The Muhlenberg Wrestling team enjoyed a successful weekend, winning all four meets and capturing the Electric City Duals for the second consecutive year. This year the event was held in Scranton, PA with the Mules capturing the title at home last year. The team went 4-0 on the day defeating Lackawanna, Scranton, and Keystone all in convincing fashion. The other win was over Oneonta, a team that finished tenth at the NCAA championships last year, and was perhaps their most impressive on the day, winning a tightly contested bout 23-18.
Some of the standouts from Sunday’s win include Jimmy Fratantoni ‘19, who was an undefeated 4-0 at 184, with two pins. However, when he scored a technical fall against Oneonta, Fratantoni became the sole leader for careers technical falls in Muhlenberg history. Another milestone came when Gennaro Cerminara ‘22 recorded his seventieth career win by major decision against Lackawanna. Cerminara has been the Mules most dominant wrestler over his previous three years, and was first in the 197 weight class in the Centennial Conference last year.
“I think in order for us to be successful as a team we have to just get at it and grind … hard work pays off and our team works hard as hell.”
While seniors Fratantoni and Cerminara were the Mule’s usual big contributors, the Mules relied heavily on some of their younger guys. Billy Moore ‘22 and Angelo Mahaffey ‘22 picked up three wins a piece in their first collegiate tournament. In fact, teammate Alex Helpin ‘21 singled out Moore on his performance, “I think one of the standouts on the season right now is Billy Moore. He just gets after it and competes. He went 5-1 at his first college tournaments and that’s really impressive.” Moore recorded two pins to go along with a major decision on Sunday.
The team finished sixth in the conference with an overall record of 7-9 last year, but Helpin thinks the Mules are primed for a breakout season based on the team’s unmatched work ethic. “I think in order for us to be successful as a team we have to just get at it and grind. Work harder than the other teams. Hard work pays off and our team works hard as hell,” Helpin said.
The squad is looking to build on its early success as they host the Scotty Wood Duals this week on Saturday, November 17. The Mules came into the season ranked seventh in the Centennial Conference preseason poll, but with the addition of some
promising young freshmen in Moore and Mahaffey and their senior core, they seem to be in position to compete above their weight.
