On Saturday, Nov, 20, the Hofstra University wrestling team competed at the Black Knight Invitational, hosted by the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Four members of the Pride placed in the tournament, with Justin Hoyle taking fifth and Jacob Ferreira, Trey Rogers and Zachary Knighton-Ward all placing second in their respective weight classes.

Ferreira, one of this year’s transfers – coming from North Carolina State University – started his day with a bye after being declared the number No. 1 seed in the 184-pound weight class. His first match against Army’s Walker Stephenson ended in a win by technical fall after scoring 20 points to his opponent’s 5. He won again in his second match by decision, 3-2, when he faced Pennsylvania State University’s Donovon Ball. Finally, Ferreira placed second after losing to Giuseppe Hoose from the University at Buffalo, 8-4.

After ending his competition at the Journeyman Classic early last weekend due to a forfeit, Rogers started his day as the No. 2 seed in the 197-pound weight class by beating Army’s Wolfgang Frable with a technical fall, 23-8. Rogers performed takedown after takedown, making the match look like an easy training drill. Afterwards, Rogers faced Levi Hopkins from Campbell University, winning 8-6. In the semifinals, Rogers beat Buffalo’s Sam Mitchell – after narrowly avoiding a takedown at the end of the match – to win 3-2, moving him into the finals. His day ended after facing Max Dean of Penn State, the top ranked wrestler in the country, who pinned Rogers with a tight bow and arrow at 1:15.

Knighton-Ward, seeded No. 2 in the 285 pound weight class, made quick work of his first competitor, Billy McChesney of Columbia University, with a pin at 1:33. He then took on Buffalo’s Greg Hodulick, winning 3-0. In the semifinals, Knighton-Ward faced Campell’s Chad Nix, winning again by decision, 8-4. Nix had attempted to tie up the match with a takedown at less than 30 seconds left, but it was countered by a lat whip from Knighton-Ward. In the finals, he took on Campbell’s Taye Ghadiali. Ghadiali won by decision 9-4 after Knighton-Ward fought off multiple pin attempts.

Hoyle wrestled six matches in the tournament, the most matches by a member of the Pride and the maximum amount allowed by NCAA rule. First, he won with a 5-3 decision over Army’s Mark Montgomery before losing to Indiana University’s Cayden Rooks by fall at 2:02, bumping him into the consolation bracket. Hoyle then faced Rooks’ teammate, Cole Rhemrev, beating him with a pin at 2:44. He then beat Justin Bierdumpfel of Brown University by decision, 5-3, before losing to Campbell’s Shannon Hanna, moving him into the match for fifth place. Hoyle won the match, beating Army’s Tyler Morris 5-4.

Other members of the Pride, while unable to place, competed in the tournament as well. Brinton Simington lost his first match against Central Michigan University’s Tracy Hubbard by fall at 6:25, before beating Brown’s Harrison Trahan and Mason Spears in succession, 10-4 and 4-0 respectively. Simington then faced Christian Hunt of Army, ending the day with a 7-2 loss. Notably, Simington wore what is called a cross-face guard, a mask meant to protect a wrestler’s nose or eye after an injury, with the mask coming off only one time during a match.

Ross McFarland, one of the Pride’s captains, started the tournament with a win over Brown’s Jonathan Conrad by decision 4-1, before losing to Central Michigan’s Alex Cramer 10-5, moving him into the consolation bracket. McFarland then beat Matt Benedetti of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 10-2, before ending the day by losing to Campbell’s Cole Rees 3-2 after a match that had multiple stops for potentially dangerous moves.

Members of the team who won one match included Justin Moon, who beat Bloomsburg’s Kevin Reidinger by major decision 12-3, Chase Liardi, who beat Brown’s Ian Oswalt 6-4 and Chase Casey, who beat Bloomsburg’s Nikolas Voros by major decision 10-2.

 Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics