Men's Wrestling | 2/14/2026 7:30:00 PM
HIRAM, Ohio (pacathletics.org) - Led by four weight class champions and seven others who earned all-conference accolades, Saint Vincent College captured the 2026 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Wrestling Championship, which was held at Hiram College Saturday.
Saint Vincent, led by first-year head coach Colin Johnston, scored 118.5 points to win its second PAC men's wrestling title in program history and second in the last three years. The Bearcats also won the championship in 2024, which came in the program's first varsity season since 1975.
Finishing second at this year's Championship was Thiel College with 100 points. Washinginton & Jefferson College placed third with 67 points, followed by Hiram with 58 points, Waynesburg University in fifth (24) and Bethany College in sixth (23.5).
The first title of the afternoon was earned by the host school. Freshman Taveon Moss concluded his 3-0 run as the top seed in the 125-pound bracket with his third pin of the tournament at 5:35. It was the first PAC tournament for a wrestler from Hiram, who was in their second year back in the PAC this season for wrestling following a 26-year stint in the North Coast Athletic Conference, since Jim Geesey won at 190 in 1987. In addition, Moss' outstanding performance earned him the PAC Newcomer of the Year award.
The next three brackets were won by Saint Vincent wrestlers, starting with freshman Logan Connolly. After starting with a bye into the semifinals, Connolly advanced with a 26-8 technical fall in the semifinals and won the title with a 4-1 decision in the final. Following a similar path to a PAC championship was sophomore Tyler Debnar at 141. He also had a bye into the semifinals before a second-period pin put him in the final. Debnar would secure his first conference crown with a 9-0 major decision.
Making it three straight Bearcat wins was sophomore Anthony Orlandini at 149. The top seed in the weight class, he had a first-round bye and then scored three consecutive tech falls to take first. Orlandini outscored his three opponents by a combined 58-11, including a 19-3 count in the championship that was stopped 39 seconds into the third period.
A third freshman earned a conference title at 157 in Thiel first-year Jonathan Bissell. Also the top-ranked wrestler in the bracket, he followed his first round bye with a tech fall in the semifinals and then a pin at 1:21 of the opening period in the championship to earn the Tomcats' initial win of the tournament.
Saint Vincent returned to the top of the podium at 165 with junior Logan Bechtold grinding his way to the crown. All three of his matches went the distance, starting with 5-3 and 12-5 decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Then in the final, Bechtold won his first PAC championship with a hard-fought 7-3 decision.
The 174 bracket came down to a highly-anticipated final between Waynesburg junior Jessie Orbin and Saint Vincent junior Chase Brandebura. Orbin entered the weekend 26-2 overall with a 19-match winning streak and rolled into the final following a first-period fall and 20-3 tech fall win. Brandebura, winners of back-to-back PAC titles at 165, was in position for a third straight after he won by a 19-1 tech fall and a pin in the semifinals.
In the championship bout, Orbin led 3-1 after the first period, but the second period closed with a flurry. In the final 32 seconds, Brandebura had a takedown and nearfall for a seven-point swing. Orbin managed to get points back with a reversal, but a Brandebura escape gave the SVC wrestler a 9-6 lead heading into the third period.
An escape to start the round gave Brandebura another point but with 1:12 remaining, Orbin hit a takedown and would get the pin at 5:55 to extend his winning streak to 22 matches and give him a second consecutive PAC championship at 174. Following the conclusion of the championship, Orbin was voted as the Tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, the first Yellow Jacket to earn the honor since Colby Morris in 2023 and 12th Waynesburg wrestler in program history to be recognized.
The fourth freshman to collect PAC hardware was at 184, where W&J first-year Jack Viti made a strong run through the bracket. After opening with a 17-5 major decision in the first round, his pin at 4:47 of the semifinals put him into the title match. He completed his day with a decisive 11-0 major decision for W&J's initial first place of the day.
That was followed shortly by a second President victory at 197. Junior Jaden Fields showed why he was the top seed entering the tournament with three bonus-point wins, including falls in the first round and semifinal and then a 16-1 tech fall victory in the championship.
Saturday's final championship was collected by Thiel junior Joey King at 285. He won the 197-pound title at last year's championship and joined Waynesburg's Orbin as the only PAC wrestlers to win in back-to-back years. After recording pins in 17 seconds and 14 seconds to reach the semifinals, King battled for a 2-0 decision to clinch his spot in the final round. There, he scored a 15-2 major decision to complete his second straight title run and this year's PAC Championships.
In addition to Orbin and Moss being recognized following the Championships, 23rd-year Thiel head coach Craig Thurber was voted as the PAC Coach of the Year. It was the 10th time in his career he's earned the distinction and first since 2022. After finshing third at last year's Championships with two All-PAC wrestlers, the Tomcats moved up a spot to finish second this year with 45 more team points and nine Thiel wrestlers gained all-conference recognition.
The PAC also announced its 2026 PAC Sportsmanship Team. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams.
PAC Award Winners
PAC Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament: Waynesburg junior Jessie Orbin (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston)
PAC Newcomer of the Year: Hiram freshman Taveon Moss (Roxboro, N.C./Person)
PAC Coach of the Year: Thiel head coach Craig Thurber
| PAC Champions |
| Name |
School |
Weight |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Taveon Moss |
Hiram |
125 |
Fr. |
Roxboro, N.C./Person |
| Logan Connolly |
Saint Vincent |
133 |
Fr. |
Bridgeville, Pa./Chartiers Valley |
| Tyler Debnar |
Saint Vincent |
141 |
Jr. |
Marianna, Pa./Beth-Center |
| Anthony Orlandini |
Saint Vincent |
149 |
So. |
McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour |
| Jonathan Bissell |
Thiel |
157 |
Fr. |
Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville |
| Logan Bechtold |
Saint Vincent |
165 |
Jr. |
Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area |
| Jessie Orbin |
Waynesburg |
174 |
Jr. |
Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston |
| Jack Viti |
W&J |
184 |
Fr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel |
| Jaden Fields |
W&J |
197 |
Jr. |
Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington |
| Joey King |
Thiel |
285 |
Jr. |
Cooperstown, Pa./Maplewood |
| Second Team All-PAC |
| Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Brandon Dami |
W&J |
125 |
Jr. |
Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan |
| Owen Caracciolo |
Saint Vincent |
133 |
So. |
Irwin, Pa./Hempfield |
| Logan Ventura |
Thiel |
141 |
Fr. |
Jeanette, Pa./Penn-Trafford |
| Mequan Maxwell |
Thiel |
149 |
So. |
Sharon, Pa./Sharon |
| Ryan Yocum |
Saint Vincent |
157 |
Jr. |
Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area |
| Anthony Ceriani |
Thiel |
165 |
Fr. |
Brookeville, Pa./Brookeville Area |
| Chase Brandebura |
Saint Vincent |
174 |
Jr. |
Carnegie, Pa./Carlynton |
| Zachery Ward |
Thiel |
184 |
Fr. |
Gerard, Ohio/Gerard |
| Chase Stuchal |
Saint Vincent |
197 |
Fr. |
Blairsville, Pa./River Valley |
| Jonah McCoy |
Saint Vincent |
285 |
Fr. |
Johnstown, Pa./ Westmont Hilltop |
| Honorable Mention All-PAC |
| Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| EJ McCarthy |
Thiel |
125 |
Sr. |
Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard |
| Deshonn Valentine |
Thiel |
133 |
Fr. |
Somerset, Pa./Somerset Area |
| Brett Klim |
Saint Vincent |
141 |
Fr. |
Derry, Pa./Derry Area |
| William Brodbeck |
Hiram |
149 |
Sr. |
Hudson, Ohio/Hudson |
| Jacob Potts |
Thiel |
157 |
So. |
Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette |
| Jiovanni DeChicchis |
W&J |
165 |
Fr. |
Ventia, Pa./Peters Township |
| Jonathan Braun |
Bethany |
174 |
Jr. |
Kenilworth, N.J./David Brearley |
| Nathan Barkley |
Saint Vincent |
184 |
So. |
Derry, Pa./Derry Area |
| Dino Longo |
Hiram |
197 |
Fr. |
Bunn, N.C./Bunn |
| Zach Kuneff |
Bethany |
285 |
Gr. |
Martins Ferry, Ohio/Bridgeport |