On Monday, Jan. 9, the Hofstra University wrestling team faced Bucknell University in their second dual meet of the season. The meet came down to the last match, where Bucknell’s Dorian Crosby beat No. 30 Zachary Knighton-Ward 2-1 to earn his team an 18-17 victory over the Pride. Both teams won five matches each, with Bucknell coming out victorious due to “bonus points,” as Hofstra head coach Dennis Papadatos referred to the four points awarded to major decisions and six for pins after the team’s loss to American University earlier this season.
The meet began with the 125-pound weight class and a dominant performance by Jacob Moon beating Bucknell’s Grayson McLellan 11-1. Moon’s win by major decision earned the team four points and was one of the two major decision wins of the meet. It was also a big step up from his loss to American’s Maximillian Leete where he was pinned in 16 seconds.
Trouble began for the Pride shortly after, with Chase Liardi losing 0-4 to No. 22 Kurt Phipps, who recently beat No. 16 Ramazan Attasauov of Iowa State University. At the 141-pound weight class, Justin Hoyle fell to Dylan Chappell at 1:16. Michael Leandrou faced Braden Bower in a very dynamic match with impressive technique displayed by both wrestlers in scrambles, though Leandrou lost 2-5.
At 157-pounds Joe McGinty broke Bucknell’s win streak, beating the second Bower brother, Riley Brower, 5-3. McGinty got a takedown at the start of the match which proved to be the deciding factor as Brower could not get a shot in the last minute that was needed to tie up the match. Jurius Clark competed in his first dual representing the Pride, losing to Chase Barlow 1-5.
Hofstra’s upper weights earned three wins in a row for the Pride to even out the score. At 174-pounds, Ross McFarland faced Sam Barnes, winning 7-4. McFarland earned two points from near-fall by using a tight waist tilt and attempted the move again, but per NCAA rule, the hold used for a tilt must be released before being used again. The match was also briefly stopped so McFarland could be evaluated by the athletic trainer before he was deemed okay to continue.
No. 24 Ferreira, coming off his 5th place finish at the Southern Scuffle, beat Mikey Bartush 6-2. The match was the most aggressive of the day with both wrestlers headbutting and exchanging lots of heavy hand fighting. In the first period, Ferreira got a takedown and Bartush quickly got an escape but as they returned to neutral Ferreira backed up, grabbing his eye. He continued the match despite the shock from a supposed poke or hit that referees could not see. Ferreira held off Bartush’s flurry of attacks in the last minute, avoiding a cow catcher that could have resulted in him on his back and instead earning another takedown.
At 197-pounds, No. 29 Trey Rogers returned to competition after not competing in the Southern Scuffle and earned the Pride their second major decision win after getting a last-second takedown to move his win from a regular to a major decision, beating Nolan Springer 10-2. McFarland, Ferreira and Rogers are all undefeated in dual meets this season.
Hofstra is 9-17 all-time versus Bucknell, having lost 15-21 last year; this meet is their fourth loss in a row. The Pride’s next competition will be upstate on Sunday, Jan 15, at the University at Buffalo.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Sam Janicki
