Burn the ships: wrestling looks ahead to 2019-2020 season
Princeton wrestling spent last year urging its fans and its doubters to #GetIn: to buy into its program, to hop on board before it became hopping on the bandwagon.
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Princeton wrestling spent last year urging its fans and its doubters to #GetIn: to buy into its program, to hop on board before it became hopping on the bandwagon.
Head wrestling coach Chris Ayres leaned against a basement wall in the Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena. He ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. For a second, he seemed on the verge of tears.
On the second day of the 2019 NCAA Championships, Princeton wrestling made history — but not as much as it had hoped.
Faced with a question about his team’s depth three months ago, Princeton head wrestling coach Christopher Ayres hesitated.
Princeton head wrestling coach Christopher Ayres doesn’t mince words.
It was just after 3 p.m. in Jadwin Gymnasium on Tuesday. The NCAA had released its full list of qualifiers for the national wrestling tournament in March, and Princeton’s wrestling coaches were screaming.
When it comes to their weight, Princeton’s wrestlers have heard it all — and most of it is not flattering.
Last week, as Princeton wrestling (9–6 overall, 4–1 Ivy League) prepared to face Drexel University (4–11, 1–5) for the team’s last regular-season match, No. 3 junior captain Matthew Kolodzik offered a warning.
In Philadelphia on Saturday, Princeton wrestling (8–6 overall, 4–1 Ivy) claimed the title of Ivy League runners-up and clinched its first four-match win streak over the University of Pennsylvania (5–8, 2–3) since 1988.
Princeton wrestling traveled to Ithaca, New York, last weekend with one goal in mind: to put an end to No. 10 Cornell’s (10–2 overall, 5–0 Ivy) 16-year reign over the Ivy League.
After a two-week break from competition, wrestling (6–5, 2–0 Ivy) began its busy weekend with dominating victories against Harvard University (1–7, 1–5 EIWA) and Brown University (4–6, 2–5 EIWA). But in a battle for the unofficial New Jersey state wrestling title, the team fared worse, falling to Rutgers University (9–5, 2–3 Big 10) by just one point.
Princeton wrestling had never produced a champion at the Chicago-based Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. They left this year’s tournament with two.
Junior Matthew Kolodzik has had a prestigious wrestling career to date, and now sets his sights on the biggest prize of all.
“If anyone can win a national championship,” said freshman wrestler Patrick Glory, “it’s Matt.” Every collegiate ranking platform agrees. For junior Matthew Kolodzik, it’s non-negotiable: “I have to go out there and wrestle,” he says of the March national championship.
Princeton wrestling traveled to New England this weekend to kick off their Ivy League conference schedule with matches against Harvard and Brown. The team split the decisions, earning a 21-16 win against Harvard but falling 17-15 to Brown.
This past Sunday, the Princeton wrestling team continued its stretch against some of the top teams in the country when it traveled to New York City to take on No. 10 Virginia Tech in Madison Square Garden. The game represented the opening match at the Grapple at the Garden. Unfortunately, the unranked Tigers came out on the losing side of this match, defeated by a score of 26-12. Princeton did get victories from freshman Jonathan Gomez, sophomore Matthew Kolodzik, and junior Mike D’Angelo in the 125, 149, and 157 weight classes respectively.
Ivy and EIWA Coach of the Year Chris Ayres wanted to bring the Princeton wrestling program into national prominence. Speaking about the gradual, often painstaking rise of the Tigers as serious national contenders, Ayres noted, “Our program has come a long, long way in the past 10 years, with a lot of people sacrificing to elevate it to this point.”
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the Princeton wrestling team. Competing in an Ivy League dominated for decades by Cornell, as well as competing within the fiercely competitive EIWA, the Tigers have often struggled to find their place in a sport traditionally dominated by large, storied Midwestern programs. Head coach Chris Ayres, however, has turned Princeton from an insignificant contender in college wrestling to a consistent placer in the NCAA national championships, one of the most dangerous squads in the EIWA.
Coming off a monumental season last year, the Princeton wrestling team has high expectations for its performance this season. Bolstered by a strong corps of returning NCAA qualifiers, spearheaded by All-American Brett Harner, and featuring a tough freshman class led by standout wrestler Matthew Kolodzik, the Tigers have cracked into the top 25 numerous times and have been recognized as one of the nation’s most vibrant programs.