Wrestling | 12/29/2022 11:23:00 PM

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – After a two-year hiatus, the Bloomsburg wrestling team sent three grapplers to the 58^th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University. The two-day tournament began on Thursday, December 29 and the Huskies had a strong showing on the first day.
 
Redshirt senior Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) picked up 5.0 team points on the first day and will continue to wrestle on day two at 141 pounds. Mason opened the day with a 11-5 decision over Jaivon Jones from Northern Illinois but fell to Joseph Zargo from Wisconsin 10-4 in the second round. In his first match of the wrestle backs, Mason defeated Anthony Glasl from George Mason 5-0 and earned a medical forfeit win in his next match. He kept his day moving along with a 5-0 decision over Joseph Cangro from Harvard and Mason finished the day with a 3-0 decision over Zeke Seltzer from Missouri.
 
Mason opens day two against Joe Olivieri, an unattached wrestler from Rutgers.
 
Senior Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) picked up 4.5 team points for the Huskies in the 133-pound bracket. Rhone opened the day with bye in the first round before posting his team-leading fifth pin of the season as he took down Tuvsin Zunnbayan from Harper College at 5:54. Lucas Byrd from Illinois sent Rhone to the consolation bracket with a 9-1 major decision in the third round. Rhone kept his day alive with a 7-1 decision over Pat Phillips from Franklin & Marshall though fell to Evan Mougalian from Penn 4-2 in round five.
 
Sophomore Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) had a solid first day of his first Midlands Championships in the 149-pound bracket. Balestrini got a bye in the first round and defeated Ricky Cabanillas from Brown 5-3 to move to the third round of the championship bracket. Yahya Thomas from Northwestern defeated Balestrini by a major decision 17-4 but Balestrini rebounded for a 5-1 decision over Umihko Saito of Brown to keep wrestling. Balestrini earned a 3-1 decision over Jude Swisher of Pennsylvania RTC in round five.
 
Balestrini will wrestle Johnny Lovett from Central Michigan in the first round of the day tomorrow morning.

Midlands Results for Bloomsburg

Men`s 133

• Champ. Round 1 - Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) (Bloomsburg) received a bye () (Bye)
• Champ. Round 2 - Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) (Bloomsburg) won by fall over Tuvsin Zunnbayan (Harper College) (Fall 5:54)
• Champ. Round 3 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) won by major decision over Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) (Bloomsburg) (Maj 9-1)
• Cons. Round 4 - Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Pat Phillips (Franklin & Marshall) (Dec 7-1)
• Cons. Round 5 - Evan Mougalian (Penn) won by decision over Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 4-2)

Men`s 141

• Champ. Round 1 - Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) (Dec 11-5)
• Champ. Round 2 - Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) won by decision over Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 10-4)
• Cons. Round 2 - Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Anthony Glasl (George Mason) (Dec 5-0)
• Cons. Round 3 - Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (Bloomsburg) won by medical forfeit over Justin Bierdumpfel (Brown) (MFF)
• Cons. Round 4 - Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Joseph Cangro (Harvard) (Dec 5-0)
• Cons. Round 5 - Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Zeke Seltzer (Missouri) (Dec 3-0)

Men`s 149

• Champ. Round 1 - Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) (Bloomsburg) received a bye () (Bye)
• Champ. Round 2 - Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Ricky Cabanillas (Brown) (Dec 5-3)
• Champ. Round 3 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) won by major decision over Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) (Bloomsburg) (Maj 17-4)
• Cons. Round 4 - Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Umihiko Saito (Brown) (Dec 5-1)
• Cons. Round 5 - Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Jude Swisher (Pennsylvania RTC) (Dec 3-1)

Action will get underway at Northwestern tomorrow, December 30, at 11:00 a.m. CST. Links for live results on TrackWrestling and live video on the B1G+ network are on the Huskies schedule page.