(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

Greg Bulsak and Brock Zacherl added championship trophies to their mantles, with each winning hard-fought title bouts against highly-touted opponents. Bulsak avenged last year’s championship bout loss to Penn State’s Michael Beard by winning the rematch this year, taking an 11-8 decision. Beard held a 4-1 advantage in the first period but Bulsak rallied, hitting him with a reversal to tie the match at 4-4 with a minute remaining in the period. The score was 6-5 in favor of Beard entering the second period but Bulsak escaped and took down Beard for an 8-6 advantage. Starting on top in the third period, Bulsak tilted Beard for a two-point near fall and rode him for nearly the entire two minutes to lock down the win.

Zacherl made his regular-season return to the Clarion mat after missing most of last season due to injury, and the sixth-year senior made the most of his return with a 149-pound title. Facing off against Ed Scott – the 43rd-ranked recruit on FloWrestling’s Top 100 – Zacherl took a 2-1 lead in the first period. Scott reversed Zacherl and got a pair of back points in the second period to take a 5-2 lead, but Zacherl escaped before the end of the period to make it 5-3. With about 1:22 remaining in the third period, Zacherl took Scott down to take a 6-5 lead and rode him long enough to get the riding point. Scott escaped to tie the bout at 6-6 but Zacherl had the riding point in his pocket to take the win.

Michael Bartolo and Ty Bagoly also reached the finals of their respective weight classes, earning runner-up spots at 165 and 285 pounds. Bartolo started the morning with a win by fall over Peyton Hearn, pinning him in the third period, and then shutting out Drake Brenize with a 5-0 decision. He earned his spot in the finals with a 7-2 decision over Lock Haven’s Caleb Clymer but fell to Penn State’s Joe Lee by major decision in the final. Bagoly opened with a 7-3 decision over Derek Berberick (Shippensburg) and followed with a tight 2-0 decision over Penn State’s Keagan Carmenatty. He won his semifinal bout with West Virginia’s Michael Wolfgram 4-2 before falling in a close 2-0 decision to Bruce Graeber in the final.