Ruggirello, a junior from Walden, New York (Valley Central), was one of three wrestlers for the Pride to go 4-0 at the CAA duals. The top ranked 133-pounder in the CAA, Ruggirello won three bouts by fall, including pins of the second and fourth ranked wrestlers in the CAA. Currently ranked ninth by InterMat and 13th by Amateur Wrestling News, Ruggirello is now 19-2 overall, 9-0 in duals and 5-0 in the CAA.
Accordino, a freshman from Wilkes-Barre, PA (Coughlin), went 3-1 at the CAA Duals, his only loss coming to the top-ranked 141-pounder in the CAA. Accordino won by fall over the fourth-ranked wrestler in the CAA, by tech fall, and also defeated the fifth-ranked 141-pounder in the CAA to improve to 15-8 and 7-2 in duals.
Ruggirello shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week honor with Chris Brown from Old Dominion University. A junior from Chesapeake, Virginia (Great Bridge), Brown is the top ranked 165-pounder in the CAA and defeated the second, fourth and sixth-ranked wrestlers in the CAA. Currently ranked 13th by Amateur Wrestling News, Brown improved to 19-6 and 14-3 in duals.
Accordino shares the CAA Rookie of the Week award with Joe Budi from Old Dominion. A freshman from Appleton, Wisconsin (Kahkauna), Budi, the fourth-ranked 184-pounder in the CAA, pinned the top-ranked wrestler, and beat the third-ranked grappler in the CAA. Budi improved to 20-12.
The Pride will return to action this Sunday, January 25 at home at the David S. Mack Sports Complex when they host the Buckeyes of Ohio State at 1 p.m. Prior to Sunday's match the Hofstra Wrestling Brunch will be held at 10 a.m. at the Hofstra University Club. Tom Ryan, the current Ohio State University wrestling coach who served in the same capacity for the Pride from 1995 through 2006, will be the guest speaker.
Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet will announce at the brunch the Hofstra Wrestling Project that will provide the program with the finest wrestling facility on Long Island and one of the best wrestling facilities in the northeast. Once completed, the renovated home of Pride Wrestling will feature: a new wrestling floor and wall mats; a new cardio room; a student-athlete lounge; a sports medicine room equipped with state-of-the-art technology; and a refurbished coaches office suite. The complex will be named The Teague Ryan Wrestling Complex, in memory of Tom and Lynette Ryan's youngest son who passed away suddenly at age 5 in February, 2004. Proceeds from the brunch as well as $1 from all ticket sales for the 1 p.m. match will benefit the Teague Ryan Memorial Wrestling Fund.
Tickets for the brunch are priced at $100 each in advance and $125 at the door, and can be reserved by calling Chrissy Arnone at (516) 463-5281. Tickets for the Hofstra-Ohio State match are priced at $16 for premium seats, $11 for adult general admission, and $6 for youth (12 and under) and senior citizens, and can be purchased online at www.Hofstra.edu/athletics or by calling 516-HOF-TIXX (463-8499).
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