The New York University wrestling team competed against seven other schools at the Joseph Pellicano Invitational, hosted by St. John Fisher University, on Saturday, February 21, in Rochester, New York.

Fourteen different Violets competed across eight weight classes, totaling 47.0 team points to earn a third-place finish in the team standings.

NYU was led by two bracket champions on the day. Competing in the 125-pound class, Xavier Diaz put together a dominant performance to claim first place. Diaz opened the tournament with a fall in the opening round before earning another pin in the semifinals, then capped his run with a technical fall in the championship bout. Neale Pathak also competed at 125 pounds and worked his way through the consolation bracket to secure a fifth-place finish.

Cristian Gioia also captured a bracket title, winning the 184-pound class after recording four victories on the day, including multiple bonus-point wins.

Dmitry Derbedyenyev followed with a second-place finish, while Stivan Kalchev added a third-place result to give NYU three placers in the weight class.

At 157 pounds, Alexander Kaufmann placed third after earning key victories to reach the placement rounds. Ethan Rothman followed closely behind with a fourth-place finish.

Matthew Hill and Jonah Ginsberg turned in solid efforts at 197 pounds, placing third and fifth, respectively.

Additional placers for NYU included John Gleason, who earned fifth place at 165 pounds, and Jimmy Amatore, who finished fourth at 174 pounds. Andrew Rana also competed at 174 pounds and placed sixth.

At 133 pounds, Matthew D'Arcy recorded two wins to secure a sixth-place finish, while Yaman Shehadeh rounded out the scorers with a fifth-place result at 285 pounds after picking up four wins during the tournament.

NYU will next compete at the NCAA Mideast Regional, hosted by The College of New Jersey, beginning Friday, February 27, with action continuing through Saturday, February 28, in Ewing, New Jersey.