By Tim Robertson

For the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), the 2006 wrestling championships is the ultimate David vs. Goliath match-up. In fact, 10 teams are seen as major underdogs to the Pride, who come in as the heavy favorite.

But the Pride welcomes the challenge.

“Being the favorite, everybody wants to knock you off, so our job is to stop that,” Pride junior captain Mike Patrovich said.

The Pride will have to avoid the upset four times in order to pull away with another conference championship, its fifth in as many years. The Pride has never lost a CAA dual match and has won 47 straight conference duals dating back to 1999, when Rider University defeated the team.

According to Patrovich and the team’s record, Rider remains the Pride’s most competitive foe and has the best chance at upsetting the Pride. The two programs clashed on Feb. 20, which saw the Pride pull away at the end of the match with a tight 22-15 victory.

Although the Broncs do not carry a wrestler in the top 20 of their respective weight classes, Rider’s Ryan Smith picked up a decision against Chris Weidman at 197 pounds.

Another potentially surprising opponent is the host school, Drexel. The Dragons are 20-9 this season and bring in the only other undefeated wrestler in CAA matches that does not wear Pride blue. Nick Kozar is 9-0 and could match up with Patrovich at 174 pounds.

The Pride’s climb to claim the trophy on March 4 will be steeper than in previous seasons. The Blue & Gold is predicted to once again forfeit at 133 pounds, handing the opponent six points, and if Dave Tomasette is still not healthy, the Pride could give away another six points at 125 pounds.

Focusing on winning the conference championships is in the forefront of the team’s mind, but it also has larger goals.

“We have nine guys that have the aspirations to be All-Americans,” Patrovich said, “And when we wrestle to the best of our ability, we are a top 10 team.”

The CAA tournament gives the Pride an opportunity to right any wrongs in time for the NCAAs later this month. Without question the Pride has been inconsistent in a season filled with obstacles. Whether or not the Pride can overcome those obstacles will be seen in the final month of the season.

Not only did one of the most difficult schedules in team history lead to an average season for the Pride, but so did injuries and the sudden departure of NCAA qualifier Ricky LaForge.

Patrovich and Masa led the team to an 11-8-1 campaign this season that included wrestling powerhouses Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Michigan and the top ranked team in the country, Minnesota.

The Pride’s .550 winning percentage this year is its lowest since 2001 and its eight losses mark the first time the Pride has dropped that many dual matches since the 2000 campaign.

With everything that has been thrown the Pride’s way this season, the team most certainly has gone through the gauntlet and is back to finish first in its conference and be a mainstay in the national rankings.