ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior Cameron Soda was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Ithaca Invitational and helped backstop the No. 11 JWU (Providence) wrestling team to a second-place finish Saturday afternoon.

Results: Team / Individual

(recap courtesy of Brian Allen, Associate Head Coach)

The second-place showing was respectable for the start of the season and the Wildcats will have a chance for redemption next week when they wrestle at the RWU Invite along with Castleton. 
 
It was the individual weight class match ups that put the Nation on alert. It was business as usual for two-time National Champ Joziah Fry at 125 lbs. as he went 5-0 with three pins, two Tech-Falls and an 18-8 major decision over All-American Bradley of Castleton in the Finals. 
 
Unranked freshman Peyton Ellis has put the Nation on notice that he is ready to go. Ellis would become the 133 lb. champ going 5-0. In the semifinals, Ellis would defeat regionally-ranked Marchese of Castleton 16-5 and then took down All-American and No. 5 Torres of Ithaca.
 
It was unranked Cameron Soda at 141 lbs. who shocked everyone in Glazer Arena. Soda would have the toughest weight class catching two-time All American and No. 5 Rodriguez of Castleton in the semifinals. Soda took the match into double-overtime, scoring a takedown to secure a 5-1 OT win. This would set up a finals matchup between he and the defending National Champion Wilson of Greensboro, N.C. Soda would hit Wilson with a headlock for the pin at 1:57 seconds of the first period setting off the crowd. Soda would earn the Most Outstanding Wrestler Honors for his 5-0 performance.  
 
Senior Hayden Brown returned to action after a year off and showed he is still a danger. Brown would go 5-0 at 157 lbs. to take the title, grabbing two tech-falls and a pin. In the Finals, Brown would beat No. 10 Camiscioli of Castleton by major 10-2. 
 
Sophomore Jack Richardson moved up to 165 lbs. this year and looked fantastic. Richardson would go 4-1 and earn a runner-up finish having two tech falls and a pin. In the finals, Richardson would fall 8-3 to No. 12 Parker of Ithaca.
 
JWU had six more student-athletes place within the top six of their respective weight classes. Senior Zachary Weiner (149 lbs.) went 4-1 for a third-place finish. Junior Adolfo Betancur (285 lbs.) also went 4-1 with three pins good for third place. Sophomore Vincent Faldetta (157 lbs.) went 6-2, which was good for fifth. Freshman Jared Spahn 149 lbs. went 3-1 and had to default to sixth due to injury. Junior Gabriel Case went 5-3 at 157 lbs. with four pins to notch a sixth-place finish. Freshman Matthew Frueh (125 lbs.) posted a 4-3 record and finished sixth.