After a disappointing beginning to the season, the wrestling team was unable to find a winning recipe, as Princeton lost its first two Ivy League matches of the year.
Wrestling Columbia Wednesday and then Cornell Friday, the Tigers had hoped to start strong, but after two close losses, Princeton (3-13, 0-2) now finds itself at the bottom of the Ivy League standings.
In a meet with four lead changes, the Columbia meet came down to the last wrestler, and Princeton was not able to hold on, losing 22-19.
The Columbia meet began well for the Tigers, taking an early 9-0 lead after a pin by sophomore heavyweight Joe Looke and 125 lbs. sophomore Brian Kirschbaum's 7-5 win. Princeton then took a 15-6 lead when Columbia forfeited to senior Juan Venturi.
Columbia then swept the 149 lb. through 165 lb. divisions, giving the Lions a 16-15 lead.
Princeton retook the lead when junior Greg Parker won, 10-0, scoring a major decision for the Tigers, worth four team points.
But Parker's win was the last for the Tigers, as senior Anthony Debartolo and sophomore Matt Fisher lost two close matches at 184 lbs. and 197 lbs., awarding Columbia six team points, and giving them a three point win.
The Tigers were not too overconfident going into the meet, but they expected to pull out a win. "Columbia wrestled a really well, but they are not the better team, and that is what made this loss so painful," said sophomore Nate Rawlings.
After the Columbia loss, the Tigers wanted to make a statement against Cornell, but once again, Princeton fell short, losing 21-14. But even with the Tigers' seventh straight loss in 2002, Parker remains undefeated in dual meets this year.
One of the strongest teams in the Ivy League, Cornell opened the meet with two wins, giving them a 6-0 lead. But Venturi's 17-5 vicotry against Cornell's Jared Wolfley brought Princeton back in to the meet, making the score 6-4.
Sophomore Milo Adams, wrestling at 149 lbs., then gave Princeton a 7-6 lead after his 8-2 win. Cornell then went back on top after wins at 157 lbs. and then at 165 lbs.
Greg Parker then stole Cornell's momentum, as he defeated the tenth ranked Jim Stanec, 9-0, cutting the Big Red's lead to 13-11. But Cornell dominated the 184 lb. and 197 lb. division, putting the meet out of reach. Looke won the heavyweight match, 5-1, but the Tigers were still down 21-14.
Princeton finally got its first victory of 2002 on Saturday when it defeated Franklin & Marshall, 37-6. After two painful losses earlier in the week, the Tigers needed a win to gain some confidence and momentum.
The Tigers only lost two matches in the meet, and Looke put on exclamation point on the win with a pin over Dennis Maguire of Franklin and Marshall.
"The Franklin & Marshall win was really important for us," said Rawlings.
"We were really upset by both the Columbia and Cornell losses, and we needed the win on Saturday to help boost our confidence."
Princeton continues its Ivy League schedule on Saturday, when the Tigers will travel to Massachusetts to take on conference foe Harvard and Boston College.
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