No. 4 Cornell Beats No. 14 Iowa State, 28-11

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AMES, Iowa—The No. 4 Big Red wrestling team won seven out of 10 bouts on its way to a 28-11 victory over No.14 Iowa State at the Hilton Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. No. 1 Cam Simaz (197) and No. 3 Steve Bosak (184) pinned their opponents in their respective weight classes, while Mike Nevinger upset No. 14 Luke Goettl at 141 pounds. Also picking up wins for the Big Red were Frank Perrelli (125), Nick Arujau (133), Chris Villalonga (149) and Kyle Dake (157).

With Simaz’s pin at 197 pounds, the Big Red senior breaks the Cornell career record for wins by bonus points with 92. He takes over the top spot from Mack Lewnes ’11 who totaled 91 during his stellar career for Cornell. Bosak is tied for ninth in career bonus wins with 60.

The dual started at 174 pounds with Billy George facing off against Mikey England. England scored the only points of the first period with a takedown. England quickly escaped from his opening down position in the second and notched another takedown before the period was over. George escaped to open the third, but with 2:43 in riding time, England won a 6-1 decision.

At 184 pounds, No. 3 ranked Bosak quickly attacked Boaz Beard off the whistle. Bosak muscled his way to a takedown with less than 30 seconds off the clock. The Big Red wrestler immediately started to work to turn his opponent and won by fall in 1:07.

No. 1 Simaz took on Trevor Voelker at 197 pounds. Simaz grabbed his first takedown with only five seconds off the clock. He would add three more along with two three-point nearfalls to take a 14-3 lead after the first period. Voelker chose neutral to start the second. With only seven seconds off the clock, Simaz took him down once again and turned him to win by fall in 3:37. Cornell held a 12-3 advantage after three bouts.

At heavyweight, Maciej Jochym faced No. 14 Matt Gibson. Gibson held a 2-1 lead after the first period with a takedown from which Jochym escaped. Gibson grabbed two more points to start the second after reversing Jochym from his opening down position. Gibson led 12-1 after the second after adding eight back points. Jochym chose to start the third at neutral. Midway through the period, Gibson grabbed another takedown, but Jochym would escape. With 2:46 in riding time, Gibson won a 15-2 major decision.

No. 6 ranked Perrelli took on No. 11 Ryak Finch at 125 pounds. Perrelli worked his way to a takedown with 1:17 left in the first period and added three points with a nearfall before the three minutes were over. Perrelli chose down to start the second and escaped 55 seconds into the period. With 14 seconds left on the clock, Perrelli grabbed another takedown to take an 8-0 advantage. Finch chose to start the third period on top and after a minute Perrelli escaped to win a 9-0 major decision.

At 133 pounds, Nick Arujau made his debut in a Cornell singlet after transferring from American University. The Big Red sophomore took on Shayden Terukina and led 5-0 after the first period with a takedown and three back points. Arujau chose neutral to start the second period and increased his advantage to 7-0 with another takedown. Terukina chose to start the third period at neutral. With only two seconds left in the bout, Terukina notched a takedown to keep Arujau from the major. With 4:01 in riding time, Arujau won an 8-2 decision.

Nevinger took on No. 14 Luke Goettl at 141 pounds. With 42 seconds left in the first, Nevinger notched a takedown immediately flipping his opponent on to his back. Nevinger was looking for the fall, when Goettl flipped out for a reversal. With one second left in the period, Nevinger would escape to hold a 5-2 advantage after the first. Goettl chose to start the second at neutral but neither wrestler was able to score. Nevinger escaped from his opening down position to start the third. Goettl would notch his first takedown midway through the third. Nevinger escaped and sealed the win with a takedown with 23 seconds left on the clock to win a 9-4 decision.

At 149 pounds, No. 19 Villalonga and Joey Cozart were scoreless after the first period. Cozart scored the only point of the second with a takedown from his opening down position. Villalonga tied the bout at 1-1 with an escape of his own to start the third. With 37 seconds left on the clock, Villalonga took down his opponent and added three back points before time ran out to win a 6-1 decision.

No. 1 ranked Kyle Dake faced Mike Moreno at 157 pounds. Moreno made various shot attempts at the Big Red wrestler, but Dake countered each one to keep the bout scoreless. With 14 seconds left in the period, Dake countered again for a takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Moreno chose to start the second at neutral but neither wrestler was able to score. Dake reversed Moreno from his opening down position to start the third. Moreno would escape, but Dake took him down once again to win a 6-1 decision.

In the last bout of the day, Marshall Peppelman faced No. 4 Andrew Sorenson. The Cyclone senior led 3-1 after the first period. Sorenson reversed Peppelman from his opening down position to start the second and the Big Red sophomore was hit with his third stalling call to give Sorenson another point. Sorenson added six more takedowns in the third period to win 21-6 with riding time. Sorenson only added four points for his team because he did not earn any nearfall points.

Cornell will return home next weekend to wrap up its Ivy League slate. The Big Red will face Columbia at 1 p.m. on Saturday before taking on Hofstra at 3 p.m. All action will take place at the Friedman Wrestling Center.

No. 4 Cornell 28, No. 14 Iowa State 11
174: Mikey England (ISU) dec. Billy George (CU), 6-1 (Iowa State, 3-0)
184: #3 Steve Bosak (CU) pinned #16 Boaz Beard (ISU), 1:07 (Cornell, 6-3)
197: #1 Cam Simaz (CU) pinned Trevor Voelker (ISU), 3:37 (Cornell, 12-3)
285: #14 Matt Gibson (ISU) Mdec. Maciej Jochym (CU), 15-2 (Cornell , 12-7)
125: #6 Frank Perrelli (CU) Mdec. #11 Ryak Finch (ISU), 9-0 (Cornell, 16-7)
133: Nick Arujua (CU) dec. Shayden Terukina (ISU), 8-2 (Cornell, 19-7)
141: Mike Nevinger (CU) dec. #14 Luke Goettl (ISU), 9-4 (Cornell, 22-7)
149: #19 Chris Villalonga (CU) dec. Joe Cozart (ISU), 6-1 (Cornell, 25-7)
157: #1 Kyle Dake (CU) dec. Michael Moreno (ISU), 6-1 (Cornell, 28-7)
165: #4 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) tech fall. (4pts) Marshall Peppelman (CU), 21-6* (Cornell, 28-11)
Sorenson was only awarded four team points because he did not have any nearfall points

No. 19 Binghamton Falls to No. 1 Oklahoma State, Beats Bucknell

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Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

STILLWATER, Okla. – Top-ranked Oklahoma State (11-0) showed the strength of its lineup with a 35-3 win over No. 19 Binghamton Sunday afternoon from Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Bearcats (12-3) finished out the triangular with a 36-6 win over Bucknell.

Against the No. 1 team in the nation and the program with the most all-time dual wins of any school in the country, BU managed just one victory – a 2-0 decision from junior No. 20 Nate Schiedel at 184 pounds. Schiedel broke a scoreless tie with a second-period escape and then rode his opponent, Chris McNeil, the entire third period to gain the riding point.

Two anticipated matches between high-ranking opponents both went to the Cowboys by identical 5-3 counts. At 149, junior Donnie Vinson, ranked No. 4, battled unbeaten No. 2 Jamal Parks tight in a two-point loss. A Vinson escape to end the second period tied the match at 2-2. Parks got the decisive takedown, however, with one minute remaining in the match and after a Vinson escape, Parks withstood a stall warning and fended off Vinson for the 5-3 decision. It was Vinson’s first dual loss of the season.

At 157, senior No. 6  Justin Lister took on No. 13 Albert White and came up on the short end of a 5-3 decision. Lister recorded a takedown at the end of the first period and after an escape to start the third, led 3-1. But White got a tying takedown with 1:02 left and turned it into the decisive back points as time expired.

The Cowboys’ starting lineup featured eight wrestlers ranked in the top 14, including five in the nation’s top-10. The match was a homecoming for sixth-year head coach Pat Popolizio, who was an NCAA qualifier and scholar-athlete for Oklahoma State.

Against the Bison, BU won eight of 10 bouts, including pins by Vinson and freshman 174-pound Caleb Wallace. Schiedel scored a 9-1 major decision to go 2-0 on the day. He is 23-6 overall, 11-2 in duals.

Binghamton next hosts American on Friday at West Gym.
No. 1 Oklahoma State 35, No. 19 Binghamton 3
125: No. 12 Jon Morrison (OSU) dec. Derek Steeley (BU); 8-3
133: No. 2 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Patrick Hunter (BU); 5:36
141: No. 13 Josh Kindig (OSU) MD Joe Bonaldi (BU); 14-4
149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 4 Donnie Vinson (BU); 5-3
157: No. 13 Albert White (OSU) dec. No. 6 Justin Lister (BU); 5-3
165: Dallas Bailey (OSU) MD Matt Kaylor (BU); 10-2
174: No. 3 Chris Perry (OSU) MD Caleb Wallace (BU); 21-8
184: No. 20 Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. Chris McNeil (OSU); 2-0
197: No. 7 Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Cody Reed (BU); 8-3
285: No. 2 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) TF5 No. 17 Nick Gwiazdowski (BU); 20-3;6:07

No. 19 Binghamton 36, Bucknell 6
125: Austin Miller (Bucknell) dec. Derek Steeley (Binghamton); 5-4
133: Patrick Hunter (Binghamton) dec. Shawn Armato (Bucknell); 11-5
141: Joe Bonaldi (Binghamton) dec. Derrik Russell (Bucknell); 6-4
149: No. 4 Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) fall Alex Pellicciotti (Bucknell); 2:25
157: No. 6 Justin Lister (Binghamton) MD John Regan (Bucknell); 10-1
165: Corey Lear (Bucknell) dec. Matt Kaylor (Binghamton); 1-0
174: Caleb Wallace (Binghamton) fall Stephen McPeek (Bucknell); 2:15
184: No.20 Nate Schiedel (Binghamton) MD Jamie Westwood (Bucknell); 9-1
197: Cody Reed (Binghamton) MD Tyler Lyster (Bucknell); 13-4
285: No. 17 Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton) won by forfeit

No. 24 Hofstra Remains Undefeated, Downs Penn

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Hempstead, NY – Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino recorded a pin and junior Steve Bonanno added a tech fall to lead #24 Hofstra to a 23-13 victory over the University of Pennsylvania at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. 

The Pride remained undefeated this season and are now 10-0 as they recorded their 15th consecutive dual match victory. Penn fell to 4-5 on the season. 

Hofstra captured six of the 10 matches as Accordino posted his fourth pin of the season while Bonanno tallied his sixth tech fall of the year. Redshirt sophomore Luke Vaith posted the biggest victory of the day as he upset 10th-ranked Zach Kemmerer in overtime, 2-1 at 141 pounds. 

Opening the match at 125 pounds, the Pride jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind Bonanno, who collected 11-first period points. Bonanno, who won his eighth consecutive match, is 21-5 on the season. Penn senior Bryan Ortenzio, ranked 15th at 133, closed the gap with a 4-2 victory over red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco on a second period escape and the riding time point. Franco, who is now 15-9, lost for just the second time in the last seven matches. 

At 141, Kemmerer and Vaith, who has won five straight matches, each recorded an escape to send the match into overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Vaith (15-7) posted an escape in the OT for the victory. It was the start of four consecutive Pride victories that blew the match open. Accordino then followed with his fourth pin of the season, on Penn’s Steve Robertson, in 4:49 at 149 pounds. Accordino, who is now 18-8 on the year after his eighth consecutive win, gave the Pride a 14-3 lead. Junior Tyler Banks won his fourth consecutive match at 157 pounds with a 4-0 victory over Penn junior Troy Hernandez. Banks tallied an escape and a takedown in the second period to improve to 10-8 on the year. Senior P.J. Gillespie picked up his 21st win of the season at 165 pounds with a 2-1 decision over Quaker freshman Lorenzo Thomas on a third period reversal. The 19th-ranked senior improved to 21-5 on the year and gave the Pride a 20-3 lead in the contest. 

Penn freshman Ian Korb stopped the Hofstra run at 174 pounds with a 4-0 decision over Pride freshman Jermaine John. John slipped to 7-12 this season. But Hofstra senior Ben Clymer, ranked 11th at 184, gave the Pride a 23-6 advantage with a 4-1 victory over senior Erich Smith. Clymer, who tallied three second period points, leads the Pride with a 22-5 mark. The Quakers closed out the match with with two victories as senior Micah Burak, ranked ninth at 197 pounds, posted an 11-2 major decision over Hofstra sophomore Tim Murphy (10-15) while Penn sophomore Steven Graziano defeated Pride junior Paul Snyder (15-8), 7-2 at 285. 

Hofstra returns to action next Saturday, February 4 when the Pride travels to Ithaca, New York to face the fourth-ranked Big Red of Cornell at 3 p.m. 

#24 Hofstra 23, Pennsylvania  13 
125 – #13 Steve Bonanno (HU) tech fall Karim Shafi (UP), 18-0 (3:57)
133 – #15 Bryan Ortenzio (UP) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 4-2
141 – Luke Vaith (HU) dec. #10 Zack Kemmerer (UP) 2-1 in OT
149 – Justin Accordino (HU) WBF Stephen Robertson (UP), 4:49
157 – Tyler Banks (HU) dec. Troy Hernandez (UP), 4-0
165 – #19 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Lorenzo Thomas (UP),  2-1
174 – Ian Korb (UP) dec. Jermaine John (HU), 4-0
184 – #11 Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Erich Smith (UP), 4-1
197 – #9 Micah Burak (UP) maj dec. Tim Murphy (HU),11-2
285 – Steven Graziano (UP) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 7-2

Bulls Raise Over $20K at Takedown Cancer Dual; Fall to Ohio

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BUFFALO, NY – Despite taking a tough 22-18 loss against the Ohio Bobcats (3-5, 2-3 MAC) Sunday afternoon, the Buffalo wrestling team (5-12, 0-2 MAC) scored a big victory off the mat, raising $21,500 for its third annual Takedown Cancer fundraiser. While the team’s split the matches five apiece, the Bobcats scored two pins and a major decision. It was also senior day for UB, with the team honoring seniorsTyler Peter, Taylor Golba, and Kevin Smith.

The Bulls dug a large hole in the first half of the match, losing four of the first five bouts to trail 16-3. Freshman 197 pounder Justin Heiserman scored the team’s lone first-half win after rallying from an early 2-0 deficit. Not to be discouraged, the Bulls rallied back for four wins in the final five matches of the day.

Kevin Smith got things started in the second half with a 4-0 shutout of Darrin Boing. Wrestling in front of a home crowd at Alumni Arena for the final time in his exemplary career, Smith felt out his opponent in a scoreless first period before riding Boing out for the entire two minutes of the second period. In the final period, the senior from Mexico, NY earned an escape and got a takedown to seal the win. Blake Roulo followed with a 7-1 win over Andrew Romanchik, just missing a major decision when he was unable to secure a takedown in the waning seconds of the bout.

“It was important for me to put up points for the team. It would have been nice to come out with a victory but I thought our guys wrestled tough and we just have to keep going forward,” Smith said. “Takedown Cancer is such a great cause and it’s great to see all these fans supporting us and supporting Jeff Parker. It’s just tremendous to be part of such an event.”

“You can’t say enough about the guy (Smith),” head coach Jim Beichner said. “We hope to get him on the (All-American) stand at the national championships because that would cap off a great career for him.”

Now trailing 16-9, the Bulls needed to keep on cutting into the deficit, but in the 157-pound match, the Bobcats’ Harrison Hightower managed to get control of Wally Maziarzand scored a critical pin that put the Ohio lead at 13, out of reach of the Bulls. Despite this, Mark Lewandowski and Jake Waste dominated in the matches, winning by a combined score of 30-3 to end the day on a high note.

Lewandowski went up 5-0 on a quick takedown and three-point near fall. While riding out his opponent, Lewandowski wrenched his knee and was forced to take major injury time and put his status for the rest of the match in doubt. Despite the injury, the Depew, NY junior rallied and earned a technical fall just 11 seconds into the final period for a 15-0 win.

“He’s had a bad knee and today he dinged it up, but instead of quitting, he went out and got a tech fall with a knee that was pretty bad,” Beichner said. “That’s a huge mental toughness check and he passed that in a big way. There’s not too many guys who could have gone back out there.”

Jake Waste capped off the match with a 15-3 major decision over Mike Duckworth. The true freshman maintained control throughout the match and used two takedowns and three back points in the final period to cap the major decision and bring the score to a final of 22-18 in favor of the Bobcats.

The Bulls will now hit the road for the rest of the season, starting on Friday against Kent State. The two teams previously met at the Virginia Duals, with the Golden Flashes taking a 22-12 win. Match time is set for 7 pm.

Army Sweeps #25 Harvard, Brown on the Road

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Daniel Mills

Daniel Mills

Jan. 28, 2012

 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Army and Harvard split the 10 bouts right down the middle, but it was senior Daniel Mills’ pin in the heavyweight matchup that sealed the Black Knights’ 24-17 upset victory over the 25th-ranked Crimson in an EIWA dual match on Saturday afternoon inside the Malkin Athletic Center.

Army (7-5, 4-1 EIWA) began the match with a 12-0 cushion as Harvard forfeited the 125- and 133-pound bouts. Freshman Scott Filbert (125 pounds) and junior Jordan Thome (133) were credited with victories.

Black Knight junior Casey Smith extended Army’s lead to 15-0 following a 6-2 victory over Patrick Hogan in the 141-pound matchup.

Harvard (4-5, 1-3 EIWA) trimmed the Black Knights’ advantage to 15-8 following major decision verdicts in the next two bouts. Eighth-ranked Corey Jantzen took down Army sophomore Ryan Bilyeu, 11-0, at 149 pounds, while fourth-ranked Walter Peppelman blanked Black Knight senior Jimmy Rafferty, 12-0, at 157 pounds.

Army freshman Cole Gracey made it 18-8 after defeating Ian Roy, 8-2, in the 165-pound bout, but Harvard reeled off three consecutive wins to pull to within 18-17 heading into the final match of the contest.

That set the stage for a winner-take-all heavyweight bout, and Mills wasted little time securing Army’s fourth straight victory by pinning Davig Ng in 56 seconds.

Army returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 5, when the Black Knights travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to compete at the 18th annual All-Academy Championships.

Match Notes: Army improves to 23-11 all-time versus Harvard … it marks the Black Knights’ second victory over a ranked opponent this season … Army knocked off then-No. 25-ranked Iowa State on Nov. 6, 2011 … Jordan Thome improves to 20-7 following today’s action … it marks his second straight 20-win season … Thome is now tied with Jimmy Rafferty for the team lead in victories … Cole Graceyhas won nine straight bouts … Daniel Mills’ pin was his second of the season.

Army 24, #25 Harvard 17
125: Scott Filbert (A) wins by forfeit
133: Jordan Thome (A) wins by forfeit
141: Casey Smith (A) dec. Patrick Hogan, 6-2
149: #8 Corey Jantzen (H) maj. dec. Ryan Bilyeu, 11-0
157: #4 Walter Peppelman (H) maj. dec. Jimmy Rafferty, 12-0
165: Cole Gracey (A) dec. Ian Roy, 8-2
174: Josh Popple (H) dec. Eric Gobin, 9-7
184: Cameron Croy (H) dec. Michael Gorman, 8-2
197: James Fox (H) dec. Derek Stanley, 1-0
285: Daniel Mills (A) pinned David Ng, 0:56

——————————————————————————————————————————————

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior Jordan Thome registered a pin at 133 pounds, and three other Black Knights recorded major decisions to lead the Army wrestling team to a 24-15 victory over EIWA rival Brown on Saturday morning inside the Pizzitola Sports Center.

Junior Casey Smith (141 pounds), senior Jimmy Rafferty (157) and senior Daniel Mills (197) each picked up major decisions to help Army (6-5, 3-1 EIWA) to its third straight dual match victory.

Brown (3-4, 2-3 EIWA) took an early 3-0 lead as Billy Watterson edged Army freshman Scott Filbert, 9-7, in the 125-pound bout.

Army responded quickly with Thome pinning Beau Martino in 1 minute, 12 seconds at 133 pounds. Smith followed with a dominant 9-1 major decision victory versus Grant Overcashier in the 141-pound matchup to give the Black Knights a 10-3 advantage.

After Brown’s Ricky Bailey slipped past Army sophomore Ryan Bilyeu, 12-11, at 149 pounds, Rafferty delivered a 10-2 major decision opposite Max Lewin in the 157-pound bout to increase the Black Knights’ cushion to 14-6.

Army freshman Cole Gracey, who has been on fire of late, posted a 6-0 win versus Jeff Lemmer at 165 pounds, but Brown reeled off wins at the next two weight classes to pull to within 17-15 with two bouts remaining.

The Black Knights were able to hold off the Bears, however, with Mills taking down Ricky McDonald (11-1) at 197 pounds and senior Derek Stanley securing an 8-2 verdict against Marcos Aranda in the heavyweight bout.

 

Match Notes: Army improves to 17-5-2 all-time versus Brown … Jordan Thome’s pin was his ninth of the season … he leads the Black Knights with nine pins and 10 bonus-point victories … his nine pins tie his single-season career high, which he established as a sophomore last year … Thome has won seven straight matches … his 19 wins rank second on the team … Casey Smith’s major decision was the first of his career, and it marked the first bonus-point victory of his career … Jimmy Rafferty’s win was his 20th of the season … it marks his second straight 20-win season … Rafferty’s major decision was his second of the season … he has won eight of his last nine matches … Cole Gracey has won eight consecutive bouts … Daniel Mills’ major decision was his first of the season … Derek Stanley has won five of his last six matches.

Army 24, Brown 15
125: Billy Watterson (B) dec. Scott Filbert, 9-7
133: Jordan Thome (A) pinned Beau Martino, 1:12
141: Casey Smith (A) maj. dec. Grant Overcashier, 9-1
149: Ricky Bailey (B) dec. Ryan Bilyeu, 12-11
157: Jimmy Rafferty (A) maj. dec. Max Lewin, 10-2
165: Cole Gracey (A) dec. Jeff Lemmer, 6-0
174: Dave Foxen (B) dec. Eric Gobin, 8-6
184: Ophir Bernstein (B) pinned Michael Gorman, 4:28
197: Daniel Mills (A) maj. dec. Ricky McDonald, 11-1
285: Derek Stanley (A) dec. Marcos Aranda, 8-2

Columbia Takes Down Franklin & Marshall on the Road

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LANCASTER, Pa. — Jake O’Hara won by technical fall and Robert Dyar and Kevin Lester recorded pins as the Columbia wrestling team took a 32-12 victory over EIWA foe Franklin & Marshall on Friday night at the Mayser Center.

Columbia improved its dual record to 4-2 and evened its EIWA mark to 1-1 with the win over the Diplomats (0-11).

O’Hara’s 22-7 technical fall victory in 5:59 over Eric Norgard was the highlight of the meet. O’Hara (21-9) has now won his last five bouts and is tied with Stephen West with a team-high three wins by technical fall.

At 125 pounds, Dyar (12-13) gave the Lions a quick 6-0 lead when he pinned Franklin & Marshall’s David Hershberger in 1:56. The pin was Dyar’s second on the season and first in dual format. Dyar improved to 5-1 over his last six bouts.

Senior captain Kyle Gilchrist notched his 20th win of the year at 133, improving to 20-9 after besting Robert Ruiz, 6-0. Gilchrist now has two seasons with 20 or more wins. Back in 2009-10, he went 24-12.

Franklin & Marshall climbed to within 9-3 following Richard Durso’s 3-2 win over Columbia 141-pounder Matt Bystol (18-12), but the Lions would take the next four weights to take command of the meet.

At 149, Steve Santos (14-5) defeated Andrew Murano, 6-1, to extend his match winning streak to six.

Adam Fondale (19-8) took a win at 165 by forfeit.

Stephen West (23-10) picked up his 23rd win of the season, edging Matt Fullowan, 5-2.

The Diplomats took some wins at the heavier classes, as Matt Latessa edged the Lions’ Shane Hughes, 11-9, at 184 and Colin Ely pinned Matt Idelson at 197.

Senior captain Kevin Lester continued his hot streak at 285, pinning Alexander Henry in 4:15. Lester (23-7) has won his last 13 bouts, a stretch that includes seven pins and one major decision. Lester now has a team-high 10 wins by fall this season.

Columbia opens Ivy League action on Feb. 4 when it heads makes its third trip this season to Ithaca, N.Y., to take on Cornell. The Lions return to the friendly confines of University Gymnasium on Feb. 18 when they host Brown and Harvard.

Columbia 32, Franklin & Marshall 12
125: Robert Dyar (C) pinned David Hershberger (F&M), 1:56.
133: Kyle Gilchrist (C) dec. Robert Ruiz (F&M), 6-0.
141: Richard Durso (F&M) dec. Matt Bystol (C), 3-2.
149: Steve Santos (C) dec. Andrew Murano (F&M), 6-1.
157: Jake O’Hara (C) tech. fall Eric Norgard (F&M), 5:59 22-7.
165: Adam Fondale (C) won by forf.
174: Stephen West (C) dec. Matt Fullowan (F&M), 5-2.
184: Matt Latessa (F&M) dec. Shane Hughes (C), 11-9.
197: Colin Ely (F&M) pinned Matt Idelson (C), 2:46.
285: Kevin Lester (C) pinned Alexander Henry (F&M), 4:15.

No. 24 Hofstra Rolls Over Rutgers; Gillespie Gets Win #100

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New Brunswick, NJ – Senior Ben Clymer and junior Tyler Banks each posted major decisions and the Pride captured eight of the 10 matches as #24 Hofstra defeated Rutgers, 26-10 at the College Avenue Gymnasium Friday night.

Hofstra improved to 9-0 on the season and won its 14 thconsecutive dual match dating back to a loss to then-#1 Cornell last February. The Scarlet Knights slipped to 12-4.

Banks opened the match at 157 pounds against Dave Seidenberg and posted a nine-point second period to win, 12-0. Banks is now 9-8 on the season. Hofstra senior P.J. Gillespie, ranked 19th, gave the Pride a 7-0 lead in the match with a 2-0 victory over #9 Scott Winston at 165 pounds. Gillespie posted a third period escape and the riding time point to record his 20th win of the season. It was also his 100th career victory.

Rutgers got on the board at 174 as 18 th-ranked Greg Zannetti pinned Hofstra freshman Jermaine John in 2:25 to close the match deficit to 7-6. John is now 7-11. Clymer gave the Pride some breathing room with a 12-3 major decision over Dan Seidenberg. Clymer is now 21-5 on the year. The Scarlet Knights came right back at 197 as Dan Rinaldi rolled to an 11-3 major decision over Pride sophomore Tim Murphy (10-14), 11-3.

Clinging to a one point lead at 11-10, the Pride then reeled off five consecutive victories to win going away. First, junior Paul Snyder won his 15 th match of the season with a 7-4 decision over Carl Buchholz at 285 to boost the lead to 14-10. Junior Steve Bonanno then won his 20th match of the season with a 9-3 decision over Vinny Dellefave at 125. At 133, Jamie Franco, after being down 4-1 early in the second period, rallied for a 5-4 victory over Joe Langel on a third period escape. Franco is now 15-8 on the year. Sophomore Luke Vaith rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the third to post a 12-8 decision over Billy Ashnault at 141 pounds. Vaith is now 14-7 in 2011-12. Junior Justin Accordino closed out the match with an 8-1 decision over Anthony Perrotti at 149 for the 26-10 final. Accordino, who won his seventh straight match, is now 17-8 this season.

The Pride return home to the Mack Sports Complex on Sunday, January 29 when they host the Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania at 1 p.m. 

 

 


— Courtesy of Hofstra Athletic Communications

Off to an Undefeated Start, Hofstra Looks Forward

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By Betsy Veysman

Hofstra, the 24th ranked team in the country in the latest USA Today/Division I Coaches Poll, is off to an 8-0 start, including victories last week over American and CAA squads Old Dominion, George Mason and Boston.  Dating back to last year, the Pride wrestlers have won 13 duals in a row.

This weekend, Hofstra puts that unbeaten streak on the line against two tough foes, Rutgers on the road and Pennsylvania at the Mack Sports Complex.

“We’ll be facing two very good teams,” said head coach Rob Anspach. “We know that in this sport everything is about March.  But you don’t do well in March if you don’t really challenge yourself during the season.  Rutgers had a great year last year with close to 20 dual wins and they have some very good individuals.  Penn has a returning All-American at 141 and a highly ranked 197 in Micah Burak. So we will definitely be challenged.  We need to continue to do the things we’ve been doing like dictating the pace and winning hand fighting battles and if we do, we should be able to come away with two more wins.”

One of the bouts Anspach is looking forward to this weekend is at 165 pounds where senior PJ Gillespie will face ninth ranked Scott Winston of the Scarlet Knights.  Gillespie, a returning All-American from nearby Long Beach High School, sports a 19-5 record and some strong placements in tournaments this year – first at the Binghamton Open, second at the Las Vegas Invitational and fourth at the Southern Scuffle.  Four of his five losses have come in his last 9 matches, however.

“PJ started off the year really well but hit a rough spot at the Scuffle and the Drexel dual,” Anspach said.  “Last weekend I was much happier with his performance.  He even dominated almost the entire match that he lost.  We just want him to use all of his tools. We rely on him to score bonus points in close duals and when he’s offensive minded, he looks great.”

The captain finished on the podium last year at the NCAAs in Philadelphia after entering the tournament unseeded.  Currently ranked #19, he may have to take a similar path this March.

“Wherever he winds up, even if he is unseeded again, PJ is capable of winning those matches at NCAAs.  His road may be a little tougher than we hoped, but he is certainly capable of placing high this year.”

Gillespie is one of the team leaders fueling the Pride this campaign, in addition to junior Steve Bonanno and senior Ben Clymer.

Bonanno has consistently gotten the team off on the right foot.  The Long Island product has gone 20-5 overall, including finishes of third and sixth at the Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle, respectively.  In addition, he has racked up an 8-0 record in duals, including six bonus point wins.

“I’ve been really impresssed with Steve,” Anspach said.  “He’s been our most consistent wrestler.   We’ve been able to start at 125 in all but one dual and he gets things going the right way. It’s really nice to start off the dual 4-0 or 5-0.”

Anspach also added that Bonanno is a top student, with a grade point average around 3.8 in International Business.

“You don’t find too many guys like Steve,” he said. “He’s outstanding.  You never worry about him academically or in anything else.  He’s always doing the right things.”

Clymer, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been competitive throughout his career.   However, the nation’s 11th ranked grappler at 184 pounds has raised his game, according to Anspach, to the tune of a 20-4 record.

“Ben has picked up his point scoring to the level he is capable of,” the coach said.  “He’s very strong and long and hard to score on, but he relied too much on his defense.  He’s had a lot of 2-1, 3-2 matches against good opponents in the past.  Now he’s working really hard on his feet and starting to put some distance between him and the guys he’s wrestling.  He’s also been working hard on top and has been able to ride some of the best in the country.”

Anspach pointed to Clymer’s fourth placing showing at the Southern Scuffle as a turning point.  The Pennsylvania native lost in the first round to Clarence Neely of Missouri, but rebounded to win six straight bouts, including victories over Jon Fausey (who eliminated Clymer from last year’s Scuffle), Luke Rebertus (who knocked Clymer out of the NCAA tournament in 2011) and Neely.

While Bonanno, Gillespie and Clymer have starred, any good dual team needs contributions throughout the lineup, and Hofstra has had solid performances from a number of wrestlers.

133: Lou Ruggirello was a nationally ranked wrestler throughout his four years in Hempstead and his graduation in 2011 left the 133-pound slot vacant.  However, Anspach has been pleased with his replacement.

“133 has been a win and often a pin for us for several years with Lou,” the coach said.  “But Jamie Franco might be the biggest surprise on the team.  He has gone out and done a great job for us.”  The Monroe, New York native is 14-8 in 2011-12.

141: Luke Vaith has been competitive all year (14-7) and is waiting for a breakthrough victory.

“Luke isn’t getting the recognition he deserves,” Anspach said. “He’s very strong and talented.  The problem is that he is losing to very good kids in tight ones.  He was beating [5th ranked] Jake Sueflohn of Nebraska the whole match and gave up a very late takedown.  He just had a good win against Justin LaValle from Old Dominion, who had beaten him at the Scuffle.  I’m hoping he can turn the corner and win some of these close ones.  He definitely belongs at nationals.”

149: Following Vaith in the lineup is 149-pounder Justin Accordino, who has taken a difficult path back onto the mat for the Pride.

“Justin suffered two torn ACLs, in back to back years.  Both times it was in the first half of the season,” Anspach said. “After the first one he put in an intense, long rehab and he was just getting the rust knocked off when it happened again.  You don’t know how a kid will react to that, but Justin rehabbed again and came back stronger.  His body isn’t fully where his mind is yet wrestling wise, but we’re starting to see him getting back to the wrestler he was.  If he can keep it going, he will be good come March.”

285: Anspach also mentioned the efforts of heavyweight Paul Snyder, last season’s CAA champion, who has registered a 14-7 mark.

“Paul has been working hard on his offense and his handfighting.  He’s run into some guys in the conference who weren’t here last year in [19th ranked] Kyle Frey and [12th ranked] Nick Gwiazdowski.  He’ll have to beat them to get back to the national tournament.”

174:  The head coach believes that recent CAA Rookie of the Week Jermaine John has made significant strides since the beginning of the campaign.

“Jermaine is coming along nicely,” he added.  “He had a great match with Te Edwards from ODU last week. [10th ranked Edwards won 7-6].  Jermaine is strong, quick and athletic. He has all the tools; he just needs more confidence. He needs to get that one win that triggers him to the next level.”

The next level is where the new, young coaching staff hopes to get Hofstra as a team.

While Anspach is in his first season as the head coach, he has been around the Hofstra program for most of the past 13 years, first as a student-athlete and then as a member of the staff.   In addition to second-year coach Zach Tanelli, Anspach added a pair of recent All-Americans, Gregor Gillespie and Dan Vallimont, before this campaign began.

“They are all young and bring great enthusiasm,” Anspach said. “We only have 22 guys in the room, so having coaches that wrestle with the guys every day really makes a difference.  They all come from very successful programs and have great minds for wrestling.  I think it’s been a good formula so far.”

Anspach acknowledged that ultimately success is judged in March and he believes he knows what it would look like for the Pride.

“We want to win our conference championship, which we’ve done 10 out of the last 11 years.  Binghamton has a really good team as does Old Dominion, but we feel like we’re the favorites,” he said. “When we get to nationals, we believe we have the potential for a lot of our guys to place.  From my perspective, three or four All-Americans would be a great success.”

*Rankings are from theopenmat.com

 

Q&A with Wantagh's Hall of Fame Coach Paul Gillespie

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By Betsy Veysman

Paul Gillespie has been deeply involved in wrestling for years, as a competitor and as a coach.  The National Coaches Hall of Fame member and two-time college All-American at Westchester State University in Pennsylvania, was the longtime leader of the Long Beach program and is now the head coach at Wantagh High School.  The 18-0 Warriors are the top-ranked team in the New York State Sportswriters Association poll.

Coach Gillespie talked with New York Wrestling News about the top ranking, the season to date, what’s left to come and the growth of the Wantagh program.

New York Wrestling News (NYWN): Wantagh is ranked as the top dual team in the state for the first time.  What does that mean to you?

Coach Gillespie: It’s nice to have for the kids and I’m delighted with the way the team is wrestling.  We’ve really come together.  We have a bunch of good wrestlers and good young men. But the truth is, I don’t really believe in rankings as far as championships go.  You have to get it done at the end of the year.

NYWN: The 38-37 dual meet win on criteria over #2 Shenendehowa is a key reason for the #1 ranking.  What were the keys to winning that dual?

Gillespie: It didn’t start out good for us.  We were behind 22-0.  We have a really good kid, Chris Araoz (who wrestled in the dual at 126) and when he got caught and pinned, I thought we were in trouble.  But everyone hung together and we got great performances out of some of our lightweights, including Kyle Quinn at 106.  They have a great kid at 113 and, as you know in wrestling duals, sometimes just not getting majored or teched or pinned is basically like a win.  Holding them to a regular decision at 113 was huge for us.

NWYN: Was it a bigger win because of near misses against Shenendehowa in recent years?

Gillespie: I think so. We have been knocking on the door.  Last year was a very close match, so was the year before. Shenendehowa is a great program and we feel like we’re on the upswing, getting better.  We’re just hoping to keep improving.  We’ll definitely wrestle them again next year.

NYWN: Why has Wantagh been on the upswing?

Gillespie: I think the way our program is going now we should be really strong for a number of years.  It mostly comes down to hard work and lots of great people in the community who care about the program and are willing to help.  People here are interested in wrestling and people like winners.  Things are good on all levels – the Wantagh wrestling club is doing great things and Ray Handley Senior is doing an outstanding job with the kids program.

NYWN: In the revised brackets, Wantagh tied with Long Beach for third at Eastern States.  How did you feel about the team’s performance?

Gillespie: We ended up third, beating Hauppauge, Longwood and some other great schools with only nine kids wrestling for us.  We were only allowed to take nine because it was our first year in the tournament.  The other teams around us had around 15 kids.  So I think we did pretty well.  I think we could make a run with a full team there next year, although I’m not sure anyone is beating Wyoming Seminary.

NYWN: Jose Rodriguez dominated his way to the 99-pound championship at Eastern States.  What did you think about his tournament?

Gillespie: Jose Rodriguez is amazing.  He’s just a ninth grader and I think he’s one of the best around, pound for pound.  He actually beat the kids that finished first, second and third at 106 this summer.  He really reminds me of Al Palacio, a three-time New York state champ and an All-American in college.  He has that fire in him and he’s a great competitor.  He has an outstanding work ethic and is a good student too.  I certainly think he will make a run for the state title.  It will take someone with great talent to beat him.

NYWN: How do you assess the performance of the rest of your team at Eastern States?

Gillespie: Our other three placers, Steve English (fifth at heavyweight), Chris Loew (sixth at 170) and Chris Araoz (seventh at 120) did well and all were capable of placing higher. I think they are all potential state placers, but they have to get through our county first and that won’t be easy.  They are more than capable, but it’s a matter of how they perform when it counts.

Some other kids looked good too. Vinny Terano has been wrestling well.  Dan McDevitt is a very good wrestler.  They didn’t use head to head in seeding and he had beaten the two-seed James Dekrone earlier but was only seeded 10th.  We’re looking for big things from him in the future.

NYWN: What’s next for Wantagh?

Gillespie: In our county there will definitely be some challenges from teams like Long Beach and MacArthur, among others.  But I think we’ll be pretty tough to beat because we have good kids in all weight classes and I think that makes us a little bit of the favorite.  I think with the work we put in and the types of kids we have, it’s ours to lose.  I usually don’t speak that way, but these are such solid kids with great focus.

NYWN: What are your expectations for the state tournament?

Gillespie: We’re hoping to have several kids in Albany.  I think it will be a great tournament that will be won by the team that steps up to the plate.  There are a lot of teams that will have a bunch of kids there – teams like Shenendehowa, Longwood, Hauppauge, John Glenn, Eastport South Manor and some very good upstate teams too.  I’m sure I’m leaving teams out.  I would say Shenendehowa may have a bit of an edge because of some of their upperweights that are really good and Nick Kelley, who I think is one of the best wrestlers in the state as a junior.

NYWN: The top dual team receives an award in Albany as well.  What would it mean to receive that award?

Gillespie: I think it would be absolutely great for the kids and the program.  When you’re a successful program, you are able to get more and more people wanting to be a part of it.  It only gets stronger.  We want to be able to keep everything going.

NYWN: Quite a few recent Wantagh wrestlers have gone on to wrestle in college.  Who are some of the notable alumni?

Gillespie: We have a few guys at Hofstra: Steve Bonanno, Matt Loew and Joe Kavanaugh, who is redshirting.  Joe Barbato and Paul Liguori are at Harvard and John Greisheimer is at Edinboro.

Bonanno is having a great year and Greisheimer lost a close match in the All-American round at NCAAs last year.  We take a lot of pride in all of those guys.  The community in Wantagh understands that the key to everything is getting an education.  A very small percentage of guys are going to the Olympic level; there aren’t too many places to compete after college. So we stress the education and those kids are great examples of that.

NYWN: Have those wrestlers stayed involved in the program?

Gillespie: When they’re home, they always stop in.  With the new rules, they can’t wrestle at practice, but they talk to the kids and tell them about their experiences and college life.  It’s great to have them back to tell their stories.  They give our kids a lesson on what it will be like to be a college student-athlete.

NYWN: How would you sum up your time as Wantagh head coach to this point?

Gillespie: It’s really a pleasure for me to be here.   It’s a new and different environment.  It’s a great school district and a lot of the sports are on the championship level. The parents are so determined to see their kids succeed in sports and academics. They understand what I think is most important – that it’s all about the education.

After leaving Long Beach [High School] after a long time, I was sitting on the beach, since I’m the chief of the lifeguards.  A few guys came down to see me and asked if I would come and help develop the Wantagh program and then all of a sudden the coach left for personal reasons.  My wife wasn’t all for it at first because she knows the time and effort it takes, but I wouldn’t have done it without her blessing.  I thought my coaching days were over, but I guess I was wrong.  I’m glad to be back.

Top-seeded Wantagh returns to action on January 27-28 at the Nassau County Dual Meet championships.