The No. 21 American University wrestling team will attend the annual Keystone Classic on Sunday, November 21 in Philadelphia, Pa. Matches will begin at 9:00 a.m. and run throughout the day.
American last competed at the Brockport Oklahoma Gold Invitational, where four student-athletes placed and No. 20 Daniel Mitchell won his weight class. Mitchell defeated Keldrick Hall of No. 9 Oklahoma by a 13-5 major decision in the 197 lbs. final to win his first title as an Eagle. Juniors Thomas Williams and Matt Mariacher each took third at 125 lbs. and 141 lbs. respectively, while sophomore Kevin Tao placed fifth at 133 lbs.
No. 2 Steve Fittery will return to the mat this weekend in search of another Keystone Classic title. The senior won the event last season on a pair of technical falls and a major decision. He is 2-0 on the young season after picking up victories over Rudy Chelednick of Army and Eric Norgard of Franklin & Marshall at the Pentagon Duals. Mitchell will look to remain undefeated this weekend after winning his lone match at the Pentagon and then going 3-0 en route to the Brockport title.
American will also look for strong performances by Mariacher and junior Ganbayar Sanjaa. Mariacher sits at 6-1 on the season after winning four of five matches last weekend, while Sanjaa went 2-0 at the Pentagon Duals. Redshirt sophomore Patrick Graham is 4-2 on the season and will look to build on his fourth place finish at last year's Keystone Classic.
The Eagles have finished third or higher in five of the past six Keystone Classics, including a program-high second place result last year. Fittery, Mike Cannon '10 and Jasen Borshoff '10 each won their respective weight classes, while Williams took third at 133 lbs. This year's field is highlighted by No. 17 Northwestern, as well as Edinboro and host Penn.
Fans unable to attend the event can watch the championship semifinals and finals live on the Penn Sports Network beginning at 3:00 p.m. This includes the final round of competition for first, third and fifth place. To view the live stream, click here.
