Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Wrestlers Look To Defend Unbeaten Ivy Record Against New York Duo
February 11, 2010 | Wrestling
Coming off its greatest weekend in decades, the Princeton wrestling team will welcome Ivy League rivals Columbia and the sixth-ranked Cornell Big Red to Dillon Gym this Saturday with first place in the Ivy League on the line.
Princeton is 8-8 this season and has won four straight Division I matches for the first time since 1989. Two of those victories from last weekend came against Harvard and Brown, giving Princeton its first two-win season in the Ivy League since 2001. One more Ivy win would give Princeton its first three-win season since 1991.
Princeton has six wrestlers with double-digit wins, including freshman Garrett Frey (125), who leads the team with a 23-4 record. Sophomore Kurt Brendel has 16 wins at 184 pounds, while classmate Andy Lowy is third on the team with 15 wins. Junior co-captain Travis Erdman has 14 wins, but his 4-0 weekend earned him GoPrincetonTigers.com Athlete of the Week honors. Erdman won three of his matches by pin last weekend, including one at Brown that basically clinched Princeton's second Ivy win.
Head coach Chris Ayres recently talked with GoPrincetonTigers.com about the past weekend and the current state of the program. You can listen to that interview here.
Columbia will be the first to wrestle Princeton this weekend (1 p.m.); the Lions are currently 6-7-1, 0-1 in the Ivy League. The opening match could be a tone setter in the dual, as the Lions' leader in victories is 125-pound sophomore Kyle Gilchrist. Senior Matthew Dunn has 12 wins and had the Lions' lone win against Cornell, while Eren Civan has 18 wins at 165 pounds.
Cornell is one of the most loaded teams in the nation, with as many as three potential national champions in its lineup. Senior Troy Nickerson is the reigning national champion at 125 pounds, while freshman Kyle Dake (141) and junior Mack Lewnes (174) are both ranked No. 1 nationally in their respective weight classes. Princeton will take on Cornell at 6 p.m. in Dillon Gym, and both matches are free admission.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
PRINCETON
125- Garrett Frey
133- Tony Comunale/Zach Bintliff
141- Luis Ramos
149- Daniel Kolodzik
157- Danny Scotton
165- Andy Lowy/Mike Alvarez
174- Travis Erdman
184- Kurt Brendel
197- Charles Fox
HWT- Bobby Grogan
COLUMBIA
125- Kyle Gilchrist
133- Andrew Grabfelder
141- Ryan Doyle
149- Steve Santos
157- Matt Dunn
165- Eren Civan
174- Stephen West
184- Cary Aldrich
197- Lou Miller
HWT- Kevin Lester
CORNELL
125- Troy Nickerson
133- Mike Grey
141- Kyle Dake
149- Corey Manson
157- John Basting
165- Justin Kerber
174- Mack Lewnes
184- Steve Bosak
197- Cam Simaz
HWT- Josh Arnone