12/21/25

SCRANTON, Pa. -- For the third-straight year, Lackawanna College Athletics will review the past 12 months and highlight the top 14 athletics stories and moments from the year that was. 

Today's top event from 2025 comes to us from the NJCAA Wrestling Tournament appearance for Lackawanna College wrestling.

#11: Lackawanna Wrestling Sends Five To National Tournament
Lackawanna College wrestling, competing in its first season under a new mentor in head coach John Fox, had an up-and-down year, trying to stay healthy and compete, and entered the Gulf Atlantic District Championships with just six competing wrestlers. That didn't stop the Falcons from rallying to finish fifth as a team, despite their numbers deficit, and earn five national qualifiers for the NJCAA Wrestling Championship Tournament.

Both John Koroma (Woodbridge, VA) and Connor Ondek (Scranton, PA) earned second-place finishes at 174 lbs. and 157 lbs., respectively, in the Gulf Atlantic. Koroma won his first two matches at 174 to make the championship bout, before falling in a 5-0 decision. Ondek, in his first-year last season, won with a pair of falls to get into the championship bout, where he fell in the final. Both second-place finishes earned a national tournament berth.

Matt Gashi-Brito (Fairfax, VA) finished in fourth at the Gulf Atlantic last season. He was 13-8 heading into the national tournament, and challenged the eventual Gulf Atlantic winner at 141 lbs. with a narrow 14-10 loss in the semi-finals. Gashi-Brito was a first-year wrestler last year.

Sophomore Edward Lauritsen (Brodheadsville, PA) was a wild-card selection last season at 125 lbs., after finishing fifth in the Gulf Atlantic tournament. Lauritsen won with a major decision in his first bout before falling to the eventual champion in the semi-final. He was joined by wrestler Adan Salazar (Scranton, PA) as a wild-card selection for the national tournament. Salazar wrestled for the Falcons at 197 lbs. and won his first match with a major decision, 14-6, before falling to the eventual district champion in the semi-final. He won fifth place with a dramatic victory by fall over his opponent from Union at 6:35 of his bout. 

The only wrestler to pick up a win at the national tournament was Koroma, who won a consolation bout, but the Falcons sent five-or-more qualifiers for the third-straight season, and managed to send a quintet of grapplers in the first year back on the job for coach Fox, helping set the foundation for an important 2025-2026 campaign.

Top 14 Moments Of 2025 For Lackawanna College Athletics  
14) Women's Wrestling Makes History With Dual Victories
13) Coaching Changes Bring New Faces, Perspectives
12) First-Team All-Region Performances For MBB And WBB
11) Lackawanna Wrestling Sends Five To Nationals
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