LOUISVILLE, KY – The Sacred Heart University men's wrestling team hit the road to Kentucky on Sunday, earning a split in a pair of non-conference duals. The Pioneers came out strong against Presbyterian, cruising to a 37-9 win over the Blue Hose, before falling 40-3 to host Bellarmine in a hard-fought second matchup.

Match Scores
Match 1: Sacred Heart 37 | Presbyterian 9
Match 2: Bellarmine 40 | Sacred Heart 3

Of Note (Match 1)

• Sacred Heart secured key victories throughout the lineup, highlighted by a fall from Marc Berisha at heavyweight and technical falls from Dakota Asuncion and Caden Smith. 
• The Pioneers also picked up major decisions from John Sheehy and AJ Falcone, while Aidan Zarrella added a decision at 174 pounds. 
• Chris DeLena and John Hildebrandt contributed forfeit wins, rounding out a strong overall performance despite a pair of close setbacks for the Pios.

Results (Match 1)
174: Aidan Zarrella (SHU) def. J. Roe (PC) by DEC, 7-3
184: R. Douglass (PC) def. Hunter Perez (SHU) by TF 19-4
197: Chris DeLena (SHU) win by forfeit
285: Marc Berisha (SHU) def. A. Brown (PC) by Fall, 2:18
125: Caden Smith (SHU) def. E. York (PC) by MD, 14-3
133: John Sheehy (SHU) def. F. Dominguez (PC) by MD 19-7
141: John Hildebrandt (SHU) win by forfeit
149: Dakota Asuncion (SHU) def. R. Ortiz by TF, 17-2
157: J. Morris (PC) def. Danny Delusant (SHU) by DEC (SV-1), 8-3
165: AJ Falcone (SHU) def. R. Mann by DEC (SV-1), 4-1

Of Note (Match 2)

• Bellarmine claimed victories across most of the lineup, earning bonus-point wins at 184, 197, and 157 pounds. 
• Asuncion provided the lone victory for Sacred Heart with a hard-fought decision at 149 pounds, while the Knights added multiple major decisions throughout the middle and upper weights to control the dual.

Results (Match 2)
174: G. O'Dell (BU) def. Aidan Zarrella (SHU) by MD, 13-3
184: G. Ricketts (BU) def. Nick Franzen (SHU) by TF, 20-4
197: A. Liber (BU) def. Chris DeLena (SHU) by Fall, 6:30
285: D. Mayer (BU) def. Kevin Taylor (SHU) by MD, 10-0
125: D. Ryan (BU) def. Tyler Hildebrandt (SHU) by DEC, 8-2
133: T. Eckman (BU) def. John Sheehy (SHU) by MD, 14-5
141: A. Rallo (BU) def. John Hildebrandt (SHU) by MD, 12-4
149: Dakota Asuncion (SHU) def. Z. Cowan (BU) by DEC, 8-6
157: J. Prechtel (BU) def. Danny Delusant (SHU) by Fall, 1:31
165: N. Hall (BU) def. AJ Falcone (SHU) by MD, 10-2

Individual Records
174: Zarrella (1-1)
184: Perez (0-1) | Franzen (0-1)
197: DeLena (1-1)
285: Berisha (1-0) | Taylor (0-1)
125: Smith (1-0) | T. Hildebrandt (0-1)
133: Sheehy (1-1)
141: J. Hildebrandt (1-1)
149: Asuncion (2-0)
157: Delusant (0-2)
165: Falcone (1-1)

Up Next
The Pioneers return to the mat on Saturday, January 24^th, with a home dual against Franklin and Marshall at 4:30 PM inside the William H. Pitt Center.