Wrestling: Fresh off first win since ’06, wranglers angling for more

“It was definitely good to get the first one out of the way,” senior 157-pounder and captain Marty Everin said. “I think everyone was happy to finally get one.”

“Everyone has been working really hard in the weight room and wrestling room,” junior 149-pounder Danny Scotton said. “Everything kind of fell into place. Everyone wrestled pretty well [and] did their part in the individual matches, and we came out with the win in the end.”

With their hard work having produced the desired result, the Tigers will take on six teams in dual meets before capping off their winter break schedule in Greensboro, N.C., at the Southern Scuffle.

“This year, coach [Chris Ayres] has been talking about everyone making big jumps and the team seeing some vast improvement,” Scotton said. “I think we all sort of expected to see this come about, but to actually see it was good.”

“When you’re on a team that hasn’t done really well, and you’re on a team with people that are struggling, getting a team win like this is huge,” Everin said. “Not only did you help contribute to this, but you’re also surrounded by a bunch of guys on the team that are contributing to it … We have enough guys in our lineup that can compete at this level. That’s something that’s never been there before.”

“It’s like [head] coach [Chris Ayres] told us in the locker room, we’ve got the monkey off our backs now,” Scotton said. “We just need to focus on getting more wins now and continuing to improve.”

This weekend, Princeton will welcome the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Delaware State and SUNY Binghamton to Dillon Gym. Binghamton 184-pounder Josh Patterson started the season ranked 17th nationally, while Delaware State 149-pounder Matt Cathell was ranked 13th.

The matches against Patterson and Cathell will serve as litmus tests for freshman 184-pounder Kurt Brendel and Scotton, both of whom won two matches in last weekend’s tri-meet.

On Sunday, the Tigers will travel to College Park, Md., where they will take on the University of Maryland. Terrapin 133-pounder Steve Bell came into the season ranked 10th in the nation, 141-pounder Alex Krom was ranked No. 15, and 149 pounder Eric Medina was ranked No. 18. The team’s most imposing presence, however, is likely 197-pounder Hudson Taylor. Taylor is the real deal: the junior came into the year ranked second behind only Jake Varner of Iowa State.

Princeton then has six days off before taking on Millersville and Lock Haven on Saturday, Dec. 20. Neither opponent has any ranked wrestlers, and the Tigers may well come out on top of the tri-meet.

After Christmas, Princeton will take part in the Southern Scuffle at UNC-Greensboro. The tournament will pit the Tigers against Southern teams such as Duke, Davidson, The Citadel and Appalachian State, in addition to teams like Cal State Bakersfield, Boston University and Ohio.

The Tigers’ continued success will be a matter of staying the course. Now that Ayres’ coaching vision has finally come to fruition, Princeton will need to adhere to the strategy that has proven to be successful.

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“We need to continue to work hard in the weight room and keep fighting,” Scotton said.

“We need to stay focused,” Everin said. “It’s really hard. It’s a really long season going from mid-October to mid-March, and people need to stay not only focused but stay excited about it, come to practice every day happy to be there with something to work on and goals in mind … At this point, it’s time for people to start increasing their expectations.”