Seton Hall Prep wrestling team takes second place at Morris Knolls tourney to start season

WEST ORANGE, NJ – The Seton Hall Prep wrestling team traveled to Morris Knolls High School in Denville for  annual tournament on Saturday, Dec. 15 to start the season. Seton Hall won the tournament last year for the first time ever. This year they finished in second place to state power South Plainfield.

Junior Zach Merlino defeated Brenden Hedden 3-2 in the 182-pound final to capture the title and give Seton Hall its only tournament champion.

The following SHP wrestlers finished in second place:

120-pound weight class:  junior Larry Melchionda.

126: sophomore Conner Decker.

152: sophomore Jack Wilt

285: senior Niko Diakides.

Junior Andrew Mitzak finished in third place at 195 and Cole Carroll finished in fourth place at 138.

Following his final match, Merlino said, “I felt pretty good out there. I lost the Hedden last year in the third place final so it felt pretty good to defeat him this year in the final.”

Andrew Mitzak commented, “It feels great to earn a medal. This is the first time placing in a varsity tournament. It is a big accomplishment for me. I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

After receiving the second-place team plaque, SHP head coach Jack Decker said, “The competition was excellent today. This was a solid test for our guys. We have a lot of potential here and a lot of opportunity to improve. We are looking forward to our two Super Essex Conference matches this week (Nutley and West Orange) and the Beast of The East next weekend at the University of Delaware.”

  Seton Hall Prep wrestling