Injured Tigers wiped out at EIWAs

In poker, as in life, a player has to do the most with the hands he is given. Sometimes the hands are good, sometimes not. To say the least, the wrestling team was dealt a poor hand this season, and on Saturday at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships (EIWAs) at Lehigh, it recorded only three wins as Princeton folded its cards in an anticlimactic end to the season.

Despite the many disappointments that have beset the Tigers this season — including the loss of senior Jake Butler to injury — senior co-captain Matt DeNichilo stepped up for a noteworthy performance. He grappled diligently in his first match and mustered an 8-3 decision over Harvard's Wesley Walker. This victory secured DeNichilo a spot in the quarterfinals, where a tough draw paired him against top-seeded Travis Frick of Lehigh. Even though DeNichilo lost a 14-5 decision to Frick, he would find momentum in the consolation rounds, knocking off Brown's Matthew Gevelinger in a 7-3 decision.

In his next match, the draw paired DeNichilo with another seeded opponent, this time No. 5 Dan Miracola of Cornell. DeNichilo, the only seeded Princeton wrestler, at No. 8, endured a heartbreaking 13-1 loss to Miracola — just one match away from an assured top-six finish and a possible NCAA bid.

DeNichilo was the only Princeton wrestler to advance beyond the first round as the other Tigers fell in their first matches, but their efforts will make them bring a renewed focus for next year.

"As we left the tournament on Saturday evening, with all of us having been eliminated, the topic of conversation was already focused on the kinds of changes we need to make for next year among a group of enthusiastic guys who want to be a part of that change," sophomore John Clore said. "Somehow, we were able to come out of this season with momentum building for the next."

Freshman Robert Benitez fought hard but was pinned by Brown's Jeffrey Schell in two minutes, 30 seconds at 125 pounds, and then by American's Matthew Morkel in 0:43. At 141 pounds, junior Eric Marcotulli fell by pin in 4:25 to No. 3 Steve Adamcsik of American, and then came up short to Penn's Cesar Grajales 13-4 in the consolation round.

At 149 pounds, freshman Danny Scotton suffered a first-round pin to Cornell's Keith Dickey, the seventh seed in the weight class. He went on to lose a 25-12 decision to Christopher Sullivan of East Stroudsburg. Clore was ousted by Harvard's Andrew Flanagan in a 10-1 decision, and dropped an 18-6 decision to John Jarred of Navy.

Sophomore Marty Everin had to face the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds, Troy Letters of Lehigh, in his first match and was pinned within the first 62 seconds. Everin then faced Lior Zamir of Penn, another tough opponent, in the consolation round. He was pinned by Zamir in 1:38.

Freshman Gordon Scharf traded places with sophomore Logan Lowe to wrestle at the 184-pound spot for the Tigers. Scharf fell to Lehigh's Dave Helfrich by pin in 2:09 and his tournament ended when he was pinned again in 46 seconds by David Williams of East Stroudsburg.

With Butler, Princeton's most prolific wrestler last season, still out with an injury, Lowe took over at 197 pounds for Princeton, where he would be eliminated from the championship rounds in a 15-4 decision by Charles Pogue of Navy. Though he would have some success in the consolation rounds, garnering a 10-3 decision over American's Anthony Fuschino, Lowe was eventually eliminated in a 15-7 decision by Columbia's Orrin Kleinhenz.

Junior Kris Berr, the Tigers' heavyweight, lost to Bode Ogunwole of Harvard in a 2:09 pin, and then by Mike D'Amico of Rutgers in a 6-1 decision.

The Tigers' season this year is a testament to the power that one match can hold. One match can decide an entire season for a wrestler and can have a huge bearing on the performance of the team. One match was all it took to ruin a would-be phenomenal season for Butler, and one match was all that came between DeNichilo and the fulfillment of the goals he set for himself at the start of the season.

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But the Tigers remain resolute in their efforts to look toward the future.

"Placing at EIWAs and qualifying for NCAAs is what Coach New is encouraging us to strive for," Clore said. "The important thing will be to set that goal now so that the offseason can bear witness to a renewed focus."