It's the second time this season that we've honored a collective group of athletes. Lackawanna's five national qualifiers are Connor Ondek (Scranton, PA), John Koroma (Woodbridge, VA), Matt Gashi-Brito (Fairfax, VA), Edward Lauritsen (Brodheadsville, PA), and Adan Salazar (Scranton, PA).

Ondek and Koroma each earned second-place finishes at this past weekend's Gulf Atlantic District Tournament. Ondek competed at 157 lbs. and won two straight matches by fall to get into the championship, before dropping to his opponent from Andrew College in the final. Koroma won by a tech fall and a decision to get to the championship bout, before falling in a close 5-0 decision to his opponent from Middlesex College.

Gashi-Brito finished fourth at 141 lbs., winning his first match with a fall in the first period, then losing in the semis in a narrow 14-10 decision to the eventual champion from Union College. Gashi-Brito won a fall in the third period against an opponent from Camden County to make the third-place match, then fell to his opponent from Andrew College to finish fourth.

Lauritsen and Salazar each picked up fifth-place finishes. Lauritsen competed at 125 lbs. and won his first match in a major decision to make the semis. Against the eventual champion from Camden, he was pinned late in the first period to get sent to the consolation bracket. Lauritsen lost his first match there, which dropped him into the fifth place match, which he won via medical forfeit. Meanwhile, Salazar wrestled at 197 lbs., winning his opener via a 14-6 major decision to get to the semis. Salazar ran into the eventual champion from Camden there, who pinned Salazar in the first round and sent him to the consolation bracket. In his first consy match, Salazar dropped to an opponent from Sussex to fall to the fifth-place bout. Once there, Salazar earned a dramatic third period fall for the win to solidify his spot.
 
Koroma and Lauritsen are both sophomores, while Gashi-Brito, Ondek, and Salazar are all first year student-athletes at Lackawanna College. The group will be a guest on a future episode of Falcons Corner, which airs every week on the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube.