Wrestling

On tuesday, the international Olympic Committee Executive Board voted to remove wrestling from the slate of 25 core sports for the 2020 Olympic Games, ending the Olympic run of an iconic sport that headlined the first modern Olympics in 1896. The decision has sparked debate over wrestling’s merits in both the domestic and international communities, a discussion that hits home for Princeton’s wrestling team. The team has nearly disbanded twice in recent memory and is still recovering.

Coach Chris Ayres, sitting in his office on the E-Floor of Jadwin Gymnasium, is struggling to find a one-word description for the wrestling team’s season. He defers to assistant coach Andy Lausier, who cheats by using four.

In its final dual matches of the regular season, the wrestling team fell to No. 23 Hofstra University and Boston University at home in Dillon Gymnasium. The losses, which came despite strong showings from the team’s upperclassmen, marked Princeton’s (4-13) last set of bouts before the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships.

If the men’s wrestling team had to suffer a sweep, it was fitting that it should come against the nation’s top team. The Tigers’ final Ivy League match saw them defeated by the Big Red 44-0. With five wrestlers ranked sixth or higher nationally in their respective classifications, Cornell undoubtedly had the advantage in Saturday’s contest, and it proved itself deserving of that top spot.

With the capacity crowd on its feet, sophomore Charles Fox stepped onto the mat for the final match of the wrestling team’s Alumni Day meet on Saturday. Princeton (4-9 overall, 1-2 Ivy League) led Brown (0-10, 0-2) 18-16, but the outcome of this final match would determine the winner of the meet. After seven minutes, Fox and his opponent had each managed an escape, forcing overtime. Unfazed, Fox pulled off the overtime takedown to grant the squad a thrilling 21-16 victory over the Bears.