BRISTOL, R.I. – The Norwich University wrestling team was up against some stiff competition at the Roger Williams Invitational this weekend. The Cadets finished in 15th place overall out of 17 competing teams.
The Cadets had three wrestlers post wins in their opening matches. Sophomore Tyler Barker (Round Rock, Texas) notched a victory with a 14-8 decision over his opening round opponent at 157 lbs. while freshman Vincent Corradetti (Glen Mills, Pa.) also picked up a win by tech fall in his opening round match at 149 lbs. Senior Brandon DesFosses (Methuen, Mass.) emerged from his first match with a win with an 8-5 decision at 165 lbs.
Despite a setback in their opening round bouts, Norwich had six wrestlers advance on the consolation side of their respective brackets.
Sophomore Joe Castellino (Natick, Mass.) edged past his second-round opponent with an 18-14 decision at 149 lbs. Junior Cody Lewis (Kingston, N.H.) followed suit in the same weight class pinning his opponent in just 0:56 seconds. Freshman Adnan Oudeh (Union, N.J.) advanced when his second-round opponent was forced to forfeit at 157 lbs.
Junior Ben Forsman (Voorhees, N.J.), senior Michael Wagner (Tyngsborough, Mass.), and freshman Niko Chitty (Coral Springs, Fla.) each posted two wins on the consolation side of their brackets to represent the farthest advancing wrestlers for the Cadets. Forsman lost in the first round to the fourth-ranked wrestler at 149 lbs in a challenging opening round bout. He followed that with a third-round 12-5 decision victory and a win by tech fall in his fourth-round bout. Wagner fell in his opening round by decision (4-3) but battled back in a big way in the consolation rounds with a pair of wins in which he pinned his opponent. Chitty lost by an 11-7 decision in the opening round at 174 lbs. before grabbing a pair of wins on the consolation side thanks to two pins.
Norwich will host Castleton this coming Wednesday in the highly-anticipated Battle for the Green Mountain Championship. The dual match will kick off at 7 p.m.
