With wrestling season just weeks away, the Hofstra University wrestling team held their annual blue vs. gold wrestle-offs on Thursday, Oct. 24. Two freshmen and one transfer donned the Hofstra singlet for the first time to take on 20 returners.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Arbeit and freshman Gauge Shipp got the matches started at 133 pounds. The high-scoring match ended with Shipp winning 19-11 and moving on to take on redshirt junior Chase Liardi.
Liardi, who missed most of last season due to injury, battled it out with Shipp in a hard-fought match. The two almost went into overtime with Liardi having a one-point lead, though Shipp held onto a large amount of riding time. Shipp was just one second short of earning a riding time point to put the match into overtime, instead falling to Liardi 6-5.
Columbia University graduate transfer Kyle Mosher dominated his match at 165 pounds against redshirt junior Matt Rogers. Mosher won by technical fall in the third period 17-2 against Rogers who wrestled earlier in the night against fellow redshirt junior Eric Shindel for the chance to take on Mosher.
Senior and returning starter Dylan Acevedo-Switzer had an extremely close match against freshman Teague Strobel at 125 pounds. The two went into overtime and tied at 1-1 before Strobel earned a takedown to win the match.
Graduate student Ross McFarland sat out of competition, but redshirt freshman Matthew Waddell and redshirt sophomore Greyson Harris battled it out at 174 pounds. The two were tied 2-2 through regulation and a two-minute overtime period, leading to ride-out periods where Waddell earned an escape to win the match 3-2.
Redshirt freshman Gavin Proffitt wrestled Harris later that night for what may be the starting spot at 184 pounds or 174 pounds. Harris, in contrast to his performance earlier, put up an impressive 17 points to win by technical fall in the second period 17-2.
Redshirt freshman Cam Ice took on redshirt sophomore Joe Sparacio at 141 pounds with Sparacio dominating in a 17-1 technical fall victory and moving on to face graduate student Justin Hoyle.
Sparacio picked up an impressive victory against Hoyle, winning 8-4 in overtime over the team captain who missed most of last season due to injury.
Sophomore Noah Tapia took on redshirt sophomore Alex Turley, who won a match 8-2 against redshirt freshman Dylan Zenion to battle last season’s starter at 149 pounds. Tapia was solid once again, winning 17-2 over Turley.
Last season’s starter, redshirt sophomore Jurius Clark and redshirt freshman Frank Volpe replayed last season’s wrestle-offs with Clark winning the narrow match 4-1 in overtime.
At 197 pounds, two of last season’s starters battled it out; redshirt sophomore Nikolas Miller and sophomore Will Conlon, who started at 184 pounds. The larger weight class may have been too much for Conlon, who fell to Miller 4-3.
In a rematch of last season’s wrestle-offs, redshirt freshman Danny Church and redshirt sophomore Adrian Sans met once again on the mat to take the 285-pound weight class. Church won once again, this time 4-3.
Hofstra’s first competition will be the Princeton Open on Sunday, Nov. 3, with the first dual meet at home on Nov. 16.
Photos courtesy of Amelia Bashy
