By Joseph Caruso
Sports Editor
The College’s wrestling squad continued their hot start with a 31-6 victory over No. 7 ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater, and participated in the Concordia University Wisconsin Invitational, where they earned three titles.
Prior to their trip to Wisconsin, the College started their season winning all four of their matchups in dominating fashion, winning four matches by a combined score of 171-22. Head coach Joe Galante has seen a special beginning to the 2025 campaign, and the Lions aimed to continue when they traveled to Wisconsin.
Their first contest was against No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater. The College, ranked No. 2 in their own right, were set to face their first ranked opponent of the year, in a good litmus test to see where the Lions stand on the season.
Junior heavyweight Matt Coon got things started with a 2-1 victory. The College then took home three consecutive decisions led by juniors Matthew Griffin and Garrett Totten, winning their matchups with scores of 17-5 and 14-3, respectively.
Other noteworthy matchups include junior Vinnie Santaniello who had an impressive win over a ranked opponent, defeating him 11-3. Junior D.J. Henry, who is ranked No. 2 in the country, dismantled his opponent 21-5, as his matchup was over before they could play a third period.
Coon, Griffin, Henry, Santaniello, along with juniors Hunter Mays and Jimmy Dolan have yet to lose a dual this year, an impressive stat that will fuel some nice friendly competition for the Lions as the season continues.
With a final matchup score of 31-6, the College flexed their muscles in this top ten showdown, proving they are leagues above other schools at the moment. They would look to wrap up this road trip at the CUW Invitational on Saturday.
Similarly to their matchup against the Warhawks, the College showed how talented they are again in the CUW Invitational that included Totten, Mays and Henry living up to their hype as they all took home individual titles.
Mays, ranked No. 1 in the nation at his weight, clinched a title with an 8-2 victory, after getting there with a hard-earned 9-6 decision a few matches earlier. Henry, also now ranked No. 1, had an impressive 8-0 shutout of No. 3 Gunnar Garriques of Chicago to clinch a title of his own.
It was another great showing from Santaniello, who remained unbeaten despite not being able to clinch a title because of a medical forfeit. He garnered three consecutive technical falls to reach the semifinals where he was victorious via a 5-3 decision.
All in all, Galante’s squad reinforced belief that they are one of, if not the best wrestling team in the country. With a plethora of wrestlers ranking top three in their weight class, the sky is the limit for the College this season. They are looking to grab their fifth-consecutive double-digit victory season under Galante, and 11th consecutive if the Covid-shortened season is removed.
Before the College can come home, they must travel to York, Pennsylvania for the New Standard Invitational on Dec. 5 and 6 where the Lions will try and bolster their strong season thus far.
