The wrestling squad traveled to Providence last weekend to take on host Johnson & Wales as well as Southern Maine in dual matches. The team fell to Johnson & Wales by a final of 24-16, but managed to narrowly defeat the team from Southern Maine in a dramatic one-point victory. The exciting win was secured by heavyweight Matt Moran ’04 when he came up victorious with a technical fall over his opponent from Southern Maine.
“Matt has been wrestling great. He has really turned the corner and is poised to do some real damage at New England [Championships],” said Captain Adam Jonas ’04.
This was good news for the Cardinals who have been plagued by injuries of late. None of the three captains, Jonas, Gabe Fierro-Fine ’04 or Chris Robichaud ’05, competed in either of the weekend’s matches. It is a good sign that the team can rely on its depth to pick up victories like Moran’s last Saturday. Moran was not the only wrestler stepping up. Jonas cited younger members Gian Ishino ’07, Ed Kenney ’07, and especially Dan Case’05 as having good matches.
“[Case] battled with the top 174-pounder in New England and took him down to the wire,” Jonas said. “Hopefully this will jump-start Dan’s confidence for the season’s home stretch.”
Along with a strong performance against the acclaimed wrestler from Johnson & Wales, Case joined Moran as a victor against Southern Maine with a solid 7-2 result. Other victorious Cardinals in the match include Kevin Egolf ’05 with a pin at 149 pounds, Dan DeLalla ’07 with a technical fall at 157 pounds, and Dave Bartlett ’06, who won 9-3 in the 165-pound class. The final total after Moran’s big technical fall victory stood at 22-21 in favor of the Cards.
Moran and Bartlett were the only Cardinals to come away with victories against both opponents, as they took down wrestlers from Johnson & Wales, 8-2 and 13-1 respectively. Freshman Ishino, as well as Camilo Rincon-Camacho ’05 and Warren Clanton ’06, picked up victories in their matches against Johnson & Wales as well. Although this was not enough to get the win, the team seemed to be taking the weekend as a positive thing.
“Even though we went one and one this weekend, it was the best [we] have wrestled all season,” Fierro-Fine said.
That is saying a lot for a team without three of its leaders, as they prepare for the upcoming post-season. They have weathered some rough patches during the season, but things are looking good for the squad.
“Our team re-lit the fire that made us one of the top teams in New England to start the year,” Fierro-Fine said.
Hopefully the team will be able to get healthy soon as the post-season kicks off in two weeks. The team’s depth has certainly paid off, as is especially visible in the 157-pound weight class. Although Jonas has been the leader for the majority of the season, both DeLalla and Rincon-Camacho have stepped up for victories on Saturday.
The season continues as the team wrestled at Worcester Polytechnic Institute Thursday night, and will travel to Western New England College on Sunday. The men will square off against Williams College and Oneonta State University as well as the host in their last competition before the playoffs begin.
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