OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Five Mids advanced to the finals and two were crowned champions of their respective weight classes at the 45th annual Navy Classic on Saturday at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md.
 
Nine of Navy's 20 wrestlers placed in the event, five of which were freshmen.
 
No. 30 Danny Wask (174) and No. 10 Grady Griess (285) both finished with a 5-0 record in the tournament to win their first titles at the Navy Classic. Wask is the first Navy freshman to earn a first-place finish since Joe Locksmith (141) in 2010. Additionally, he is the first Mid to win a title at 174 pounds since Jadaen Bernstein in 2016. Griess is the first heavyweight champion since Riley Smith in 2021.
 
Navy (137) edged Princeton (134.5) by 2.5 points to place second out of 14 teams. The Mids garnered their best finish since they placed first in 2017. Nebraska (212) claimed the title for the second-straight year thanks to six of its wrestlers placing first in their respective brackets.
 
"Not the finish we wanted.  The matches we did drop have correctable technical areas that we can fix," said head coach Cary Kolat. "If we keep wrestling and stay in matches, we will keep improving. Huge credit to Danny Wask and Grady Griess for their wins today. They gave us a bump at the end and put together a solid event."
 
Griess began the day with a fall (1:35) against Davidson's Jake Fernicola. Navy's team captain followed up with a win over Mason Cover of Cleveland State by a 14-1 major decision. He then claimed his second win by fall (2:59) against American's William Jarrell just before the end of the first period. Griess was looking for revenge in his semifinal match against Dorian Crosby of Bucknell. Crosby defeated Griess by a 5-3 decision when the Mids battled the Bison in a dual last February. Griess needed just a takedown in the opening period to win by a 4-1 decision and earn a spot in the finals against Cleveland State's No. 25 Dan Bucknavich.
 
Griess scored the first point of the championship bout with an escape in the second period. Griess was awarded his second point with 20 seconds remaining in the match after Bucknavich was called for stalling for the second time. Griess capped off the matchup by receiving the riding time point to win by a 3-0 decision and claim the fifth tournament title of his career. Additionally, the senior has placed in the top three in all of his appearances at the Navy Classic (2021, 3rd; 2022, 2nd; 2023, 1st).
 
Wask defeated both Brett Sanderlin (20-4 / 4:51) of Davidson and Hunter Hutcheson (19-4 / 4:34) of Edinboro by technical fall in his first two matches. He then pinned Nebraska's Adam Thebeau at the 4:46 mark to proceed into the semifinals.
 
Wask scored the first five points in his battle with Princeton's Michael Squires with a takedown in the first and a reversal in the second period. Squires scored his only points with a reversal with five seconds left in the final period. Wask was credited with the riding time point to win by a 6-2 decision. The freshman beat Christopher Minto in the championship bout by a 5-0 decision for his second victory of the day against a wrestler from Nebraska.
 
No. 18 Josh Koderhandt (141), Jonathan Ley (157) and No. 16 David Key (184) all took second place in their respective weight classes.
 
Koderhandt's first action came in the quarterfinals against Princeton's Christopher Martino. Koderhandt opened the scoring with an escape early in the second period and added a takedown to jump ahead, 4-0. A four-point near fall in the third helped Koderhandt gain an 8-0 advantage. After Martino escaped, Koderhandt sealed the match with another takedown and earned the riding time point to win by a 12-1 major decision.
 
The Belleville, Ill., native took the mat against No. 24 Dylan Layton of Cleveland State in the semifinals. Layton struck first with a takedown 20 seconds into the match. Koderhandt escaped for his first point to make the score, 3-1, through three minutes. Koderhandt tallied four points from an escape and a takedown in the second period to take a 5-3 lead into the third. The junior scored his second takedown in the third and gained the riding time point to defeat Layton by a 9-3 decision. Nebraska's No. 4 Brock Hardy won the title match over Koderhandt by a 5-0 decision.
 
Ley had an impressive showing in his first appearance at the Navy Classic. The freshman won his first match by an 8-3 decision against Rocco Camillaci of Princeton. The riding time point helped Ley claim his second victory by technical fall over Lock Haven's JT Hogan (19-4 / 7:00).
 
In the semifinals, Ley held a 3-0 advantage going into the final period against Nick Delp of Bucknell. Ley added his second takedown eight seconds into the third to gain a 6-0 cushion. Delp answered with an escape and his first takedown to cut Ley's lead to two with a minute remaining. Ley regained a three-point lead with an escape and scored his third takedown ten seconds later. Ley limited Delp to just an escape in the final 17 seconds to win by a 10-5 decision. Nebraska's top-ranked wrestler, No. 3 Payton Robb, defeated Ley in the finals by an 8-1 decision.
 
Key totaled 12 points and surrendered just three to win his opening match by major decision against Joey Lyons of Cleveland State. Key used a five-point second period in his quarterfinal matchup with Ohio's Max Ray to win by an 8-4 decision. The Norcross, Ga., native then advanced to the championship match with an 8-5 decision over Gage Musser of Air Force. Nebraska's No. 8 Lenny Pinto used four takedowns in the first period to take the title match over Key by an 18-8 major decision.
 
Evan Tallmadge (125) posted a 3-1 record to finish in third place in his respective weight class. The freshman needed just 1:53 to win his first match by technical fall (17-2) against Gunner Havens of Kent State. Tallmadge scored the only takedown with 25 seconds remaining in the first period to defeat Princeton's Drew Heethuis in his next match by a 4-1 decision. Tallmadge held a 2-0 lead going into the third period in the semifinals against No. 23 Tucker Owens of Air Force. After scoring an escape, Owens took the lead with a takedown with just 10 seconds to go in the match. Tallmadge answered with an escape, but didn't have enough time on the clock to retake the lead. Tallmadge concluded his day with a fall (1:57) over Malik Hardy of The Citadel to place third.
 
Jamier Ferere (285) tallied three takedowns in his first match to win by a 12-4 major decision against Princeton's Sebastian Garibaldi. Ferere then upset No. 33 Jonathan Chesser of The Citadel by an 11-7 decision for his first win over a ranked wrestler. Ferere took the lead with a takedown in the first period. Chesser escaped for his first point and then scored a takedown with just two seconds left in the opening period to grab a 4-3 lead. Ferere retook the lead with a reversal with only five seconds to go in the second. The sophomore outscored Chesser, 6-2, in the third period with a pair of takedowns to win the match. Ferere claimed fourth place in the heavyweight bracket after dropping his next two matches by fall against Bucknavich (2:38) and Crosby (3:45).
 
Zyan Hall (184) scored big in his four wins to finish in fifth place in his respective weight class. He defeated Edinboro's Eli Make by a 19-3 (5:19) technical fall for his first victory. Hall lost his next match to No. 28 Nathan Dugan of Princeton by an 11-4 decision, but won his final three matches in the consolation bracket.
 
He concluded his match against Lock Haven's Cael Black with three takedowns to win by a 21-10 major decision. The Marietta, Ga., native advanced to the fifth-place bout with a 19-4 (4:44) technical fall over Kyle Snider of Kent State. Hall jumped out to a 13-6 lead through three minutes against Bucknell's Mikey Bartush. Hall scored another five points with a takedown and a pair of escapes in the second period to gain an 18-9 advantage. After Hall scored his fifth takedown in the third, Bartush scored an escape, two takedowns and a four-point near fall in the final 42 seconds. Hall was able to battle back in the final seconds to win the match by a 22-20 decision.
 
Nicholas Vafiadis (149) won his opening match by a 19-5 major decision over Cleveland State's Keith Ransom thanks to a huge third period. He scored 13 points in the final three minutes and added the riding time point in the victory. Vafiadis trailed Lucas Kapusta of Lock Haven, 4-2, but scored a takedown with one second on the clock to win by a 5-4 decision.
 
Bucknell's No. 33 Dylan Chappell scored the match-winning takedown in sudden victory to defeat Vafiadis by a 4-1 decision in the quarterfinals. Vafiadis kept his day going with an 11-3 major decision over Carson DesRosier of The Citadel in the consolation bracket. His next match against Davidson's Tyler Xavier McKnight also went into sudden victory. Vafiadis came out on top in his second overtime match of the tournament by scoring a takedown to win by a 4-1 decision. Vafiadis would place fifth/sixth after his next match against Ohio's No. 32 Derek Raike was deemed a no contest.
 
Coach Kolat also sent wrestlers to compete in the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Classic in Millersville, Pa., on Saturday. James Latona (second) and Kaemen Smith (fifth) highlighted the event for Navy by placing in the 149-pound bracket.
 
The Mids will enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and be back in action for the 41st annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the biggest regular-season collegiate wrestling tournament in the country. The two-day event will begin on Friday, Dec. 1 at the Westgate Paradise Event Center.
 
2023 Navy Classic Team Placements (Scores)
1. Nebraska (212)
2. Navy (137)
3. Princeton (134.5)
4. Bucknell (112.5)
5. The Citadel (75)
6. Cleveland State (67.5)
7. Air Force (58)
7. Ohio (58)
9. Kent State (41.5)
10. Lock Haven (40.5)
11. Edinboro (30.5)
12. American (13)
13. Bloomsburg (10)
13. Davidson (10)
 
Navy Results
125 - (3) Evan Tallmadge (3-1, Third Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Gunner Havens, Kent State / Tech Fall / 17-2 (1:53)
• Quarterfinals: defeated Drew Heethuis, Princeton / Dec / 4-1
• Semifinals: lost to (2) #23 Tucker Owens, Air Force / Dec / 4-3
• Third Place: defeated (4) Malik Hardy, The Citadel / Fall / 1:57
 
125 - Dayton DelViscio (2-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to (1) #12 Caleb Smith, Nebraska / Tech Fall / 19-4 (5:40)
• Cons. of 16 #2: defeated Logan Sallot, Lock Haven / Fall / 2:22
• Cons. of 8 #1: defeated Malachi O'leary, Ohio / Fall / 2:55
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to (6) Drew Heethuis, Princeton / Fall / 2:47
 
133 - (6) Garrett Totten (2-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Mason Brugh, Ohio / Major / 11-1
• Quarterfinals: lost to (3) #31 Jacob Van dee, Nebraska / Dec / 8-2
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated Paul Woo, Ohio / Dec / 4-1
• Cons. of 4: lost to Sean Pierson, Princeton / Dec / 7-2
 
141 - (2) #18 Josh Koderhandt (2-1, Second Place)
• Quarterfinals: defeated Christopher Martino, Princeton / Major / 12-1
• Semifinals: defeated (3) #24 Dylan Layton, Cleveland State / Dec / 9-3
• Finals: lost to (1) #4 Brock Hardy, Nebraska / Dec / 4-0
 
141 - (4) Tyler Hunt (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Billy Meiszner, Kent State / Fall / 4:11
• Quarterfinals: lost to (5) Jacob Silka, The Citadel / Dec / 7-4
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to Anthony Ferraro, Edinboro / Tech Fall / 17-2 (6:16)
 
149 - Luke Lucerne (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 32: defeated Cade Balistrini, Bloomsburg / Dec / 14-7
• Rd of 16: lost to Hayden Watson, The Citadel / Major / 9-1
• Cons. of 8 #1: lost to Carson DesRosier, The Citadel / Major / 9-1
 
149 - (6) Nicholas Vafiadis (4-1, Fifth/Sixth Place)
• Rd of 32: defeated Keith Ransom, Cleveland State / Major / 19-5
• Rd of 16: defeated Lucas Kapusta, Lock Haven / Dec / 5-4
• Quarterfinals: lost to (3) #33 Dylan Chappell, Bucknell / Dec / 4-1 SV
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated Carson DesRosier, The Citadel / Major / 11-3
• Cons. of 4: defeated Tyler Xavier McKnight, Davidson / Dec / 4-1 SV
• Fifth Place: (2) #32 Derek Raike, Ohio / No Contest
 
157 - (2) Jonathan Ley (3-1, Second Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Rocco Camillaci, Princeton / Dec / 8-3
• Quarterfinals: defeated JT Hogan, Lock Haven / Tech Fall / 19-4 (7:00)
• Semifinals: defeated (6) Nick Delp, Bucknell / Dec / 10-5
• Finals: lost to (1) #3 Peyton Robb, Nebraska / Dec / 8-1
 
157 - (5) Charlie Evans (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Dillon Carlson, Kent State / Dec / 11-8
• Quarterfinals: lost to (4) Cade Wirnsberger, Bucknell / Dec / 3-2
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to Riley Bower, Bucknell / Dec / 8-2
 
165 - Tyler Sagi (2-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to Aaron Ferguson, Kent State / Dec / 5-4
• Cons. of 16 #2: defeated Aidan Lenz, The Citadel / Fall / 2:42
• Cons. of 8 #1: defeated Joey Arnold, Edinboro / Dec / 8-2
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to (5) Avery Bassett, Lock Haven / Fall / 0:50
 
165 - Geno Quodala (0-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 32: lost to Sean O'dywer, Ohio / Major / 15-6
• Cons. of 16 #2: lost to Marc Koch, Davidson / Dec / 8-4
 
174 - (1) #30 Danny Wask (5-0, Champion)
• Rd of 32: defeated Brett Sanderlin, Davidson / Tech Fall / 20-4 (4:51)
• Rd of 16: defeated Hunter Hutcheson, Edinboro / Tech Fall / 19-4 (4:34)
• Quarterfinals: defeated Adam Thebeau, Nebraska / Fall / 4:46
• Semifinals: defeated (4) Michael Squires, Princeton / Dec / 6-2
• Finals: defeated Christopher Minto, Nebraska / Dec / 5-0
 
174 - (2) Sammy Starr (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Mitchell Broskie, Kent State / Fall / 2:11
• Quarterfinals: lost to Brodie Porter, The Citadel / Dec / 12-10
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to Myles Takats, Bucknell / Dec / 6-1
 
184 - (1) #16 David Key (3-1, Second Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Joey Lyons, Cleveland State / Major / 12-3
• Quarterfinals: defeated Max Ray, Ohio / Dec / 8-4
• Semifinals: defeated (5) Gage Musser, Air Force / Dec / 8-5
• Finals: lost to (2) #8 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska / Major / 18-8
 
184 - (6) Zyan Hall (4-1, Fifth Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Eli Makel, Edinboro / Tech Fall / 19-3 (5:19)
• Quarterfinals: lost to (3) #28 Nathan Dugan, Princeton / Dec / 11-4
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated Cael Black, Lock Haven / Major / 21-10
• Cons. of 4: defeated Kyle Snider, Kent State / Tech Fall / 19-4 (4:44)
• Fifth Place: defeated Mikey Bartush, Bucknell / Dec / 22-20
 
184 - Daniel Williams (3-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to Joshua Cordio, Air Force / Dec / 13-10 SV
• Cons. of 16 #2: defeated Adam Ortega, The Citadel / Dec / 10-3
• Cons. of 8 #1: defeated Wyatt Ferguson, Davidson / Tech Fall / 15-0 (2:02)
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated Nolan Springer, Bucknell / Dec / 2-1
• Cons. of 4: lost to Mikey Bartush, Bucknell / Dec / 5-1
 
197 - (5) Jacob Lucas (2-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to Blake Schaffer, Kent State / Dec / 9-3
• Cons. of 16 #2: defeated Calvin Sund, Air Force / Dec / 12-6
• Cons. of 8 #1: defeated Liam Volk-Klos, American / Tech Fall / 19-3 (6:16)
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to Nick Lodato, Edinboro / Dec / 2-1
 
197 - (6) Cael Crebs (0-0, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to Austin Starr, Ohio / Med Forfeit
• Cons. of 8 #1: lost to Carsten Rawls, American / Med Forfeit
 
285 - (1) #10 Grady Griess (5-0, Champion)
• Rd of 32: defeated Jake Fernicola, Davidson / Fall / 1:35
• Rd of 16: defeated Mason Cover, Cleveland State / Major / 14-1
• Quarterfinals: defeated William Jarrell, American / Fall / 2:59
• Semifinals: defeated (4) Dorian Crosby, Bucknell / Dec / 4-1
• Finals: defeated (2) #25 Dan Bucknavich, Cleveland State / Dec / 3-0
 
285 - (6) Jamier Ferere (2-2, Fourth Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated Sebastian Garibaldi, Princeton / Major / 12-4
• Quarterfinals: defeated (3) #33 Jonathan Chesser, The Citadel / Dec / 11-7
• Semifinals: lost to (2) #25 Dan Bucknavich, Cleveland State / Fall / 2:38
• Third Place: lost to (4) Dorian Crosby, Bucknell / Fall / 3:45