UAA Championship Results
The New York University wrestling team took second place at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Wrestling Championship as it split its two matches on Saturday, February 5.
The Championship, which was hosted by NYU at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan, pitted three UAA teams in a tri-meet to determine a champion.
NYU defeated Case Western Reserve University 30-14 in its first match of the day, but was then edged by the University of Chicago 20-19.
Chicago defeated Case 40-8 in the opening match of the Championship and thus captured the UAA title with a 2-0 record.
NYU started off its match against Case with three straight victories. Will Ladnier (125) opened with a 12-3 major decision victory and Steven Contino (133) followed with a pin in 1:10. In the third bout, Clement Bommier (141) put together a 7-4 decision victory, giving NYU a 13-0 lead.
In the next two rounds, a combination of a tech fall win by Isaac Dukes (149) and a forfeit by NYU in the 157-pound bout made it a closer match with the Spartans pulling to within 13-11.
However, NYU buckled down and won the next four matches to seal the victory.
Captain Matt Magill (165) posted a victory by decision and David Rice (174) followed with a 26-8 tech fall win. Sabino Galassi (184) gave NYU a 24-11 advantage with his 7-1 decision win and Steve Massey (197) took a forfeit win at (197).
The final match of the day featured NYU against Chicago. Both teams entered with records of 1-0, meaning the winning team of this final match would be UAA Champion.
The match was a back-and-forth clash filled with excitement the whole way. The teams exchanged leads, several matches were close and the final result was not decided until the heavyweight matchup. In that final bout, Ryan Hatten posted a major decision over NYU's Rudy De La Cruz, 14-4, giving the Maroons the one-point victory and UAA title.
“It was a disappointing loss at the end,” said NYU head coach Bruce Haberli. “We had a lot of guys who battled and wrestled to their ability."
NYU dropped the first bout vs. Chicago as Ladnier (125) took a tough major decision loss. The grapplers rebounded, however, when Contino (133) got NYU on the board with a decision victory.
The 141-pound bout was a battle between NYU's Bommier and Chicago's Matt Hart. Bommier had the lead for much of the match before Hart tied it up late with an escape to force overtime. In the overtime, Bommier got into good position and was able to pin his opponent in just 19 seconds, earning a crucial six points for NYU.
After the grapplers lost back-to-back matches at 149 and 157, Magill (165) and Rice (174) regained the lead for NYU. Magill shut out his opponent 8-0, while Rice put together a solid 9-4 decision win.
The match that followed between Sabino Galassi (184) and Sam Pennisi was a hard fought fight that was not decided until the final seconds. Both wrestlers traded points, with each escaping the other throughout the match. The score was tied 4-4 with less than thirty seconds left in the third period when Galassi took down his opponent for two points and earned a 6-4 decision victory, giving NYU a six-point advantage.
However, NYU was not able to hold onto the lead as Steve Massey (197) lost an overtime match and De La Cruz fell to Hatten.
"Clement Bommier's overtime pin was big when it happened," Haberli said. "Matt Magill has been fighting through injuries and he wrestled really tough today. But, at the same time, some of our guys may have relied too much on generating defensive points. That really hurt us in the end today.”
In the first match of the day, Chicago jumped out to a 16-0 lead over Case with two pins and a major decision victory in the first three bouts. Hatten (285), who is now a four-time All-Association honoree, recorded a fall in just 50 seconds to end the match.
Case took home wins in the 149-lb. and 165-lb. divisions. Spartans' All-American Isaac Dukes (149) continued his impressive season with a 21-6 tech fall victory over Ryan Hoyt. The team's other victory was recorded by Clay Criss (165), who defeated Kyle Kocher 8-4.
Of the three teams participating in the Championship, NYU had the most wrestlers named All-Association. Contino (133), Bommier (141), Magill (165), Rice (174), and Galassi (184) all earned honors for their performances.
In addition to Hatten (285), Chicago's other All-Association honorees were Jake Schramm(125), Jim Layton (157) and Jeffrey Tyburski (197).
Dukes earned All-Association honors at 149.
NYU's grapplers are now 5-8 in dual meets this season.
NYU returns to the mat on Friday, Feb. 11, when u travel to Lancaster, PA, to face Franklin & Marshall College.
