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Wrestling Squad Looks For Quick Start To 2012 During Pitt Duals
January 06, 2012 | Wrestling
When the Princeton wrestling team flourished in the final week of 2011, head coach Chris Ayres hoped for nothing more than a positive springboard into a critical three-month stretch for the program. That journey, which will include the Ivy League season and a return to Jadwin Gym for the EIWA Championships, begins Saturday during the Pitt Duals in the Fitzgerald Field House at the University of Pittsburgh.
Princeton may not have had the dual meet success it hoped for early in this season (1-6), but it performed extraordinarily in a handful of tournaments. After placing six in the season-opening Binghamton Open, Princeton finished fourth at the Keystone Open and topped both Harvard and Penn.
Those would be a mere appetizer to last week's Midland Championships, where five Tiger wrestlers combined to lead Princeton to a 19th-place finish in one of the nation's most prestigious tournaments. Sophomore Adam Krop provided the highlight performance; the 12th seed, he won five of six matches to place third. His lone loss came by a 3-2 score to top-seeded Montell Marion of Iowa.
Listen to Adam Krop on the latest TigerCast here.
Senior teammate Daniel Kolodzik, who placed at the Southern Scuffle one year earlier, added an eighth-place finish at 157 pounds. Also a 12th seed, Kolodzik upset two higher seeds, including nationally ranked Steve Monk of North Dakota State, along the way to his spot on the podium.
Junior Garrett Frey (125), sophomore Dan Santoro (184) and freshman Chris Perez (133) also competed; though none of the three placed, they combined for seven of Princeton's 16 victories.
Those five will join Wilkes Open champion Kurt Brendel and finalist Zach Bintliff in Pittsburgh for the 2011 Pitt Duals, where Princeton will wrestle a trio of dual matches. Competition will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. against Davidson and will continue at 10:30 against VMI. Princeton's final match will come against Pittsburgh, which is ranked in the team Top 30 by Intermat.
Follow live results Saturday through the official Twitter feed of Princeton Wrestling.
Davidson is 0-3 this season and is coming off a 27-19 loss to Ohio Northern on Dec. 18. Freshman Kevin Birmingham will be looking for his 10th win of the season during the opening match when he faces Krop, who will be competiting for the first time since Midlands.
VMI is 1-1 on the season, with its victory coming in an 18-17 thriller over Franklin & Marshall. Senior Matthew Brock has a team-best 15-8 record at 174 and will likely face either senior Andy Lowy or sophomore Ryan Callahan during the 10:30 match.
Pitt is 4-1, including an impressive 18-16 road victory at Lehigh in the dual meet opener. Junior Anthony Zanetta is ranked 15th nationally at 125 and has a 13-2 record; his match with Frey could set the tone for the team match. Senior Tyler Nauman, a 2011 All-America, has 15 victories at 149 pounds and will present a big challenge to Bintliff, who needs two more wins to become Princeton's seventh wrestler with double-digit victories this season.
Following the Pitt Duals, Princeton will return home for a pair of home matches next weekend. The Tigers will open against Millersville Friday at 7, and they will host No. 5 Cornell Saturday at 6 p.m.
PRINCETON PROBABLES
125- Garrett Frey (20-7) or Ryan Cash (0-0)
133- Chris Perez (13-9) or Joe DeQuinzio (4-1)
141- No. 20 Adam Krop (18-6)
149- Zach Bintliff (8-10)
157- Daniel Kolodzik (18-7)
165- Rich Eva (5-12) or Grayson Shepperd (5-4)
174- Andy Lowy (11-8) or Ryan Callahan (4-3)
184- Dan Santoro (14-11)
197- Kurt Brendel (7-11)
285- Bobby Grogan (2-8)