MANALAPAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Blah Dahnweih and Sonny Santiago secured individual titles in their respective weight classes, at the National Freestyle Open on Sunday.
For the Tar Heel Wrestling Club, all seven wrestlers who made the trek to New Jersey placed in their divisions on the day.
Starting at 61 KG, Caden McCrary was one of three runner-ups in the tournament for North Carolina, with Jace Palmer finishing fourth in the division as well.
UNC’s second silver finish of the day came at 65 KG, with redshirt-freshman Wil Guida securing runner-up honors of his own. At 70 KG, Tar Heel freshman Danny Nini completed the trio of second place showings for UNC in the event.
Santiago cruised into the championship match at 74 KG, picking up three technical falls and one decision on the way. In the title bout, the Downey, Calif. product was victorious over James Johnston of LIU via injury default.
Much like Santiago, Dahnweih also was in control throughout the day, collecting four technical falls of his own, including a 10-0 TF against Michael Toranzo of Rutgers in the championship.
Rounding out the day at 125 KG, Adam Honis earned a seventh-place finish, to complete the Tar Heel sweep with all seven placing in the event.
