LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Danny Wask led Navy wrestling at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend with a runner-up finish at 174 pounds, while Spencer Lanosga added a sixth-place showing at heavyweight as the Midshipmen placed 16th in the 30-team field.
 
Iowa State won the team title in dominant fashion, placing nine wrestlers in the top five in their weight classes to finish with 183.5 points. Michigan took second with 99 points, while Navy finished the invitational 16th among the 30 teams.
 
Wask went 3-1 on the weekend to earn his third career CKLV podium finish and reached the championship bout after three convincing wins. Lanosga picked up three victories of his own to place sixth at 285 pounds.
 
"Cliff Keen may be the toughest tournament we see before the NCAA Championship," Navy head coach Cary Kolat said. "We brought six guys and they had the opportunity to compete against some of the best wrestlers in the country. We now have time to make adjustments and focus on the corrections before Morgan State."
 
Wask, ranked seventh at 174 pounds, opened his tournament with a fall over Mason Espinoza of California Baptist in 4:21 before rolling to a 12-4 major decision over 30th-ranked Riley Davis of Wyoming in the quarterfinals. He followed with a 4-1 win against 19th-ranked Brody Conley of West Virginia in the semifinals. Wask narrowly missed the title, falling 5-4 to Oklahoma's Carter Schubert in the final.
 
"Danny [Wask] wrestled well up until his final match," remarked Kolat. "When he lets it fly, he's capable of winning a national title. He just needs to open up more throughout the tournament."
 
Lanosga, the 11th-ranked heavyweight, posted a strong run of his own at 285. He began with an 8-3 decision over Northwestern's Gabe Christenson and a 19-2 technical fall against Stanford's Luke Duthie. Lanosga advanced to the semifinals after defeating 24th-ranked Juan Mora of Oklahoma, 7-2. He dropped an 8-5 sudden-victory bout to 27th-ranked Christian Carroll of Wyoming before falling to Arizona State's David Szuba, ranked 23rd, in the consolation semifinals as a medical forfeit ended his tournament in the fifth-place match.
 
"Spencer [Lanosga] faced some very talented heavyweights," stated Kolat. "He put himself in position to win the semifinals match but misread his opponent in overtime. He was one takedown away from joining Wask in the finals."
 
Elsewhere for Navy, 15th-ranked Caedyn Ricciardi went 1-2 at 141 pounds. After a fall to Air Force's Carter Nogle in the round of 16, he rebounded with a 14-4 major decision over Ohio's Abe Hermes before dropping a 3-2 tiebreaker to Northwestern's Billy DeKraker.
 
At 149 pounds, Kaemen Smith finished 1-2, earning a 5-4 decision over Northern Illinois' Lucan O'Brien before falling to Jacob Frost of Iowa State and Edinboro's Ryan Michaels.
 
Davis Park went 0-2 at 165 pounds, dropping bouts to Rider's Brendon Abdon and No. 17 Dylan Gilcher.
 
At 197, 28th-ranked Zyan Hall finished 2-2. He opened with a 16-5 major decision over VMI's Toby Schoffstall; lost to 23rd-ranked Ben Vanadia of Purdue; pinned Arizona State's Max Acciardi in 2:33; and fell 7-5 to Northern Illinois' Spencer Mooberry in the consolation bracket.
 
Up Next
Navy will compete at the Patriot Open in Fairfax, Va., on Sunday at 10 a.m. Live results can be found on FloArena.
 
Navy Results at CKLV Invitational
141 – #15 Caedyn Ricciardi (1-2, Did Not Place)

• Rd. of 16: lost to Carter Nogle, Air Force / Fall / 6:20
• Cons. of 16 #2: defeated Abe Hermes, Ohio / Major / 14-4
• Cons. of 8 #1: lost to Billy DeKraker, Northwestern / Dec / 3-2 TB-1

 
149 – Kaemen Smith (1-2, Did Not Place)

• Rd. of 32: defeated Lucan O'Brien, Northern Illinois / Dec / 5-4
• Rd. of 16: lost to Jacob Frost, Iowa State / Major / 9-1
• Cons. of 16 #2: lost to Ryan Michaels, Edinboro / Dec / 5-4

 
165 – Davis Park (0-2, Did Not Place)

• Rd. of 32: lost to Brendon Abdon, Rider / Major / 14-4
• Cons. of 16 #1: lost to #17 Dylan Gilcher / T Fall / 18-2

 
174 – #7 Danny Wask (3-1, 2nd Place)

• Rd. of 16: defeated Mason Espinoza, California Baptist / Fall / 4:21
• Quarterfinals: defeated #30 Riley Davis, Wyoming / Major / 12-4
• Semifinals: defeated #19 Brody Conley, West Virginia / Dec / 4-1
• Championship: lost to Carter Schubert, Oklahoma / Dec / 5-4

 
197 – #28 Zyan Hall (2-2, Did Not Place)

• Rd. of 32: defeated Toby Schoffstall, VMI / Major / 16-5
• Rd. of 16: lost to #23 Ben Vanadia, Purdue / Dec / 5-0
• Cons. of 16 #2: defeated Max Acciardi, Arizona State / Fall / 2:33
• Cons. of 8 #1: lost to Spencer Mooberry, Northern Illinois / Dec / 7-5

 
285 – #11 Spencer Lanosga (3-3, 6th Place)

• Rd. of 32: defeated Gabe Christenson, Northwestern / Dec / 8-3
• Rd. of 16: defeated Luke Duthie, Stanford / T Fall / 19-2
• Quarterfinals: defeated #24 Juan Mora, Oklahoma / Dec / 7-2
• Semifinals: lost to #27 Christian Carroll, Wyoming / Dec / 8-5 SV
• Cons. Semifinals: lost to #23 David Szuba, Arizona State / Fall / 2:08
• Fifth-Place: lost to #17 Trevor Tinker, Cal Poly / Medical Forfeit