Princeton University Athletics
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Wrestling Welcomes Trio To Dillon For Full Home Weekend
January 28, 2010 | Wrestling
The return of sophomore Tony Comunale, who nearly reached the 2008 NCAA Championships, will highlight a full home weekend for the Princeton wrestling team as it returns to Dillon Gym for its first time since the extended holiday/exam layoff.
Comunale was one of Princeton's top freshmen in the 2008 season; in the EIWA championship wrestlebacks, he held a late lead in a match that would have qualified him for NCAAs before suffering an ankle injury and ultimately losing the match. Injuries continued to play a part in his career, and he missed all of of last season and the first half of the 2009-10 season. This weekend, Comunale will make his first start of the season Friday night when Princeton takes on Duquesne.
"We're excited to get Tony back into our lineup," Ayres said of his 133-pound sophomore. "He showed great potential as a freshman and has battled tirelessly against injuries to get back on the mat. He adds a lot to our young lineup, and we're all looking forward to seeing what he can do the rest of this season and beyond."
Princeton will take on Duquesne Friday at 7 p.m. and then hosts both Virginia (1 p.m.) and Clarion (3) on Saturday at Dillon Gym. Admission is free for all matches.
Princeton is 3-6 on the season and if coming off a near-upset of local rival Rider on January 8. The Tigers took on the Broncs that night without freshman Garrett Frey, the 125-pounder who leads Princeton with 17 wins and an .850 winning percentage. Princeton will send out two other starters with double-digit victories: sophomore Andy Lowy is 13-10 at 165 pounds, while classmate Kurt Brendel is 13-9.
Several Princeton teammates will be looking to reach the double-digit win mark this weekend, including freshman Luis Ramos, who has nine victories at 141 pounds. Both senior Danny Scotton (157) and Travis Erdman (174) have eight wins, while freshman Charles Fox (197) has seven wins.
This weekend will be Princeton's final test before the Ivy League season begins. During the first weekend of February, Princeton heads north to take on four New England schools, including both Brown and Harvard.
As for the competition this weekend, Duquesne leads off Friday with a 2-3 record and a 21-win wrestler in 149-pound freshman Josh Pascazi. His teammate at 141 pounds, Tony Lascari, isn't far behind with 13 wins.
Virginia is currently ranked 19th in the latest Intermat rankings and brings a quartet of Top 20 wrestlers to Dillon Gym. Leading the way is 174-pounder Chris Henrich, a junior who has won 23 of 25 matches this season. Freshman 197-pounder Mike Salopek has 22 wins on the season for a Virginia squad that is 13-5 overall and has won five of its last six matches, including a 28-9 victory over Penn.
Clarion is 3-5 on the season and is led by senior Hadley Harrison, who has 25 wins on the season at 157 pounds, and 149-pounder James Fleming, who is 18-5.
PROJECTED WEEKEND LINEUPS
PRINCETON
125 Garrett Frey
133 Tony Comunale
141 Luis Ramos
149 Daniel Kolodzik
157 Danny Scotton
165 Andy Lowy
174 Travis Erdman
184 Kurt Brendel
197 Charles Fox
285 Bobby Grogan
DUQUESNE
125 Taylor Wilde
133 Jake Swink
141 Tony Lascari
149 Josh Pascazi
157 Alex Martinez or Tony Clark
165 Nate Reinhart or Brendan Sikora
174 Matt Gregg or Seth Csaszar
184 Ryan Sula or Alex Kneisly
197 Justin Buchanan
285 Nadeem Farah
VIRGINIA
125 Ross Gitomer
133 Matt Snyder
141 Derek Valenti
149 Dave Ebbott
157 No. 14 Danny Gonsor
165 Pat Riley or Beau Fisher
174 No. 3 Chris Henrich
184 No. 20 Mike Salopek
197 No. 19 Brent Jones
285 Jack Danilkowicz
CLARION
125 Joe Waltko or Trey Hicksr
133 Jay Ivanco
141 Cameron Moran or Greg Lewis
149 James Fleming
157 Hadley Harrison
165 Nick Milano or Justin McCrillis
174 Steven Cressley
184 Clint Podish
197 Alex Thomas
285 Quintas McCorkle or Phil Catrucco