GLENVILLE, W. Va. - The eighth-ranked Lander Wrestling team picked up a win over the 22nd-ranked Gannon Golden Knights to open action at the Pioneer Quad but then dropped a one-point match to the #12 Grand Valley State Lakers and fell short against the #2-ranked Pioneers of Glenville State to finish the day 1-2.
Lander now sits at 8-3 after the three non-conference duals.
Match 1: #8 Lander 18, #22 Gannon 15
The Golden Knights jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two weight classes but Isham Peace (Okatie, S.C.) got Lander on the board with a 10-3 decision at 141 to cut into the deficit at 6-3.
The teams traded decisions at 149 and 157 before David Hunsberger (Duncan, S.C.) got the first of what ended up being three bonus-point wins for him with a 13-3 major decision, giving Lander their first lead at 10-9.
Gannon took the lead back after 174 but an 18-2 tech fall by Anthony Giampeitro (Columbus, N.J.) in his lineup debut and a 10-3 decision from Marvelous Rutledge (Dayton, Ohio) clinched the match for Lander at 18-12 as Lander held the tiebreaking criteria.
Gannon got the win at 285 by decision but it was not enough as the match ended 18-15.
Match 2: #8 Lander 20, #12 Grand Valley State 21
Lander fell behind 7-0 after two matches but Peace was again there to get the Blue and Gold on the scoreboard with a shutout 18-0 tech fall to make it 7-5 after three.
However, the Lakers created some separation in the middle-weight classes as they got back-to-back major decisions at 149 and 157 to open a ten-point lead at 15-5.
Hunsberger got Lander back into the match with a sub-20-second pin to make it 15-11, but the Lakers' two straight decisions at 174 and 184 proved too much.
Rutledge got an impressive 6-2 win over the 15th-ranked wrestler at 197 in Wyatt Miller but that only cut the deficit to seven points going into the final match, sealing the win for the Lakers.
Hayden Lawter (Honea Path, S.C.) closed the match with Lander's second pin of the dual and saw the Bearcats come up one point short.
Match 3: #8 Lander 15, #2 Glenville State 27
Lander once again trailed early as Glenville took the first match by decision but Christian Davis (Arizona City, Ariz.) got a 20-4 tech fall to give Lander a 5-3 lead after two.
However, the Pioneers rattled off wins in six of the next eight matches to put the dual away. Hunsberger picked up his third win of the day with a 17-2 tech fall at 165 and
Issac Sheeren (Houston, Texas) added a 20-4 tech fall at 285 as the two Bearcats to halt the Pioneer run.
Lander returns to action on Wednesday, January 8th as they continue Conference Carolinas competition against the Emmanuel Lions. The first match is scheduled for a 7:00 PM start in Franklin Springs, Ga.
