Princeton University Athletics
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Wrestling Team Continues Upswing, Welcomes Another Top-20 Recruiting Class
May 23, 2017 | Wrestling
Chris Ayres, the two-time reigning Ivy League Coach of the Year, understands just how important his current senior class has played in the growth of Princeton wrestling. He also has great belief that his incoming class has the potential to continue the program's development into a power at both the league and national level.
And he isn't alone.
Once again, an incoming Princeton class has been lauded by most of the major wrestling publications. The Open Mat ranked Princeton 15th overall, while both InterMat and Flo have Princeton ranked 17th. This is the fourth straight year Princeton has ranked in the Top 25, and the third time over that stretch that Princeton has been in the Top 20.
"We are incredibly excited to bring in another class that is ranked in the top 20 by all the national wrestling publications," Ayres said. "The graduating Class of 2017 had a huge impact on the program and as we were building this class we knew we needed a great one if we wanted to continue moving to higher levels. I feel confident in saying these eight wrestlers will be the ones that help get us to our next goal of consistent Top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. They add a ton of talent to the program and will fit our lineup well. I expect several of these wrestlers will be consistent starters as freshman.
"I would like to thank these young men for joining us on this adventure to being one of the top programs in the country," Ayres added. "Additionally, to put together a class like this takes a lot of work from a lot of people and I would like to specifically recognize Coaches Dubuque, Gray, and Heflin for their work in securing this class. I feel so fortunate to be working next to such a passionate group of coaches."
You can read more about the Class of 2021 below.
Patrick Brucki
197 • Orland Park, Ill. • Carl Sandburg
Before Princeton — won the 2017 Illinois state championship … ranked fifth at his weight (195) by InterMat … posted a 175-24 career record in high school; went 94-4 in last two years … placed in top three at Illinois state championships, and made two finals … took third and earned All-American status at the Fargo National Championships … took fifth at the 2015 Fila Cadet Freestyle … defeated the Missouri state champion at the Missouri Border Battle … member of the Illinois Freestyle Junior Dual Team multiple years … three-time Defensive MVP for the football team … broke school tackles record, previously held by current Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald … all-area football player … member of the Student School Improvement Committee and the Student Athletic Leadership Committee … enrolled in the PEOPLE program for promoting athletics for special needs students … SADD promoter … member of the National Honor Society.
Personal — born Dec. 1, 1998 … son of Kenneth and Patricia Brucki … has two older siblings, Jesselyn and Christian; brother wrestles at Central Michigan and was the No. 12 seed at the 2017 NCAA Championships … uncle Ralph McCausland was a 1978 Division II national champion at Eastern Illinois, where he currently serves as head coach … enjoys sports, music and coffee … considering studying civil engineering at Princeton.
Kendall Elfstrum
184/197 • Central Valley, N.Y. • Monroe Woodbury
Before Princeton — won 195-pound New York state title as a senior … three-time state medalist and three-time section champion … posted a 122-21 career record, and a 60-7 record over final two years … placed at the Super 32 as a senior … three-time NHSCA All-American … member of the National Dual team champions … three-time team MVP … served as team captain … won the 2017 sectional "Comeback of the Year" award … two-time all-star team selection … Scholar-Athlete … member of the National Honor Society … Eagle Scout.
Personal — born Dec. 27, 1998 … son of Kraig and Lisa Elfstrum … has an older sibling Kailey … enjoys hiking, camping, and working out … interested in studying either economics or finance at Princeton.
Jonathan Gomez
125/133 • Lattingtown, N.Y. • Locust Valley
Before Princeton — two-time New York state champion … four-time Nassau County champion … reached three state finals … two-time Fargo All-American … 2015 New York state triple crown winner … NHSCA national champion (2015) … 2017 Eastern States champion … posted a 153-12 record in high school … two-year team captain … also played lacrosse … two-time first-team selection on the All-Long Island Team … member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.
Personal — born May 20, 1999 … son of Michael and Julie Gomez … has two older brothers, Michael and Joseph, and a younger brother Nicholas; Michael started at 125 for Drexel … enjoys playing lacrosse … considering studying public policy at Princeton.
Conor Melbourne
149/157 • Waccabuc, N.Y. • John Jay Cross River
Before Princeton — placed fifth at New York state championships … three-time sectional finalist … four-time all-section … posted a 163-29 career record … three-time NHSCA All-American … two-time NHSCA finalist … three-time placewinner and one-time finalist at Eastern States … team captain.
Personal — born Feb. 6, 1999 … son of Brian and Claire Melbourne … undecided on course of study at Princeton.
John Pipa
141/149 • Harrisburg, Pa. • Bishop McDevitt
Before Princeton — three-time regional and district champion … three-time Pennsylvania state runner-up … finished third at the 2017 Powerade, and fourth in 2014 … won the King of the Mountain (2015) and Escape The Rock (2017) … posted a 143-24 record in high school … two-year team captain … member of the National Honor Society and Math National Honor Society … finalist for the John Travers Award.
Personal — born Nov. 21, 1998 … son of Michael and Ann Marie Pipa … has three older sisters (Alexandria, Brittany, Janie), two older brothers (Mikey, David), and two younger brothers (Luke, Mark) … David wrestles at Lehigh … enjoys fishing and being outdoors … considering studying Operations Research and Financial Engineering.
Mark Schleifer
125 • East Brunswick, N.J. • East Brunswick
Before Princeton — two-time placewinner at New Jersey state championships … won three district titles, two regional titles and one county title … posted a 128-24 record … NHSCA All-American … freestyle state champion … owns the second-most career wins in East Brunswick history … team captain.
Personal — born Sept. 1, 1999 … son of Anna and Karl Schleifer … has an older brother Jonathan and a younger brother Benjamin … Jonathan Schleifer '18 is a three-time NCAA qualifier for Princeton and became the program's first ever Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2015) … enjoys playing the guitar and fishing … considering studying economics at Princeton.
Travis Stefanik
174/184 • Nazareth, Pa. • Nazareth
Before Princeton — 2017 Pennsylvania state champion … ranked No. 2 at his weight class by both Flo and InterMat; ranked 21st overall among all weights by InterMat … won 2016 FloNationals … 2016 Ironman runner-up … three-time placewinner at Beast of the East, including runner-up finish (2016) … three-time NHSCA All-American … two-time district and regional champion … 2017 EPC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and District 11 Scholar Athlete of the Year … posted a 154-34 career record … team captain for both football and wrestling … earned 2016 Lehigh Valley Live Football Player of the Year honor … Maxwell Football Club Award recipient … 2016 EPC Offensive Player of the Year … two-time member of the state all-academic team … senior class liaison … two-time Future Business Leaders of America state qualifier; seventh-place finisher in 2017.
Personal — born July 30, 1998 … son of Trischia Gostony and Chris Stefanik … has an older sister Mihkayla and a younger brother Nathan … cousin Mike Novogratz wrestled at Princeton … enjoys bowling, golfing and playing basketball … considering studying economics.
Dale Tiongson
165 • Laurel, Md. • St. Paul's School
Before Princeton — two-time Maryland Independent School state champion … two-time National Preps finalist … Fargo All-American … Powerade finalist … Escape the Rock finalist … placed fourth at FloNationals; two-time FloNationals All-American … placed fourth at the Beast of the East … posted a 52-5 career record … undefeated at the National Cadet Duels … member of the Maryland state national team … graduated Cum Laude … member of the National Spanish Honor Society … senior class vice president.
Personal — born Jan. 16, 1999 … son of Andrew and Katherine Tiongson … has an older sister Katherine … enjoys rooting for Boston sports teams … undecided on course of study at Princeton.
And he isn't alone.
Once again, an incoming Princeton class has been lauded by most of the major wrestling publications. The Open Mat ranked Princeton 15th overall, while both InterMat and Flo have Princeton ranked 17th. This is the fourth straight year Princeton has ranked in the Top 25, and the third time over that stretch that Princeton has been in the Top 20.
"We are incredibly excited to bring in another class that is ranked in the top 20 by all the national wrestling publications," Ayres said. "The graduating Class of 2017 had a huge impact on the program and as we were building this class we knew we needed a great one if we wanted to continue moving to higher levels. I feel confident in saying these eight wrestlers will be the ones that help get us to our next goal of consistent Top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. They add a ton of talent to the program and will fit our lineup well. I expect several of these wrestlers will be consistent starters as freshman.
"I would like to thank these young men for joining us on this adventure to being one of the top programs in the country," Ayres added. "Additionally, to put together a class like this takes a lot of work from a lot of people and I would like to specifically recognize Coaches Dubuque, Gray, and Heflin for their work in securing this class. I feel so fortunate to be working next to such a passionate group of coaches."
You can read more about the Class of 2021 below.
Patrick Brucki
197 • Orland Park, Ill. • Carl Sandburg
Before Princeton — won the 2017 Illinois state championship … ranked fifth at his weight (195) by InterMat … posted a 175-24 career record in high school; went 94-4 in last two years … placed in top three at Illinois state championships, and made two finals … took third and earned All-American status at the Fargo National Championships … took fifth at the 2015 Fila Cadet Freestyle … defeated the Missouri state champion at the Missouri Border Battle … member of the Illinois Freestyle Junior Dual Team multiple years … three-time Defensive MVP for the football team … broke school tackles record, previously held by current Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald … all-area football player … member of the Student School Improvement Committee and the Student Athletic Leadership Committee … enrolled in the PEOPLE program for promoting athletics for special needs students … SADD promoter … member of the National Honor Society.
Personal — born Dec. 1, 1998 … son of Kenneth and Patricia Brucki … has two older siblings, Jesselyn and Christian; brother wrestles at Central Michigan and was the No. 12 seed at the 2017 NCAA Championships … uncle Ralph McCausland was a 1978 Division II national champion at Eastern Illinois, where he currently serves as head coach … enjoys sports, music and coffee … considering studying civil engineering at Princeton.
Kendall Elfstrum
184/197 • Central Valley, N.Y. • Monroe Woodbury
Before Princeton — won 195-pound New York state title as a senior … three-time state medalist and three-time section champion … posted a 122-21 career record, and a 60-7 record over final two years … placed at the Super 32 as a senior … three-time NHSCA All-American … member of the National Dual team champions … three-time team MVP … served as team captain … won the 2017 sectional "Comeback of the Year" award … two-time all-star team selection … Scholar-Athlete … member of the National Honor Society … Eagle Scout.
Personal — born Dec. 27, 1998 … son of Kraig and Lisa Elfstrum … has an older sibling Kailey … enjoys hiking, camping, and working out … interested in studying either economics or finance at Princeton.
Jonathan Gomez
125/133 • Lattingtown, N.Y. • Locust Valley
Before Princeton — two-time New York state champion … four-time Nassau County champion … reached three state finals … two-time Fargo All-American … 2015 New York state triple crown winner … NHSCA national champion (2015) … 2017 Eastern States champion … posted a 153-12 record in high school … two-year team captain … also played lacrosse … two-time first-team selection on the All-Long Island Team … member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.
Personal — born May 20, 1999 … son of Michael and Julie Gomez … has two older brothers, Michael and Joseph, and a younger brother Nicholas; Michael started at 125 for Drexel … enjoys playing lacrosse … considering studying public policy at Princeton.
Conor Melbourne
149/157 • Waccabuc, N.Y. • John Jay Cross River
Before Princeton — placed fifth at New York state championships … three-time sectional finalist … four-time all-section … posted a 163-29 career record … three-time NHSCA All-American … two-time NHSCA finalist … three-time placewinner and one-time finalist at Eastern States … team captain.
Personal — born Feb. 6, 1999 … son of Brian and Claire Melbourne … undecided on course of study at Princeton.
John Pipa
141/149 • Harrisburg, Pa. • Bishop McDevitt
Before Princeton — three-time regional and district champion … three-time Pennsylvania state runner-up … finished third at the 2017 Powerade, and fourth in 2014 … won the King of the Mountain (2015) and Escape The Rock (2017) … posted a 143-24 record in high school … two-year team captain … member of the National Honor Society and Math National Honor Society … finalist for the John Travers Award.
Personal — born Nov. 21, 1998 … son of Michael and Ann Marie Pipa … has three older sisters (Alexandria, Brittany, Janie), two older brothers (Mikey, David), and two younger brothers (Luke, Mark) … David wrestles at Lehigh … enjoys fishing and being outdoors … considering studying Operations Research and Financial Engineering.
Mark Schleifer
125 • East Brunswick, N.J. • East Brunswick
Before Princeton — two-time placewinner at New Jersey state championships … won three district titles, two regional titles and one county title … posted a 128-24 record … NHSCA All-American … freestyle state champion … owns the second-most career wins in East Brunswick history … team captain.
Personal — born Sept. 1, 1999 … son of Anna and Karl Schleifer … has an older brother Jonathan and a younger brother Benjamin … Jonathan Schleifer '18 is a three-time NCAA qualifier for Princeton and became the program's first ever Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2015) … enjoys playing the guitar and fishing … considering studying economics at Princeton.
Travis Stefanik
174/184 • Nazareth, Pa. • Nazareth
Before Princeton — 2017 Pennsylvania state champion … ranked No. 2 at his weight class by both Flo and InterMat; ranked 21st overall among all weights by InterMat … won 2016 FloNationals … 2016 Ironman runner-up … three-time placewinner at Beast of the East, including runner-up finish (2016) … three-time NHSCA All-American … two-time district and regional champion … 2017 EPC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and District 11 Scholar Athlete of the Year … posted a 154-34 career record … team captain for both football and wrestling … earned 2016 Lehigh Valley Live Football Player of the Year honor … Maxwell Football Club Award recipient … 2016 EPC Offensive Player of the Year … two-time member of the state all-academic team … senior class liaison … two-time Future Business Leaders of America state qualifier; seventh-place finisher in 2017.
Personal — born July 30, 1998 … son of Trischia Gostony and Chris Stefanik … has an older sister Mihkayla and a younger brother Nathan … cousin Mike Novogratz wrestled at Princeton … enjoys bowling, golfing and playing basketball … considering studying economics.
Dale Tiongson
165 • Laurel, Md. • St. Paul's School
Before Princeton — two-time Maryland Independent School state champion … two-time National Preps finalist … Fargo All-American … Powerade finalist … Escape the Rock finalist … placed fourth at FloNationals; two-time FloNationals All-American … placed fourth at the Beast of the East … posted a 52-5 career record … undefeated at the National Cadet Duels … member of the Maryland state national team … graduated Cum Laude … member of the National Spanish Honor Society … senior class vice president.
Personal — born Jan. 16, 1999 … son of Andrew and Katherine Tiongson … has an older sister Katherine … enjoys rooting for Boston sports teams … undecided on course of study at Princeton.
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