The College's wrestling team opened their season in impressive fashion this past week, rolling over No. 27-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday, and walking away with five first- place finishes at the Ursinus College Fall Brawl on Sunday.
"Any win is a positive but, it's always a good feeling to win at a home dual meet," senior Bill Tenpenny, who won his match by pinfall at 4:21 in the 141-pound weight class, said. He was one of nine out of 10 Lions to win their match. The College finished the match in decisive fashion, defeating Stevens 31-3.
"After any win you feel good," junior Dan Dicolo said, after participating in the closest match of the night, squaring off against Stevens' Leo Dormann in the 157-pound matchup.
"To get the first one of the season under your belt is a little different especially since my win came in overtime," Dicolo said. His win came after a grueling 11-minute match that ended in the second tiebreaker after a reversal, putting the final score at 3-1.
The win over Stevens was not all the Lions wrestling team had going for them last week, as the Lions also found success at Ursinus' annual Fall Brawl. The College's five first-place championships at the tournament belonged to freshman Anthony Rizzolo at 141 pounds, sophomore John Barnett at 149, freshman Joe Falco at 157 and sophomore Justin Bonitatis and senior Greg Osgoodby at 174.
Osgoodby, an All-American, had one of the most impressive wins at the tournament, edging out Naum Shuminov of New York University (NYU), who was ranked ninth in the nation in his weight class.
Osgoodby welcomed the competition: "It was a close match but it's good to have those every once in a while," he said.
"We practice hard every day so we know that we're physically and mentally prepared for whatever competition we have," said Dicolo, who, along with Tenpenny, grabbed second-place honors Sunday.
The Lions' domination at the Fall Brawl was a true tribute to their training as Dicolo and Tenpenny finished second only to their own teammates in the 157- and 141-pound weight classes, respectively.
"It gives us good momentum going into the rest of the season. It makes everyone on the team excited to continue wrestling in competition and working hard in practice," Dicolo said.
If their performances this past week were any indication of what is to come, the College's wrestling team is in for an exciting and successful season. They will look to keep their momentum going this week, with two matches this Wednesday, the first at 4 p.m. at Hunters College, followed by a 7 p.m. faceoff with Yeshiva at NYU. They finish the week up with a 9:30 a.m. tournament Saturday at the Oneonta State Invitational.
