GRANTHAM, PA – The Johns Hopkins wrestling team opened the 2019-20 season with an impressive fifth-place finish in an eight-team field at the Messiah Invitational on Saturday.  Competing with entries in just eight weight classes, the Blue Jays totaled 63.5 points to earn their fifth-place finish and missed out on placing third by just seven points.
 
Host Messiah placed first with 116.5 points, while Ursinus (81.0 points), Liberty (70.0), Elizabethtown (67.5) and Johns Hopkins (63.5) rounded out the top five.  Among the three teams the Blue Jays finished ahead of were Centennial Conference rivals McDaniel (47.0) and Gettysburg (39.0).
 
We Are the Champions
Junior Dominick Reyes (165) and sophomore Joe Paul (174) both won individual titles to lead the way for the Blue Jays. 
 
Reyes picked up three bonus-point victories as he opened with a 15-0 technical fall of Gettysburg's Matt Larson, added a 16-2 major decision of Messiah's Matt Pangle and capped his title-run with a second-period pin of Messiah's Kevin Edwards.  The tournament title is the first of Reyes' career and he improves to 55-22 in his career; his three bonus-point wins today improve give him 38 in his career and he moved into sole possession of second place on JHU's career wins by technical fall list (9).
 
Paul, who made the jump from 149 to 174 this season, went 4-0 on the day with pins of Messiah's Kevin Diehl (4:12) and Gettysburg's Michael Carioscla (1:32) in his first two bouts and a 5-2 decision of Liberty's Cody Richmond in the semifinals.  In the final, he drew Gary Nagle of Ursinus and scored a 6-2 victory to claim the first tournament title of his career.
 
Wertheimer, Behaeghel Place Second
In addition to the two champions, the Blue Jays had two other finalists in senior Nathan Wertheimer (184) and junior Hank Behaeghel (285).
 
Wertheimer moved up to 184 this season and picked up a pair of wins by fall to advance to the finals before falling to Isaac Odell of Wheaton.  Wertheimer needed just 80 seconds to pin Wheaton's Aidan Naylor in the quarterfinals and 5:43 to deck Elizabethtown's Dane Ross in the semifinals.  Odell ended his run with a fall with just three seconds remaining in the third period.  The two pins on the day were the 10^th and 11^th of Wertheimer's career.
 
Behaeghel also went 2-1 on the day with a pair of tight wins by decision followed by a loss in the finals.  He scored a 5-2 win over Messiah's Samuel Blevins in the quarterfinals and a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Liberty's Jeffrey Allen in the semifinals to advance to championship match.  There, Liberty's Rick Weaver caught him early and scored a win by fall.  The win over Allen in the semifinals was the 20^th of Behaeghel's career.
 
Walnoha Wins Three Times, Valdoria Twice in College Debut
Freshman Grant Walnoha went 3-2 in his college debut at 174 pounds to place fourth.  Walnoha picked up a pair of wins by fall and a major decision on the day.  He opened with a first-period pin of Liberty's Armando Garcia (2:54) and then scored a 12-0 major decision of Gettysburg's Nolan Smith in the quarterfinals.  He was bounced to the consolation bracket by Nagle of Ursinus and then needed just 62 seconds to pin Carioscla of Gettysburg.  Liberty's Richmond topped him in the third-place match with a second-period pin.

Fellow freshman Justin Valdoria (149) picked up a pair of victories in his collegiate debut as he pinned Elizabethtown's Nick Gonzalez in 6:40 and later scored a 6-5 win over Messiah's Jake Coniglio in the consolation bracket.

Joining

 
What's Next
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, November 9 when the Blue Jays travel to Collegeville, Pennsylvania to participate in the Ursinus Fall Brawl.