Princeton University Athletics
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Wrestling Hopes To Cap "Celebration" Saturday With Pair Of Ivy Victories
February 05, 2015 | Wrestling
TIGERCAST WITH ABRAM AYALA
Dillon Gym will host a "Celebration Of Princeton Wrestling" Saturday, when some of the program's most prominent alumni and supporters will be honored. The current Princeton wrestling team would love nothing more than to enhance the celebration with a pair of Ivy League victories.
| Date • Time • Location | Feb. 6 • 1 pm/6 pm • Dillon Gym (free admission) |
| Follow Along | Live Video (subscription required) • Live Results: Harvard l Brown |
| @TigerWrestling l @PUTigers l @PUTigersLive | |
| Rosters | Princeton l Harvard l Brown |
| Schedules | Princeton l Harvard l Brown |
| What's Next? | Princeton heads to Columbia (Feb. 13) and Rutgers (Feb. 14) |
Princeton (6-5, 0-1 Ivy) will host both Harvard (1-4, 0-1) and Brown (3-5, 0-1) during a full day of wrestling Saturday at Dillon Gym. The Princeton-Harvard match will begin the day at 1 pm, and it will be followed by a nationally ranked high school match featuring #3 Wyoming Seminary and #45 Delbarton (slated for a 3 pm start). Princeton will return to the mat at 6 pm to take on Brown, and there will be a social for Friends of Princeton Wrestling afterwards at the Carl Fields Center.
Both matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
It could be a big weekend for a trio of Tiger wrestlers, each of whom can hit the 20-win mark on Saturday. Sophomore Jordan Laster will have the first opportunity, as he'll enter the afternoon with 19 victories on the season. His 20th win would arguably be the biggest of his career, as he will likely face Harvard's Todd Preston, currently ranked 15th nationally and the reigning EIWA champion.
Both Jonathan Schleifer (165) and Ray O'Donnell (285) have 18 wins coming into the weekend. Schleifer is Princeton's top freshman this season, while O'Donnell is coming off a perfect weekend at Cornell and Franklin & Marshall.
That trio has the opportunity to join both No. 10 Abram Ayala (featured on this week's TigerCast) and Brett Harner as 20-match winners this season, and both Ayala and Harner face big tests Saturday. Ayala, coming off a win over No. 12 Jace Bennett last weekend, will likely face No. 14 James Fox of Harvard; this would be the third matchup of the season for the duo, and each has won once this year.
In the nightcap, Harner could match up with senior Ophir Bernstein, who went 2-0 against Harner last season and eliminated him one match shy of the NCAA Championships at the EIWAs last season. Bernstein has been ranked much of this season, while 157-pound sophomore Justin Staudenmayer is currently ranked 20th at 157.