SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Norwich University wrestling team went 1-2 at the Western New England University (WNE) Quad Match on Saturday, Jan. 16, falling to No. 11 Johnson & Wales University and Coast Guard Academy before picking up the win over the host.
The Cadets begun the day with a 35-16 win over WNE. Freshman Sean Randles (Las Vegas, Nev.) picked up Norwich's first three points on a 9-5 decision in the 133 weight class before senior James Duncan (Brewster, N.Y.) pinned his opponent in 1:14 for the six points in the 149 pound class. Junior Ben Swanson (Little Silver, N.J.) followed suit in the 157 bracket, pinning Yuri Gulak in just 1:51 to give the Cadets their first lead of the match, 15-12.
The wins continued and the points piled on as Norwich picked up 14 points in the next three matches. Sophomore Zach Gibson (Lithopolis, Ohio) earned an 11-3 major decision over Joshua Nelson at 165 before freshman Steve Birganti (Trumbull, Conn.) wrestled a tough match in the 174 class before finding the opportunity to pin his opponent in 3:32 for the six team points.
Junior David Rogers (Marlborough, Mass.) also recorded a major decision with a 16-7 victory over Andrew Cole for the 184 pound bracket before Norwich earned the six team points on a forfeit in the 285 bracket. WNE earned six points on a forfeit and a major decision in the 197 weight class match.
In the second dual versus Johnson & Wales University (JWU), ranked 11th in the nation and second in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) the Cadets knew they would have a tough battle on their hands and went on the mat with all their strengths against the Wildcats. JWU came out with 15 unanswered points on a forfeit and back-to-back falls before picking up three more points from the 149 match.
Swanson snapped the Wildcats' scoring spree at 157 pounds, pinning Frankie Hernandez in just five minutes to give Norwich the six team points. JWU would add on 13 more points but the 184 bracket went to Norwich as Rogers grappled Tyler Cassese in all three periods and came out with the 5-4 win for the three points. JWU would win the dual meet with the 34-9 victory.
Norwich's final dual match of the day was against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CGA), who is ranked seventh in the NEWA. CGA recorded 33 team points over Norwich on a weight class forfeit at 125, two technical falls for five points each, two major decisions for four points each, and three decisions for three points apiece.
The Cadets picked up six points in the match with Randles picking up the three points with a 6-2 decision over Dominick Summers in the 133 pounds match. Swanson's battle at 157 against Christopher Sullivan came down to the wire. Trailing 4-3 after two periods, Sullivan picked up two more points on a reversal before Swanson managed to take control and do a reversal over Sullivan for the two points, making it 6-5 with just 41 seconds remaining in the match. Swanson looked to overpower Sullivan for points but could not do it in time as the clock expired.
Norwich would pick up the final three points in the 285 weight class as sophomore Frank Girolamo (Stoughton, Mass.) earned a 2-1 decision over CGA's Kevin Painten.
"The team score with both Coast Guard and Johnson & Wales were very lopsided but we lost some in heart breakers," said head coach Alex Whitney. "Losing is never fun, but it helps when our guys leave everything on the mat. We are still making mistakes that will be fixed as our young guys get more experience in high pressure matches."
"The guys wrestled tough on top securing six pins on the day. We wrestled with a lot of heart but fell short in some matches because of fundamentals. The team is focusing on the positives and is looking forward to getting back to work and making corrections on Monday," Whitney added.
Norwich will host its first home wrestling meet of the year on Wednesday, Jan. 20 against Springfield College. The first match is set for 7:00 p.m. in Andrews Gymnasium.
