Grapplers drop pair

An old adage states that "every mile is two in winter." For the wrestling team, whose season started back in early December, this winter has been one long, extended road trip from the Berkshires to the Black Hills. It was not until this past weekend that the Tigers had the opportunity to compete in front of their home fans and enjoy the shorter trip to Dillon Gym. The home mat advantage wasn't enough for Princeton (4-6 overall, 0-4 Ivy League), as the Tigers lost to Brown (4-7, 1-1) on Friday, 32-11, and Harvard (1-7, 1-1) on Saturday, 27-16.

The presence of a sizable crowd of supporters at Friday night's meet raised expectations for a successful home stand. After five matches against the Bears were completed, the Tigers remained in a competitive position, trailing 12-8. In the 165-lb. weight class, senior Charlie Wiggins earned a major decision by way of a 9-0 shutout. Fellow senior Jake Butler, currently ranked sixth in the 197-lb weight class by the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, also recorded a 10-2 major decision over Leo Sanjuk.

The only remaining victory Princeton would claim during the rest of the meet, however, occurred in the final match when junior Andrew Iannuzzi threw several late takedowns to beat Tim Smith, 11-6, in the 149-lb. division. By that point, Brown had extended its lead to an insurmountable margin courtesy of a victory streak of a pin, two decisions and a forfeit.

Against the Crimson, the night started auspiciously for the Tigers as Butler remained perfect on the weekend, pinning Andrew Dane in just less than four minutes. Harvard quickly answered back with two pins of its own when Kris Berr (285-lb.) and Audry Pang (125-lb.) were both felled, giving the Crimson a 12-6 overall advantage.

Junior Ryan Foss tried to rally Princeton with a 2-1 decision over Brent Kakesako at 133 lbs., but his win was followed by Harvard's Michael Baria's decision over sophomore Eric Marcotulli, 10-4.

The decisive match became the 149-lb. weight class in which Ianuzzi forced his match against Harvard's Dominic DeNunzio to a 5-5 tie at the end of regulation. But a home-team victory was not in the cards as DeNunzio recorded a takedown for the two points he needed for the overtime decision.

Despite late wins by Wiggins and junior Matt DeNichilo (174-lb.), the Tigers could not salvage the match.

Princeton's only other opportunities this season to garner a home win arrive this Friday and Saturday as the Tigers host Rutgers and Franklin & Marshall. Both teams recorded decisive victories over Princeton last season, scoring a combined 66 points while allowing the Tigers only three and nine, respectively.