Wrestling: Tigers challenge No. 18 Bearcats before falling in home opener

It was a busy weekend for the wrestling team. In Princeton’s home opener at Dillon Gymnasium against No. 18 Binghamton on Friday, the Tigers led early before falling 23-12 to the visitors in a roaring comeback. In its other match of the weekend, Princeton lost by a convincing score of 30-6 to in-state rival Rutgers in New Brunswick.

Against Binghamton, the Tigers saw much success in the lighter weight classes. Senior Andrew Hirai gave Princeton a huge win at 133, defeating Dan Riggi on the strength of two first-period takedowns. In a back-and-forth match at 141, freshman Kevin Moylan dominated the second period, outscoring opponent Tyler Pendergast 5-0 in the period and 11-6 overall to earn the win.

In a battle of young faces at 165, freshman Judd Ziegler kept it close for two periods before Binghamton’s Vincent Grella dominated the third period to win 11-5. Juniors Seth Hazleton and Ryan Callahan both won convincingly at 157 and 174 respectively, to give Princeton the edge heading into the 184-pound match.

Freshman Scott Gibbons took the mat at 184 with a team-leading 11 wins. He followed up a scoreless first period with three near-fall points in the second to give him a 3-1 edge heading into the final period. Gibbons earned a point on an escape early in the third to 

increase his lead to 4-1, but his lead didn’t last. In a stunning finish, Binghamton’s Cody Reed registered two takedowns to send the match to overtime. He controlled overtime for the 7-5 victory.

From there, Binghamton dominated, winning 197 and 285 behind dominant performances against junior Dan Santoro and freshman Cole Lampman. In the end, Binghamton walked away from Dillon with a narrow 23-12 victory.

Santoro is also a reporter for The Daily Princetonian.

The Tigers fared worse against their New Jersey rivals, Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights dominated their home mat, winning eight of 10 individual matches and taking home a 30-6 overall victory.

The lone bright spots for Princeton were Moylan and senior co-captain Zach Bintliff. After Rutgers reeled off six consecutive wins to open the match, Moylan was able to hold off Trevor Melde 7-5 in overtime to give Princeton its first win of the day.

Bintliff took the mat next at 149 against Ken Theobold. Bintliff, who lost narrowly against nationally third-ranked Donnie Vinson in the Binghamton match, dominated the second and third periods en route to a decisive 11-4 win.

The team score was lopsided, but the individual results were much closer. Gibbons, Ziegler and sophomore Kyle Roddy each lost by two or fewer points, and each appeared in position to snatch a victory at some point in their respective matches.

However, the Tigers ended up on the losing end again. Although Princeton has a talented team, it is young and lacks experience. Over the weekend, Bintliff, Hirai and heavyweight Charles Fox were the only seniors to wrestle for Princeton. For comparison, the Tigers started five freshmen.

As the season progresses, the Tigers will look for consistency in a lineup that has been shaken by injuries. They are currently without star senior Garrett Frey, who has been injured for over a week, and a handful of other prominent wrestlers.

The coaching staff will attempt to right the ship after the team’s sixth straight loss to open the season. Princeton will next hit the mat on Friday against Chattanooga in Dillon.