The Muhlenberg wrestling team closed out 2017 by traveling to Florida for the Citrus Open and came back with three placewinners.

Junior Gennaro Cerminara came in second at 197, sophomore Dylan Schwartz placed third at 165, and sophomore Austin Sherman was fifth at 141.

The Mules came in seventh in a field of 11 teams that included two that have been ranked in the top 10 in Division III this season (Augsburg and New York University) as well as Division II schools Upper Iowa and UNC Pembroke.

Cerminara (pictured above) went 3-1 to score the best finish of his career; he previously placed third at three tournaments. Along the way, he reached the career milestones of 50 wins and 30 pins, with his 30th pin coming in a career-best 29 seconds against an opponent from Ursinus in the semifinals. Cerminara was decisioned by an Upper Iowa wrestler, 11-6, in the final. 

Cerminara also pinned his first opponent in the first period. His 13 pins this season - all but one in the first period - are two short of the school record he tied last year. Cerminara is the eighth Muhlenberg wrestler to record 30 career pins. 

Schwartz won five of six bouts in posting his best finish following three straight fourth-place showings. All five of his wins came by decision, including a 4-3 thriller in the consolation final against a 2017 junior college All-American. Schwartz scored the winning points in the third period and held off his opponent the rest of the way to secure his team-leading 22nd win of the season.

Sherman also won his final bout 4-3, and in dramatic fashion. Wrestling against an opponent from John Carroll, a D3wrestle.com rankings contender who handed him his first loss of the tournament, Sherman trailed 3-2 before scoring the winning takedown with 14 seconds left in the third period. Sherman went 5-2 in the tournament, with a major decision and a technical fall, to place in a tournament for the fourth time this season. With a record of 18-8, he has already surpassed his win total of 17 from last season.

Sophomores Nick Daza (157) and Scott Schaeffer (HWT) and freshman Sam Rothstein (HWT) each won a pair of bouts, with both of Rothstein's victories coming on first-period pins. Junior Robert Armus, who had wrestled only three times for the Mules since suffering an injury midway through his freshman season, made his season debut at 157 and won a 7-3 decision in his second bout.

Team Scores
1. Augsburg (A) 211
2. Upper Iowa (UI) 195
3. New York University (NYU) 120.5
4. Cornell College (C) 96.5
5. UNC Pembroke (UNCP) 92.5
6. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) 60
7. MUHLENBERG (Muhl) 55
8. Liberty (L) 52
9. Williams (W) 50.5
10. John Carroll (JC) 33.5
11. Ursinus (U) 16.5

Muhlenberg Results
125
Victor Gliva (A) pinned Mike DaBramo (Muhl), 1:11
John_Luke DeStefano (NYU) pinned DaBramo, 1:31

141
Austin Sherman (Muhl) dec. Jake Wulf (C), 8-5
Sherman tech fall Benjamin Howard (L), 16-1
Jarrod Brezovec (JC) dec. Sherman, 8-4 
Sherman dec. Reid Stewart (L), 8-4
Sherman maj. dec. Ethan Hnasko (UNCP), 9-1
Will Crisco (NYU) dec. Sherman, 5-4
fifth place: Sherman dec. Brezovec, 4-3

157
Raymond Jazikoff (NYU) maj. dec. Nick Daza (Muhl), 12-1
Daza tech fall Shane Ging (JC), 18-0
Daza pinned Drew Benos (JC), 4:10
Eric Milks (UNCP) pinned Daza, 2:18

157
Ryan Epps (A) pinned Robert Armus (Muhl), 4:16
Armus dec. Ezekiel Thomas (RIT), 7-3
Austin Victor (JC) dec. Armus, 16-12

165
Dylan Schwartz (Muhl) dec. Adam Green (RIT), 3-2
Cody Nelson (UI) pinned Schwartz, 4:26
Schwartz dec. Nick Anselmi (W), 6-1
Schwartz dec. Andrew Burgette (L), 10-6
Schwartz dec. Joe Scott (L), 13-7
consolation final: Schwartz dec. Tucker Black (UI), 4-3

184
Bryce Oveson (C) pinned Jake Gordon (Muhl), 6:17
Ben Maack (U) dec. Gordon, 8-5

184
Jamie Gehling (UI) maj. dec. Tommy DiSisto (Muhl), 11-0
Ben Maack (U) pinned DiSisto, 0:48

197
Gennaro Cerminara (Muhl) pinned Chris Lyons (C), 2:03
Cerminara dec. Bryce Walker (UNCP), 10-8
Cerminara pinned Deon Edmond (U), 0:29   
final: Nick Baumler (UI) dec. Cerminara, 11-6

HWT
Scott Schaeffer (Muhl) pinned David Trigg (L), 2:10
Schaeffer dec. Cory Brown (UNCP), 11-6
Santino Pelusi (NYU) dec. Schaeffer, 4-1
Jacob Lill (NYU) pinned Schaeffer, 1:02

HWT
Nicholas Beauchamp (W) pinned Sam Rothstein (Muhl), 3:27
Rothstein pinned Owen Albanese (RIT), 2:46
Rothstein pinned Alex Heisdorffer (C), 1:34
Triston Westerlund (UI) pinned Rothstein, 1:45