ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Notre Dame wrestlers combined to garner two wins, two seconds and two thirds at Sunday's Purple Raider Open.  (Results)

The Falcons had nine place-winners in all at the tournament hosted by the University of Mount Union.  Grapplers from 15 different schools competed in the event.  NDC's big winners were Austin Sanders (first place at 141 pounds), Leon Shannon (first at 133), Jon Bittinger (second at 174), Maurice Miller (second at 141), Anthony Burge (third at 157) and Louden Gordon (third at 149).
“I'm very happy with the way we competed today,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Frank Romano.  “To show up with the kind of young squad like we have and leave with so many place-winners is a testament to how hard the guys have been working and to the job our coaches have done.”

Sanders won the title at 141 with a 3-2 victory over teammate Maurice Miller in the first-place match.  He also downed an unattached teammate in his semifinal bout en route to going 4-0 with a pin and a tech fall.  For Sanders, a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio, the victory in Alliance marked his first collegiate title. Miller went 3-1 in placing second.

Shannon claimed first at 133 by going undefeated in four matches.  The freshman from Wyandotte, Mich., was unstoppable in close decisions, winning by scores of (in order) 8-3, 5-4, 7-4 and 6-5.  The 6-5 decision in the title bout came against Cleveland State's Mike Carlone.  Shannon has now placed in back-to-back events and three times this season.  He earned fifth at last week's (Jan. 7) Storm Open in Painesville, Ohio.

Bittinger's runner-up position at 174 marked the second straight week the junior from East Liverpool, Ohio, has placed second -- Bittinger was best by only one at last week's Storm Open.  He went 3-1 on Saturday and is 6-2 over his last eight bouts.  Bittinger won a major (9-1 over Mount Union's Eric Shiflett) and then a pair of decisions before being downed, 4-3, in the title bout against Ohio's Cody Walters.

Burge bounced back from an opening match fall to win four straight and win third place at 157 in impressive fashion.  In Burge's four straight wins, he collected three majors and a fall of his own.  The Mason, Mich., native drilled Kent State's Andy Candellio, 8-0, in the third-place bout.  Sunday marked the second time this season that Burge has placed in an event.

Louden Gordon went 3-1 with a pin in earning third at 149.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

PURPLE-PEOPLE EATERS: The Falcons have historically wrestled well at the mid-January open hosted by Mount Union.  Six NDC grapplers, including Jon Bittinger, won titles at last year's Purple Raider Open.  From 2009-12, Notre Dame has now garnered 15 victories at the open. … Unattached NDC wrestlers combined to produce six top-6 finishes on Sunday.

TURNING THE TABLES: Leo Shannon's win over Mike Carlone came eight days after the Cleveland State freshman beat him, 11-1, in the Storm Open.  Shannon is 9-3 over his last 12 collegiate bouts.  He is 3-0 in a trio of one-point bouts this season.