Winning three out of its final four dual matches of the season, the Wesleyan wrestling team closed out the regular season in fine fashion, bringing its final dual meet record to 10-5.
On Feb 3 the fans that packed Bacon Field House were treated to a Cardinal trouncing of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The team dominated from the start, and when nationally ranked senior co-captain grsf student Adam Jonas stepped on the mat for the final scoring bout of the night, WPI wasn’t even able to muster a single wrestler to grapple with Jonas.
Two days later Wesleyan hosted its final three dual matches of the season at Bacon Field House. The crowd was enthusiastic as usual, but the energy was especially high because Little Three rival Williams was in town, in addition to Western New England and SUNY Oneonta.
The town certainly wasn’t big enough for both teams, as Wesleyan defeating its rival 29-7, with eight of the ten participating wrestlers dominated their opponents. In the 65 meetings between Wes and Williams, Wesleyan has earned a victory 35 times, in addition to two ties.
With strong matches from Tomi Uyehara ’08, Dave Bartlett ’06, and Camilo Rincon-Camacho ’05, the Cardinals easily beat Western New England as well, 30-6.
Tired from their efforts, however, the Cardinals fell 30-6 to SUNY Oneonta, despite hard efforts from Josh Wildes ’08 and Dan Case ’05.
Wildes was the most valuable wrestler for the team during the match, earning victories in all three of his matches in addition to seven straight victories in a row. Bartlett was also able to earn two victories over his opponent by pin.
“It was great to pick up all these wins in a row,” Wildes said. “I can only hope that I can carry this momentum into the New England Championships later this month.”
Last Saturday, the members of the team who were not selected to compete in the New England Championships wrestled in the NECCWA Junior Varsity Championships at Springfield College. Showing its depth, the team was able to place three wrestlers in the top four. Dan Zeigarnik ’08 placed fourth in the 141-pound category. Drew Marvin-Smith ’08 placed second in the 165-pound contest and heavyweight Steve Campbell ’06 placed third. All three wrestlers will be returning next year, so the future certainly looks bright for the Red and Black Attack.
“We had a great day today,” said Ed Kenney ’07. “Drew, Dan, and Steve really showed grit and determination out there.”
This Saturday Wesleyan’s varsity wrestlers will head to the NECCWA Championships at Johnson and Wales. Standouts Dan Delalla ’04, Bartlett, Rincon-Camacho and Jonas are just a few of the Cardinals who will be representing Wesleyan at this tournament. For some, the NCAA Championships is certainly within reach.
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