By Jim Fenton
GRANTHAM, Pa. -- Bridgewater State University freshman wrestler Ethan Buonanducci (Enfield, Conn.) had an impressive showing at the 54th Messiah Petrofes Invitational.
Buonanducci placed third in the 133-pound weight class, going 5-1 as he reached the semifinal round and won a pair of consolation-round matches after his lone loss.
Two other BSU wrestlers, senior Malcolm Chrispin (Hyde Park, Mass.) and junior Christian Curley (Bridgewater, Mass.), finished fifth in their respective weight classes.
The Bears compiled 61.5 points in the two-day event to place 10th in the 15-team field at Messiah University's Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
Buonanducci went 3-0 on Friday to advance to the semifinal round on Saturday morning.
He was defeated by top-seeded and nationally ranked Jacob Venezia of New York University by a 5-1 decision and went into the consolation round.
Buonanducci then won by a 13-4 majority decision over seventh-seeded Torey Falkinburg of Gettysburg College of Pennsylvania to advance to the third-place match
In his final matchup, Buonaducci was a 4-2 decision winner over #3 seed Esuar Ordonez of Springfield College to give him third place in the weight class.
Buonanducci went 5-1 at the tournament with four of his five wins against top seven seeded wrestlers. He is now 13-6 on the season as he leads the team in wins.
Chrispin, who was a third-place finisher in 2023, had a 4-2 record this year for fifth place in the 141-pound weight class.
After a 3-0 start on Friday, Chrispin was in the semifinal round Saturday morning and lost by an 8-7 decision to second-seeded Issac Quiles of Springfield. Quiles is ranked sixth in the New England Wrestling Association rankings and also in the Division III Region One.
Chrispin dropped a consolation-round match to #5 seed Jacob Cunningham of Messiah, 6-1, then defeated top-seeded Andrew Loniewski of Muhlenberg College of Pennsylvania by decision, 9-3, in the fifth-place match.
Curley finished fifth for the second straight year, going 4-2 this season at 197 pounds.
Curley was 1-1 on Friday, losing in the quarterfinal round.
On Saturday, Curley won three of four matches, defeating Tyler Maine of Arcadia by major decision, 13-3, and Aidan Murray also of Arcadia, 3-0, before dropping a 13-4 major decision to #3 seed Jacob Jimenez of Averett in the consolation semifinals
Curley picked a medical forfeit win in the fifth-place match against seventh-seeded Ryan Weinzer of Saint Vincent College of Pennsylvania.
The Bears improved from last season when they placed 12th with 43 points.
Host Messiah won the tournament with 172 points followed by NYU (158), Gettysburg (142) and Springfield (140.5), the only other New England team competing.
The Bears wrap up the first semester schedule next Saturday when they travel to Rhode Island for the Scott Viera Open at Roger Williams starting at 9 a.m.