Princeton University
Lehigh
Players Mentioned
Late Rally Secures Win Over Army, Split For Tigers In Grapple at the Garden
December 21, 2014 | Wrestling
A strong finish to its afternoon finale assured the Princeton wrestling team a satisfactory way to head into the holiday break. After falling to 10th-ranked Lehigh in the 2014 Grapple at the Garden, Princeton rallied with wins in its final two matches to push past Army 19-17.
Both tenth-ranked junior Abram Ayala and freshman Jonathan Schleifer went 2-0 on the day, though both worked hard to get there. Ayala won the only Top 20 showdown of Princeton's two matches in the opener; he rode 17th-ranked Elliot Riddick for a 30-second tiebreaker to keep the score at 4-4. Riddick chose neutral in the second part of the tiebreaker to give Ayala a 5-4 edge, but he couldn't take the Tiger junior down for the go-ahead points.
In his second match, Ayala took the mat with his team down 17-13, meaning any loss would have clinched the team win for Army. Even at 5-5 against Bryce Barnes, Ayala scored a takedown late in the second period to grab a lead. He held off Barnes in the third to clinch the win.
That left sophomore heavyweight Ray O'Donnell the opportunity to clinch the team win, and he was dominant against Mason Kumashiro. After a scoreless opening period, O'Donnell turned Kumashiro for three points in the second and never looked back in the 7-0 win.
The rally against Army began at 165 by Schleifer, whose perfect day ended with a 9-6 win over Chandler Smith. Schleifer scored an early takedown in the first to assume quick control, then built the lead to 5-0 in the second. His win capped an impressive day for the Tiger freshman, who topped Lehigh's Santiago Martinez 5-2 in the opener. Schleifer had two takedowns in the win.
Senior Adam Krop, ranked 18th nationally, earned a win over Lehigh, while sophomore Brett Harner added a win over Army. Harner's opener was a hard-fought 8-2 loss to Lehigh's Nathaniel Brown, who is ranked third nationally. Harner was within three points in the final period, but couldn't manage a takedown to draw closer.
Princeton will now be off until the Midlands Championships, held Dec. 29-30 at Northwestern.
No. 10 Lehigh 23, Princeton 10
125 - Scott Parker (L) dec. Ryan Cash 8-2
133 - No. 6 Mason Beckman (L) TF. Christian Innarella 24-7
141 - Randy Cruz (L) dec. Jordan Laster 2-0
149 - No. 18 Adam Krop (P) md. William Switzer 13-3
157 - Mitchell Minotti (L) dec. Francesco Fabozzi 5-0
165 - Jonathan Schleifer (P) dec. Santiago Martinez 5-2
174 - Marshall Pepperman (L) dec. Troy Murtha 3-1
184 - No. 3 Nathaniel Brown (L) dec. Brett Harner 8-2
197 - No. 10 Abram Ayala (P) dec. No. 17 Elliot Riddick TB-1 5-4
285 - Douglas Vollaro (L) dec. Ray O'Donnell SV-1 4-2
Princeton 19, Army 17
125 - Sean Badua (A) dec. Ryan Cash 6-4
133 - Christian Innarella (P) wins by forfeit
141 - Logan Everett (A) dec. Jordan Laster 3-2
149 - Andrew Mendel (A) md. Max Rogers 9-0
157 - No. 20 Russell Parsons (A) dec. Chris Perez 6-4
165 - Jonathan Schleifer (P) dec. Chandler Smith 9-6
174 - Brett Harvey (L) md. Judd Ziegler 14-2
184 - Brett Harner (P) md. Austion Wilding 12-3
197 - No. 10 Abram Ayala (P) dec. Bryce Barnes 8-6
285 - Ray O'Donnell (P) dec. Mason Kumashiro 7-0