Penn State wrestlers claim several titles at Southern Scuffle, Edinboro Open

Even though Penn State is still on its winter break, 11 wrestlers took to the mats this weekend at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn., and the Edinboro Open.

Four Nittany Lions were able to earn titles at their respective tournaments — three alone at the prestigious Southern Scuffle.

Zack Ryder (184 pounds), Connor Mirasola (197) and Cole Mirasola (285) were the winners in Tennessee. Cael Nasdeo (141) stayed close to home and got the crown in Edinboro.

Connor Pierce (149) reached the finals at the Southern Scuffle as Sam Becket (174) was in the finals at the Edinboro Open. Kurt McHenry (5th, 125) was another placewinner for Penn State in Tennessee.

The Nittany Lions finished tied for second with the Oklahoma team at the Southern Scuffle with 126.5 points. Army West Point won the team title with 132.5 points.

Ryder and the Mirasolas each cruised to the semifinals.

Ryder outscored his opponents, 32-6. In the semifinals, he pinned Virginia Tech’s TJ Stewart, who is ranked No. 25, in 4:06. Ryder controlled his finals match with Northern Colorado’s AJ Heeg to a 6-1 win.

Connor Mirasola had a pair of technical falls and a pin on his road to the semifinals. He then hung a 14-4 major decision on Army West Point’s Wolfgang Frable.

In the finals, Mirasola used a takedown in the first and third period to secure a 7-3 victory over The Citadel’s Patrick Brophy.

Cole Mirasola, who was rather undersized, strung together back-to-back technical falls to reach the semifinals. He outscored his opponents, 42-12, and then beat Army teammates to get his title.

Mirasola defeated Brady Colbert, 9-5, in the semifinals. In the finals, he shut out Lucas Stoddard, 9-0, for the crown.

Nasdeo had a similar run to his other title winning teammates. He opened by racking up a 17-1 technical fall in 2:46.

Nasdeo made the semifinals with a major decision, and then topped Edinboro’s Anthony Ferraro, 11-5, to make the finals. In the finals, Nasdeo collected a 14-3 major decision over Lehigh’s Seamus Mack.