CORTLAND, N.Y. – A pin by senior Brian Bistis (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon) at 141 pounds proved to be the decisive match as nationally fifth-ranked Cortland defeated visiting Delaware Valley, 19-18 on criteria, after the teams finished tied at 18-18.

With the final team score tied, criteria was applied to determine the winner. The first criteria, most total victories, was even at five apiece. On the second criteria, most 6-point wins, Cortland won since the pin by Bistis was the only 6-point victory by either team. Cortland improved to 10-3 with the win, while the Aggies dropped to 7-5.

Delaware Valley took an early 9-0 lead on a technical fall by Zac Haynes at 125 pounds and a 12-2 major decision by Connor Kirkegard at 133 pounds.

Cortland answered with wins in the next three matches. Bistis, ranked fifth nationally at 141 pounds, pinned his opponent in three minutes, 47 seconds, followed by a 4-1 decision by nationally top-ranked Bobby Dierna (Webster/Wayne) at 149 pounds.

At 157 pounds, Cortland senior James Ondris (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) earned a 6-5 decision over Emmanuel Ajagbe, who was an All-American at 149 pounds last year. After a scoreless first period, Ondris went up 5-0 on an escape, a takedown and a 2-point near fall. Ajagbe quickly got a reversal to make it 5-2, but Ondris earned an escape point just before the buzzer to take a 6-2 lead. In the third, Ajagbe escaped early to cut the lead to 6-3. He also scored a stalling point with five seconds left, and earned a point for riding time, but it wasn't enough to tie Ondris.

The Aggies knotted the team score at 12-12 when Alec Horan won 8-2 at 165 pounds. Junior Lou Puca (Huntington), ranked fifth nationally at 174 pounds, won 5-1 to put Cortland ahead 15-12, but Delaware Valley tied the match again when Connor Gabriel earned a 7-3 decision at 184 pounds.

The 197-pound match featured a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers – third-ranked Joe Giaramita (Elwood/John H. Glenn) from Cortland and seventh-ranked Aaron Karns from Delaware Valley. Karns went up 4-0 on a first-period takedown and near fall and led 6-1 with 1:33 in the second after a violation and an escape. Giaramita, however, registered a takedown late in the second and a reversal 10 seconds into the third to close within one. Down 7-5, Giaramita tied the match with a takedown with 59 seconds left, then rode out Karns the rest of the way to earn the decisive riding time point.

At 285, Delaware Valley's Zach Roseberry posted a 9-5 upset win over nationally eighth-ranked Lance Moore (Johnson City). Down 2-0, Roseberry used a takedown and a 3-point near fall to go up 5-2. He threatened to register a pin, which would have given the Aggies the team victory, but Moore recovered and eventually got an escape with 48 seconds left in the second. Moore also escaped early in the third to pull within 5-4, but Roseberry got two takedowns later in the period.

Dierna improved to 17-3 on the season with his win at Puca is now 26-7. Giaramita upped his mark to 27-5 to keep the team victory lead and Ondris is now 21-10. Bistis, who returned recently from injury, is 13-5 on the season.

Cortland will host Nassau Community College on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Cortland 19, Delaware Valley 18 (criteria)

125 - Zac Haynes (DV) tech. fall Mat Bradice, 3:26 (18-1)
133 - Connor Kirkegard (DV) major dec. Troy Feniger, 12-2
141 - Brian Bistis (CORT) pinned David Davidson, 3:47
149 - Bobby Dierna (CORT) dec. Vinny Fava, 4-1
157 - James Ondris (CORT) dec. Emmanuel Ajagbe, 6-5
165 - Alec Horan (DV) dec. Joe Cataldo, 8-2
174 - Lou Puca (CORT) dec. Ben Schweiger, 5-1
184 - Connor Gabriel (DV) dec. Brian Bulger, 7-3
197 - Joe Giaramita (CORT) dec. Aaron Karns, 8-7
285 - Zach Roseberry (DV) dec. Lance Moore, 9-5

Records after match: Cortland (Red Dragons) 10-3 (ranked 5th in Div. III); Delaware Valley (Aggies) 7-5

(No exhibition matches)