Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Two Ranked Teams, 16 Ranked Wrestlers Highlight Strong Navy Classic Field
November 20, 2015 | Wrestling
Princeton will learn a ton about itself over an eight-day stretch, starting Saturday when it travels to Annapolis, Md., to compete in the 2015 Navy Classic.
The Tigers finished third in the 2013 event and second last year; if they can continue that progression, they would need to do so at the expense of two teams ranked inside the latest InterMat Top 25 tournament rankings. No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 22 Ohio will be among a strong nine-team field which features 16 ranked wrestlers spread out over eight weight classes.
Based on the latest InterMat rankings, two of those wrestlers are from Princeton, though there are as many as five Tigers ranked in other publications. Navy used InterMat for its publication on the event, meaning the two Tigers among the 16 ranked wrestlers are senior Abram Ayala (10th, 184) and junior Brett Harner (18th, 197).
You may not be surprised that both of those wrestlers are ranked, though you may have been caught off guard by the weights. Ayala is a two-time NCAA qualifier at 197, while Harner defeated two returning All-Americas at 184 last year; however, the duo flipped weights in the offseason. While this will be the season debut for Ayala, Harner impressed in his opener by winning the Binghamton Open two weeks ago.
Ayala is a returning champion from this event, while both Harner and 141-pound junior Jordan Laster are returning finalists. All three of those wrestlers made NCAAs last year, as did senior Chris Perez (149) and sophomore Jonathan Schleifer, who moved up to 174 this year. Perez has one ranked wrestler in his weight class, while Schleifer will have three, including fourth-ranked Cody Walters of Ohio.
The tournament is scheduled to begin at 10 am, with finals projected to start at 5 pm. More information on the tournament, courtesy of Navy, can be found below.
2015 Navy Classic
Date: Saturday, Nov. 21
Venue: Wesley Brown Field House
Participating teams: Brown, Bucknell, Campbell, Delaware Valley, George Mason, Kent State, #22 Ohio, Princeton and #13 Wisconsin
Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students (18 years and under)
Live Scoring: Brackets will be posted throughout the day on the wrestling page of Navy's official web site, www.NavySports.com
Projected session times:
10:00 am - preliminary rounds
2:30 pm - semifinals
5:00 pm - finals
Parking: Vehicle access to the Naval Academy is limited to those with a Department of Defense identification card. It is suggested that fans park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($5 per vehicle) and ride the FREE shuttle bus to and from the tournament. Shuttle bus service will begin at 9:30 am and run through the tournament. Note that a government issued identification card must be carried and presented by visitors to the USNA prior to being allowed onto The Yard.
Traffic Notice: The city of Annapolis will be hosting the TCS Annapolis Half Marathon on Saturday morning. The race will depart Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at 7:00 AM , proceed down Rowe Blvd, College Ave to Main St, to City Dock, to Randall St, turn left at USNA Gate 1, King George St to Route 450, past Gate 8 and across the Naval Academy Bridge. After running up past Route 50, the race will return down Route 2, across the bridge, past Gate 8, to King George St, down to College Ave, back up to Taylor Ave and ending at the stadium.
Due to road closures in support of the race, the following areas will experience limited vehicle access during the times listed below:
* Gate 1 will be closed to vehicle traffic from 7:00 - 8:15 AM.
* King George Street will be closed to vehicle traffic from 7:00 - 8:15 AM. King George Street from College Avenue to Route 450 will be closed from 7:00 - 10:30 AM.
* Route 450, Gate 8, Perry Circle and Arundel Estates will be open; however, vehicle ingress and egress will be only available from the direction of Route 2 and controlled by Police.
* Route 450 will be closed between Gate 8 and King George St from 7:00 - 10:30 AM. The Route 450 bridge will be open but access will be limited to those needing to access USNA.
All roads are scheduled to reopen NLT 10:30.
Gates 1, 3 & 8 will remain open at all times for pedestrian access.
Returning placewinners from the 2014 Navy Classic:
125
1 Paul Petrov, Bucknell
6 Del Vinas, Kent State
133
1 Mack McGuire, Kent State
141
2 Jordan Laster, Princeton
4 Noah Forrider, Ohio
6 Tyler Smith, Bucknell
149
4 Chris Perez, Princeton
157
1 Justin Staudenmayer, Brown
3 Greg Flournoy, George Mason
5 Andrew Romanchik, Ohio (now 184)
165
1 Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin
4 Jonathan Schleifer, Princeton (now 174)
5 Michael Coleman, Navy
174
1 Cody Walters, Ohio
6 Jadaen Bernstein, Navy
184
1 Ricky Robertson, Wisconsin (now 174)
2 Brett Harner, Princeton (now 197)
197
1 Abram Ayala, Princeton (now 184)
3 Phil Wellington, Ohio
4 Stephen Suglio, Kent St. (now 285)
285
4 Ray O'Donnell, Princeton
Participating Ranked Wrestlers:
125: #13 Paul Petrov, Bucknell; #19 Ben Willeford, Cleveland State
133: #14 Mack McGuire, Kent State; #20 Nathan Kraisser, Campbell
141: ---
149: #12 Michael DePalma, Kent State
157: #2 Ian Miller, Kent State; #13 Spartak Chino, Ohio
165: #2 Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin
174: #4 Cody Walters, Ohio; #17 Jadaen Bernstein, Navy; #19 Ricky Robertson, Wisconsin
184: #10 Abram Ayala, Princeton; #19 Cole Baxter, Kent State; #20 Mathew Miller, Navy
197: #7 Phil Wellington, Ohio; #18 Brett Harner, Princeton
285: ---