Wilkes-Barre, Pa.- The Hunter College wrestling team kicked off the 2024-25 season  with a competitive showing at the Ned McGinley Invitational on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Botensky Bauzile (133 lbs) led the Hawks, finishing in 3rd place with a 3-1 record. He started strong with a 16-3 major decision over Roger Williams' Maceo Eramo in the Round of 16, followed by a dominant 19-3 technical fall against Lawrence Liss of RIT in the quarterfinals. Despite a narrow 8-6 loss in the semifinals to NYU's Jacob Venezia, the eventual tournament champion, Bauzile rebounded to secure an 11-10 decision over Wilkes' Connor Kerwin, marking his first Top 3 collegiate placement.

Freshman Jayden Medina (149 lbs) made an impressive debut, going 2-2. He opened the season for the Hawks with a 20-3 technical fall over USMAPS' Marcus Reum, then dropped a tight 6-5 decision to King's College's MJ Turi. Medina bounced back with a 3-0 decision against top-seeded Owen Smith of York College but closed his day with a close defeat to Logan Weaver of USMMA.

Another freshman, Martin Palomeque (165 lbs), also went 2-2 in his collegiate debut. After falling to USMMA's Colby Cloutier, he responded with a first-period pin against Washington and Jefferson's Ryan Kredel at 2:21 and won by medical forfeit over Roger Williams' Anthony Ostrander. Palomeque's run ended with a 13-2 major decision loss to Matt Gauthier of USMMA.

The Hawks resume their season on Nov. 9 at Centenary University.