at Keystone Invitational
Cal Poly Places Ninth in Keystone Invitational; Lotito Captures Title
11/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
FINAL BRACKETS (pdf)
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. -- Led by 133-pound champion Devon Lotito, the Cal Poly wrestling team finished tied for ninth place among 15 schools competing in the Keystone Invitational on Sunday at the Palestra on the University of Pennsylvania campus.
Lotito (pictured at right), unseeded in the one-day tournament, returned to his home state -- he is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem -- and won each of his five matches en route to the title.
The freshman upset sixth-seeded Quinton Murphy of Indiana in a 12-1 major decision, followed by a 6-0 decision against John Coukos of Northwestern.
In the quarterfinals, Lotito earned a 13-6 decision over third-seeded Garrett Frey of Princeton, followed by a 9-2 decision in the semifinals against second-seeded Jimmy Morris of Rider.
Lotito earned a 4-2 decision over top-seeded and 10th-ranked Levi Mele of Northwestern in the title match en route to most outstanding wrestler honors.
Mustang 184-pounder Sean Dougherty and 285-pounder Atticus Disney both placed fifth.
Dougherty won two matches, including a 10-8 upset of top-seeded Diego Bencomo of Duke, before falling into the wrestlebacks and finished with a 3-2 record. He scored a 19-2 technical fall (6:47) over Clint Morrison of Rider in the match for fifth and sixth place.
Disney also won his first two matches before dropping an 8-2 decision to top-seeded Mike McMullan of Northwestern in the semifinals. Disney capped a 3-2 performance in the tournament with a fall in 46 seconds against Greg Velasco of Rider in the match for fifth and sixth place.
At 125, Mustang Evan McKirdy posted a 3-2 mark, including a fall in just seven seconds against Jeffrey Ogburn of Appalachian State, and was awarded the tournament's fastest pin award. Kyle Chene posted a 4-2 mark at 157 with all four wins by decision.
Cal Poly scored 47 team points, sharing ninth place with Boston University. Northwestern earned the team title with 156 points, followed by Pennsylvania (102.5) and Rider (91).
Cal Poly competes in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Photo courtesy of The Morning Call, Lehigh Valley, Penn.
