Grapplers confident heading into Midwest trip

After a strong runner-up finish at the Navy Classic two weeks ago, the Princeton wrestling team will return to the mat this weekend as head coach Chris Ayres and his squad heads out to Evanston, Ill., for the Windy City Duals. An action-packed day awaits the Tigers on Saturday, as they have four duals slated over the course of Saturday morning and afternoon.

The grapplers first face off against Eastern Michigan University at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Tigers follow up with Davidson College at 12:30 p.m., California Polytechnic State University at 2 p.m., and No. 16 Northwestern University at 3:30 p.m. With two of Princeton’s 10 starters now ranked in the top 20 nationally at their respective weight classes, the Tigers look well-prepared to post a strong performance this weekend.

Junior 197-pounder Abram Ayala has started off his season on a bang, posting multiple victories over nationally-ranked opponents during his campaigns to win the Binghamton Open and the Navy Classic. Ayala has climbed all the way to No. 11 in the nation at 197 pounds, which currently makes him the highest-ranked 197-pounder in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. The Tigers have not had an EIWA champion since Greg Parker ’03 took the 184-pound title back in 2003. With strong finishes at Binghamton and Navy, 149-pounder Adam Krop has also found his way into the national rankings, as he currently stands at No. 20 in the land at 149 pounds.

However, a number of other Tigers have wrestled remarkably well in the first two major tournaments of the season, including senior 125-pounder Ryan Cash, sophomore 141-pounder Jordan Laster, freshman 165-pounder Jonathan Schleifer and sophomore 184-pounder Brett Harner. With immense strength at each weight class, the Tigers carry a great deal of confidence going into the weekend.

“I feel the team has been working extremely hard, especially the last few days with lifting and the mentally challenging ‘hour’ workout,” Laster said. “Although these workouts have us a bit tired, we feel very confident in our abilities and feel that we will go 4-0 this weekend.”

“I’d say everybody’s pumped because we know this is a great opportunity to let everyone know we are in the hunt this year as a top team,” junior 174-pounder Judd Ziegler said. “We feel very prepared and confident in our training and our abilities.”

The biggest test of the weekend will come in the Tigers’ final match on Saturday, when they face a Northwestern side that not only has home crowd advantage, but also has five of its 10 starters in the national rankings at their respective weight classes. Not only that, but two of the five are ranked No. 1 in the nation at their respective weight classes. Jason Tsirtsis is currently No. 1 at 149 pounds and will provide a tough test for Krop when they face off Saturday afternoon. Heavyweight Mike McMullan, a three-time All-American, is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation as well. However, the Tigers still believe it is fully within their ability to knock off the Wildcats as they continue to build their presence on a national scale.

“I think that there isn’t any reason we shouldn’t go 4-0, and the way we look right now proves that,” Ziegler said.

“All week we have been ending practice with the classic ‘[sophomore 174-pounder Troy] Murtha Breakdown,’ ” Laster said. The breakdown this week has basically been the chant ‘4-0!’ It shows that we truly do believe we will win this weekend and will show everyone that we really are one of the best DI programs.”

Following Saturday’s competition, the Tigers will wrestle their first home duals at Dillon Gymnasium on Dec. 12, when they host Sacred Heart University and Binghamton University for back-to-back matches.