The Wesleyan wrestlers returned to action after an abbreviated winter break on Saturday, January 7, traveling to Ursinus College to compete in the North-South dual meet. Wesleyan faced off against four opponents, drawing three squads ranked nationally in the top 20. Wes went 1-3 in the four dual matches, with the standout performance coming from 149-pounder Howard Tobochnik ’13, who went 3-1. Tobochnik was solid again in the Cards’ next effort, a match against Johnson and Wales University on Saturday, January 14. Tobochnik won at 149 pounds, as did brothers Ben Schwartz ’15 at 125 and Joey Schwartz ’14 at 133, but Wes fell short by an overall count of 24-12.

The team hit the mats shortly after its defeat at the hands of JWU, heading to Bristol, Rhode Island on Sunday, January 15 to face Roger Williams and Trinity. RWU and Trinity were ranked #7 and #5 in New England, respectively, while Wes came into the tri-match billed as the #4 squad in New England. The Cardinals cemented their superior ranking with two big wins over RWU and Trinity, with a trio of juniors spearheading the effort. Tobochnik at 149, Nick Scotto ’13 at 141, and Kyle Roosa ’13 at 174 each locked down two critical victories for Wes on the day.

As the second semester approached, the Wesleyan wrestlers headed to Springfield College on Sunday, January 22 to participate in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Duals. Wesleyan took three of four matches, with its only defeat coming against top-seeded and eventual champ Springfield. The Cardinals were powered by the performance of Jefferson Ajayi ’13, who swept his four matchups, securing Wes’ lone victory in the Springfield match. The 3-1 mark in the NEWA duals led to a 3rd place showing out of 14 teams.

On Saturday, January 28, the Cardinals were in search of some revenge against Springfield College after losing in a landslide at the NEWA duals. Wesleyan got just what it was looking for, taking the match by a count of 21-12. Joey Schwartz put the nail in the coffin with a third-period pin at 133 pounds, bringing his mark in dual matches to 6-1 and the squad’s record to 7-6 in duals.

Wesleyan will next be in action on Saturday, February 4 in a four-way matchup with Little Three foe Williams College and Plymouth State.