WORCESTER, Mass. – The shorthanded Ursinus College wrestling team suffered three close setbacks in today's quad match at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The Bears fell, 22-9, to second-ranked Roger Williams before losing to Norwich, 22-21, on a tiebreaker and dropping a 22-20 brawl with the host Engineers.

Despite missing four starters, Ursinus tested its mettle right away against Roger Williams, which came in ranked second in Division III by InterMat Wrestling. The Bears, ranked No. 26, gave the Hawks all they could handle, starting with back-to-back decisions from sophomore Chris Tan at 125 and senior Keven Hoogheem at 133. Junior Derek Arnold scored a 7-0 decision over Carter Merecki at 157, but the Hawks posted major decisions at 165 and 184 and a technical fall at 197 to take control.

Next came a thriller with Norwich. Ursinus started hot as Keven and Christian Hoogheem each registered major decisions at 133 and 141, respectively. Junior Alex Kramer continued the momentum with a technical fall against James Duncan at 149 and Arnold repeated the feat opposite Pat McCurdy at 157.  

Unfortunately for the Bears, the Cadets had a big finish in store. Norwich prevailed at 165, 174, 184, and 197, the last two by fall, to pull in front by a 21-18 margin. Junior Matan Peleg managed to score a 6-2 decision at 285, bringing about a 21-all deadlock. But with an advantage in falls, the Cadets were awarded victory on the tiebreaker.

Ursinus triumphed in four of the first five bouts against WPI, starting with a 5-4 decision from Tan, who registered a 5-4 decision against All-American Brian Amato at 125. Keven Hoogheem completed a perfect afternoon with a major decision at 133, and Kramer (149) and Arnold (157) each recorded their second technical fall of the day to stake the Bears to a 17-3 advantage. The later bouts proved Ursinus' undoing, however, as the Engineers orchestrated a comeback with victories in the next four matchups. That spurt included a fall and a major decision, and by the time it ended the home side had surged in front, 22-17. Peleg did his best to turn the tide, but could only muster a 3-2 decision at 285 as the Engineers held on for a 22-20 conquest.

The Bears get back on the mat at Messiah's Petrofes Invitational, scheduled for Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5.