Tigers lose on 100th anniversary

With numerous Princeton alumni and fans in attendance for the celebration of 100 Years of Princeton Wrestling, the mini-reunion, elaborate luncheon and banquet were surpassed only by the main attraction in Dillon Gymnasium — the Tigers' match against Franklin and Marshall (3-14).

The current Princeton wrestlers did not disappoint, cruising to a 40-8 victory over the Diplomats on Saturday night. The Tigers (5-7 overall, 0-4 Ivy League), however, could not pull out a victory on Friday for Senior Night, falling to Rutgers (6-6), 30-9.

Determined to perform well in front of the program's most ardent supporters, Princeton jumped out to an early lead courtesy of a forfeit win by senior Audrey Pang in the 125-lb. weight class. Though sophomore Greg Redman dropped his match at 133 lbs., classmate Eric Marcotulli (141-lb.) regained momentum for the Tigers in the next match. Just one minute, 19 seconds into the first period, Marcotulli gained an insurmountable advantage on the mat and pinned Aviel Ayoung, picking up six points in the process. Junior Andrew Ianuzzi (149-lb.) then built upon the Princeton lead with a 14-6 win.

Franklin and Marshall's most impressive wrestler, Michael Parziale, defeated sophomore Jesse Palermo with a technical fall, 21-6, at 157 lbs. Parziale, who is now tied for the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association lead in technical falls this season with five, became just the third wrestler in Diplomat history to record a 30-win season.

Five straight wins

That win was the last highlight for the visiting team, though. Starting with senior Charlie Wiggins' 53-second pin in the 165-lb. division, the Tigers swept the next five matches for the win.

After junior Matthew DeNichilo's (174-lb.) win by technical fall, senior Jack Fleming (184-lb.) persevered for an 11-10 victory over Isaiah Hankel in the most exciting match of the night. At 197-lbs., freshman Marty Everin won by forfeit.

Senior Jake Butler, who normally wrestles in the 197-lb. division, was bumped to heavyweight in his final home match. He had no trouble dispatching Shawn Coughlin, recording a major decision to cap a successful night for Princeton.

That success was not on display the previous night against Rutgers, though, when the Tigers came away with only two individual match wins en route to a 30-9 loss.

Pang was pinned in only eight seconds to start the night's action, setting a Rutgers school record for quickest pin. While Redman struggled against Dan Hilt in his match and escaped two early holds, he too succumbed, getting pinned in the second period. Although Marcotulli scored Princeton's first points of the night with a takedown in the first period, he fell to Steve Adamscik, 6-3.

Freshman Alex Enriquez (157-lb.), Wiggins, DeNichilo and Fleming all dropped close contests in their respective weight classes. In heavyweight action, sophomore Kris Berr was unable to get on the board in his 5-0 loss.

In the 149-lb. weight class, Ianuzzi struggled to close the gap between Princeton and the Scarlet Knights. After going down, 4-1, in the first period, Ianuzzi surged ahead with four takedowns for a lead he would not relinquish. His win over Michael Ferrera and Butler's win at 197 lbs. were the Tigers' lone victories. Butler remained undefeated at home with his pin of Ken Stiles.

Princeton returns to the mat in a Saturday afternoon showdown against Penn in Philadelphia next weekend.