Cleveland clash
Rini places as Falcons battle D1 programs at CSU
| Brackets |

CLEVELAND – Notre Dame participated in the Cleveland State Open Saturday. The individually scored event, hosted by Cleveland State University, featured over 240 competitors from 39 schools, most of which compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.

The Wrestling Falcons sent 33 grapplers (combined attached and unattached) downtown to wrestle at CSU's Woodling Gymnasium. Dante Rini (Fr/Massillon, OH) fared the best of the NDC entries. The first-year grappler out of Jackson High School went 3-2 in five bouts to earn fourth place at 133.

"There was some great competition at this open," said NDC Head Coach Frank Romano. "Almost all these schools were NCAA-DI, so its great experience for us before we get underway with NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) competition next month."

The Falcons' bench boss indicated the Falcons could use a couple weeks off, which they'll get before they start training for thie next event, the NAIA National Duals, to be held in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 12-13. The CSU event is the last of the calendar year for Notre Dame, which has a 2-1 dual meet record and has participated in four tournaments in the season's first half.