GLENSIDE, Pa. – According to the latest national rankings released by theopenmat.com, 133-pounder Jacob Blair has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the country after securing his second tournament title of the season this past weekend.
Blair, a senior from Muncy, Pa., remains undefeated on the year and has collected signature wins over several ranked opponents, including No. 2 Garrett Totten (TCNJ), No. 8 Vincent Ziccardi (Washington and Lee), and No. 18 Vincent Paolucci (York).
At this past weekend's Cougar Classic hosted by Misericordia, Blair posted a perfect 4-0 record. He opened the day with a first-period fall over Brody Bogues (Wilkes) in the round of 16. Blair then earned his first of two technical falls with an 18-3 victory over Logan Barkley (York) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he shut out Andrew Perez (Ursinus) with a 15-0 tech fall. Blair capped the tournament with a 6-0 decision victory over ranked opponent Vincent Paolucci (York) to secure his second title of the season.
Blair also captured the 133-pound championship in Arcadia's first-ever competition at the Messiah Invitational earlier this month, going 5-0 on the day. He began the tournament with a first-period fall over John Kaszyski (Elizabethtown), followed by a 19-4 tech fall against Chris Brooks (Messiah). In the quarterfinals, Blair rolled to another tech fall, defeating Calvin Wiedemer (Washington and Lee) 16-1. He advanced to the finals with a 14-2 major decision over Makhare Rogers (Brockport) before earning an 8-1 decision in the championship bout over ranked opponent Vincent Ziccardi (Washington and Lee).
Blair is not the only Knight recognized in the national rankings. Teammates Logan Flynn (285) and Caden Frost (149) also appear in theopenmat.com's top 20 after both won their weight classes at the Cougar Classic. Flynn is ranked sixth at 285 pounds, while Frost is ranked 12th. As a team, Arcadia checks in at No. 13 in the Team Tournament rankings.
Arcadia is off this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action next Friday and Saturday at the Petrofes Invitational hosted by Messiah University.
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