By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
The Colleges wrestling team capped off a dominant regular season with their 17th dual win of the season. They handily defeated York College, with a dominant score of 47-5. They finished the season with a 17-2 record in duals, falling only to the number one and two ranked teams in the nation.
No. 5 ranked junior Mattew Griffin got the day started off right, pinning his opponent in 1:03. This decisive win would set the tone for the Lions, as only one match would make it to decision in route to their win. Griffin posted a record of 12-1 on the season, proving a key piece to the Lion’s team. No. 2 ranked junior Garett Totten would win his match with a forfeit from the York team.
No. 7 ranked junior Vinnie Santaniello defeated his opponent via 17-1 tech fall after taking down his opponent early in the second round. Santaniello finished the dual season with a record of 13-1.
No. 14 ranked junior J.J. Giordano would follow in the footsteps of Santaniello, scoring a 16-1 tech fall on a takedown in the second period.
Sophomore Colin Menier was the only Lion to take his opponent to decision, comfortably beating him 12-5. Freshman Jordan Ayyash took home another victory for the Lions via forfeit.
No. 1 ranked senior Hunter Mays finished off his senior season holding a 15-0 record in duals following a 19-1 tech fall win in the first period. Mays finds himself at No. 9 in the pound-for-pound rankings in the nation, meaning that he is the ninth best wrestler in NCAA Division III among any weight division.
Junior Luke Theis secured the College’s second pin of the day late in the second round. This would be Theis’s third pin of the season. Junior Isiah Ruiz would take the Lion’s only loss on the day, as he took on the No. 2 ranked wrestler in his weight class.
Junior Alajandro Camarena would seal the Lions’ victory with a 19-3 tech fall win in the second period.
The Lions are set to host the Region III Championship Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 in the Rec Center before the NCAA Championships in March.
