ELIZABETHTOWN, PA – The Johns Hopkins wrestling team turned in a strong performance at Elizabethtown's Blue Jay Classic on Saturday with one champion and two runners-up helping the Jays compile 108.5 points to place fifth in the nine-team field.  Host Elizabethtown totaled 181.5 points to win the team title, while Roanoke (173), Wilkes (136), McDaniel (112) and Johns Hopkins (101) rounded out the top five in the team standings.
 
Top-Seeded Paul Grabs Title at 174
Graduate student Joe Paul earned the top seed and eased into the championship bout with pair of wins by decision sandwiched around a major decision in the quarterfinals. In the title bout against Scranton's William Laughlin, he found himself deadlocked at 1-1 after two periods, but scored an escape just 24 seconds into the third period and added a takedown 30 seconds later to fuel a 4-1 victory.

Walnoha Wins Three More By Fall, Places Second at 184
Senior Grant Walnoha continued his remarkable runs of wins by fall as he didn't need to work out of the first period in any of his first three bouts.  He opened with a 24-second fall of Scranton's Owen Kealey, needed just 2:38 to deck Wilkes' Alexis Perez and took just 99 seconds in the semifinals to pin John DeVito of Wilkes.  In the title match against Etown's Will Davis, he founded himself in a 2-2 tie after two periods before Davis worked an escape 29 seconds in and held Walnoha off for the win.
 
Powell Second at 149
Freshman Connor Powell earned the number three seed at 149, went 3-1 on the day and placed second.  He used a pair of bonus-point wins – one by technical fall in his opening match and a first-period pin of Wilkes' Kyle Tino (1:55) in the semifinals - to work his way into the title bout.  There, he grabbed an early 2-0 lead against McDaniel's Thomas Monn, but gave up a reversal and later Monn escape to fall 3-2.
 
Lorin Third at 133
Senior turned in another strong performance in his first full season at 133 as he placed third after winning four of his five matches on the day.  He won twice in the championship bracket – once by fall and once by decision – before being falling the semifinals to the eventual champion.  In the consolation bracket he picked up wins by decision against two wrestlers from Etown, Scott Reagan (3-2) and Brandon Schuyler (7-4).
 
What's Next
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Friday, December 9 when the Blue Jays welcome York to Goldfarb Gymnasium for their first home match of the season.