The Muhlenberg wrestling team opened 2024 with eight of its 12 competitors winning places at the Penn College Invitational.

Three Mules - freshmen CJ Horvath (125) and Andrew Loniewski (141) and junior Paul Parise (197) - all reached the finals of their weight classes. 

Juniors Brian McCaw (125) and Frank DiEsso (133) both placed third, while freshman Nick Stump (165), junior Fletcher Goodman (184) and junior Andrew Franklin (285) all came in sixth.

Horvath placed in a tournament for the third time this season, reaching the final with a pin and an 8-6 decision over McCaw in the semifinal. He faced the fourth-ranked wrestler in the Southeast Region in the final and scored an early takedown before eventually falling, 14-3.

Loniewski (pictured above) went 3-1 to run his season record to 14-5. He pinned his first opponent in just 42 seconds and also recorded a 9-0 major decision and 10-5 decision to advance to the championship. The final was a tight battle that entered the final minute tied at 1-1, with a takedown by the Delaware Valley wrestler accounting for the winning points in a 4-2 decision.

Parise also went 3-1 with a pair of pins and a decision. Like Horvath, he recorded an early takedown against a regionally ranked opponent before losing. The second-place finish tied the best of Parise's career.

Franklin, wrestling for the first time this season, had the most dramatic of the Mules' wins, recording a reversal in the second overtime period for a 3-1 win. 

Team Scores
1t. Averett (A) 136
1t. Delaware Valley (DV) 136
3. Lycoming (L) 103
4. Muhlenberg 93.5
5. Penn College (P) 79.5
6. Vermont State Castleton (C) 66
7. Scranton (S) 50
8. Elmira (E) 28.5

Muhlenberg Results
125
CJ Horvath (Muhl) pinned Thomas Brattole (S), 2:03
Horvath dec. B McCaw, 8-6
final: Kaden Majcher (L) maj. dec. Horvath, 14-3

125
Brian McCaw (Muhl) maj. dec. Avi Berg (C), 11-0
McCaw maj. dec. Patrick Burdshall (A), 13-2
C Horvath dec. McCaw, 8-6
third-place match: McCaw dec. Luke Heimbach (P), 7-4

133
Frank DiEsso (Muhl) pinned Thomas Conselyea (L), 1:57
Jacob Blair (DV) dec. DiEsso, 12-5
third-place match: DiEsso over Kaden Ware (P) by forfeit

141
Andrew Loniewski (Muhl) pinned Irion Newell (S), 0:42
Loniewski maj. dec. Gabe Whittington (DV), 9-0
Loniewski dec. Sean O'Toole (DV), 10-5
final: Taylor Weaver (DV) dec. Loniewski, 4-2

149
Alex Greco (Muhl) tech fall Cael Owen (L), 6:12 (23-7)
Mike Rubino (DV) pinned Greco, 3:56
Greco tech fall Alex Driggs (A), 5:35 (16-1)
TJ Martin (P) pinned Greco, 1:31

157
Trey Miletics (Muhl) dec. Anton Esterbrook (P), 7-2
Miletics dec. Hollis Berry (E), 12-6
Nicholas DeLorenzo (DV) over Miletics by medical forfeit, 5:00

157
Logan Ledebohm (P) pinned Chris Sockler (Muhl), 6:58
Sockler pinned Kevin McCarvill (S), 4:15
Hollis Berry (E) dec. Sockler, 8-7

165
Jacob Burgette (S) pinned Nick Stump (Muhl), 1:42
Stump pinned Wyatt Frawley (L), 1:54
Stump dec. Joseph McCullough (DV), 2-1
fifth-place bout: Travis Green (P) pinned Stump, 4:44

174
Eli Crum (L) over Tyson Derenberger (Muhl) by medical forfeit, 0:54

184
Fletcher Goodman (Muhl) tech fall Nick Parrella (L), 7:00 (17-2)
Logan Frank (C) maj. dec. Goodman, 12-3
Goodman pinned Jonathan Sklavounos (S), 4:13
fifth-place bout: Cruz Henton (C) dec. Goodman, 8-2

197
Paul Parise (Muhl) pinned Ahmed Hernandez (C), 2:24
Parise pinned Kahajen Smith (E), 1:25
Parise dec. Jaleel Jones (A), 13-7
final: Daniel Eckley (DV) maj. dec. Paul Parise, 12-4

285
Isaiah Johnson (DV) dec. Andrew Franklin (Muhl), 1-0
Franklin dec. Nicholai Brotzman (P), 3-1 (tb2)
Franklin dec. Sean Cordaro (S), 3-0
fifth-place bout: Braeden Fluke (A) pinned Franklin, 2:11