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All-American Matthew Kolodzik Earns GPT Coach USA Athlete Of The Week Honor
March 20, 2017 | Wrestling
Matthew Kolodzik, who became the 10th wrestler in Princeton history to achieve All-American status last weekend, has been named the GoPrincetonTigers.com/Coach USA Athlete of the Week.
Kolodzik, the first Tiger freshman to ever achieve that honor, defeated Bucknell's Tyler Smith by an 11-3 major decision during the Round of 12 to clinch All-American honors. He went 4-2 over the weekend, including two wins in the championship bracket, to join this illustrious list of Princeton All-Americans: Warren Taylor '43. Bradley Glass '53. Emil Deliere '72. John Sefter '78, Henry Milligan '81, John Orr '85, Dave Crisanti '86, Greg Parker '03, Brett Harner '17.
Kolodzik wrapped up an incredible freshman season — All-American, EIWA champion, 30 victories, Ivy League Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Ivy League honoree — by rallying in the third period of his seventh-place match for a 3-1 victory over 14th-seeded Thomas Thorn of Minnesota. Trailing 1-0 entering the final period, Kolodzik selected the down position and slipped behind Thorn for a reversal (see video highlights above) to grab a 2-1 lead. He rode the Minnesota sophomore the remainder of the period to pick up a 3-1 victory and finish seventh in the nation, the best for a Princeton wrestler since Greg Parker '03 reached the 2002 championship match.
"I knew he was planning on throwing everything out at me today, and I planned on doing the same," Kolodzik said afterwards. "So that's what I did. I take a little bit of frustration with me [after the weekend]. I'm happy for the team, I'm happy for me, I'm happy that I [earned All-American] and ultimately bring this program another step closer to where it wants to be. At the end of the day, this is the seventh step on that podium. There's another six above it, and the goal is to be at the top of all of them."
Kolodzik's win helped Princeton finish 25th in the NCAA Championships, which marks only the seventh time in program history that the Tigers achieved that milestone, and the first since 1985. The Tigers finished with 15.5 points after bringing a program-best seven wrestlers — Kolodzik, Pat D'Arcy, Mike D'Angelo, Jonathan Schleifer, and the senior captain trio of Brett Harner, Jordan Laster and Ray O'Donnell — to St. Louis.
Kolodzik, the first Tiger freshman to ever achieve that honor, defeated Bucknell's Tyler Smith by an 11-3 major decision during the Round of 12 to clinch All-American honors. He went 4-2 over the weekend, including two wins in the championship bracket, to join this illustrious list of Princeton All-Americans: Warren Taylor '43. Bradley Glass '53. Emil Deliere '72. John Sefter '78, Henry Milligan '81, John Orr '85, Dave Crisanti '86, Greg Parker '03, Brett Harner '17.
Kolodzik wrapped up an incredible freshman season — All-American, EIWA champion, 30 victories, Ivy League Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Ivy League honoree — by rallying in the third period of his seventh-place match for a 3-1 victory over 14th-seeded Thomas Thorn of Minnesota. Trailing 1-0 entering the final period, Kolodzik selected the down position and slipped behind Thorn for a reversal (see video highlights above) to grab a 2-1 lead. He rode the Minnesota sophomore the remainder of the period to pick up a 3-1 victory and finish seventh in the nation, the best for a Princeton wrestler since Greg Parker '03 reached the 2002 championship match.
"I knew he was planning on throwing everything out at me today, and I planned on doing the same," Kolodzik said afterwards. "So that's what I did. I take a little bit of frustration with me [after the weekend]. I'm happy for the team, I'm happy for me, I'm happy that I [earned All-American] and ultimately bring this program another step closer to where it wants to be. At the end of the day, this is the seventh step on that podium. There's another six above it, and the goal is to be at the top of all of them."
Kolodzik's win helped Princeton finish 25th in the NCAA Championships, which marks only the seventh time in program history that the Tigers achieved that milestone, and the first since 1985. The Tigers finished with 15.5 points after bringing a program-best seven wrestlers — Kolodzik, Pat D'Arcy, Mike D'Angelo, Jonathan Schleifer, and the senior captain trio of Brett Harner, Jordan Laster and Ray O'Donnell — to St. Louis.
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