The Cardinal wrestlers finished the fall semester strong, placing 3rd in the 11-team field in the 44th annual Rochester Institute of Technology Invitational. Each team brought their top fifteen wrestlers; of Wesleyan’s fifteen, nine placed. Notre Dame College, the top-ranked team in the NAIA, and Cortland State, ranked 14th nationally in Division III, were the only two teams to finish ahead of Wesleyan.
“It has truly gone by so quickly,” head coach Drew Black wrote in an e-mail newsletter. “The team has now had 22 days of practice and three great tournaments under their belt. We always enjoy competing at this tournament due to the diversity of schools and high caliber competition.”
Greg Hurd ’10 (174) has destroyed all opposition in his first three tournaments, having won all three, and currently sports a 13-0 record. Hurd defended his RIT title, defeating his Notre Dame opponent for the second straight year.
“One added strength to Greg’s game this year is he has improved tremendously on top getting pins and turns which has really opened up matches for him,” Black wrote. “This is how an All-American competes; this is how someone looking to win a NCAA Championship wrestles. I cannot wait to see what 2010 brings his way.”
Dan Bloom ’10 has been right there with Hurd, kicking ass and taking names, having won two tournaments and placed second in another, the one loss in his 13-1 record. Bloom had an outstanding finals match at RIT; in the third period, down 6-0, Bloom took down his opponent, turned him, and rode him out for a total of six points, sending the match into overtime. Overtime is sudden-death, and Bloom snapped his opponent down and got around for his two points, winning 8-6.
“I have now seen Dan win two come-from-behind matches and then wrestle for the win,” wrote Black. “This is the mentality of that pivotal match to be an All-American, as well as that competitive match to win the NCAA title. The matches and tournaments we have on our schedule help our wrestlers prepare mentally and physically to peak and compete at the two best tournaments of the year, the New England Championships and the NCAA Division III Championships.”
And then there was the phenomenal performance of Howard Tobochnik ’13, a newcomer from Kalamazoo, Mich. Tobochnik is 11-4 on the season, with eight of his 11 wins being pins. Tobochnik added two pins in this tournament, including his second-round pin of Corey Brown of Thiel College, a returning All-American and 10th-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds. Normally, wins against All-Americans come on points, but pinning one, especially for an unranked freshman, is nearly unheard of. Tobochnik reached the finals, but fell short against the returning NAIA champion, Adam Koballa from Notre Dame College. Tobochnik was recognized for his performance, being named NEWA Rookie of the Week.
Other high notes of the tournament were the fourth-place finishes of Maika Nagata ’13 (133), Dave Bachy ’10 (157), and Dave Amhrein ’12 (197). In addition, Chris Alvanos ’11 (133), Kyle Roosa ’13 (174), and Zach Rolfe ’10 (184) each placed fifth.
“On the whole, this Wesleyan team is a talented group of wrestlers who have a great work ethic to match,” Black wrote of the team. “This is reflective of our senior leaders and captains who are showing the team the right process to follow in order to be successful. Another big difference I see with this team is they are not satisfied with just a win; they are going after the pin. When you win and pin great things are going to happen for you and your team. Depth, talent, and work ethic are a fantastic formula for success and this is what Wesleyan Wrestling is bringing to each competition.”
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