Ursinus Men’s Wrestling’s strong presence in the Centennial Conference continued this past weekend, with a second place finish in the conference’s championship meet. The Bears came up just two points short of taking down Merchant Marine, unfortunately breaking a streak of two straight conference championships. But with multiple podium finishes, Ursinus came away with some major successes to take into the rest of their championship stretch.
Junior Anthony Cerulli was the team’s lone champion, going 3-0 in the 174 lb bracket to win his first conference title. Cerulli has been a star for the Bears this year, with a 15-4 record and wins in key conference meets against Gettysburg and McDaniel. The junior avenged a loss to John Hopkins’ Connor Powell to capture the title, upsetting the second-ranked wrestler in the region. Cerulli now ranks 5th in the region in his weight class, a good sign for his chances at NCAA championship qualification.
Brandon Kmak, Franco Mazza, Andrew Schaen, and Nils Updale also finished with second place finishes in the tournament. Both Schaen and Mazza specifically faced stout competition. Both had matches against wrestlers from rival Muhlenberg, the team which they had dueled with and beaten just two weeks prior in the dual meet. The Mules got the win this time, but the Bears should have more opportunities to battle with NCAA Regionals and Futures upcoming.
The Bears faced challenges throughout the regular season, battling one of their most difficult schedules ever. The team encountered three ranked opponents in dual meets, as well as a plethora in their various tournaments. This has allowed the team to face some of the stoutest competition in the region before their slew of championship meets, giving them an edge in strategy over other competitors.
Ursinus carries five ranked wrestlers into the NCAA regionals meet this weekend: Mazza, Schaen, 149 lb wrestler Max Parnis ‘27, Cerulli, and 185 lb wrestler Samuel Rock III ‘28. All will be strong competitors to punch their ticket to NCAAs, competing against the rest of the nation in Providence, Rhode Island 2 weeks later. Mazza placed seventh at the competition a year ago, signaling he could be a key difference-maker this upcoming weekend.
With a young and deep roster, Ursinus should look to finish the season on a high note. Despite a plethora of challenges, from the loss of key contributors to a demanding schedule, the team has found a way to push toward new heights. Good luck to the Bears this weekend in Rochester!!
