Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, November 4
Princeton, N.J.
All Day
Princeton University
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Princeton Open
Prior To NWCA All-Star Classic, Wrestling Season Opens Saturday With 2017 Tiger Open
November 02, 2017 | Wrestling
FOLLOW THE TIGER OPEN
A lot has changed since last season. The standard has not.
What has changed? Well …
• For the first time since the 2012-13 season, you can't write the names Laster, Harner, and O'Donnell into the starting lineup. That trio combined for 289 victories, eight NCAA appearances, two EIWA titles and an All-American honor.
• Four starters from last season, each of whom either made NCAAs or suffered a late-season injury that kept them from the postseason, moved to new weights. Among those are 2017 All-American Matthew Kolodzik, who went up to 149, and three-time NCAA qualifier Jonathan Schleifer, who moved down to 165.
• With graduations come opportunities, and several underclassmen (including at least one freshman) are projected to start for the Tigers this season.
As for that standard — the Higher Standard, as the team knows it — Princeton has every expectation to succeed at both the team and individual level this season. The team opens its season Saturday afternoon with the Tiger Open, which will be held in Jadwin Gym and is the appetizer for Sunday's NWCA All-Star Classic. You can follow all results from the Tiger Open via TrackWrestling (see link above).
Here is a quick weight-by-weight look at where Princeton stands entering the 2017-18 season:
125: Sophomore Matteo DeVincenzo took advantage of a late-season injury to teammate Ty Agaisse and won two matches to place eighth at the 2017 EIWA Championships. He combined that experience with good offseason work to stake his claim for the starting spot at 125, but freshman Jonathan Gomez comes in as a two-time New York state champion, as well as a two-time Fargo All-American from the Long Island area. Gomez scored a 10-4 win over DeVincenzo at the outdoor intrasquad scrimmage last weekend, and both will certainly be looked at during early-season tournaments.
133: Agaisse was a freshman starter at 125 from the start of his season, and he showed his toughness with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Rutgers in the Battle at the Birthplace. He had a Top-15 win later in the season against Stanford, but a late-season injury kept him from the postseason. Head coach Chris Ayres believes his move up a weight will better suit his longterm goals this season after a challenging freshman year. He didn't get the same attention as his teammates after the great 2017 postseason, but he could be primed for a special season.
141: Junior Pat D'Arcy was one of the breakout success stories of the 2016-17 season. He was a first-team All-Ivy honoree after a 5-0 run through the league, placed fourth at EIWAs and knocked off the 13th seed in his NCAA Championships debut. D'Arcy, who has 39 career wins for Princeton, is now a veteran in the lineup and will move to 141 this season. Senior Jordan Reich, a tireless worker in the room, will provide depth at the weight.
149: Kolodzik enters his sophomore season with a No. 5 ranking at his new weight, and he is coming off a 30-win season that ended with an All-American trophy at the NCAA Championships. The reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year will face a major test Sunday against third-ranked Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa. Freshman John Pipa, a three-time Pennsylvania state finalist, has impressed the coaching staff early and will provide a quality backup for Kolodzik.
157: Now in his 12th season, Ayres may never have had a top two at one weight quite as loaded as this one. Junior Mike D'Angelo is coming off a 17-win, first-team All-Ivy League season that ended in St. Louis at the NCAA Championships. He reached NCAAs by upsetting a nationally ranked opponent at EIWAs, and he is emerging as a leader in the room. Sophomore Leonard Merkin, the man with the 10-second pin at last year's EIWA Championships, is coming off a summer in which he won two medals at the Junior Pan-Am Championships. D'Angelo is the favorite at the weight right now, but he won't face many tougher opponents than the one he'll see daily in practice.
165: Schleifer is back at the weight he won Princeton's first Ivy League Rookie of the Year award (2015), and he enters his senior year with 66 victories and three trips to the NCAA Championships — no Princeton wrestler has ever gone four times. We'll get an early idea of his potential at the weight, as he'll take on fifth-ranked Chad Walsh of Rider in the main event of the NWCA All-Star Classic, but Ayres believes Schleifer could be headed towards a potentially special senior year.
174: After five straight weights where the starter is basically set, 174 is easily the most open starting spot in the lineup. Sophomore Carlin Powell won four matches as a freshman, including his Ivy League debut against Columbia, while junior Matthew Gancayco is a former 17-match winner and one of the toughest opponents to figure out on the mat. Freshman Dale Tiongson, a two-time Maryland Independent School state champion, could be a wild card as he develops more. This could be a season-long competition, though Ayres would love to see somebody establish himself in November and grow into the starting spot.
184: Sophomore Kevin Parker showed several flashes of his potential last season, and Ayres is hoping that the year of experience will bring greater consistency into his matches this year. New York state champion Kendall Elfstrum will push him for the starting spot, though Parker has the inside track after a hard-fought 6-3 win at the intersquad scrimmage.
197: The one freshman most likely to start this season is Illinois state champion Patrick Brucki, the fifth-ranked recruit at his weight last season. He posted a 175-24 career record in high school, and he won 94 of his last 98 matches. Senior Ian Baker is dealing with a preseason injury, but the former Southeast Open champion will push Brucki when healthy.
285: Sophomore Christian Araneo was able to spend his first year developing both on the mat and in the weight room while O'Donnell held the heavyweight spot, and Araneo should be much more prepared for the weight this season. He doesn't have the collegiate match experience yet, but he could be one of those wrestlers that makes a dramatic improvement in the second half of the season once he gets a few under his belt.
A lot has changed since last season. The standard has not.
What has changed? Well …
• For the first time since the 2012-13 season, you can't write the names Laster, Harner, and O'Donnell into the starting lineup. That trio combined for 289 victories, eight NCAA appearances, two EIWA titles and an All-American honor.
• Four starters from last season, each of whom either made NCAAs or suffered a late-season injury that kept them from the postseason, moved to new weights. Among those are 2017 All-American Matthew Kolodzik, who went up to 149, and three-time NCAA qualifier Jonathan Schleifer, who moved down to 165.
• With graduations come opportunities, and several underclassmen (including at least one freshman) are projected to start for the Tigers this season.
As for that standard — the Higher Standard, as the team knows it — Princeton has every expectation to succeed at both the team and individual level this season. The team opens its season Saturday afternoon with the Tiger Open, which will be held in Jadwin Gym and is the appetizer for Sunday's NWCA All-Star Classic. You can follow all results from the Tiger Open via TrackWrestling (see link above).
Here is a quick weight-by-weight look at where Princeton stands entering the 2017-18 season:
125: Sophomore Matteo DeVincenzo took advantage of a late-season injury to teammate Ty Agaisse and won two matches to place eighth at the 2017 EIWA Championships. He combined that experience with good offseason work to stake his claim for the starting spot at 125, but freshman Jonathan Gomez comes in as a two-time New York state champion, as well as a two-time Fargo All-American from the Long Island area. Gomez scored a 10-4 win over DeVincenzo at the outdoor intrasquad scrimmage last weekend, and both will certainly be looked at during early-season tournaments.
133: Agaisse was a freshman starter at 125 from the start of his season, and he showed his toughness with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Rutgers in the Battle at the Birthplace. He had a Top-15 win later in the season against Stanford, but a late-season injury kept him from the postseason. Head coach Chris Ayres believes his move up a weight will better suit his longterm goals this season after a challenging freshman year. He didn't get the same attention as his teammates after the great 2017 postseason, but he could be primed for a special season.
141: Junior Pat D'Arcy was one of the breakout success stories of the 2016-17 season. He was a first-team All-Ivy honoree after a 5-0 run through the league, placed fourth at EIWAs and knocked off the 13th seed in his NCAA Championships debut. D'Arcy, who has 39 career wins for Princeton, is now a veteran in the lineup and will move to 141 this season. Senior Jordan Reich, a tireless worker in the room, will provide depth at the weight.
149: Kolodzik enters his sophomore season with a No. 5 ranking at his new weight, and he is coming off a 30-win season that ended with an All-American trophy at the NCAA Championships. The reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year will face a major test Sunday against third-ranked Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa. Freshman John Pipa, a three-time Pennsylvania state finalist, has impressed the coaching staff early and will provide a quality backup for Kolodzik.
157: Now in his 12th season, Ayres may never have had a top two at one weight quite as loaded as this one. Junior Mike D'Angelo is coming off a 17-win, first-team All-Ivy League season that ended in St. Louis at the NCAA Championships. He reached NCAAs by upsetting a nationally ranked opponent at EIWAs, and he is emerging as a leader in the room. Sophomore Leonard Merkin, the man with the 10-second pin at last year's EIWA Championships, is coming off a summer in which he won two medals at the Junior Pan-Am Championships. D'Angelo is the favorite at the weight right now, but he won't face many tougher opponents than the one he'll see daily in practice.
165: Schleifer is back at the weight he won Princeton's first Ivy League Rookie of the Year award (2015), and he enters his senior year with 66 victories and three trips to the NCAA Championships — no Princeton wrestler has ever gone four times. We'll get an early idea of his potential at the weight, as he'll take on fifth-ranked Chad Walsh of Rider in the main event of the NWCA All-Star Classic, but Ayres believes Schleifer could be headed towards a potentially special senior year.
174: After five straight weights where the starter is basically set, 174 is easily the most open starting spot in the lineup. Sophomore Carlin Powell won four matches as a freshman, including his Ivy League debut against Columbia, while junior Matthew Gancayco is a former 17-match winner and one of the toughest opponents to figure out on the mat. Freshman Dale Tiongson, a two-time Maryland Independent School state champion, could be a wild card as he develops more. This could be a season-long competition, though Ayres would love to see somebody establish himself in November and grow into the starting spot.
184: Sophomore Kevin Parker showed several flashes of his potential last season, and Ayres is hoping that the year of experience will bring greater consistency into his matches this year. New York state champion Kendall Elfstrum will push him for the starting spot, though Parker has the inside track after a hard-fought 6-3 win at the intersquad scrimmage.
197: The one freshman most likely to start this season is Illinois state champion Patrick Brucki, the fifth-ranked recruit at his weight last season. He posted a 175-24 career record in high school, and he won 94 of his last 98 matches. Senior Ian Baker is dealing with a preseason injury, but the former Southeast Open champion will push Brucki when healthy.
285: Sophomore Christian Araneo was able to spend his first year developing both on the mat and in the weight room while O'Donnell held the heavyweight spot, and Araneo should be much more prepared for the weight this season. He doesn't have the collegiate match experience yet, but he could be one of those wrestlers that makes a dramatic improvement in the second half of the season once he gets a few under his belt.
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