Princeton University Athletics
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Senior Day, ESPN3 Match, Local Rivals Highlight Huge Wrestling Weekend
February 18, 2015 | Wrestling
HIGHLIGHTS: PRINCETON SWEEPS HARVARD, BROWN DURING "CELEBRATION" DAY
Princeton has one final regular season weekend remaining before the EIWA Championships (March 6-7, Bethlehem, Pa.), but the Tigers aren't exactly taking it easy to wrap up the regular season. The Tigers will wrestle three times over about a 26-hour span, including a showdown with Penn on ESPN3 and a Senior Day matchup with 10th-ranked Nebraska.
| Date • Time • Location | at Rider: Fri., 6 pm • at Penn: Sat., noon • vs. Nebraska: Sat., 7 pm |
| Live Video Stream |
Rider l Penn l Nebraska |
| Live Results | Rider l Penn l Nebraska |
| @TigerWrestling l @PUTigers l @PUTigersLive | |
| Rosters | Princeton l Rider l Penn l Nebraska |
| Schedules | Princeton l Rider l Penn l Nebraska |
| What's Next? | Princeton travels to the EIWA Championships (March 6-7, Lehigh) |
Princeton (9-6, 3-1 Ivy) had won four straight matches, including three in the Ivy League, prior to Saturday's loss at 21st-ranked Rutgers. A weekend sweep for freshman Jonathan Schleifer did send him into the InterMat Top 20 for the first time this season; the former New Jersey state champion is currently 20th at 165 pounds, while junior teammate Abram Ayala is 12th at 197.
Ayala is tied for the team lead in victories with sophomore Brett Harner (184), both of whom have 25 wins this season. Harner has won seven of eight matches heading the weekend, and he will have multiple opportunities to make major statements during the weekend.
The Tigers will open the weekend with a short trip down Rt. 1 to nearby Rider University for a 6 pm showdown with the Broncs. Rider (12-7) spent much of the season ranked inside the Top 25, and it has home wins over both Lehigh and Wisconsin already this season. The Broncs have three wrestlers with 20 wins this season, including Chad Walsh, who is 25-7 at 157.
Saturday begins with the Ivy League finale at the Palestra against the Penn Quakers (7-5, 3-1 Ivy), who have won 22 straight matches over Princeton since an 18-15 Tiger win during the 1990-91 season. The Quakers are led by senior Lorenzo Thomas, a 2014 All-America who is currently ranked 5th at 184; his showdown with Harner could be the highlight match as both teams compete for second place outright in the Ivy League. Sophomore Caleb Richardson is also ranked 18th nationally at 133.
The match will be streamed on both the Ivy League Digital Network and ESPN3/WatchESPN. You can find all the appropriate links in the chart atop this release.
Princeton's will honor its Class of 2015 Saturday at 7 pm when it takes on 10th-ranked Nebraska in Dillon Gym on the Ivy League Digital Network. The Cornhuskers are currently 12-1 on the season, and they have the nation's top-ranked 174-pound wrestler in Robert Kokesh, who is 28-0 on the season. Harner will likely face 15th-ranked TJ Dudley at 184, and that could be followed by a Top-15 showdown at 197; Ayala, who has multiple Top-20 wins already this season, is slated to face 13th-ranked Aaron Studebaker, who is 25-7 this season.