Triton Places Three at Ben McMullen Open; Five Make Semis

[Triton College Wrestling]

Triton Places Three at Ben McMullen Open; Five Make Semis

Marino goes 5-1 on the day while Turner goes 4-2

 

Muskegon, MI--The Triton College Trojans wrestling team advanced five wrestlers to the semifinals of the Ben McMullen Open this past weekend at Muskegon Community College in Michigan. Of the five, the Trojans placed three in the top four at each weight.

 

Traveling with slightly more than a full line-up, the Triton College Trojans wrestling team had another good showing to start the season as 11 of their 16 wrestlers progressing in their brackets by virtue of earning wins on the day.

 

“This ended up being a good tournament for us,” said Triton Head Coach Harry McGinnis. “Last year, we had zero place winners [at the Ben McMullen Open] and not one of our guys made it past the quarterfinals. This year, we have five in the semis of both the championship and wrestle back brackets. It’s a testament to the type of guys we’ve recruited, as well as the work they’re putting in to making their dreams of becoming National Champions and All-Americans a reality.”

 

At 125 pounds, Tom Angsten (Sophomore/Lane Tech/Chicago) made his way to the finals only to lose a narrow 7-6 decision in the finals.

 

“Tommy is a consistent grinder,” McGinnis said. “He attacks and attacks and attacks and forces a lot of bad decisions by his opponents. Though he didn’t come out on top this time, we’re expecting big things from him this season. His work ethic is second to none on this team.”

 

At 133 pounds, freshman Robert Turner (Sierra Linda/Phoenix, AZ) earned his second place finish in as many weeks after placing fourth at his weight. Turner dropped his opening bout to the eventual champion at his weight, but rattled off three straight wins in the consolation bracket before falling in the consolation finals to his opponent from Niagara College and earning a fourth place finish.

 

“I’m better than this finish,” Turner said. “When I come back home, I’ll be reviewing tape to make sure that I am not making the same mistakes again.”

 

Placing is nice, but my ultimate goal is to minimize my mistakes and become a National Champion this season.”

 

Johnny Marino (Sophomore/York/Elmhurst), a returning national qualifier from 2013, placed third at 165 on the day. Winning his first match on the day 9-0, Marino lost a close decision to the bracket’s eventual runner-up. Marino then went on a 4-0 run to earn third place on the day, including to falls and a win over former NJCAA All-American, Eric Telford.

 

“[Third place is] not what I wanted, but it’s a nice start to my season,” Marino stated. I missed [the Yellowjacket Open] last weekend due to some poor decision making on my part, so I needed to prove to my coaches, my teammates and myself that this won’t happen again. I feel okay in saying I made good on most of that promise, but not all of it.”

 

Chad Kirkhove (Sophomore/Sherrard) at 174 and Patrick Jackson (Sophomore/Bellwood/Walther Lutheran) at 165 made their way to the semifinals of their respective consolation bracket before bowing out of the tournament.

 

Also picking up wins on the day were AJ Pascente (Freshman/Lisle) at 125, Stan Whiting (Freshman/Joliet Central/Joliet) at 141, Darius Henry (Freshman/Oak Park/Oak Park & River Forest) and Ryan Fulton (Freshman/Taft/Chicago) at 149, Jonathan Figueroa (Freshman/Taft/Chicago) and Larry Juliano (Freshman/St. Patrick/Chicago) at 165.

 

Justice Parker (Freshman/Bradley Tech/Milwaukee, WI) at 125, Angel Ocascio (Freshman/Morton/Cicero) at 133, Joe Coyle (Freshman/Oak Forest) at 165, Richard Runyon (Freshman/Elmwood Park) at 197 and Darvell Burgess (Freshman/Hope Academy/Chicago) also competed on the day.

 

The Triton Trojans wrestlers have this coming weekend off and will resume their schedule Saturday morning, November 23 when they head to Mequon, Wisconsin and take part in the Concordia Open at Concordia University Wisconsin.

 

Triton College is a two year community college in near west suburban Chicago, Illinois. With 82 All-Americans, 15 National Champions, Two Olympians, Four Team National Championships and 21 Top 10 Team finishes to date, we are seeking hard working, dedicated student-wrestlers to become part of our historic program and compete against the best teams in the country at every college level. For more information about Triton College Wrestling and Triton College, please visit us on the web at http://www.triton.edu/ and fill out our online recruitment form by clicking here. You may also find us through various social media outlets such as facebook and twitter. You may also visit us in person on campus by contacting Head Coach Harry McGinnis at (708) 456-0300, extension 3784 or by email at hmcginni@triton.edu.