Butler reaches NCAAs as young wrestling team struggles

Coming off a 2003-04 campaign in which the team won only a single meet, the wrestling program made positive strides in 04-05, earning victories in five meets. But it was an individual — junior Jake Butler — who unquestionably made the biggest splash.

After a 19-5 regular season, including six consecutive victories at the end of the season, Butler entered the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) tournament as the fourth seed in the 197-pound weight division. After falling to two favorites in the early rounds, Butler found himself in the consolation bracket wrestling for fifth place. He won his match, but because only the top three wrestlers are guaranteed a bid to the NCAA championships, he had to wait and hope to receive an at-large bid.

An agonizing hour later, the judges' decision was finally handed down: Butler was headed for St. Louis.

"The goal going in was to place a lot higher," Butler said. "I didn't really think I was going to get it [the at-large bid], because a lot of the top guys had wrestled poorly."

Butler got his bid, the first time a Tiger has gone to NCAA's since Greg Parker '03 in 2003, but was matched up against No. 2 seed Jake Roscholt of Oklahoma State in the first round. Butler put up a good fight but fell in a 12-3 decision. In the first consolation round, Butler got a win in a tough 4-3 victory over Nathan More from Purdue, but was knocked out in his next match.

Butler was not the only Princeton wrestler to make headlines this year. Another wrestler, senior Audrey Pang, made waves, but for another reason. Pang was the first female wrestler in Princeton history to have a spot in the dual-meet lineup for the men's wrestling team, and one of few females in the entire country to do so.

Pang, also a tri-captain, finished the season with a 2-8 record — made more impressive by the fact that she wrestled in the 125-pound class (when facing women, she wrestles at 112-lbs).

As a team, the Tigers started the year fast, coming away with three wins at the Williams College Dual Meet Tournament in their first three contests of the season. Following a trip to Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota where they came away with another win, but also three losses, Princeton sat at 4-3 early in the season.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, they couldn't keep their early season momentum going after taking a break for reading period and finals. Beginning with a loss against Cornell, the Tigers dropped five consecutive matches until they defeated Franklin and Marshall College on Feb. 12, the same day the program celebrated its 100th birthday.

The regular season ended with another defeat at the hands of Penn, leaving Princeton with a 5-9 record in dual meets. The Tigers then closed their season with an 11th place finish at the EIWA tournament, highlighted by Butler's at-large bid to NCAAs.

Seven of the 10 wrestlers in Princeton's dual meet lineup will be back for next season, including Butler, leaving the Tigers optimistic that they'll continue to make positive strides in 2005-06.