EAST STROUDSBURG (PA) – Vinny Fava made quite a debut for the Delaware Valley College wrestling team as the junior Division I transfer went 5-0 and took top honors at 149 pounds to highlight the Aggies' season-opening showing at the 47th annual East Stroudsburg University Open.

Team scoring was not held at the event which featured more than 500 wrestlers and had 11 mats full of action from the early morning through the evening. Wrestlers from 27 Division I schools, three Division II schools and three Division III schools (Delaware Valley, Centenary College, The College of New Jersey filled the brackets along with a host of unattached competitors.

The 149-pound weight class was the largest as 70 competitors were listed on the bracket, including Fava. The two-year starter for Division I Rider University elected to go to a smaller school setting and found a home with the Aggies where his brother Dale was a two-time national qualifier and is currently an assistant coach. Of Fava's five victories, four came against Division I wrestlers, including a 3-1 overtime triumph over Cortlandt Choate (unattached - Brown).

Returning All-American Aaron Karns, who is currently ranked third in Division III at 197 pounds had a great start to his junior year as he went 6-1 and took fifth place (because of time restrictions, the tournament cut off the wrestlebacks at fifth place and had the two losers of the championship finals fall automatically into the third-fourth place match). Karns dropped his season opener to Raymond O'Donnell from Princeton University, but won his next seven including five triumphs over Division I wrestlers.He earned a 3-2 decision in the placement match

Freshman heavyweight Zach Roseberry also finished in fifth place and did not have a chance to wrestle for third because of time restraints. The 2013 Virginia high school state champion wound up with a 5-1 record and his only loss was to Nicholas Ruggear of Division I Penn State University.

Three others Delaware Valley wrestlers who shined at the Open were junior 141-pounder David Davidson, senior 157-pounder Alec Horan and freshman 133-pounder Joshua Di Santo. Davidson and Horan, a team captain, were victorious in four of their six matches while Di Santo was 3-2 with a pair of pins.

The Aggies, who are ranked 26th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III preseason poll, will return to action on Saturday, December 7 when they travel to York College for the New Standard Corporation Invitational.