HENNIKER, N.H. – The Norwich University wrestling team made a late run in its matchup against New England College but could not muster the requisite points to register the come-from-behind decision losing 28-18 against the Pilgrims on Friday evening.
Norwich found itself trailing 25-0 after the first five bouts of the evening giving away six points by forfeit at 125 pounds, then losing to top-ranked Pilgrim wrestlers at 133, 141 and 149 pounds, respectively.
The pivotal matches occurred at 157 and 184 pounds. In the 157-pound bout, sophomore Tyler Barker (Round Rock, Texas) kept Stephan Saint-Juste within striking distance but ultimately ran out of time falling by a 7-4 decision. Both wrestlers scored all the majority of their points in the same fashion as Saint-Juste scored on three takedowns while Barker tallied all of his points off of four escapes.
In the most prominently featured matchup of the night, the number four and five ranked NEWA wrestlers squared off against each other at 184 pounds. Norwich's sophomore Dan Curran (Peterborough, N.H.) found himself in control of the bout against Malik Settles at the end of the first period recording an escape and a takedown to lead 3-2. Settles battled back in the second period notching two takedowns against Curran's two escapes to take a narrow 6-5 lead into the final period. Settles' combination of a takedown and a nearfall in the final 35 seconds clinched the bout giving the #4 ranked 184 pounder the win, 12-6.
At 165 pounds, senior Brandon DesFosses (Methuen, Mass.) got the Cadets on the scoreboard in a big way with a pin in the first period. Sophomore Blaise Bressler (Fredericksburg, Pa.) and freshman Niko Chitty (Coral Springs, Fla.) followed suit at 174 and 197 pounds earning decisions with each wrestling above their normal weight classes.
Bressler used his counter game to his advantage scoring a pair of reversals to earn a 4-2 decision at 174 pounds. Chitty bumped up two weight classes to 197 pounds to earn the narrowest of decisions besting his opponent 9-8 with a slight edge in riding time. The bout was a cat and mouse battle the entire way with neither wrestler leading by more than two points. Trailing 8-6 in the third period, Chitty scored on a reversal with 51 clicks remaining to knot the bout at 8-8 and gained an eight-second advantage in riding time to earn the decision.
Senior Michael Kennedy (Somers Point, N.J.) closed out the match with a first period pin against his adversary at 285 pounds.
Norwich are back in action next Wednesday when they venture to Plymouth St. to dual against the Panthers at 7 p.m.
