After their dominating performance and championship at the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Dual match last weekend, which included their ninth straight victory, the Cardinal wrestlers moved up to number one in the NEWA rankings this week. They are also ranked 26th in the most recent Division III national poll, and they lived up to both impressive accolades Friday night, demolishing Western New England College by a 39-6 score. Nine of the 11 Wesleyan wrestlers defeated their opponents that night as the Cardinals ran their winning streak to 10.
The next day, Wesleyan participated in a tri-meet against Rhode Island College, Norwich University, and host Springfield College, which the Cardinals replaced as number one in the NEWA poll. After defeating Rhode Island 25-9 to extend the win streak to 11, the Cardinals lost for the first time in three weeks when Springfield was able to pull out a tough 19-15 victory. The Springfield Pride, inspired by the Cardinals replacing them at the top of the NEWA rankings and winning the NEWA Duals, in which the Pride came in third, won six of 10 matches in one of the closest contests this season for the Cards. Fortunately, Wesleyan was able to recover quickly from the close loss and crush its next opponent, Norwich, by a resounding 47-4 count.
The victory against Norwich included five Cardinal wrestlers pinning their opponents, and improved Wesleyan’s record to 12-3-1 on the year. With just four dual matches remaining, the team has ensured its third winning season in a row and its eighth in the last 11 years. Wesleyan’s resident lifesaver, and wrestling head coach, Drew Black, now stands at 127-105-3 in his 13th season as the Cardinals’ boss. He is currently tied with John Biddiscombe, the former wrestling coach who is now Wesleyan’s Director of Athletics, with 127 victories apiece.
Black will have his first opportunity to become the all-time winningest wrestling coach in Wesleyan University history this Saturday, Feb. 5, when the Cardinals travel to Little Three rival Williams College. Wes will do battle with Oneonta State and Plymouth State, along with the hosting Ephs. The Cardinals defeated both Williams and Plymouth State on Jan. 23, on their way to the NEWA Duals title, and the team hopes for similar results as it tries to lift its coach above all who came before him.
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