Wrestling topples South Dakota State in home-opener

The wrestling season got off to a bang Thursday night, with the team snagging a win over South Dakota State. Despite several individual struggles, the team pulled out a victory through the stellar efforts of several of its members and a key pin by senior heavyweight Joe Looke.

The match started well for the Tigers as the team jumped ahead to a 21-4 lead, and looked to be in a good position to win. However, the Jackrabbits would not give up so easily, pulling their team back to within fighting distance of the Tigers' substantial lead.

The Tigers and the Jackrabbits split the opening matches in the 184-lb. and 197-lb. weight classes. In the 184-lb. class senior Alan Sista defeated South Dakota's Ben Ericks, 6-2. The Jackrabbits pushed back in the 197-lb. class, with Tim Boldt defeating senior Matt Hawrilenko, 11-1.

What followed was an 18-point streak for the Tigers in which they gained a major lead and looked ready to send the Jackrabbits home. The streak began in the heavyweight class when Looke, trailing 7-1 following one period, fought back and pinned South Dakota's Craig Martinmaas to give the Tigers a 9-4 lead.

Following Looke's success, and a forfeit at 125-lbs., senior Brian Kirschbaum dominated his first period versus Jarrod Chapa, eventually pinning him.

"We're really looking to the senior class to step up this year, with Chu, Looke, and Kirschbaum able to do so both in terms of leadership and competition," head coach Mike New said. "They have set high goals, and I believe that they have come a long way and have the ability to come together and be successful."

Despite the dominance of Princeton's seniors in the opening matches, South Dakota State was not to be deterred. The Jackrabbits began a rally of their own once the match entered the 141-lb. weight class, with Lenny Tol defeating senior Milo Adams, 3-1. The Jackrabbits continued to press forward, with Jeremy Roe ousting sophomore Matt Piselli, 18-1.

"I got to weigh in a bunch last year and got to see what wrestling at this level is really like," Piselli said. "This year I will clearly have some bumps along the road, and the biggest challenge will be to remain positive and confident even when I'm not getting the results that I would like."

The 157-lb. weight class and the 165-lb. weight class proved no different for the Tigers, as they continued to struggle against their opponents from South Dakota State. The 157-lb. weight class match gave the Jackrabbits an increased burst of momentum, with Joe Kenton achieving a late takedown to gain a 5-4 win over junior Charlie Wiggins. In the 165-lb. class, Nathan Althoff defeated sophomore Matt DeNichilo by a score of 9-6, pulling the Jackrabbits to just within reach of the Tigers.

The Tigers suddenly faced a potential loss if they could not step up and win the final match. At 174-lbs., junior Jack Fleming was up to the challenge. Combining a takedown with a back point, Fleming gained an early advantage over Travis Gottschalk and maintained that advantage through to the end with a 9-4 win, sealing the Tigers' victory.

"We feel really positive about the match," assistant coach Kevin Lake said. "It was the first dual meet of the year, and it's nice to start the season with a win. Despite a few disappointing individual performances our team came together and battled through some adversity to secure the win."

"Overall I think that the South Dakota match went pretty well," Piselli added. "There are some things that we need to work on for the future but it was good to come out with a win. [Looke] and [Kirschbaum] came up with huge wins and turned around the match, really putting us in a position to win."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The team also competed at the East Stroudsburg Open this past weekend. The tournament had over 450 entries, and the Tigers were unable to place in the top six in any given weight class. Princeton had 10 wrestlers still in contention when tournament organizers decided to cancel matches in the consolation bracket.

The Tigers next wrestle today at the Kutztown Open in Kutztown, Pa.