampa landed on the podium for the third straight year at 165 pounds as the junior went on to finish fifth place. Ciampa collected a pair of major decision victories and took home fifth place with a medical forfeit in his final match
How It Happened
125
Jason Athey (0-2)
Champ. Round 1 - Billy Smith (Mercyhurst) won by major decision over Athey (MD 12-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Bryce Beatty (Millersville) won by decision over Athey (Dec 8-2)
133
Ben Makaritis (0-2)
Champ. Round 1 - Jeremiah Echevarria (Gannon) won by injury default over Makariti (Inj. 3:24)
Cons. Round 2 - Javien DeLeon (Kutztown) won by fall over Makaritis (Fall 3:57)
141
Fransico Perez-Gonzalez (0-2)
Quarterfinal - Colton Stoneking (Fairmont State) won by tech fall over Perez-Gonzalez (TF-1.5 3:31 (15-0))
Cons. Round 2 - Aaron Morocho (American International) won by tech fall over Perez-Gonzalez (TF-1.5 5:16 (18-3))
149
Patrick Noonan (0-2)
Quarterfinal - Ali Alicea (Kutztown) won by decision over Noonan 6-2 (Dec 9-8)
Cons. Round 2 - Trace Ragland (Fairmont State) won by medical forfeit over Noonan (M. For.)
157
Eric Falleni (3-2 –5th Place)
Champ. Round 1 - Kyler Everly (Shippensburg) won by decision over Falleni (Dec 10-5)
Cons. Round 2 - Falleni won by major decision over Nicholas Bennet (Millersville) (MD 12-3)
Cons. Round 3 - Falleni won by major decision over Mason Buckler (Frostburg State) (MD 10-0)
Cons. Semi - Max Stedeford (Mercyhurst) won by fall over Falleni (Fall 4:59)
5th Place Match -
Eric Falleni won by major decision over Kolton Parsons (Fairmont State) (MD 11-0)
165
Luke Ciampa (3-2 – 5th Place)
Quarterfinal - Dillon Walker (Mercyhurst) won by major decision over Ciampa (MD 18-6)
Cons. Round 2 - Ciampa won by major decision over Liam DeBaugh (Frostburg State) (MD 14-4)
Cons. Round 3 - Ciampa won by major decision over Collin Hearn (Seton Hill) (MD 15-3)
Cons. Semi - Brandon Connor (Millersville) won by major decision over Ciampa (MD 11-3)
5th Place Match – Ciampa won by medical forfeit over Dillon Walker (Mercyhurst)
174
Robert Burke (1-2)
Quarterfinal - Cole Hivnor (Gannon) won by fall over Burke (Fall 2:31)
Cons. Round 2 - Burke won by medical forfeit over Liam Bostrom (Shippensburg)
Cons. Round 3 - Jack MacKiernan (American International) won by decision over Burke (Dec 7-2)
184
Jarrett Pantuso (0-2)
Champ. Round 1 - Cole Casilio (Gannon) won by tech fall over Pantuso (TF-1.5 6:40 (17-0))
Cons. Round 2 - Nick McCarthy (Frostburg State) won by decision over Pantuso (Dec 9-3)
197
Ajay Hiller (0-2)
Quarterfinal - Anthony Glessner (Gannon) won in sudden victory over Hiller (SV-1 7-4)
Cons. Round 3 - Wayne McIntyre (Kutztown) won by major decision over Hiller (MD 10-0)
285
Layton Schmick (3-1 – 3rd Place)
Quarterfinal - Schmick won by major decision over Ethan Babay (Fairmont State) (MD 14-4)
Semifinal - Matt Long (Gannon) won by decision over Schmick (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Semi - Schmick won by decision over Christian Taylor (Mercyhurst) (Dec 2-1)
3rd Place Match - Schmick won by decision over Gavin Bage (Frostburg State) (Dec 2-0)
Up Next
By placing third at 285 pounds, Schmick advances to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on March 15 & 16 in Wichita, Kansas. For more information, please return to esuwarriors.com in the upcoming days.
