The Hofstra University wrestling team opened its 2023-24 season at the Princeton Open on Sunday, Nov. 5, where 18 members of the Pride competed. Many of the projected starters were absent from the competition.
Multiple members of the Pride earned their first collegiate win, including Matthew Waddell and Jake Slotnick at 165 pounds, Will Conlon at 184 pounds and Danny Church at 285 pounds. Church won two matches, as did returning members of the team Jurius Clark at 157 pounds and Eric Shindel at 165 pounds.
Church lost his first match of the day before facing Harrison Levans of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Against Levans, Church scored an early takedown to win 5-2. Church then beat another Bloomsburg University wrestler, Tyler McCatharn, 4-1, scoring a takedown from a front headlock. The freshman’s day came to an end after being pinned by Army West Point’s Gage Cook.
Clark started his day with a win by technical fall over Griffin Gonzalez of Lehigh University, winning 17-0. Clark lost his next match and was sent into the consolation bracket, where he was forced to face teammate Joe McGinty. The two had a close match, with Clark winning 3-0 off a point given for McGinty locking hands, an escape and a riding time point. Clark was then knocked out of the competition by Blaine Bergey of Princeton by a major decision of 9-1.
Shindel was pushed to the consolation bracket with a loss in the round of 32 before beating Damien Weaver of Rutgers University in a sudden 4-1 victory. Shindel secured his win by a takedown once again against Owen Quinn of Lehigh University with a 4-1 decision. Rider University’s Liam Scrivanich then beat Shindel 9-5 to end his tournament.
Other members of the Pride also earned wins. Waddell won in the consolation round of 16 against Ryan Alvarado of Army West Point. Waddell earned two takedowns in his second collegiate match including one in the third period to secure his 7-3 victory. Slotnick also won in that consolation round, entering the third period down 3-4 to Andrew Christie of Army. Slotnick earned a takedown and four points of near-fall to win 10-4. Conlon, another freshman to win, beat Anthony Moscatello of Princeton by major decision, 9-0.
Several members of the Pride had their first matches, including Ryan Arbeit at 133 pounds, Cam Ice at 141 pounds, Noah Tapia and Dylan Zenion at 149 pounds, Frank Volpe at 157 pounds and Gavin Proffitt at 197 pounds. Returning members of the team who also competed included Dylan Acevedo-Switzer at 125 pounds, Alex Turley at 141 pounds, Greyson Harris at 165 pounds, Ericson Velasquez at 184 pounds and Adrian Sans at 285 pounds.
The Pride’s next competition will be in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
