Hofstra’s wrestling team headed upstate to University at Buffalo on Sunday, Jan. 15 for their third dual of the season and left with their first win, ending the meet 23-9.
The Pride won the first six matches, putting the team 20-0 over halfway through the meet. At 125 pounds, Jacob Moon faced Mason Bush, winning 3-1. Chase Liardi then beat Tommy Maddox, 5-3 at 133 pounds, holding off Maddox as he attempted to even up the score in the third period. Justin Hoyle earned the only non-decision win of the day and his first tech fall of the season, with a 19-3 score over Jack Marlow at 141 pounds. The fall came 6:47 into the match after Hoyle started the third period up 12-3, before earning a takedown and four near fall points.
At 149 pounds, Michael Leandrou faced Matt Ryan in a match that was tied up 4-4 before Leandrou scored a takedown in overtime making the match 6-4. The match is Leandrou’s first win of the season. Two more matches went into overtime during the meet, including the next match at 157 pounds. Joe McGinty took on Kaleb Burgess to end the third period, tied 6-6 before McGinty countered an attack by Burgess to earn a takedown, making it 8-6. At 165 pounds, Eric Shindel wrestled in his first dual meet representing the Pride, beating Ty Raines 3-1. Both wrestlers earned an escape point, but it was Shindel’s takedown in the second period which was given after he held Raines’ shoulders past 90 degrees for three seconds, that won the match.
Buffalo’s No. 28 ranked Jay Nivison took on Ross McFarland in a very close match that ended 1-2 in Hofstra’s first loss. The match was tied 1-1 with each wrestler having earned an escape before entering overtime. Neither scored in the sudden victory period, moving the match to two additional 30 sec overtime periods. McFarland was the first to start on the bottom and could not escape, while in the final period, Nivison earned the escape and held off McFarland to win the match.
The 184-pound weight class found the most anticipated match of the day as No. 24 ranked Jacob Ferriera faced former Hofstra wrestler and No. 28 ranked Giuseppe Hoose. Ferriera and Hoose wrestled previously in the season at the Black Knight Invitational where Hoose won 8-4. The match was the most aggressive of the dual and was tied entering the third period before Hoose earned an escape to make the score 3-4. With the team score now 20-6, Hofstra secured their win no matter the outcome of the last two matches. At 195 pounds, Nickolas Miller filled in for No. 30 Trey Rogers for the Pride against Sam Mitchell. Mitchell earned his third consecutive win, beating Miller 0-4. To end the meet, former Nassau Community College teammates Zachary Knighton-Ward and Greg Hodulick faced off at the 285-pound weight class. Knighton-Ward beat Hodulick 10-4 for the second time this season, having won 3-0 at the Black Knight Invitational.
Hofstra and Buffalo are now 6-6-1 in dual competition and Hofstra is now 1-2 in duals this season. The Pride will be home for their next dual against Franklin and Marshall College on Saturday, Jan. 21.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Sam Janicki
