The Clarion Golden Eagles spend the final full weekend of January on the road – heading west Friday (Jan. 24) to wrestle Cleveland State and then reversing direction for matches Sunday (Jan. 26) against Kent State and Long Island University (LIU) in East Meadow, N.Y.
The Golden Eagles at a Glance
Clarion is coming off a tough three-match homestand, dropping a dual against Edinboro (Jan. 12) and then a pair last Sunday (Jan. 19) to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) and Princeton.
John Worthing returned to the Golden Eagles' line-up against SIUE, the first time the 174-pounder has wrestled since taking fourth at the Southern Scuffle earlier in the month (Jan. 4). He earned a 4-1 win during sudden victory against the Cougars' Luke Odom in the dual.
Ranked #31 by Intermat, Worthing has a 16-4 record and is 7-3 in his last 10 bouts. He appeared in the initial NCAA coaches ranking on Thursday, checking in at #32 at 174 pounds. Also getting wins in the SIUE dual were
Austin Chapman at 285 pounds and
Wesley Barnes at 165. Chapman downed Bryson Buhk in overtime, 2-1. It was Chapman's second consecutive overtime victory, as he also required extra time the week prior in his win against Edinboro's Kade Sottolano. Chapman, 13-10 this season, has posted a 6-4 mark over his previous 10 outings.
Wesley Barnes beat SIUE's Bradley Gillum, 4-2. Barnes is 11-11 this season.
Gianni Silvestri was the only Golden Eagle grappler to win a bout in the team's loss to Princeton, taking an 8-4 decision over Joseph Davi at 141 pounds.
In addition to Worthing and Champman, other Golden Eagles entering this weekend with winning records are 149-pounder
Kyle Schickel, 15-11, and 197-pounder
Ethan Wiant, 12-8.
Cleveland State at a Glance
The Vikings downed the Golden Eagles last season in Tippin Gymnasium, 25-11, their third consecutive win in this conference match-up. Schickel, Worthing, and Wiant are the only members of this year's squad who wrestled in that dual.
The last time Clarion beat Cleveland State was in January 2020 at the VMI Quads in Lexington, Va, taking a 25-15 victory.
With the exception of Chapman and Daniel Bucknavich, none of the possible starters on either team have met previously. Bucknavich decisioned Chapman in January 2022, 6-1. The Viking 285-pounder is ranked #30 by Intermat and #28 in the NCAA Coaches ranking.
Cleveland State also wrestles Bloomsburg on Friday, going up against Clarion in its second contest of the evening. The nightcap is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m.
The Vikings are 0-5, three of those losses against MAC opponents.
Kent State at a Glance
Clarion will wrestle Kent State in the first match of a tri-meet at East Meadow High School, the contest slated for a 10:00 a.m. start. The Golden Eagles have won four of their last five matches against the Golden Flashes. They will be looking to make it three in a row on Sunday.
Last season the teams met in Tippin Gymnasium, Clarion notching a 24-10 win. On that January day, returning Golden Eagle starters Schickel, Worthing, and Chapman all won decisions. Wiant also wrestled.
Of the possible match-ups, Clarion 125-pounder
Travis Clawson is 0-1 against Nico Calello, the pair having scrapped in December, and Wiant is 0-2 in bouts with Blake Schaffer.
Kent State wrestles at Lock Haven Friday evening (Jan. 24), trying to end a seven-match losing streak.
The Golden Flashes have a 1-9 record, 0-3 in the MAC. Their only victory came at the beginning of the season (Nov. 8) against Gannon, 23-15.
LIU at a Glance
The Clarion/LIU tilt is the final match in a full day of wrestling on Sunday, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Clarion and LIU have only met twice, the Golden Eagles winning both matches.
Last season the teams squared off in Tippin Gymnasium as part of a January quad-meet that also included Kent State and Morgan State. Clarion beat LIU, 39-6. Worthing and Chapman earned decisions for the Golden Eagles. Schickel and Wiant saw action as well.
Wrestlers in the possible line-up who have previously scrapped are Schickel and LIU's Drew Witham, as well Worthing and the Shark's Corey Connolly. Schickel is 1-1 against Witham and Worthing 2-0 in bouts with Connolly.
LIU enters Sunday afternoon with a 2-6 record and will be looking to snap a three-match skid. The Shark's last win came Dec. 5 at Bloomsburg, a 35-7 victory over the Huskies.