The Hofstra University wrestling team battled for a 25-15 win over George Mason University on Sunday, Jan. 14, coming off their win over the Virginia Military Institute on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Pride improved to 5-3 on the season.
Dylan Acevedo-Switzer started the dual for the Pride at 125 pounds. The match was tied 1-1 before Acevedo-Switzer got a takedown in the last minute to win by decision 4-2. Dylan Ryder followed that with a major decision win at 133 pounds, earning two takedowns to win 9-1. The match marked Ryder’s 50th win of his career.
At 141 pounds, Alex Turley lost 6-5 after a hard-fought match against Nathan Higley, but the Pride didn’t have to wait long for their next victory with Noah Tapia winning at 149 pounds. Early in the match, Tapia was taken down by Kaden Cassidy and caught in a cradle but fought off the pin on the edge of the mat to reset in the bottom position, 0-7. Cassidy got a turn to extend his lead 0-10 going into the second period. There, Tapia found an escape to earn his first point of the match. In the third period, Tapia used a front headlock to hit a gator roll and catch Cassidy on his back for the pin.
Jurius Clark lost in sudden victory overtime at 157 pounds to No. 26 DJ McGee. The match was tied 3-3 with McGee earning a takedown in the first which Clark responded to with two escapes and a riding time point. In overtime, McGee scored a second takedown to win the match.
At 165 pounds, freshman Jake Slotnick made another appearance for the Pride. Slotnick earned the first takedown of the match but after giving up multiple sets of near-fall points fell 13-7.
The Patriots were closing the gap on the Pride, with the team score just 13-9 before Ross McFarland took on Sean Coughlin at 174 pounds. McFarland worked through multiple scrambles and stoppages for injury and blood time to win 6-0.
In the Pride’s only non-decision loss, Will Conlon was caught and pinned in a cradle in the second period at 184 pounds.
With the two teams neck and neck, it came down to the last two weight classes. Early in the 197-pound match Ruben Karapetyan took a shot which Nikolas Miller defended to score a takedown before the match was suddenly stopped. Miller won the match by medical forfeit, earning six points for the Pride and securing the victory.
The dual ended with a highly anticipated matchup between No. 22 Keaton Kluever and No. 31 Chad Nix at 285 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Nix got an escape to start the second with Kluever doing the same at the start of the third to tie the match 1-1. In sudden victory overtime, Kluever used double over-hooks to throw Nix, taking him to his back and winning the match.
Hofstra is now 14-1 all-time against George Mason University.
The Pride take on their first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association opponent of the season with a dual against Franklin & Marshall College on Sunday, Jan. 21.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Rafael Suanes
