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Bo DiJulius, Bear Horgan, Kyle Bizjak Senior Day
Peter Wangechi

Men's Wrestling Victorious over Heidelberg in a Great Start to the Campaign

| By: JCUSID

Bo DiJulius, Bear Horgan, and Kyle Bizjak celebrated Senior Night

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – In the first dual of the 2026-27 season, John Carroll Men's Wrestling looked great.

The Blue Streaks handled Heidelberg University at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center, in control the whole way.

John Carroll victory over the Student Princes, marking the seventh win in the last eight meetings between the two programs. Strong efforts late in matches defined the night for the hosts on Senior, Alumni, and Youth Night.

Results

"I was very happy. What I'm most proud of is that we work on certain things in the room and you see it executed the way we train it," said Head Coach Mark Hawald '05. "We train scoring late in the match. We train how to work in tough positions. How do you manage your emotions and when you're tired and have nothing late. That shows grit and work ethic."

Brett Stanley brought the crowd to its feet early, as the junior pinned his foe at 125 pounds in dramatic fashion in the first period. 

Devion Coffman fought the whole way and clinched a major decision at 133 pounds in his first collegiate match. His riding time secured the MD and four team points for the hosts. Adom Sharpley then won a bigtime bout at 141, as a takedown in the final minute picked up a great 5-3 decision. The victory is a good start for the sophomore, who has high hopes this season. 

Heidelberg got the team's first win of the night at 149 pounds. Bo DiJulius gritted it out on his senior night, but couldn't overcome a tough foe in a 12-6 decision. 

Cayden Pluhar got going with a takedown with a second left in the first period in his 157-pound match. The son of Candace Pluhar – a star in the John Carroll Athletic Department – roared late. Cayden notched a couple third period takedowns and a 3-point nearfall to secure a 13-2 major decision. 

Midway through the match, the Blue Streaks possessed a 17-3. Heidelberg started to gain some more traction, getting a decision win at 165. 

Christian Friel rolled out of the gate at 174, picking up a pair of first-period takedowns. That early start would be enough, as a late takedown sealed a 10-3 decision. 

Bear Horgan wrestled confidently at 184, as the veteran came out strong out of the gates. A flurry of reversals and nearfalls defined his dominant win, as Horgan roared for a 20-2 tech fall early in the second. His Senior Day was certainly a good one.

His win sealed the JCU win. Oliver Skoczen picked up a similarly dominant victory at 197. The junior seemed destined for a tech fall before pulling out a pin with 1:04 left in the second period. JCU lost the heavyweight bout but still won the day handily. 

"That was a good start to our season," said Hawald. "We're going to hopefully keep the momentum going."

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will be back in action this weekend at the Mount Union Invitational on Saturday.
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