The Case Western Reserve University wrestling team hosted the Bob del Rosa Ohio Intercollegiate Open on Sunday, Nov. 10, inside the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center. The open tournament saw wrestlers from 27 colleges, universities, high schools and clubs compete in over 600 matches, some of them open brackets and others exclusive to first- or second-year wrestlers.

Going into the meet, second-year Mathew Gummere was feeling confident about his team’s chances at success.

“I felt a strong sense of confidence in my teammates and myself,” Gummere said. “This tournament is particularly challenging, with over 300 athletes from all divisions competing. For us, success is rooted in effort and positive attitude, and I was certain our team would show both to the best of our ability throughout the event.”

Across both categories, the Spartans garnered several achievements throughout the day. In the open brackets, two CWRU wrestlers reached the top three of their respective brackets: third-years Art Martinez and Aidan Gassel. Martinez reached the final of the open 133-pound bracket after winning his first three matches; the first two were won by decision, while the third was won by technical fall, Martinez’s second of the season. Martinez achieved an 18-3 victory in the latter match before dropping a 9-2 decision in the final to place second overall in the bracket.

Gassel fought his way to a bronze finish in the 197-pound open bracket. He started with a victory in 3:34, following it up with a win by fall in 4:13, before falling in under a minute in the semifinal against the Division II reigning champion. In the third-place match, Gassel sealed his position with a pin in the second period.

As for other Spartans competing in open brackets, third-year Jacob Gregg earned a win by fall in the 133-pound bracket—which marked his first pin of the season—while fellow third-year Marty Landes achieved a win by decision in the 165-pound bracket.

In the first and second-year-exclusive competition, first-year Chase Crutchley secured the biggest achievement of any Spartan at the meet: a first-place finish in the 174-pound bracket. He achieved all of his victories by major decision, winning in his three matches by scores of 9-1, 8-0 and 14-1 respectively. The first-place finish gave Crutchley the first bracket win of his collegiate career.

Crutchley credits this achievement to the motivation that his teammates and coaches have given him.

“My teammates have motivated me by not only supporting me during my matches but also walking me through moves in practice and breaking down techniques to improve,” Crutchley said. “It’s great to have partners in the room who look out for each other and strive to make not only themselves better but their teammates as well! My coaches have helped instill confidence in me by being transparent about what I need to work on. Whatever challenges I may face in matches, my coaches are always willing to help me excel in those areas in the future.”

Several other first- and second-year Spartans achieved successes of their own. First-year Robert Minden earned two wins in four matches played in the 149-pound bracket, during which Minden achieved his first collegiate pin. Second-year Dillon O’Keefe earned his first career win by technical fall while competing at 149 pounds, and further CWRU wins were posted by first-year Alexander Greene Barrios at 133 pounds and second-year Mike Valerino at 141 pounds.

Gummere bagged two wins by decision in the 184-pound bracket, noting how one of those wins did not come easy but proved to be a fulfilling challenge.

“I was down 7-0 early in the first period, but by focusing on one position at a time and trusting my conditioning, I turned it around to win in a tiebreaker overtime. It’s matches like these, where you’re pushed mentally and physically, that make me love this sport,” Gummere reflected.

“I’m proud of our entire lineup’s hard work and hustle throughout the event and hard work outside of wrestling to put on the event as well,” Gummere stated. “The guys did a great job representing a conglomerate of values we call ‘Spartan Tough’. Additionally, the support from friends, students, and families created an electrifying environment, which had us all looking forward to competing at home.”

The Spartans will next be competing on Sunday, Nov. 17, when they will be traveling to Albion, Michigan, to compete in the Albion Open.