Final BracketsGrantham, Pa. - December 3, 2011 - Both Joe Grippi and Derrick Longo won individual titles to lead the Springfield College wrestling team to a third-place finish at the Petrofes Invitational hosted by Messiah College over the weekend.
Springfield scored 131 points en route to its third-place finish of 12 teams. Cortland wound up winning the tournament with 165.5 points, followed by Wilkes (159.5), Springfield (131), host Messiah (128), Mount Union (118.5), McDaniel (89), Johns Hopkins (63), Bridgewater State (Va.) (58.5), Ursinus (55), Lycoming (53), Gettysburg (52.5), and Muhlenberg (6).
SC finished ahead of both Union, ranked 10th, and Messiah, ranked 21st nationally. The teams that finished ahead of SC were Cortland, ranked 8th, and Wilkes, ranked 11th nationally.
Grippi, a junior from Bedford Hills, N.Y., was seeded second in the tourney. It was his second straight tournament win. Longo, a junior from Ardsley, N.Y., was also seeded second en route to his win.
Others who fared very well included Dylan Foley, a freshman from Southborough, Mass., who placed fourth at 149. There was senior Ryan McGilvray (Manalapan, N.J.), who placed second at 157. There was junior Mike Fish (Middletown, N.J.), who placed second at 174. Junior Nicholas Camera (North Massapequa, N.Y.) took third at 184. And senior John Gabordi (Ledyard, Conn.) took an eighth-place finish at 285.
Next Wednesday, December 7, SC finishes the first semester with a dual at WPI at 7 pm.
Jason Holder will enter his second season as head wrestling coach in 2012. Holder had a standout first season at the helm of the Pride, leading Springfield to the NEWA Duals Championship and taking three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
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