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Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Wrestling Team Welcomes #6 Virginia Tech Friday, Heads To The Palestra Sunday For Ivy Opener
January 05, 2017 | Wrestling
Head coach Chris Ayres purposely set up a daunting schedule for his squad this season so the Tigers would be well-tested for both the Ivy League stretch and the postseason.
The Tigers (4-4) will open the latter this weekend, but they have arguably their toughest test ahead of them Friday night when they host the sixth-ranked Hokies of Virginia Tech (5-1) in one of two matches streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Since its 26-13 victory over Binghamton in the home opener one month ago, Princeton has only competed at the Midlands Championships. For the second straight year, the Tigers placed a finalist; freshman Matthew Kolodzik reached the 141-pound championship match as the top seed, though he fell 1-0 to 2015 All-American Kevin Jack of N.C. State, the No. 2 seed. While Kolodzik has been the standout of the Class of 2020, Ayres is looking forward to the return of another Tiger freshman in Ty Agaisse, who has six wins on the season at 125.
That duo has brought youthful energy to the Tiger lineup, but the nationally ranked senior duo of Brett Harner and Jordan Laster has an opportunity to post upset wins as they open the second half of their
seasons Friday night. Harner, currently 12th at 197, takes on third-ranked Jared Haught, while Laster, 17th at 149, will face seventh-ranked Solomon Chishko.
Princeton assistant coach Sean Gray was an All-American at Virginia Tech, and he was recently inducted into the Hokies Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Hokies have seven nationally ranked starters, including five ranked inside the Top 4. Both Joey Dance (125) and Zach Epperly (174) are currently ranked second in their respective weight classes by InterMat, while heavyweight Ty Walz is third.
Following Friday night's match, Princeton will attempt to reach another Ivy League championship match, a process that begins Sunday at 1 pm against the Penn Quakers. The Tigers, who ended a 24-match losing streak to Penn last season, will head to the Palestra in a match streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. The highlight match could be a rematch of the 2016 EIWA semifinal between Harner and Frank Mattiace.
The Tigers (4-4) will open the latter this weekend, but they have arguably their toughest test ahead of them Friday night when they host the sixth-ranked Hokies of Virginia Tech (5-1) in one of two matches streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Since its 26-13 victory over Binghamton in the home opener one month ago, Princeton has only competed at the Midlands Championships. For the second straight year, the Tigers placed a finalist; freshman Matthew Kolodzik reached the 141-pound championship match as the top seed, though he fell 1-0 to 2015 All-American Kevin Jack of N.C. State, the No. 2 seed. While Kolodzik has been the standout of the Class of 2020, Ayres is looking forward to the return of another Tiger freshman in Ty Agaisse, who has six wins on the season at 125.
That duo has brought youthful energy to the Tiger lineup, but the nationally ranked senior duo of Brett Harner and Jordan Laster has an opportunity to post upset wins as they open the second half of their
seasons Friday night. Harner, currently 12th at 197, takes on third-ranked Jared Haught, while Laster, 17th at 149, will face seventh-ranked Solomon Chishko.
Princeton assistant coach Sean Gray was an All-American at Virginia Tech, and he was recently inducted into the Hokies Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Hokies have seven nationally ranked starters, including five ranked inside the Top 4. Both Joey Dance (125) and Zach Epperly (174) are currently ranked second in their respective weight classes by InterMat, while heavyweight Ty Walz is third.
Following Friday night's match, Princeton will attempt to reach another Ivy League championship match, a process that begins Sunday at 1 pm against the Penn Quakers. The Tigers, who ended a 24-match losing streak to Penn last season, will head to the Palestra in a match streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. The highlight match could be a rematch of the 2016 EIWA semifinal between Harner and Frank Mattiace.
| Wt. | Princeton | Virginia Tech | Penn |
| 125 | Ty Agaisse (6-5) | # 2 Joey Dance (11-0) | Jeremy Schwartz or Carl Antrassian |
| 133 | Pat D'Arcy (4-10) | Dominic Latona (3-6) | Caleb Richardson or Tristan DiVincenzo |
| 141 | #4 Matthew Kolodzik (16-1) | Dennis Gustafson (4-1) or Brendan Ryan (0-1) | A.J. Vindici |
| 149 | #17 Jordan Laster (10-6) | #7 Solomon Chishko (8-4) | Joe Oliva |
| 157 | Mike D'Angelo (3-5) | #15 Sal Mastriani (8-2) or Ryan Blees (1-0) | May Bethea or Brooks Martino |
| 165 | Joe Tavoso (2-8) | David Bergida (1-0) | Brooks Martino or Joe Velliquette |
| 174 | #17 Jon Schleifer (10-2) or Carlin Powell (2-3) | #2 Zach Epperly (6-0) | Casey Kent |
| 184 | Ian Baker (4-5) | #4 Zack Zavatsky (11-2) | Joe Heyob or Ryan Wosick |
| 197 | #12 Brett Harner (8-4) | #3 Jared Haught (9-2) | Frank Mattiace or Joe Heyob |
| HWT | Ray O'Donnell (6-4) | #3 Ty Walz (8-1) | Tyler Hall |
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