By Mark Mausner — SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Junior Michael Hughes finished third and senior Jamel Hudson finished fourth to lead the eight Pride wrestlers that represented Hofstra at the Edinboro Open at the McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Hughes secured a 4-1 record and finished in third place overall at 285 pounds. The Smithtown, New York native won his first three matches by pinfall and advanced to the semifinals. He pinned his opponents at the 2:16, 0:18, and 1:47 mark of his matches.
Hughes was dealt his lone loss of the day by Arizona State’s Chance Eskram, 5-2 in the semis. Hughes then defeated Thomas Haines of Ohio State by medical forfeit to claim third place in the tournament. He now boasts a 31-9 overall record including a team-high 11 wins by fall.
Hudson finished at an undefeated 4-0 clip at the 141-pound class with four major decision victories. All four of Hudson’s victories were over D-1 competition, including two wins over Edinboro wrestlers and a win each against opponents from Lehigh and Lock Haven.
Hudson was only stopped by a medical forfeit he had to take in the third place match to finish fourth. He is now 16-4 overall and has won eight of his last nine matches.
Sophomore Kyle Krasavage represented Hofstra more often that any other Pride wrestler in the tournament, going out six times and finishing with a 4-2 record at 149. Krasavage started his day with a loss to the top seed, but came roaring back to win four in a row including a pin, a tech fall and a win by decision to move on to the consolation semifinals. There, he lost a 9-4 decision to J.J Wolfe of Eastern Michigan. Krasavage is now 14-6 on the season.
Freshman Ryan Burkert also took part in the action on Saturday, posting a 2-2 mark at 149 pounds. He defeated Sam Matzek of Cleveland State by fall and scored a 5-2 victory over Jensen Lorea from Edinboro before also being eliminated by Wolfe. Burkert’s overall record is now 8-12.
Pride seniors Alex Mirante at 149 and Cory Goshkagarian at 157 both ended up with 0-2 records for the tournament. Hofstra was also represented by freshman Jake Kaminsky at 157 and sophomore Michael Oxley at 197, although they competed unattached at the Edinboro Open.
Kaminsky finished 3-2 at the tournament, with all 3 of his wins coming against D-1 wrestlers. He recorded two wins by major decision before being eliminated in the consolation round of eight. The Manalapan, New Jersey native now holds an 8-6 record on the season. Oxley posted a 1-2 record at 197 including a 16-0 tech fall win over Gordon Truesdale of Edinboro. He was also eliminated in the consolation round of 8 and is now 6-9 on the season.
The Hofstra wrestling team continues their season on Thursday, Feb. 11 on the road in Lawrenceville, New Jersey to face the Rider University Broncos at 7 p.m. The Pride will finish their 2016 home schedule on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m against Drexel at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
