ITHACA, N.Y. - A pair of podium finishes highlighted a busy opening weekend for the Norwich University men's wrestling team, as the Cadets launched the 2026-27 campaign across two days of competition at the Ithaca Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Norwich accumulated 49.5 team points to finish 11th in a deep 12-team field, with junior Rory Nolan (Wadsworth, Ohio) placing fifth at 285 pounds and freshman Jordon Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah, Ill.) taking sixth at 174.

The two-day event featured a strong regional field, with Johnson & Wales University (Providence) capturing the team championship with 184.5 points. Vermont State University Castleton followed with 156, narrowly ahead of host Ithaca College's 154.5.

Nolan delivered Norwich's top finish after battling through one of the tournament's deepest heavyweight brackets.

He opened Friday with a 9-2 decision over Johnson & Wales' Tyler Colclough before pinning Springfield's Aedan Webster in 1:49 to advance to the quarterfinals. Nolan's championship run ended in an exceptionally tight bout against eventual Ithaca champion Charlie Turner, who escaped with a 4-1 sudden-victory decision.

Nolan responded emphatically on the consolation side, scoring a 19-4 technical fall over Lycoming's Noah Johnson in 5:11 before posting another technical fall, 20-5, over VTSU Castleton's Keonta Crawford.

After a no-contest in the consolation semifinals, Nolan closed his weekend by defeating Colclough for a second time, this time by an 8-1 decision in the fifth-place bout. Nolan finished the tournament with five contested victories against just one defeat.

Sonon-Hale made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut at 174 pounds.

The freshman opened with an 11-2 major decision against Ithaca's Cole Kuhar before advancing with a 7-3 decision over Springfield's Nick Piatti. His championship-side run ended against Lycoming's Nolen Zeigler in the quarterfinals, but Sonon-Hale quickly regrouped.

He pinned Penn College's Gavin Gomes in 5:30 and followed by stopping Cortland's Jon Schroff in 4:09 to advance deep into the consolation bracket. Following a no-contest in the consolation semifinal, Sonon-Hale ultimately finished sixth after falling to VTSU Castleton's Connor Gregory in the placement bout.

Freshman Jeremiah Johnson (Cary, N.C.) also put together a lengthy run at 165 pounds, collecting three victories during his first collegiate tournament.

Johnson opened by pinning Oswego State's Andrew Perry in 6:16. After dropping his second-round bout, he rebounded with consecutive technical falls in the consolation bracket, defeating VTSU Castleton's Jordan Sierra-Cardona, 20-2, before dispatching Oswego State's Colin Monell, 18-3, in 3:50. His run eventually came to an end against Cortland's Jack Pickersgill.

At 157 pounds, freshman James Lally (North Andover, Mass.) battled through three rounds of consolation competition. After falling in his opening contested match, Lally blanked Oswego State's Noah Murray, 15-0, by technical fall in 3:20 before earning an 11-9 decision over Penn College's Charles Paige. Ithaca's Michael Fahmie ended Lally's run in the following round.

Norwich also picked up multiple victories at 141 pounds.

Junior William Burke (Palmer, Mass.) advanced through his opening championship bout with a 1:25 fall over Oswego State's Brady Spreckels before dropping contests to VTSU Castleton and Ithaca.

Freshman Jay Campbell (Mount Laurel, N.J.) opened his collegiate career in convincing fashion, pinning Oswego State's Jacob Carioscia in 2:25. Campbell later moved into the consolation bracket before his tournament concluded against Johnson & Wales.

Junior Aidan Morgan (Wellington, Fla.) dropped a competitive 11-6 decision to Ithaca's Brandon Ribeiro in his opener before earning an 8-2 consolation decision over Norwich teammate Britton Marshall. Morgan's run ended in the following round against Oswego State.

Marshall advanced into the championship second round before falling to Cortland, while freshman Michael Barry (Wakefield, Mass.) and sophomore Reece Senske (Middleport, N.Y.) also represented Norwich in the 141-pound bracket.

At 125, junior Ben Fournier (Hebron, Conn.) provided one of Norwich's quickest falls of the tournament, pinning Lycoming's William Olson in just 41 seconds during the second championship round. Fournier advanced to the third round before eventually moving into consolation action.

Freshman Duncan Klinck (Tunbridge, Vt.) also competed at 125 in his collegiate debut, working through both sides of the bracket.

The 133-pound draw featured sophomore Dante Bilskis (Guilford, Conn.) and junior Robby Lyons (Milford, Mass.). Lyons earned a consolation victory by fall over Bilskis in 4:11 before eventually seeing his run end against VTSU Castleton.

Sophomore Reese Bunney (East Nassau, N.Y.) represented the Cadets at 149 pounds. After moving to the consolation bracket, Bunney pinned Elmira's Gabrie Pepe in 6:38 before Lycoming's Major Lewis brought his tournament to a close.

Three Cadets joined Lally in the 157-pound bracket.

Freshman Nicholas Cilento (Clark, N.J.) advanced through the consolation bracket before falling to Niagara County Community College, while junior Gannon White (Rincon, Ga.) also represented Norwich at the weight.

Norwich fielded its largest contingent at 165, with six wrestlers competing.

Sophomore Caden Geanetta (Arvada, Colo.) opened with a 9-0 major decision over VTSU Castleton's Walter Pilkey-Chevez before seeing his weekend end after two subsequent bouts.

Freshman Alimzhan Aitimov (Uralsk, Kazakhstan), sophomore Jeffrey Bernardi (Bethlehem, Conn.), freshman Deonte Kerns (Lincoln, Neb.), and freshman Jacob Levesque (Jaffrey, N.H.) joined Johnson in representing the Maroon & Gold throughout the weight class.

At 174, senior Jonathan Neypes (Columbia, Md.) bounced back from an opening-round loss by pinning Emmanuel's Luciano Tumminello in 1:46 during consolation action.

Freshman Evan Johnson (Danvers, Mass.) and junior Sean Cavanaugh (Kirkville, N.Y.) also competed at 174 alongside Sonon-Hale. Cavanaugh's opener proved particularly tight, with VTSU Castleton's Caleb Ives prevailing by an 11-8 sudden-victory decision.

Freshman Ethan Patch (Middletown Springs, Vt.) and sophomore Joseph Menkello (Burlington, Mass.) represented Norwich at 184 pounds. Patch's collegiate debut opened with a narrow 5-3 decision against Cortland before another close 8-5 contest in the consolation bracket.

The Cadets sent three wrestlers into the heavyweight draw. Along with Nolan's fifth-place performance, junior Kade Crawford (Euless, Texas) earned a 10-6 opening-round decision over Springfield's Joao Pires before moving through two additional bouts.

Junior Zachary Sulkis (Milford, Conn.) rounded out the Norwich contingent at 285, competing in both the championship and consolation brackets.

The two-day tournament gave Norwich 29 competitors their first opportunity of the season against a field featuring several of the region's established programs.

NORWICH PLACERS:

• Junior Rory Nolan (Wadsworth, Ohio)
• 285 pounds - Fifth place
  • Five contested victories
  • Two technical falls, one fall, two decisions
• Freshman Jordon Sonon-Hale (Mascoutah, Ill.)
  • 174 pounds - Sixth place
    • Four victories
    • Two falls, one major decision, one decision

Norwich will make its home debut on Thursday, Nov. 12, welcoming in-state rival Vermont State University Castleton to Plumley Armory for the Battle for the Green Mountain Championship.

Exhibition bouts are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by the varsity dual at 7:00 p.m.  The Cadets will then travel to Springfield College on Saturday, Nov. 14, for a tri-match against the host Pride and New England College.