Ritter’s sweep not enough for victory

Against the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats, Princeton fell 40-9. Wilkes’ Colonels vanquished the Tigers by a score of 34-16, and the Wagner Seahawks took a 30-17 decision over Princeton. But the scores were misleading, as the Tigers’ opponents earned 18 points from forfeits in each of the three matches.

Senior heavyweight Sam Ritter led the way with victories in all three of his matches. After a 12-8 decision over Franklin & Marshall’s Nico Somers, Ritter pinned Wilkes’ Jake Weinrich in six minutes, 13 seconds. Against Wagner’s John Graeffe, Ritter once again succeeded in pinning his opponent, this time in a respectable 4:32. Ritter’s story has been quite incredible: Having not wrestled for three years, he joined the team at the outset of his senior season year and has enjoyed quick success.

Freshman 125-pounder Tony Comunale continued his string of successful outings, posting a 2-1 record in the meet. After falling 8-3 to the Diplomats’ Jake Bucha, Comunale roared back by pinning the Colonels’ Shaun Farnham in 4:13. He finished the day with a tight 7-6 decision over Wagner’s Nicholas Keshecki.

Freshman 174-pounder Travis Erdman also notched two wins for the Tigers. After being pinned by Franklin & Marshall’s Justin Herbert in 2:20, Erdman earned a 13-3 major decision over Wilkes’ Rich Pellegrini. He finished the day with another major decision, defeating the Seahawks’ Peter Morano 11-2.

Sophomore 133-pounder Robert Benitez fought through two early setbacks to earn a victory in his final match. First, he was pinned by the Diplomats’ Stephen Sabreen in 1:14. Then he dropped a 14-2 major decision to the Colonels’ Ryan Wilson. But Benitez persevered, overcoming Wagner’s Nick Boghos 10-5 in his final match of the day.

Sophomore 165-pounder Mike Alvarez also earned a victory for Princeton. Alvarez dropped a 9-8 decision against Franklin & Marshall’s Andrew Smith; he then fell 9-2 to Wilkes’ Frank Heffernan. But Alvarez sweated it out, routing Wagner’s Peter Morano 17-7.

Freshman 157-pounder Matt Katz dropped all three of his decisions; he fell 13-3 to Franklin & Marshall’s Anthony Bongarzone, was pinned in 2:16 by Wilkes’ Adam Penberthy and was defeated 12-6 by Wagner’s Sean Quinn. Sophomore 197-pounder Zach Morse had a similarly tough day. He won his first match by forfeit but then lost 6-4 to Chris Smith of Wilkes and was pinned in 2:07 by Wagner’s Anthony Interiano.

While injuries continue to plague the Tigers, the Intersession quad meet provided hope for the future. Princeton earned progressively better results over the course of the day, taking one decision against Franklin & Marshall, three of seven against Wilkes and five of seven against Wagner. In fact, if the 18 points ceded from forfeits are ignored, Princeton actually beat Wagner 17-12 and tied Wilkes 16-16. Additionally, the continued success of Ritter and Comunale has been a bright spot for a team that has been in search of consistent, competitive leadership on the mat.

This weekend, the Tigers head to New England, where they will face Brown, Harvard and Sacred Heart. The trip will be a grueling one, as Harvard will be Princeton’s most talented league opponent of the season. The Crimson was ranked No. 22 in the nation by the USA Today/InterMat Preseason Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll and boasts a roster full of talent. Sophomore 149-pounder J.P. O’Connor was ranked No. 4 in the country for his weight division by the same poll, while junior 165-pounder Andrew Flanagan was ranked No. 6 and junior 184-pounder Louis Caputo was ranked No. 5.

Head coach Chris Ayres believes that Princeton should be able to fill at least two of three injury-depleted brackets at some point this month, and it would be significant if the Tigers were healthy by the weekend. A successful showing against league opponents could be a springboard to a level of success that Princeton has not enjoyed in a long time.