WORCESTER, Mass. – The 22nd-ranked Ursinus College wrestling team came back from a quad match at Worcester Polytechnic Institute with two victories in three matches in its first dual action of the 2016-17 season.
Junior Christopher Tan went 3-0 with a pin, a tech fall, and a decision at 125 for the Bears, who opened with a 28-15 win over Castleton before losing to No. 5 Roger Williams (34-5) and the host Engineers (21-15).
Ursinus 28, Castleton 15
Pins by Tan, Markovitch, and Peleg made the difference as the Bears picked up a victory in their first dual of the season. Tan started it off with a fall of Ryan Cabezas in 2:08 at 125, and Ursinus went on a run after Castleton earned a decision at 133. Freshman Alfred Corradetti knocked off Peter Leite, 5-2, at 141 and junior Alexander Kramer – fresh off his individual title at the annual Fall Brawl – continued his hot streak with a 15-3 major decision over Tyler Raetz at 149. Senior Robert Endy prevailed in a low-scoring decision, 3-1, opposite Cameron Milliken to extend the Bears' lead to 16-3.
After a pin by Castleton closed the gap to 16-9, Markovitch took down Nolan Viens in 4:44 at 174 to regain the points. Back-to-back decisions went the Spartans' way before Peleg iced the match with a pin in just 1:12 at 285.
#5 Roger Williams 34, Ursinus 5
The Bears struggled to get anything going against the Hawks, ranked 5th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III poll. Tan was the lone winner for Ursinus, as the junior collected a technical fall against Chris Gural. Roger Williams captured the next nine bouts to run away with the match.
WPI 21, Ursinus 15
Ursinus ended the day with a back-and-forth thriller against the host institution. Tan made it a perfect afternoon individually with a 9-3 decision atop Brian Amato at 125, staking the Bears to an early lead for the third time. WPI looked to be in a strong position with victories in three of the next four bouts, including a pin at 157, but Ursinus dug out of the hole with three consecutive decisions. Endy topped Chase Lind, 9-4, at 165, and Markovitch followed with a 4-0 blanking of Anton Libsch at 174. Junior Deon Edmund then gave the Bears the lead back with a 5-3 result against Lucas Muntz at 184, making it a slim 15-14 margin.
Michael Curtis wrested the advantage right back to the WPI side with a major decision at 197, setting the stage for a deciding showdown between Peleg and Austin Shrewsbury. The Engineer pulled out an 8-2 decision to seal the home side's victory.
The Bears head to Messiah for the Petrofes Invitational on Friday and Saturday, December 2-3.