The Hofstra Pride wrestling team won seven of 10 bouts in a victory over the Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) Diplomats on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.
The Franklin & Marshall wrestling team split a pair of EIWA duals earlier in the day, winning their first EIWA dual of the season with a 29-11 victory over Long Island University (LIU), but fell 21-12 to Hofstra in the afternoon.
Hofstra improved to 2-2 on the season and 1-2 in EIWA competition with its second consecutive victory. The Diplomats are 6-5 overall and 1-3 in the EIWA after beating LIU earlier Saturday.
“Kudos to [F&M]. They came to wrestle, and they made it a battle,” said head coach for the Pride Dennis Papadatos. “I think they are one of the most underrated teams in the country, and I was very nervous about the matchup.”
Starting at 174 pounds, redshirt sophomore Ross McFarland won his match by an 8-2 decision over the Diplomats’ Noah Fox, putting the Pride’s first three points on the board.
At 184 pounds, the No. 24 ranked Jacob Ferreira defeated James Conway; he now leads the Pride with a 15-6 record after the dual.
Trey Rogers defeated John Crawford by a 3-2 decision at 197 pounds, achieving his 10th win of the season. At 285 pounds, Zachary Knighton-Ward defeated Cenzo Pelusi by an 8-2 decision, giving the Pride a 12-0 lead.
At 125 pounds, Mason Leiphart turned the tide in F&M’s favor by recording his 10th technical fall of the season, with a takedown and 14 near fall points at the 4:42 mark over the Pride’s Jacob Moon. The Diplomats then won four straight bouts between the 125 and 149-pound weight classes.
Pat Phillips joined his teammate in the unbeaten ranks – with only two takedowns – at 133 pounds, aided by a 6-1 victory over Chase Liardi.
Bryce Kresho picked up the final win for the Diplomats with a 12-2 major decision over Michael Leandrou. Kresho scored a crucial bonus point with an escape, takedown and four near falls, bringing the team score to 15-12.
Justin Hoyle won a decision over Aidan O’Shea at 141 pounds to score 15-8 for the Pride. Franklin & Marshall won a bonus point at 149 pounds to close the gap to three points, 15-12.
Joe McGinty won by a 4-2 decision over Nick Alvarez at 157 pounds. McGinty accumulated riding time early throughout the first and second periods. However, the point for riding time is awarded at the end of the match. What started as a slower match soon gained momentum as Alvarez led 1-0 heading into the third period. McGinty triumphed and defeated Alvarez, making this his third consecutive win.
Finally, Eric Shindel sealed the victory with a 5-4 decision over RJ Moore, joining Rogers for his 10th win of the season.
Despite the win, Papadatos said, “I felt we looked sluggish. [F&M] are the best they’ve ever been right now. I thought we could’ve scored more points,” he added.
Hofstra improves to 11-5 all-time against Franklin & Marshall, with seven straight victories. The Pride’s next matchup will be on Thursday, Jan. 26, against EIWA opponent SUNY Binghamton.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Sam Janicki
