Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Are On The Prowl
August 29, 2000 | Wrestling
Aug. 29, 2000
PRINCETON, N.J. - The 1999-2000 wrestling season was my fourth great year with the Tigers. As we have every year since I arrived, the team took great steps forward this year towards our goals of becoming Ivy League and EIWA champions. My freshman year, the only team we scored points against was Harvard. This year, we came within a match of beating Columbia at 19-15, jumped out to an early lead against a surprised Brown team 16-7, and hung in with perennial Ivy powerhouse Penn at 15-15 with three matches left. Although the team was certainly disappointed not to notch its first Ivy League win in 7 years, the table is set for next year, when the Tigers will no doubt vie for the league title.
Sometimes it is hard to reconcile the vast improvement of this team over my four years with the simple numbers of wins and losses. My freshman year, the team wrestled primarily Division III teams in non-league matches, and as mentioned above, barely made a dent in the Ivy League race. This past year the caliber of opponents we wrestled was leaps and bounds over the Division III colleges I faced as a freshman and sophomore. EIWA powers Navy and Rutgers were part of our schedule, as were other Division I teams such as Duquesne, Boston College, and George Mason. Instead of attending the Middlesex Community College Tournament and dualing Haverford, this year, our wrestlers attended the Ivy League Classic, the Lehigh Sheridan Classic, and Midlands, and we wrestled perennial Division III powerhouse and local rival, The College of New Jersey. Next year, the progression will continue, as Princeton wrestling reaches the national level of competition by facing off against third-ranked Minnesota. The freshmen this year proved ready for the rigors of such a schedule, playing an intricate part in the success of the team. Joe Clarke went 4-1 during the Ivy League season. Greg Parker scored the most points for the team this year and garnered a sixth place finish at the EIWA. Lightweights Seth Dunipace and John Knorring showed drastic improvement during the season and were selected as the Hooker Award winners. (On a personal note I owe them for the success I had this year, for as freshman are known to do, they kept coming after me all year in the practice room, pushing me to success with their energy and desire.) Other freshman T. Love, TJ Pray, Josh Humphries, Steve Koshgerian, Brian Reinhardt, Josh Nichols and Jeremy Hersch all displayed their skills admirably for the Tigers when called upon.
The sophomore class picked up right where it left off last season. The group of Andy Redman, Jon Bunt, Brian Greene, Anthony Debartolo, Albert Pendleton, Ben Schaye, and Jay Hudgins proved they are ready to take on the role of upper classmen. Highlights of their achievements include: Pendleton's major decision at Brown, DeBartolo's hometown heroics on our trip to Pittsburgh, and Bunt's dismantling of his TCNJ opponent while up two weight classes! Although the team will miss Redman and Greene as they leave for parts of the year next year (Redman will be studying at Oxford, Greene is taking the year off) it will be that much stronger upon their return.
The junior class of Jeff Bernd, Brian Foran, Scott Pasquini, Chris McLaughlin, and Joe Rybacki have been the nucleus of the team since my sophomore year. Coming in as the first recruited class of the new era of Princeton wrestling, they have elevated the level of wrestling in Dillon (now Jadwin) with their talent, heart, and desire. Bernd's fifth place finish at the EIWA championships was the highest of any Tiger during my time here. His style and commitment to winning have always impressed me, as has his mild manner and accomplishments in the classroom. I remember his recruiting trip here like it was yesterday and have enjoyed being his peer for three years (of course the memories of all our hours spent together cutting weight are a little less fondly recalled). Scott Pasquini,s skills are the most incredible of any teammate I have ever had. Wrestling in the 174 pound weight class this year, Pasquini battled hard with the nations top-ranked wrestlers, including Lehigh's Dufresne, Penn's Springman, Cornell's Tucceri, and Harvard's Moseley. I still remember his first match as a freshman in which he wrestled a nationally ranked opponent from Cornell. Though overmatched, I was struck by the toughness Pasquini displayed, and his absolute refusal to back down. Next year, Pasquini is going to vie for the EIWA title and I will be proud to watch someone so deserving finally reap the fruits of his labor. Foran has improved and gotten bigger each year he has been here, and wrestled this year at the 197 lb weight class. I always picture Foran wrestling opponents who look a lot bigger than him from the All-American from Blair Academy he faced as a freshman at Middlesex, to nationally ranked Bob Greenleaf of Cornell. However, with his defensive style and surprising `funk' moves he never gets outmatched, even by those who appear physically bigger. Like Bernd, Foran has a quiet manner that endears him to his teammates, and I have learned a lot by the way be handles himself both on the mat, and in life. While Rybacki and McLaughlin were unable to wrestle this year, the stamp of their presence is unmistakable on this team. The loss of these two men was quite a blow to the team, as they were an anchor for our upper weights, however hopefully they will return next year. McLaughlin is one of the most well-liked members on the team for his sense of humor combined with his intensity. I have always been envious of the way he can turn on the intensity before a match, and then be back to his joking self afterwards. His balance between life on and off the mat is what I always hoped to achieve making him both a role model and great friend to me. Rybacki's intensity on the mat defies description. I have never met someone who hates losing as much as him (although I never saw Coach New compete). This is an important asset to the team, which will need such attitude to reach its goals, and as the heavyweight and anchor of this team, Rybacki is irreplaceable. As most of you know, coming back next year are Juan Venturi and Ryan Bonfiglio. Two of Princeton's best wrestlers, these two will combine with Foran, Pasquini, Bernd, Rybacki, and McLaughlin to make the Class of 2001 one of the greatest classes in Princeton Wrestling history.
This year marks the end of the career of one Princeton wrestler who deserves endless praise for his dedication and devotion to the program. My fellow captain Justin Dodulik taught me how to be a wrestler, a Princeton wrestler, and a captain, more than anyone else. I remember watching him come within one point of giving Princeton its first win at the EIWA tournament in years as a freshman, and I fondly recall our last match at Dillon gym in which he fittingly ended his dual-meet career with a pin and a major decision. Justin seemingly had an innate sense of duty to the program, which he helped instill in me as I progressed. This year he was by far the more organized captain - always more aware of what needed to be done, and how it should be done. Living with him this year made it easier for his good influence to rub off on me, and I know it strengthened our friendship which is the greatest one I take away from my years here. Justin wrestled injured, up weight classes, sick, and outmanned (though he wasn't outmanned often we I will always remember him having to take his licks as a freshman vs. national finalist Brandon Slay from Penn). More importantly, though, he always wrestled with pride, intensity, and a style that is truly enjoyable to watch.
In conclusion, this year was a great year for Princeton wrestling. Being named as NWCA National Academic Champions for the fourth year straight was a great testament to the program. I was proud to take home a 6th place finish from the EIWA tournament (a tournament that had absolutely overwhelmed me as a freshman) and even more proud to see our team score improve dramatically at this tournament each year. This program has given me a lot, and I am sad to leave it. However, I am happy to know that it is in good hands, and that next year, not only will that elusive Ivy League win come, but an Ivy League title is well within.