Cardinals first-year Isaiah Bellamy wins Rookie of the Week in second-place finish.

c/o Amber Dimitroff

The men’s wrestling team took part in the Doug Parker Invitational Tournament in Springfield, Mass., on Saturday, Nov. 22. Looking to build upon an encouraging start after taking fifth place at the Roger Williams Invitational (RWI) the previous weekend, the team took seventh place among 18 participating teams.

The Cardinals had four wrestlers place in the tournament, led by first-year wrestler Isaiah Bellamy at 197 pounds, who took second-place among 17 wrestlers in his weight class. Coming off the heels of a second-place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational, Bellamy looks to be a blossoming star on the wrestling mat for the Cardinals. Bellamy ended the day with a 3-1 record, falling to David Welch of Roger Williams in the final match of the bracket for a second consecutive weekend. Welch, however, was an All-American during the 2013-14 season, after taking seventh place at the NCAA Division III Championships.

Showing signs of improvement, Bellamy fell by a score of 11-8 at the Doug Parker Invitational, compared to a 14-5 defeat in their previous bout.  The first-year wrestler’s victories during the day included a win by decision, fall, and major decision. For his efforts during the past two tournaments, the New England Wrestling Association named Bellamy Rookie of the Week.

Among the Cardinals, three other wrestlers who placed included Ed Pierce ’17, who had picked up three victories the previous weekend at the Roger Williams Invitational. Pierce, wrestling at 149 pounds, managed seven total victories on the day compared to only two defeats. His 7-2 record for the tournament was good for fourth  place among the 33 wrestlers of his weight class.  Four of his victories came by pin, while another came on a 15-0 technical fall.

Simon Levin ’16 took fifth place at 184 pounds, a week after finishing just shy of placing with three victories at Roger Williams. Among a field of 23 wrestlers, Levin went 5-2 on the day, which included three pins and a major decision. Chris Siracusa ’16 also took home a sixth place finish, going 3-3 on the day while wrestling at 157 pounds, a week after taking fifth place.

Six additional wrestlers among the 17 Cardinals who participated in the tournament were able to grab two victories each on the day; among them were Frank Crippen ’17 and junior captain James Hamilton at 133 pounds, Matt Pelton ’17 at 141 pounds, Carter Armendarez ’18 at 157 pounds, and Joe Koshakow ’17 at 165 pounds, who all posted 3 or more victories on the day.

Hamilton offered some insight to the Cardinals performance so far.

“In the first two tournaments we looked very strong,” Hamilton said. “As a team we are all very well-conditioned; we could work on each being confident in our own styles and working the moves we do best. This team has a great winning attitude and is very close.”

Hamilton had high praise for the first-year wrestlers who have made strong contributions so far, led by Bellamy.

“The freshman class is extremely strong; I could not ask for a better group of guys in terms attitude, work ethic and skill,” Hamilton said.

The team is looking forward at the rest of the season as a path to nationals.

“As a team we are really looking forward to the regional tournament and looking to place a wrestlers in the top three and send guys to nationals,” Hamilton said. “We need, as a team, to just keep doing what we are doing and work hard to continue being successful.”

The Cardinals will look to build upon their promising start this Saturday, Dec. 6, in their final action of the semester. The team will travel to Rochester, N.Y. to partake in the annual RIT Invitational tournament.