Flames wrestlers show plenty of potential in season-opening Messiah Invitational

Saturday, November 7

Mechanicsburg, PA

9:00 AM- 4:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Messiah Invitational

Flames wrestler Diego Rivera pins opponent

Sophomore Diego Rivera celebrates his pin over Brockport's Jason Downer in 4 minutes. (Photos by John Foster)

11/8/2026 3:16:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

Paul Moore finished 5-1 for third place at 184 pounds and Karl Dean went 4-2 to land in fourth place at 157 to lead Liberty.

Liberty Wrestling Coaches — Flames Head Coach Chris Williamson (right) and graduate assistant Joseph Chiappazzi

Twenty-three members of Liberty University's men's wrestling team competed in Saturday's season-opening Messiah Invitational at Hitchcock Arena in Grantham, Pa., accumulating enough points to finish ninth out of 11 teams overall. The Flames were the only NCWA program in the mostly NCAA Division III and NAIA field and finished 35-45 in their individual matches.

According to Joseph Chiappazzi, a graduate assistant who formerly wrestled for NCAA Division I West Virginia University, "We held out most of our starters from competition due to internal team considerations."

Several newcomers made their Flames debuts at Messiah, the alma mater of second-year Head Coach Chris Williamson.

"It was a good weekend for our young guys, and I'm proud of the effort and competitiveness they showed," Williamson said. "The Messiah Invitational seems to get tougher every year, and admittedly, I was a little apprehensive heading into the weekend with such a truncated lineup. That said, I was pleased with our results overall."

"We had some strong individual performances," Williamson said. "(Freshman) James Dean led the team in bonus points, Paul Moore put together a solid tournament to finish third, and true freshman Karl Dean earned a fourth-place finish. Crew Farrell made his collegiate wrestling debut after transitioning from playing football at Taylor University. Crew battled his way to a sixth-place finish, which was exciting to see."

Moore posted a 5-1 record at 184 pounds, winning his final five matches after dropping his first by 7-5 decision to Messiah's Ezra Masood. That included a medical forfeit win over Masood in their consolation semifinal rematch before scoring an 8-5 decision over Brockport's Avery Bustamante in the third-place bout.

Karl Dean wrestling on his feet — Freshman Karl Dean scored a 7-3 decision over Johns Hopkins' Giorgio DiFalco at 157.

Karl Dean, who finished 4-2 at 157 pounds, was pinned by Messiah's Dalton Monger for the second time 3:31 into their consolation final to settle for fourth place. He had won his first two matches by 3-0 decision over Arcadia's Joey Paretti and 7-3 decision over Johns Hopkins' Giorgio DiFalco before Monger needed just 2:30 to record his first fall.

Farrell, who went 4-2 at 174 pounds, hit his NCAA-enforced six-match limit for the day, so he ended up with a no-contest in his fifth-place final.

James Dean, who finished 3-2 on the day at 133 pounds, overcame cerebral palsy to find success on the wrestling mat at Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Va.

The Flames had three other wrestlers finish 3-2 for the tournament — graduate captain Chase Arnestad (133), junior Gordon Watson (149), and sophomore Justin Root (157).

"It was also great to see Chase Arnestad back on the mat," Williamson said of the former All-American who red-shirted season due to injury.

Arnestad won his first match by 19-8 major decision before pinning Arcadia's Daniel Mallitz in 2:21 and bouncing back from a 2-1 setback to Brockport's Trevor Middendorf to record a fall of the Flames' James Dean in 1:39.

In the double-elimination tournament, Arnestad suffered a tournament-ending 17-2 technical fall setback to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Travis Moelter.

Root recorded three dominant wins — by fall in 2:23 against McDaniel's Jose Lazo and 16-1 technical falls over Messiah's Garret Fowler and Wheaton's Soren Myra — bookended by an 11-5 opening loss to Messiah's Justin Craig and a meet-ending 4-2 loss to teammate Karl Dean.

Clark Carey wrestles at 195 pounds — Freshman Clark Carey scored an 11-7 decision over Elizabethton College's Alex Hart.

"We saw clear improvement in several technical areas we've been emphasizing in the room, which is encouraging this early in the season," Williamson said. "We also came away with some valuable data and a better understanding of where we need to continue improving. Overall, it was a promising start, a good early-season rehearsal for this group."

The Flames will return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Greensboro (N.C.) College for their first dual match of the season before competing in the King University Open next Sunday, Nov. 15, in Bristol, Tenn.

"There's still plenty of work to be done, but I like the direction we're heading," Williamson said. "I'm excited to see how this group continues to develop and what we can accomplish as the season progresses."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer