By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The men’s wrestling team went 0-3 at Northeast Duels in New York last Saturday, losing to Maryland, Eastern Michigan and Northern Iowa. The Bison faced seven ranked individuals and won just five bouts overall.

“We obviously did not have a good day at the Northeast Duals,” Austin Miller ’15 said. “It wasn’t the fact that we lost three matches, just that we did not go out and wrestle to the best of our ability.”

The Orange and Blue faced No. 11 Maryland and failed to win a decision, falling 40-0 to a Terps squad that featured ranked competitors, including No. 2 Josh Asper. Against Eastern Michgan, Alex Pellicciotti ’14, in the 141-pound weight class, defeated Corey Phillips 10-4, while Jamie Westwood ’14 defeated Mike Curby 5-3 in the 184-pound class. 

During the 27-12 loss to Northern Iowa, Stephen McPeek ’14 recorded the team’s only pin of the day in 5:51, marking his first pin of the season. Miller and Derrik Russell ’13 also each won a decision.

“We had the expectations to beat Northern Iowa in our last match but fell short due to some injuries and some of our team not being able to wrestle,” Westwood said. “The teams that we are wrestling are a very good measuring stick for us because we have such a young team with more than half our lineup including freshman; [and] they are getting the experience they need for the upcoming season and years to come.”

After the meet, the Bison stand at 0-4 on the season. The Bison will host Michigan State tomorrow in Davis Gym  at 7 p.m., and then head off to the Penn State Open on Sunday.

“This was not our best performance but is a great tool to test how we respond next weekend against Michigan State,” Russell said. “We are looking to have a very solid week of preparation and we are all eager to get back on the mat this Saturday in Davis.”