Princeton University Athletics
Friday, December 7
Blacksburg, Va.
7:00 PM
Princeton University
at
Virginia Tech
Photo by: Ricky Bassman
Princeton Looks To Build On Historic Lehigh Win During Trip To #14 Virginia Tech, Virginia
December 06, 2018 | Wrestling
Chris Ayres boarded a bus to headed to 14th-ranked Virginia Tech Thursday morning in a far different frame of mind than he had exactly one decade earlier.
On Dec. 6, 2008, Ayres earned the first dual meet victory of his coaching career, a 25-14 home win over Franklin & Marshall. The victory took longer than he hoped, but it came, and it was a tangible step in a process that he knew would be challenging, but he also believed would be exceptionally rewarding.
Ayres may still be on that journey, but the steps have come much more frequently over the last few seasons. Few were as satisfying as the one from last Friday night, when he led Princeton to its first road win ever at his alma mater Lehigh, and its first win over the Mountain Hawks anywhere since 1968. Princeton won three of the final five matches, including a significant upset at 165, to knock off #8 Lehigh 21-19 for its first Top-10 win in more than three decades.
That win didn't quite get Princeton into the Top 25, but it drew the Tigers closer in overall votes in the NWCA Coaches Poll. A couple more victories this weekend would likely do the trick, especially Friday night at the home of another alma mater on the Princeton coaching staff. Associate head coach Sean Gray, a member of the Virginia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Tigers will take on the 13th-ranked Hokies Friday at 7 pm (watch on ESPN+); Princeton will head to Charlottesville the next day to compete with Virginia at 4 pm.
Princeton is 1-2 on the season, with its losses coming at two teams currently ranked in the Top 10 (#4 Iowa and #10 Wisconsin). The Wisconsin loss came down to the final match, and the competitiveness of the dual helped the Tigers believe they could compete with the best in the country, a lesson that paid dividends in Bethlehem.
The Tigers are led by junior Matthew Kolodzik, the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, and Patrick Brucki, who moved to #5 in the 197-pound rankings. Brucki could face a pair of tough tests this weekend in 11th-ranked Jay Aiello (Virginia) and 17th-ranked Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech). Freshman Patrick Glory, currently ranked 14th at 125, could see 16th-ranked Louie Hayes of Virginia Saturday afternoon.
After the weekend, Princeton will get ready for its first home dual of the season on Thursday, Dec. 20, against Rider.
PROJECTED STARTERS
On Dec. 6, 2008, Ayres earned the first dual meet victory of his coaching career, a 25-14 home win over Franklin & Marshall. The victory took longer than he hoped, but it came, and it was a tangible step in a process that he knew would be challenging, but he also believed would be exceptionally rewarding.
Ayres may still be on that journey, but the steps have come much more frequently over the last few seasons. Few were as satisfying as the one from last Friday night, when he led Princeton to its first road win ever at his alma mater Lehigh, and its first win over the Mountain Hawks anywhere since 1968. Princeton won three of the final five matches, including a significant upset at 165, to knock off #8 Lehigh 21-19 for its first Top-10 win in more than three decades.
That win didn't quite get Princeton into the Top 25, but it drew the Tigers closer in overall votes in the NWCA Coaches Poll. A couple more victories this weekend would likely do the trick, especially Friday night at the home of another alma mater on the Princeton coaching staff. Associate head coach Sean Gray, a member of the Virginia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Tigers will take on the 13th-ranked Hokies Friday at 7 pm (watch on ESPN+); Princeton will head to Charlottesville the next day to compete with Virginia at 4 pm.
Princeton is 1-2 on the season, with its losses coming at two teams currently ranked in the Top 10 (#4 Iowa and #10 Wisconsin). The Wisconsin loss came down to the final match, and the competitiveness of the dual helped the Tigers believe they could compete with the best in the country, a lesson that paid dividends in Bethlehem.
The Tigers are led by junior Matthew Kolodzik, the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, and Patrick Brucki, who moved to #5 in the 197-pound rankings. Brucki could face a pair of tough tests this weekend in 11th-ranked Jay Aiello (Virginia) and 17th-ranked Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech). Freshman Patrick Glory, currently ranked 14th at 125, could see 16th-ranked Louie Hayes of Virginia Saturday afternoon.
After the weekend, Princeton will get ready for its first home dual of the season on Thursday, Dec. 20, against Rider.
PROJECTED STARTERS
| Weight | Princeton | Virginia Tech | Virginia |
| 125 | #14 Patrick Glory (6-1) | Kyle Norstrem or Joey Prata | #16 Louie Hayes (7-2) |
| 133 | Jonathan Gomez (2-5) | #16 Korbin Myers | Brian Courtney (6-3) |
| 141 | Marshall Keller (5-4) | Dom Latona or Mitch Moore | #17 Sam Krivus (10-3) |
| 149 | #1 Matthew Kolodzik (3-0) | Ryan Blees or Caden Darbee | Sam Martino (7-6) |
| 157 | Quincy Monday (4-4) | B.C. LaPrade | Jake Keating (6-4) |
| 165 | Dale Tiongson (6-3) | #8 Mekhi Lewis | Cam Coy (8-5) |
| 174 | Travis Stefanik (5-3) | Cody Hughes or #5 David McFadden | Robert Patrick (6-6) |
| 184 | Kevin Parker (6-2) | #8 Zack Zavatsky | Will Schany (11-6) |
| 197 | #5 Patrick Brucki (8-0) | #17 Tom Sleigh | #11 Jay Aiello (8-2) |
| 285 | Obinna Ajah (2-5) | John Borst or #7 Billy Miller | Quinn Miller (3-3) |
Players Mentioned
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