Ruggirello, a native of Walden, NY (Valley Central), recorded a 5-1 mark over the time period including a 4-1 record and a second-place finish at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina last week. He collected his ninth pin of the season in a CAA victory over Binghamton on December 12 and added two more pins in the Scuffle. Ruggirello is currently ranked 10th by InterMat, 11th by W.I.N., and 12th by Amateur Wrestling News at 133 pounds. This is his second consecutive CAA Wrestler of the Week award this season.
Cayle Byers of George Mason and Josh Patterson of Binghamton, both second-place finishers at the Southern Scuffle, were also named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week. Byers, a sophomore from Chugiak, Alaska, won four of five bouts at the Scuffle and won all three at the ODU Quad, where he defeated the tenth ranked 197-pounder from Purdue. He also defeated 13th-ranked Jesse Strawn of ODU in a CAA dual. Byers is currently ranked sixth by InterMat and seventh by Amateur Wrestling News.
Patterson, a junior from Ontario, NY (Wayne), collected a pair of pins at the Scuffle and won a major decision over the 10th ranked wrestler from Edinboro. His only loss was to the sixth-ranked 184-pounder from Kent State. Patterson is currently ranked eighth by AWN and 14th by InterMat. 15 of his 26 wins have come by fall.
The CAA also announced that Mendbagana Tovuujav of George Mason was selected the CAA Rookie of the Week. A freshman from Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia (St. Benedict's Prep), Tovuujav jumped up from sixth in the CAA to 17th in the nation at 174 pounds. He placed fourth at the Southern Scuffle, winning five of seven bouts and was 2-1 at the ODU Quad. He defeated the second ranked 174-pounder in the CAA in his first conference dual.
The Pride return to action this Sunday, January 11 when they host the Wolfpack of North Carolina State at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m. To purchase Hofstra wrestling tickets online for the Hofstra-North Carolina State match or any other Pride home match, visit www.Hofstra.edu/athletics or call 516-HOF-TIXX (463-8499).
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now