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Brett Stanley file photo winning
Peter Wangechi

Stanley and Ashburn Win Titles at RIT Invitational

| By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

Brett Stanley and Aiden Ashburn led JCU to a sixth-place finish

ROCHESTER – With final exams quickly approaching, John Carroll Men's Wrestling traveled to New York on Saturday for the 58th RIT Invitational Tournament Central.

The Blue Streaks finished in sixth place at the annual event hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology.

Brett Stanley (125) and Aiden Ashburn (174) both earned RIT Championship crowns. Jesse Kanatzar (197) finished fourth. Daniel Devera (165) and Thomas Lunt (285) both tallied sixth-place efforts.

58th RIT Invitational Tournament Central

Brett Stanley continued what has been a breakout first-year campaign at 125 pounds. The Broadview Heights native rolled into the semifinals with three wins, two by 15-0 tech falls. In the semis, he confronted Liam Bullock (SUNY-Brockport), ranked third in Region 2. Stanley eked past him with a 5-3 decision, setting up a showdown with Christopher Colon of Williams in the final. A dominant 5-point shutout in the second period was enough for the JCU rookie, as he beat Colon, 7-4, for the title.

Aiden Ashburn rolled early as the #1 seed in the 174 bracket, notching a first-period pin and a 15-0 tech fall. A 9-3 decision followed by a 12-5 decision propelled him into the final bout. His opponent would be Andrew Maiorini of Wesleyan, ranked fifth in his weight class in Region 1. But Ashburn rolled through his foe like a hot knife through butter, as an early takedown setup a pin just 57 seconds into the contest. This marks the first title at RIT for the junior. 

Jesse Kanatzar cruised in the early going as the top seed in the 197 bracket. The veteran received an opening bye before notching 17-2 and 19-4 tech falls. In the semifinal, the Tallmadge native took a 4-4 tie into the third, but while he tallied a pair of escapes, a takedown at the 1:31 mark by Aris Dashiel of Wesleyan (#2 in Region 2) caused Kanatzar to lose, 7-6. Facing Carson LiCastri (SUNY-Oneonta, #4 in Region 4), the star Streak dropped an 18-2 tech fall.

Daniel Devera cruised early on the top line at his 165 bracket. The Parma native rolled in a pair of 16-0 tech falls, and then got into the semifinals with an 8-0 major decision. But he lost his next three matches by medical forfeit to settle for sixth place.

Thomas Lunt burst out of the gates as the third seed at 285. The East Haddam, CT native roared for a pair of first-period pins. A strong third period allowed him to beat RIT's Josh Lanka, 4-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. But then Lunt ran out of gas, falling into the consolations with a loss via pin. The junior was then pinned later in his first consi bout, and forfeited his final match to accept sixth place. 

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will study hard for finals this week before getting back to action. John Carroll will take part in the Kalahari Duals next Saturday in Sandusky. 
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