The Wesleyan wrestling team kicked off the 2010-2011 season on a high note at the Roger Williams University Invitational this past Saturday in Bristol, R.I. The team is in the process of recovering from some roster turnover due to the absence last year’s formidable graduating class, but the underclassmen are stepping up to make the Cardinal wrestlers a serious force in the NEWC (New England Wrestling Conference).
The Cardinals placed second at the tournament with a score of 131.5, beating ten other schools and trailing only Messiah College by fifteen points. Chris Alvanos ’11 and Dan Conroy ’11 set the tone for their younger teammates, both placing second in their divisions with identical 3-1 records. Alvanos wrestles in the 125-pound division and Conroy in the heavyweight division.
The Cardinals’ youth movement achieved great early season successes as well, with five freshmen and sophomores placing in their respective divisions. Jefferson Ajayi ’13 finished third in the 184-pound division, Kyle Roosa ’13 placed third in the 174-pound division, Troy Sampson ’14 came in third in the 157-pound division, Nick Scotto ’13 ranked third in the 141-pound division, and Howard Tobochnik ’13 placed second in the 149-pound division.
“I think the team performed incredibly well,” said Jake Barack ’14. “The underclassmen stepped out and went hard. It was definitely nice to see them go out and perform at a high level. The program is definitely taking steps to improve, which is pretty huge.”
Wesleyan came into this season looking at a transition period after the graduation of Dan Bloom ’10 and Greg Hurd ’10, both of whom were two-time NCAA qualifiers. However, the stellar early performances by both the seasoned veterans and the inexperienced freshmen alike point not to a rebuilding effort but to a reloading. These Cardinals have the talent to succeed immediately, and the team’s younger members will only improve over time.
The Cardinal wrestlers travel to the Doug Parker Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 20 for their next match.
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