Wrestling struggles in Ivy meets against Columbia, Cornell

The month of January did not end as planned for the men's wrestling team, as the Tigers dropped back-to-back home matches against Columbia and Cornell on Saturday.

The first conference foe was Columbia, who defeated the Tigers by a score of 26-14. 141-lb. senior Milo Adams, 197-lb. sophomore Jake Butler, 165-lb. sophomore Matt Dinichilo and heavyweight senior John Looke were the only Princeton grapplers to walk away with victories.

The momentum was in Columbia's favor the whole time, as the Lions won three of the first four matches, two of which were pins. The Tigers never did get a pin for themselves, though the return of previously injured Butler was a welcome sight for the Princeton team. Even more promising than Butler's return, however, was his dominating 8-0 victory in his first match back. Victories for Adams and Looke were also important, improving their resumes before the Eastern Intercollgiate Wrestling Association Championships that they will compete in this March.

The second match of the day came against a tough Cornell team, who dominated the Tigers throughout the meet, ending it with a one-sided 34-3 victory. The lone bright spot for Princeton was Looke, the only Tiger to record a victory.

Much of the problem could be credited to rustiness, as the two losses came off a significant layoff for the Princeton team. The Tigers last hit the mats Jan. 3 in Texas.