GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Ursinus College wrestling team closed the regular season and tuned up for the Centennial Conference championship in style Saturday, rolling to league victories over McDaniel and Gettysburg in a quad match hosted by the Bullets.
Seniors Alexander Kramer, Derek Arnold, and Matan Peleg were the stars for the Bears (15-3, 6-1), each going 2-0 in impressive fashion. Kramer added two more technical falls to his conference-leading total (12) and Arnold stacked together a pair of pins to stretch his winning streak to 17, but Peleg's second victory was the headliner. Ursinus' senior heavyweight outlasted Gettysburg's Paul Triandafilou, 2-1, in overtime to hand the Bullets' top grappler his first regular-season loss in 40 career bouts.
Junior Christopher Tan got the Bears off to a quick start with a 21-second fall against McDaniel's Nick Malinowski, his fifth pin of the season. Fellow rookie James Harkness followed with a 7-0 shutout over Charles Wallace at 133, and Alvonate Drummond picked up a tech fall at 141 to get the Green Terror on the board.
Kramer, who ranks in the top five in Division III in technical falls, rolled up a 17-0 result against Clint Wright at 149, and Arnold needed just 1:33 to pin Wade Bishop at 157.
Sophomore Jarret DiGiantomasso scored a 14-2 major against Cole Nagle at 165, senior Corey Markovitch notched one by a 10-2 count opposite Ronnie Wuest at 174, and junior Patrick Rafferty did so with a 13-1 defeat of Ronald Mattox at 184.
McDaniel's Jake Pooton stopped the Bears' run with a decision at 197, and Peleg closed the proceedings with a 24-second pin against Billy Emerson.
Next came the battle with the Bullets, who have been nationally ranked at various points this season. Tan did the opening honors again, netting a 6-1 win over Lenny Ogozalek at 125.
After a forfeit and a Gettysburg decision at 141, Kramer registered another first-period tech fall, this time by a score of 18-0 over Jake Bracken.
Arnold's second pin came against Tristan Chen in 2:37.
The Bears lost at 165 and 174, but junior Deon Edmund notched a pin against Austin Roskos in 1:31 at 184, and sophomore Michael Newman eked past Camden Stoops, 6-5, at 197.
That set the stage for the heavyweight showdown. Peleg and Triandafilou traded escapes in the second and third periods to send the match into an extra period, where Peleg somehow managed to hold on to the Bullets' star before clinching one of the most impressive victories of his career with an escape in the second half of the tiebreaker.
The wrestling team heads to Stevens next Saturday, February 11, to contend for the Centennial Conference crown.
Ursinus 38, McDaniel 8
125 Christopher Tan (U) pinned Nick Malinowski (M), 0:21
133 James Harkness (U) dec. Charles Wallace (M), 7-0
141 Alvontae Drummond (M) tech. fall Thomas Boldosser (U), 17-1
149 Alexander Kramer (U) tech. fall Clint Wright (M), 17-0
157 Derek Arnold (U) pinned Wade Bishop (M), 1:33
165 Jarret DiGiantomasso (U) major dec. Cole Nagle, 14-2
174 Patrick Rafferty (U) major dec. Ronnie Wuest (M), 10-2
184 Cody Richmond (U) major dec. Ronald Mattox (M), 13-1
197 Jake Pooton (M) dec. William McGinley (U), 7-4
285 Matan Peleg (U) pinned Billy Emerson (M), 0:24
Ursinus 32, Gettysburg 10
125 Christopher Tan (U) dec. Lenny Ogozalek (G), 6-1
133 James Harkness (U) won by forfeit
141 Colin Devlin (G) dec. Alfred Corradetti (U), 3-0
149 Alex Kramer (U) tech. fall Jake Bracken (G), 18-0 (2:25)
157 Derek Arnold (U) pinned Tristan Chen (G), 2:37
165 Quinn Merrigan (G) dec. Zachary Goranson (U), 7-4
174 Dan Ebert (G) major dec. Corey Markovitch (U), 13-2
184 Deon Edmund (U) pinned Austin Roskos (G), 1:31
197 Michael Newman (U) dec. Camden Stoops (G), 6-5
285 Matan Peleg (U) dec. #5 Paul Triandafilou (G), 2-1 (TB-1)