ATHENS, Ohio – The Golden Eagle wrestling team placed seven competitors on the podium, including three top-three finishes, to wrap up the second day of the 2022 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships in fifth place overall. The finish represents a two-spot jump from last year's seventh-place result, and a seven-place improvement from Clarion's first foray into the MAC Championships two years ago.
 
Clarion had three wrestlers competing in "win-and-in" scenarios on Saturday, including two championship finalists in Joey Fischer (125 pounds) and Will Feldkamp (197 pounds). In addition, Ty Bagoly took third place in the 285-pound bracket and had the chance to wrestle a "true second place" match against Lock Haven's Isaac Reid for an NCAA Tournament berth. However, the Golden Eagles just missed in each of those scenarios, and Clarion will now look to the at-large selection process for the 2022 NCAA Championships in two weeks.
 
Fischer squared off with Lock Haven's Anthony Noto for the third time this season, and the content of the bout very much resembled the first two clashes between the freshman 125-pounders. The only scoring through three periods were escapes from the defensive position, setting up yet another overtime bout for Fischer. Fischer won a pair of sudden victory matches on Friday, including a double-sudden victory thriller over Buffalo's Tristan Daugherty to earn a spot in the finals. This time, though, Noto emerged victorious, taking Fischer down in the first SV period for the win.
 
Comparatively, the championship final between Feldkamp and Cleveland State's Ben Smith was a high-scoring affair. The two wrestlers exchanged takedowns and escapes early as Smith took the advantage. The difference, though was a takedown with a minute remaining in the first period. Smith caught Feldkamp in a tough position and pinned him to the mat for the victory.
 
Other Golden Eagles made their push for NCAA Tournament bids in the consolation brackets, with none coming closer than Bagoly. The redshirt junior heavyweight upset Colton McKiernan in the consolation semifinals to start the day, beating him by a 2-1 score to earn a spot in the third-place bout. There, he defeated former teammate Toby Cahill of Buffalo for the second time this season, beating him by 7-3 decision. When Central Michigan's Matt Stencel defeated Reid in the championship bout, that set up a true second place match for the conference's second automatic qualifier. Reid got the best of Bagoly, though, winning by 11-5 decision.
 
Elsewhere, Seth Koleno earned 29^th win of the season with a decision over SIU-Edwardsville's Saul Ervin, beating him in the fifth-place bout by a 5-2 decision. Also finishing fifth was Max Wohlabaugh, who beat Lock Haven's Colin Fegley by 3-2 decision in the 184-pound consolation bracket. Kolby Ho was the last Golden Eagle to reach the podium, placing seventh at 165 pounds.