PALATINE, Ill. – Led by an individual title from Steven Dewitt (Sterling, Ill., Sterling) at 157 pounds and a runner-up finish from Josh Tardy (Naperville, Ill., Naperville Central) at 149 pounds, the Harper College wrestling team took second place at the Non-Scholarship Invitational, which was hosted by the Hawks.
 
Harper finished second with 122 points, barely falling short of champion Rochester Community College's 128 points.  Nassau Community College, who is ranked ninth in the country, finished just behind the Hawks with 116.5 points.  Springfield Technical Community College placed fourth with 92 points while #8 Ridgewater College was fifth with 79 points.
 
Dewitt was the top seed in his weight class, gaining a bye into the semifinals.  Once there, he didn't disappoint.  Dewitt pinned Rochester's Zach Curry in 1:33 before topping Ridgewater's Shane Fessenmaier in the championship match.  For his efforts, Dewitt was named co-Most Valuable Wrestler of the tournament.
 
Tardy also had a bye into the semifinals and came out strong, pinning Ridgewater's Dennis Wilson in 1:47.  In the finals, James Dekrone from Nassau got the better of Tardy, earning a 6-1 victory.
 
Loprieno was disappointed that the Hawks went only 2-6 in semifinal matches, but the team rebounded in the wrestlebacks.  Conor Infelise (McHenry, Ill., McHenry) at 125 pounds, Cody Brandle (Carol Stream, Ill., Glenbard North) at 133 pounds, Blake Santi (Roselle, Ill., Lake Park) at 141 pounds and Michael Summerville (Lombard, Ill., Glenbard West) at 197 pounds all lost early round matches but recovered to take third place in their respective weight classes. Kalvin Argueta (Barrington, Ill., Barrington) at 174 pounds, Mike Romanelli (Lake in the Hills, Ill., Crystal Lake South) at 184 pounds and Larry Carter (Indianapolis, Ind.) at 285 pounds were all fourth place finishers.  David Hughes (Marshalltown, Iowa, Marshalltown) placed sixth at 165 pounds.