Double the Hardware ?
— Utica Pioneers (@Utica_Pioneers) January 20, 2026
The SUNYAC has announced their athletes of the week, with Seth Richardson being awarded his second Wrestler of the Week honors, and Nuallan King being named the Rookie Wrestler of the Week. #FearTheMoose #GoPioneers #SUNYAC #d3wrestle pic.twitter.com/1s5fdlv5s9
UTICA, NY - The SUNYAC has named their athletes of the week, with Utica sweeping both men's wrestling honors. Seth Richardson (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) doubled down on his Empire 8 Wrestler of the Week honors, claiming the same award from the SUNYAC. Freshman Nuallan King (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl Area High School) was named the SUNYAC Rookie Wrestler of the Week, his first honors of the season. The Pioneers will look to carry the momentum into the SUNYAC Championships on Saturday, January 24th.
Richardson and the Pioneers returned to action in the 2026 year by traveling to the Floy Lewis Bakes Center to compete in the Will Abele Invitational, hosted by Ursinus College. He opened the tournament with a commanding 15-3 major decision in the Round of 16, then rebounded from a quarterfinal setback by ripping off three straight wins in the consolation rounds. Richardson capped his run with two pins and a decisive win in the fifth-place bout. In his first fall victory, he overcame a 17-6 deficit to win the match at the 6:34 mark. The following bout, he closed out a 7-0 win by fall after 2:45. In the fifth-place match against SVU's Tanner Giatras, Richardson won in an 11-4 decision.
In the 197-pound weight class, King earned another of the Pioneers' placements in the event, finishing with a win in the fifth-place match. After falling in a 9-7 decision in the round of 16, his first match of the day, King went on a run of five advancements, two by decision victories, two via win by fall, and the final by default. The decisions were won by scores of 7-5 and 5-0, with the fall wins coming after 4:33 in a 7-4 losing effort. The fifth-place match featured Alfred State's Pierce Tran, who was tied 3-3 with King at the time of his 4:06 victory by fall.
Utica will now look ahead to the coming Saturday, January 24th, when they travel to SUNY Brockport's Special Events Recreation Center to compete in the SUNYAC Championships. Action is set to begin at 10:00 am.