WRES | #RIT places fifth at 2026 SUNYAC Championships #RoarTechhttps://t.co/AMTrWKGHOO
— RIT Athletics (@RITathletics) January 25, 2026
BROCKPORT, N.Y. – RIT senior Josh Harkless and junior Isaiah Shafer each won an individual title to help the Tigers to a fifth-place finish at the 2026 SUNYAC Championships, Saturday. Shafer was named Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
Shafer, the No. 6 seed, beat Neil Paulerica (Cort.) 20-8 in his opening match at 141 lb. and picked up a 14-2 major decision victory over Ethan Christmas (St. John Fisher) in his next bout. Shafer beat No. 3 Dom Vinci (Cort.) 14-9 in the quarterfinals and was a 4-2 winner over No. 2 Michael Santore (Oswego) 4-2 in the semifinals. He beat top-seeded Avery Leonard (Oneonta) 7-1 in the championship match.
Harkless, the top seed and ranked third nationally at 285 lb., pinned Jake LeSage (Oneonta) 27 seconds into his opening match. He pinned Luke Coffin (Brockport) 31 seconds into the quarterfinal match. Harkless pinned Kenny Jackson (Oneonta) 1:41 into his semifinal bout and pinned Charlie Turner (Ithaca) in the championship match.
First year Konrad Haugeto placed third at 157 lb. picking up a 17-2 technical fall win over Cameron Schrom (Oneonta) in his opening match before a 6-4 win over Mason Rappold (Oneonta). After a pair of losses, Haugeto advanced past Aaron Nelson (Ithaca) in the consolation round and beat Rappold, 7-1 in the third-place match.
First year Jackson Rush (133 lb.), seniors Johnathan Freebern (125 lb.) and Mason Grodzki (165 lb.) placed fourth and first year Marco Rivera placed fifth (149 lb.).
RIT returns to action on Friday (Jan. 30) against St. John Fisher at 7:00 p.m.