By Stephen Cooney

Despite losing their first three matches, the Pride wrestling team still remains a national powerhouse. After losing a very tight season opener by one point to seventh ranked Missouri, the Pride headed to Penn State for their second match of the season. The sixth ranked Penn State squad managed a decisive 17-point victory over the Pride on Nov. 17.

The Pride went into the Northeastern Duals at Hudson Valley Community College with a 0-2 record. The first match of the Dual for the Pride was against third ranked Oklahoma State. The Pride lost a close match to OSU by four points. After losing to OSU the pride dropped to 0-3 on the year. The Pride came back on strong and won a 9-point decision over Bucknell. After defeating Bucknell the Pride garnered an 18-point decision over Bloomsburg. The defeat not only put the Pride on a two match win streak but unseated Bloomsburg as the 25th ranked wrestling squad in the nation.

Even with the 2-3 record the Pride have not fallen from the rankings. Instead the Pride have risen in the national rankings. The Pride started the season as the 13th ranked wrestling team and are now considered the 12th ranked team.

With a two and three record the Pride are still a dangerous force in the collegiate wrestling universe. Their loses have come by the hands of top ten ranked opponents and were very tight matches. The Pride has yet to be upset by lesser opponents. The wrestling team, despite losing their first three matches are a contender.

There is no need to worry about the season going by the way side because the team is still performing well despite their sub-.500 record. The experienced wrestlers are managing points while the younger wrestlers on the squad are still developing their skills.

Through out the first five matches a trend has developed with the Pride wrestling squad. The experienced wrestlers have all gained points on a rather consistent basis. Lou Ruggirello, and Alton Lucas are both 5-0 while David Tomasette, Charles Griffin, and Joseph Rovelli are all 4-1. These wrestlers are important for the success of the team and have found personal success throughout the early part of the season. Tomasette, Griffin, and Rovelli all lost in the Penn State match and this was the team’s worst lost. The team will continue to find success as these wrestlers continue to win and gain points for the squad.

The top five wrestlers for the Pride also have been recognized as top wrestlers in the nation. Tomasette is ranked 8th in the 125 pound class, Ruggirello is ranked 1st in the highly competitive 133 pound class, Griffin is ranked 3rd in the 141 pound class, Lucas is 12th in the 174 pound class, and Rovelli is 6th in the 197 pound class.

As the top wrestlers on the Pride squad continue to wrestle and gain for the squad, the team will also manage to gain victories and continue to be a part of close exciting matches.

Junior Alton Lucas (left), along with Sophomore Lou Ruggirello, is one of two members of the nationally ranked Pride wrestling team to remain undefeated after the first five matches. Three other wrestlers have posted four wins and one loss on the season. (Stephen Cooney)