Wrestling: Grapplers look to repeat last year’s success at Bucknell

Coming off of a tough 29-7 home loss to No. 17 Rutgers last weekend, the wrestling team will begin a seven-match road trip in Lewisburg, Pa., on Saturday against Bucknell, No. 19 Central Michigan and Sacred Heart. The Tigers (1-4) currently boast three nationally ranked wrestlers in the Wrestling Report College Rankings: No. 24 junior 125-pounder Garrett Frey, No. 27 sophomore 141-pounder Adam Krop and No. 27 senior 157-pounder Daniel Kolodzik.

Frey and Kolodzik earned the Tigers’ only victories against the Scarlet Knights. Frey, after trailing 2-1 in the third round, scored a reversal in the final seconds of the match to record a 3-2 comeback victory. Kolodzik later won a major decision, which improved his record to 4-1 in dual meets.

The Bison (0-5) are still looking for their first victory of the season. Winless in its first five attempts, Bucknell hosts the four-team Bison Duals this weekend. 125-pounder Austin Miller leads the Bison with a 7-4 record, and he led the Bison at the Nittany Lion Open by advancing to the quarterfinals. He will face Frey on Saturday.

Exactly one year prior to Saturday’s match, Princeton upset Bucknell 18-16 on the road, a victory that head coach Chris Ayres called the best win in his five years with the program to that point.

“We beat Bucknell [last year] and we were pretty happy,” junior 149-pounder Zach Bintliff said. “That was one of our bigger wins of the year because they have a solid team. It was one of the first times we saw what we could do. It was definitely a match that I don’t think people expected us to win.”

Central Michigan (7-2) will head east with six nationally ranked wresters. Frey will wrestle No. 14 Joe Roth in a match of nationally ranked wrestlers, freshman 133-pounder Chris Perez will face No. 33 Christian Cullinan and Kolodzik will try to notch another top-15 win over No. 15 Donnie Corby. In some of the heavier weights, freshman 165-pounder Rich Eva will go against No. 24 Mike Ottinger, sophomore Dan Santoro will face fellow 184-pounder No. 7 Ben Bennett and a Princeton heavyweight will face off against No. 10 Pete Sturgeon.

Santoro is also a staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

The Chippewas are 3-2 against ranked opponents so far this season. The Tigers, meanwhile, will try to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time in more than 10 years.

Like the hosts, Sacred Heart (0-7) is hoping to record its first win this weekend at the Bison Duals. 133-pounder Andrew Polidore, who has won five matches this season, leads the Pioneers, a shorthanded team that has been forced to forfeit almost every match thus far in the 157-pound, 165-pound and heavyweight divisions.

“We have been working really hard, and the key is just us being on our toes and being ready to compete — focusing on the match and nothing else — and being consistent,” Bintliff said.

After the weekend, the Tigers will enjoy a short holiday break before heading to Evanston, Ill., for the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29 and 30.