Princeton University Athletics
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With Home EIWAs On Horizon, Wrestlers Open Season With Optimism, Hunger
November 10, 2011 | Wrestling
For a span of about two decades, ranging from the 1970s through the 80s, the Princeton wrestling program didn't need to take a backseat to anybody in the East.
The Tigers won nine of their 11 Ivy League titles during that stretch, and they won their most recent EIWA championship in 1978. Princeton picked up three Ivy League Wrestler of the Year nods, while three Tigers reached individual NCAA championship matches.
While the team was flourishing, Princeton itself was a huge part of the wrestling community. Jadwin Gym hosted the 1979, 1981 and 1987 EIWA Championships, as well as the 1975 and 1981 NCAA Championships.
The current Princeton wrestling team, led by sixth-year head coach Chris Ayres, may not be at that level right now, but there is no question that the needle is pointing in the right direction. Both individual and team successes have come over the last two years, and the 2011-12 team could be the deepest its been since those glory days.
As for Jadwin Gym, well, it's back in the mix as well. The EIWA Championships are coming back to Princeton, yet another sign that this rising program is again garnering respect within the wrestling community.
"We couldn't be more excited about the EIWA Championships coming to Princeton," Ayres said. "This is a building with great wrestling history, both at the collegiate and high school level. I think it's a perfect time for Easterns to come back to Princeton, because I feel like it's time for our team to make a bigger impact there."
After years of relying on freshmen and sophomores to carry the program, Ayres can actually see depth in his upperclassmen and believes that will translate into greater leadership within the program.
Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the 2011-12 Princeton Tigers:
125 • Junior Garrett Frey has been the face of the Princeton rebirth since his freshman season, when he upset the No. 2 and 3 seeds to reach the EIWA finals. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and will enter this season as the 20th-ranked wrestler at his weight.
Frey has won 27 matches in each of the last two seasons, and he defeated eventual EIWA champion Frank Perrelli 8-1 early last season. He admitted to being disappointed with the conclusion of his sophomore season, and he has worked tirelessly throughout the summer to make sure he is ready for his best year yet. Ayres thinks that Frey has the potential to win at any level, including at the NCAA Championships, and believes the best is still to come. Freshmen Ryan Cash and Jake Intrator will provide depth behind Frey, and they will gain great experience just by working with Frey at practice.
133 • Senior Tony Comunale was one period away from being Ayres' first NCAA qualifier, but an ankle injury suffered late in the EIWA Championships cost him that opportunity. He has been injury-plagued throughout his career, but his 18 victories as a freshman prove his capabilities as a wrestler. He is dealing with an early injury this season, but his resilience can't be questioned after the work he has already done to get back on the mat.
One name to pay attention to at this weight is Chris Perez, a freshman from Levittown, N.Y. Perez went 95-16 in high school and was a three-time NHSCA All-America honoree. He placed in the top seven three times, including a career-best finish of second at 125 pounds during his senior year. Ayres likes his toughness and his approach to the transition to Division I wrestling. He feels Perez will have a huge impact once he adjusts to the higher level of competition.
141 • Sophomores Adam Krop and Robert Shepherd will compete for the starting position at 141. Krop has impressed the staff greatly during the preseason, where he seems more comfortable after moving up from 133 last season. He won 12 matches last season, placed second at the Bearcat Open and earned two wins at the Southern Scuffle. He is very difficult to score on, but he has worked on his offense and should score more points this season.
Shepherd couldn't catch much of a break as a freshman. After winning two matches in three different tournaments, Shepherd suffered a pair of injuries that would cost him the rest of his season. A former Ohio state champion, Shepherd has pushed himself to challenge for the starting spot, and the competition between the two should make for a competitive starter at the position.
149 • The development over Ayres' six seasons can be defined at this weight. Where Ayres used to hold his breath that one starter would make it through the entire season healthy (a rarity in a sport as physically demanding as this one), he now sees about four potential starters vying for one position.
Junior Zach Bintliff is probably the early favorite after earning his first placewinner finish at the EIWA Championships last year. He won 16 matches as a sophomore, twice as many as he did his first season, including a 5-1 win that helped Princeton to a road win at Bucknell. He hasn't gotten nearly as much publicity as Frey, his classmate, but he could be one of Princeton's toughest matchups this season.
Fellow junior Luis Ramos is another potential starter here. He has as many career victories as Bintliff (24), and he has the experience of competing at the 2010 EIWA Championships. He is one of Princeton's toughest competitors during matches, which is shown in several close wins over the last two years.
Junior Jason Ott doesn't have the same experience as the other two, but he did gain some starting experience last season and has become a better wrestler because of it. Freshmen Josh Ellis and Kyle Roddy should also compete for time.
157 • Senior co-captain Daniel Kolodzik had a career effort last season, recording 25 wins and barely missing a ticket to the NCAA Championships. That served as the ultimate motivation to the first of Ayres' highly touted recruits, who has no plans on ending his career without a berth at nationals. Kolodzik was in the EIWA's most loaded weight class, with five guys ranked in the national Top 15, and he ended his season placing sixth at Easterns.
He now understands the level of competition required to reach nationals, and as a four-year starter, he will be Princeton's most experienced wrestler this season. Ayres has been thrilled with his preseason and won't limit his expectations for his hard-working senior.
165 • Like classmate Adam Krop, sophomore Brandon Rolnick seems more comfortable after moving up in weight class, and Ayres is hopeful that his development late last season will translate early into both victories and confidence. He won nine matches at 149 pounds, but seemed ready for a breakthrough during the Ivy League season before an injury cost him his final month. He is healthy now and is looking to provide stability at this weight class.
Rolnick's biggest competition will likely come from freshman Rich Eva, who recorded a high school career record of 167-40 and was nationally ranked each of his four years at Christiansburg. A three-time Virginia state champion, three-time region champion and four-time district champion, Eva earned FILA Cadet All-America honors in 2009.
174 • A pair of 2010-11 starters will compete at 174 pounds, and Ayres expects bigger seasons from either starter.
The incumbent starter at this weight is sophomore Ryan Callahan, one of the nation's top recruits in 2010 after going undefeated as a senior and winning the New Jersey state championship. Early on, it looked like that run would continue, as he won the Central Jersey Open and placed at both the Binghamton Open and Keystone Open. He struggled after that and missed a month with an injury, but Ayres thinks an offseason of workouts and some newfound confidence will make him more consistent.
He will be challenged by senior Andy Lowy, who moves up from the 165-pound weight class. His biggest win came in Princeton's team victory over Brown; his 8-2 victory helped spark a Tiger comeback. He won 15 matches as a sophomore and has started for Princeton in each of the last three EIWA Championships.
184 • Sophomore Dan Santoro has seemed to generate as much excitement from the coaching staff as anybody during the preseason, and he backed that optimism up by winning the 2011 Clarion Open while competing unattached last weekend. Santoro started at 197 last season and won four matches, but his development was evident enough that he was the recipient of Princeton's Hooker Trophy, awarded to that freshman member of the Princeton wrestling squad who has shown the greatest improvement during the season. Santoro did have one major highlight last season; his dramatic 3-1 win over Brown helped Princeton to its lone Ivy League victory.
Classmate Jacob Herskind will provide Santoro competition at 184, which Ayres hopes will be the starting point for a much improved cast of upperweight positions.
197 • After missing all of last season, senior Kurt Brendel is back and looking to build on his 15-win freshman season, when he, like Santoro, earned the Hooker Trophy. Brendel may need to shake off some rust early, but as a former Pennsylvania state placewinner who impressed early during his collegiate career, he has the ability to provide stability at this weight.
Classmate Stephen Turner has moved down from heavyweight and will compete with Brendel at 197. He represented Princeton at heavyweight during the 2009 EIWA championships.
HWT • Juniors Charles Fox and Bobby Grogan have both earned big Ivy League wins in their careers, and now each will look to fortify a heavyweight position that hasn't been a Princeton strength in a few years.
Fox is moving up from 197, where he started for Princeton at the EIWA Championships over the last two years. He had a 3-1 overtime win over Brown last season to clinch the Tigers' team win over the Bears. Grogan won four matches at heavyweight last season, but he won a 5-3 decision over Penn as a freshman.