Wheaton, Ill.—Senior 174 lbs.
Aidan Faria (Cumberland, R.I.) finished fourth, while classmate 125 lbs.
Fred Luchs (Belford, N.J.) placed sixth, as Rhode Island College wrapped up action at the 2025 Pete Willson Invitational, hosted by Wheaton on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
• Rhode Island College finished 13
th (30 teams) with a team score of 49.5. Wisconsin-Eau Claire took home the title with a team score of 150.5.
• Eight of the 30 teams that took part in the invite are ranked in the top-25 nationally, including Wisconsin-Lacrosse (second) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (sixth).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Faria went 5-2 with a pair of technical fall wins, a major decision and two decisions. He lost in the third place match vs.
Eddie Simes from Wisconsin-Lacrosse, the No. 9-ranked wrestler in the nation.
• Luchs went 3-3 with two pins and a decision at the invite. Of his three losses, two were to nationally ranked grapplers in Roanoke's
Isaic Paulino (No. 9) and
Wisconsin-Lacrosse's Quintin Wolbert (No. 10).
• Senior 197 lbs.
Matthew Kelly (Katonah, N.Y.) went 1-1 before having to medically withdraw. His one win was over Cornell's (IA)
Treyten Steffen, who is ranked No. 5 in the nation.
HEAD COACH JAY JONES ON THE TEAM'S PERFORMANCE
"I am really excited about the development of our student-athletes coming out of the Pete Willson Invitational in Chicago. We were able to knock of some nationally-ranked opponents, get a great taste of Midwest wrestling so we are more prepared at nationals, and have a great team-building experience. We are blessed to have such alumni support to enhance the development of our team."
"Fred and Aidan wrestled amazing to get on the podium and we had most of the group earn quality wins in preparation for regionals in just a few weeks. Having an individual bracket similar to regionals and NCAA's is the perfect mode to replicate the mindset of moving forward in the brackets. Again, we are so blessed for the support and proud of the guys."
WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) action at Roger Williams on Friday, Feb. 7 (6 p.m.).
