By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director
MONT ALTO, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto wrestling program opened its 2019-20 slate on Saturday hosting the Third Annual King of the Mont Tournament. There were 125 bouts with wrestlers competing from PSUMA, Penn State Fayette, Keystone College, Kent State Tuscarawas, Camden County Community College, Thaddeus Stevens, Lacawanna College and West Chester wrestling club.
Sophomore Mason Blank (Lancaster, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg) has moved into the 125-pound weight class this season and he went 2-1 with wins over Lacawanna's Michael Tuffy and teammate Dom Hyatt. His win over Tuffey was by a 10-8 decision.
In the 141-pound division, Jack Coulston (Carlisle, Pa. / Boiling Springs) had an outstanding debut for the Nittany Lions with four wins. His most impressive performance of the afternoon came against West Chester's Jack Taylor who is a returning NCWA All-American who also won the MEC Conference at 133 last season. Coulston gritted out a 2-0 decision over Taylor. Fellow freshman Conner Herron (Fredrick, Md. / Tuscarora) also competed at 141 and he went 2-1, which included a pair of major decision wins over Tyler Ernst and Isaiah Hunter.
Sophomore Bryce Palamar (Smithsburg, Md. / Williamsport) has transitioned to 149 pounds and he won a 14-7 decision over Gabe May from Thaddeus Stevens.
PSUMA's John Halbrendt (Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettusburg Area) went 3-1 in the 157-pound weight class. In his first match he scored a pin in 2:04 over Chad Van Pelt, he then pinned Fayette's Mike Standish, before pinning Levi Bain in 1:27 in his final match of the afternoon.
Penn State Mont Alto returns to action next Saturday when the squad competes in the Gettysburg College Invitational. The invite is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
