Grantham, Pa. - The Wheaton wrestling team opened its 2021-22 season on Saturday at the Messiah College Invitational. The Thunder finished sixth in the 10-team field.

UW-Eau Claire finished first in the team standings with 151.5 points. Washington & Lee scored 127.5 points in second place, Messiah finished third with 112.5 points, Liberty tallied 106.5 points in fourth place and Ursinus rounded out the top-five with 104 points. Wheaton finished sixth with 90.5 points, Johns Hopkins finished seventh with 72.5 points, Elizabethtown scored 71 points in eighth place, Gettysburg scored 55.5 points in ninth place and McDaniel placed 10th with 47 points.

Thunder junior Jackson Punzel had the top performance for the Thunder today. He finished first in the 197-pound weight class, winning three of his four matches with a fall. Punzel opened the day with first-round bye and he defeated Gettysburg's Kelvin Cupay via a pin just three minutes into their second-round match. Punzel picked up another fall at the 5:38 mark of his match against Spencer Clements, and he pinned top seeded Kyle Schaffer of Ursinus just three minutes into their semifinal match. Punzel won a 10-5 decision against Joe Schulte of UW-Eau Claire in the championship match.

Senior Natan Jara placed second at 184-pounds. Jara had a first-round bye and he defeated Gettysburg's Russell Canova in a 12-3 major decision in the second round. Jara won an 8-5 decision against Messiah's Ryder Slaton and he picked up a 3-1 decision over Chase Melton of UW-Eau Claire in the semifinals. Top seed Blake Barrick of Liberty defeated Jara in a 3-1 decision in the first-place match at 184-pounds.

Senior Anthony Zamora finished second at 125-pounds. Zamora opened with a first-round bye. He won an 11-5 decision against McDaniel's Alex DuFour in the second round. Zamora won a 7-3 decision against Washington & Lee's David Rubin. Zamora won a 3-2 decision against Brent Lorin of Johns Hopkins in the semifinal. Terry Adams of Ursinus defeated Zamora in a 3-1 decision in the championship match.

Sophomore Ethan Renager finished fourth at 141-pounds. Renager opened with a 10-2 major decision over Liberty's Damian Thayer. Renager emerged with a 3-1 decision in extra time against Markus Brown of UW-Eau Claire. Top seed Josiah Gehr of Messiah defeated Renager in a 12-2 major decision in the semifinal. In the consolation bracket, Renager won a 6-4 decision against Liberty's Garrett Good. Renager again wrestled Brown in the third-place match and Brown won by fall at the 2:39 mark of their second matchup.

Wheaton is off until Wednesday, November 17. The Thunder host conference rival North Central College at 7:00 p.m.