Princeton split its home-opening tri-meet, which opened with a 33-15 loss to a Binghamton squad flirting with the national Top 25. A match with Old Dominion followed, and considering the Monarchs already owned a win against perennial power Iowa State this season, few likely expected Princeton to pull off the split.
But the growth of the Princeton wrestling program continued to show, as the Tigers raced out to a big lead and held off the Monarchs for an 18-14 victory. It was Princeton's first dual victory of the season, but it was also one of the biggest wins for the program in more than a decade.
The Princeton lightweights produced in both matches, and they gave the Tigers a 12-0 lead over Old Dominion through three matches. Junior Garrett Frey, a two-time NCAA qualifier, grabbed a forfeit win, and freshman Chris Perez completed a perfect day with a 5-0 win over Scott Festejo at 133. Sophomore Adam Krop continued his strong sophomore season with a 10-8 win over Justin LaValle at 141.
"Those first three, they all had supreme efforts today," head coach Chris Ayres said. "Perez is just a great competitor, and Krop is just a tough, tough wrestler."
Old Dominion got on the board with a win at 149, and then it turned to sophomore John Nicholson, the 15th-ranked wrestler in the nation at 157.
Ayres turned to Daniel Kolodzik, the first major recruit of his tenure. Kolodzik came as close as possible to making NCAAs last year, and he knew he'd need a signature win this year to bolster his roster. With time waning in the third period, it looked like that signature would need to come another day. He trailed by three with less than 30 seconds remaining and was on bottom, but he hit a five-point move to grab a momentous win and give Princeton a 15-2 lead (Old Dominion was docked a team point earlier in the match).
"That was just an awesome match," Ayres said. "Nicholson is a top-notch wrestler, and Kolodzik had a chance to give up and look ahead. But he just showed so much heart and pulled out a huge win. That win could change his confidence totally. It was a NCAA championship-worthy match between two top competitors."
Old Dominion scored a win at 165, but senior Andy Lowy came up with one his biggest career wins at 174 with a 13-1 major decision. That gave Princeton more breating room than it would need; though it dropped the final three decisions and lost a team point, it still held off the Monarchs for an 18-14 win.
Princeton opened the day with a 33-15 loss to Binghamton. The Tigers actually raced out to a 15-0 lead after the lightweight trio posted victories. Frey scored a first-period pin over Derek Steeley, and following a Perez decision, Krop scored a first-period pin of his own. The Binghamton upperweights took control to remain undefeated on the season.
Princeton will host No. 17 Rutgers next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Princeton 18, Old Dominion 14
125 Garrett Frey (Princeton) won by forfeit
133 Chris Perez (Princeton) won by decision over Scott Festejo 5-0
141 Adam Krop (Princeton) won by decision over Justin LaValle 10-8
149 Brennan Brumley (Old Dominion) won by decision over Luis Ramos 7-4
157 Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton) won by decision over John Nicholson 11-9
165 Tristan Warner (Old Dominion) won by decision over Rich Eva 5-0
174 Andy Lowy (Princeton) won by major decision over Cade Blair 13-1
184 Billy Curling (Old Dominion) won by decision over Dan Santoro 10-5
197 Joe Budi (Old Dominion) won by decision over Kurt Brendel 2-0
285 Matt Tourdot (Old Dominion) won by decision over Bobby Grogan 6-0
Binghamton 33, Princeton 15
125 Garrett Frey (Princeton) won by pin over Derek Steeley 1:20
133 Chris Perez (Princeton) won by decision over Patrick Hunter 7-2
141 Adam Krop (Princeton) won by pin over Mike Sardo 1:15
149 Donald Vinson (Binghamton) won by tech fall over Luis Ramos 5:45 (16-0)
157 Justin Lister (Binghamton) won by pin over Daniel Kolodzik 1:23
165 Matt Kaylor (Binghamton) won by major decision over Rich Eva 18-6
174 Caleb Wallace (Binghamton) won by pin over Andy Lowy 0:56
184 Nathan Schiedel (Binghamton) won by decision over Dan Santoro 7-0
197 Cody Reed (Binghamton) won by decision over Kurt Brendel 3-2
285 Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton) won by pin over Bobby Grogan 3:16
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