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Rider Escapes With 18-15 Wrestling Win; Tigers Face Penn, Nebraska Saturday
February 21, 2015 | Wrestling
The Princeton wrestling team split its 10 matches at Rider Friday evening, but the lone match with bonus points went the way of the home team in an 18-15 victory for the Broncs.
Princeton showed impressive resolve in rallying twice from significant deficits, but it could never get over the top against the Broncs. Sophomore Jordan Laster picked up Princeton's first win, scoring a takedown in the third period and claiming a point for riding time in a 5-4 win over Chuck Zeisloft.
Junior Chris Perez found himself down 2-0 early in his match at 149, but he scored an escape and a takedown to grab a 3-2 lead in the third. His opponent, Jimmy Morris, managed a late escape, but not before Perez had clinched a riding time point for a 4-3 win.
That cut the deficit to 9-6, but Rider won the next three matches to open a 12-point lead. Sophomore Brett Harner found himself locked in a tight showdown with Clint Morrison at 184, but his late takedown was enough for a 4-3 victory. It was Harner's 26th win of the season, and junior Abram Ayala followed with his 26th win in a 7-4 decision at 197.
Sophomore Ray O'Donnell added a win at heavyweight to close the dual.
"We won some really close, tough matches, which was great to see," head coach Chris Ayres said. "Jordan, Chris and Brett found ways to win some gritty matches late. In some cases, we need to learn to force the action when our opponent isn't doing anything. It's another step in the process, but I'm overally happy with how we competed tonight. We still have a lot to accomplish this weekend."
Saturday begins with the Ivy League finale at the Palestra against the Penn Quakers (7-5, 3-1 Ivy), who have won 23 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.
Rider 18, Princeton 15
125 – J.R. Wert (R) dec. Ryan Cash 8-2
133 – Rob Deutsch (R) wbf Trey Asianian 5:41
141 – Jordan Laster (P) dec. Chuck Zeisloft 5-4
149 – Chris Perez (P) dec. Jimmy Morris 4-3
157 – Chad Walsh (R) dec. Rich Eva 4-0
165 – Conor Brennan (R) dec. No. 20 Jonathan Schleifer 6-4 ot
174 – Ryan Wolfe (R) dec. Judd Ziegler 12-7
184 – Brett Harner (P) dec. Clint Morrison 4-3
197 – Abram Ayala (P) dec. Donald McNeil 7-4
285 – Ray O'Donnell (P) dec. Greg Velasco 4-0