Wrestling | 3/6/2026 10:45:00 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Bloomsburg wrestling team sits in 11th place after the first day of the 2026 MAC Championships with 15.5 team points. The Huskies have six wrestlers still competing for spots on the podium on Saturday.

Graduate student Jace Schafer (Fairport, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon) received a first-round bye but fell to top-seed Tyler Klinsky, 5-0. Schafer bounced back in the consolation bracket with a hard-fought pin over Zach Belverio to keep his MAC Tournament run alive. Schafer scored a quick takedown and added four near-fall points to build a 7-0 lead in the opening period. He later turned Belverio again and secured the fall at 2:53 to advance in the 125-pound bracket.

Alec Baxley (Newark, Del./St. Mark's) secured a spot in Saturday's action at 149 pounds after benefiting from a medical forfeit. Baxley dropped a 15-0 decision to Ryan Michaels of Edinboro in the opening round before receiving a bye in the first consolation round. Kaden Cassidy of George Mason medically forfeited, allowing Baxley to advance. He will face Sam Ewing of Buffalo on Saturday.

Eric Alderfer (Harleysville, Pa./Faith Christian) opened his day with a strong performance at 174 pounds but fell to Logan Messer, 4-1. Alderfer received a bye through the first round of consolations before dominating Tommy Bennett of Northern Illinois in consolation round two. Alderfer built a 7-0 lead after the first period and deferred choice to start the second. Bennett chose neutral, leading to a stall warning before Alderfer added a takedown to extend the lead to 10-0 after two periods. Alderfer started the third period on bottom and quickly escaped before adding another takedown to stretch the lead to 14-0. Bennett recorded an escape late to avoid the technical fall, but Alderfer secured the 15-1 major decision with the riding time point.

Mason Rebuck (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) entered the MAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed at heavyweight and received a first-round bye. Rebuck opened with an 8-5 decision over Magnus Bibla of Buffalo to advance to the semifinals. Rebuck then fell to Devon Dawson of Northern Illinois in the semifinal round but remains alive in the bracket and will have the opportunity to wrestle for third place on Saturday.

Coy Raines (North Chille, N.Y./Churchville-Chille) dropped his opening match but received a bye in the first round of consolations. Raines then delivered one of the Huskies' most complete performances of the day. Trailing 4-0 early in the third period against Connor Jacobs, Raines received a point after Jacobs was called for his second stall. The sophomore followed with a takedown and immediately locked in a cradle, earning four near-fall points to take an 8-4 lead late in the period. Raines rode out the final seconds to secure the victory and advance in the 197-pound bracket.

Braidon Woodward (Canisto-Greenwood, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon) closed the night with one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament. Woodward dropped a hard-fought 4-1 decision to Wyatt Ferguson in the opening round before receiving a bye through the first consolation round. In consolation round two, Woodward faced Marcus Petite of Buffalo and prevailed 4-1 in sudden victory. After a scoreless first period, Petite chose bottom to start the second and escaped for a 1-0 lead. Woodward answered with an escape to begin the third period, tying the match 1-1 at the end of regulation. The wrestlers traded shots during the overtime period, each threatening to end the match. In the closing seconds of sudden victory, Woodward secured control on a final shot, though no takedown was initially awarded. As time expired, head coach John Stutzman threw the challenge brick. After review, officials awarded Woodward the takedown, giving the sophomore a 4-1 victory to cap the night for the Huskies.

The consolation quarterfinals begin Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. at Alumni Arena on the campus of the University at Buffalo.