Wrestling picks up one victory, two defeats at Northwestern

Finally escaping the ranked opponents on their schedule, the wrestling team found little solace in Evanston, Ill., as the Tigers dropped two of three matches at the Northwestern Duals on Saturday.

The Tigers' 1-2 performance at the Duals dropped their record to a disappointing 2-6 for the season. Princeton began the day with Eastern Michigan, whom it beat 23-14, but the day went downhill after that, as the Tigers lost to Washington-Parkside and then Northwestern, by the scores of 20-17 and 27-11.

The coaching staff expected Saturday to be a more successful day.

"I think that we should have been 3-0, not 1-2, but we did not wrestle to our ability. We wrestled tough enough to lose. Everyone had at least one good match, but we were not able to keep the intensity," head coach Mike New said.

Senior Anthony Debartolo was the only starter missing from the rotation on Saturday, as Debartolo was unable to wrestle because of an injury to cartilage in his rib cage. It should not be a serious injury, but there was a major hole in the line-up, as Princeton was 1-2 at 184 lbs., Debartolo's weight class.

Few Tigers had a good day. Both senior Jon Bunt and sophomore Milo Adams won their first matches against Eastern Michigan, but neither was able to pull out wins in the next two meets. Adams' 7-3 loss gave UWP a two point lead. Then senior Albert Pendleton wrestled into double overtime in his 157-lb. match, to give Princeton a 17-16 lead, but Bunt lost his match at 165 lbs. to end the meet, giving UWP a three-point win. Adams and Bunt had the chance to redeem themselves against Northwestern, but both wrestlers lost again in difficult matches.

"The whole team wrestled hard, but we were not able to wrestle our best. It is annoying, but we are still getting better and we cannot sit back and worry about Saturday's losses. We just need to move forward from here," Adams said.

Senior Juan Venturi also had a sub-par day. Venturi, wrestling in the 141-lb. division, was 1-2, making his record 5-5 for the season. Venturi did give the Princeton a 14-13 lead against UWP, winning his match 3-2, but he was unable to pull out wins against Eastern Michigan or Northwestern, losing 9-4 and then 4-2.

"Juan always starts off the season slowly; he is constantly working to improve his technique and he is never in a rhythm at the beginning. He is still getting used to the new weight class, and he is still getting settled," New said.

Junior Greg Parker and sophomore Joe Looke were the two bright spots at Saturday's meets. Parker continued his dominance, winning all three of his matches on the day.

Wrestling in the first meet at 184 lbs. and 174 lbs. in the last two meets, Parker only wrestled the full three periods in one of his matches, which he still managed to win by a major decision, beating the 184 lb. wrestler of Eastern Michigan, 10-2.

Moving back down to his actual weight class of 174 lbs., Parker had no trouble with his competition, pinning Rich Scholl of UWP at four minutes, 35 seconds into the match, and then winning by technical fall against Northwestern at 4:14. After Saturday, Parker is now 11-1 on the season, the best record on the team.

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"Parker was the most dominant guy there. He was head and shoulders above his competition. He can win at any weight," New said.

Looke was also undefeated on Saturday, beating Jason Johnson of Eastern Michigan, 19-9, then pinning Mike Little of Northwestern at 4:57 into the match. Still in his first season of wrestling heavyweight, Looke has compiled a 9-4 record.

Disappointed with the team's showing on Saturday, Parker trusts that the team will find its rhythm soon.

"We didn't wrestle up to our true level this weekend," he said. "In years past we have been content to just compete, but now we are on the rise in the Division I ranks and we should start beating some of the top schools. Our guys are working as hard as any team in the country, and probably being worn down hurt us this weekend."

With the break approaching, the Tigers will have a chance to rest and let the injuries heal. There will be no team meets until after the holiday, but several wrestlers are competing in various tournaments over the break.