SYRACUSE, NY - Utica University's men's wrestling team traveled to Syracuse to compete in the New York State Collegiate Wrestling Championship. 14 Pioneers competed in the event, highlighted by a sixth-place finish by Matt Bonato (Syracuse, NY/Liverpool). The squad will now look to their next event, the RIT Invitational.

Utica saw several strong individual efforts throughout the tournament, led by Bonato's sixth-place finish at 149 pounds as the team's lone placer. Bonato opened his day with a fall over Alfred State before advancing again via injury forfeit and ultimately securing a spot on the podium. Multiple Pioneers added wins across their brackets, including Sean Aldrich (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), who recorded back-to-back pins to start his 149-pound run, and Caden Beecher (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit Valley), who picked up two victories at 125. Rian Kirker (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) also notched a pair of falls in the 133-pound bracket, while Logan Banks (West Hartford, CT/Conard), Nuallan King (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl Area High School), Marco Milankovic (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park), and TJ Monahan (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue) each added wins of their own, highlighted by falls from Banks, King, and Milankovic. The Pioneers' remaining competitors battled through deep brackets as Utica collected valuable early-season experience across 14 weight entries.

Men's wrestling will return to action two weekends from now on Saturday, December 6th. The team will travel to the Gordon Field House in Rochester, NY, to compete in the RIT Invitational. Competition is set to begin at 9:00 am.