COLLEGEVILLE, PA - Utica University's men's wrestling team returned to tournament competition Saturday at the Will Abele Invitational, hosted by Ursinus College, with several Pioneers turning in strong individual performances to begin the team's 2026 schedule.
Nuallan King (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl Area High School),
Seth Richardson (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain), and
Rian Kirker (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) led the way with extended runs through their respective brackets, as Utica finished 10th overall with 51.5 team points.
At 197 pounds, King delivered one of Utica's best performances of the day, winning four bouts in the consolation rounds. His run began with a 5-3 decision over Emmanuel's Aiden Riordan, followed by another decision win, this time by a score of 5-0 over Norwich's Chris Folsom. A victory by default advanced King into the consolation round of four, where he defeated Wesleyan's Warren Little via fall after 4:33. He closed his tournament with a fall at 4:06 over Alfred State's Pierce Tran in the fifth-place match, securing a top-five finish in a competitive bracket.
At 174 pounds, Richardson also produced multiple scoring efforts throughout the day. He opened consolation action with a 15-3 major decision against Camden County's Jordan Suiter before earning back-to-back wins by fall against Wesleyan and Shenandoah opponents. Richardson closed his tournament with an 11-4 decision victory in the fifth-place bout, continuing a season-long trend of bonus-point production.
Kirker was the final Pioneer to earn a placement, finishing seventh in the 133-pound bracket. After falling in round one, back-to-back victories by fall, followed by a win via default, moved Kirker into the consolation round of four. Despite a setback to Alfred State's Mason Drew, Kirker was placed in the seventh-place match, where he earned a win via forfeit.
Several Pioneers finished the Will Abele Invitational with a single victory in their respective brackets. At 125 pounds,
TJ Monahan (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue) earned a win in the consolation round of eight, pinning Camden County's Joseph Rogers in 1:36 after a scoreless opening stretch.
Terrence Walden (White Plains, NY/Iona Prep) also recorded one victory at 141 pounds, opening his tournament with an 11-8 decision over Camden County's Aidan Slimm before falling in the round of 16. Those wins accounted for Utica's lone contributions outside of its placement finishers as the Pioneers competed against a deep, 12-team field.
Utica will return to action next Saturday, January 24th, when the team competes in the SUNYAC Championships. Action is set to begin at 10:00 am and will be hosted at SUNY Brockport's Special Events Recreation Center.
