The New York University wrestling team wrapped up its dual-meet schedule with a pair of wins, defeating Johns Hopkins University 24-15 and the University of Scranton 41-6 on Saturday, February 18, in Scranton, PA.
 
NYU opened the day with a come-from-behind victory against the Blue Jays in its final Centennial Conference dual of the season. Though Adlee Fayyaz picked up a 10-1 major decision at 133 to put the grapplers up 4-3, NYU was forced to forfeit 141 due to injury, leaving the squad down 9-4 early.
 
Dan Gorman helped win some of those points back at 149, picking up a 5-2 decision, but Johns Hopkins' Matt Fusaro responded at 157 with a decision of his own, 8-1.
 
NYU's two nationally ranked seniors, however, picked up two huge victories to help the team pull ahead. First, 165-pounder David Rice, who is ranked #4 in the weight class nationally and has been beaten just once this season, earned a 17-0 technical fall over Jody Gowen, tying the match at 12-12.
 
Gregg Martino, ranked #9 at 174, followed by pinning Travis Laska in 4:36, putting NYU up 18-12.
 
Steve Massey and Dan Brereton then added three points apiece at 184 and heavyweight, respectively, to wrap up the victory. Massey earned a 5-1 decision, while Brereton, normally a 184-pounder competing at heavyweight for the first time in his collegiate career, won 9-6.
 
“Going into a conference matchup down six points, we knew our backs were against the wall,” said NYU assistant coach Corey Luce. “We needed a big win from Adlee and he came through for us, as did Dan Gorman.
 
“We also knew that in order for us to get ahead, we really needed bonus points at 165 and 174,” added Luce. “David and Gregg definitely did their jobs getting a tech fall and a pin. Dan Brereton did a heck of a job at heavyweight, and he can definitely surprise some people at the Centennial Championships next week.”

With the victory, NYU wrapped up its first season as a member of the Cenntennial Conference with a record of 5-3 in dual meets.
 
NYU's dual against host Scranton, a non-conference matchup, was less dramatic, with the team cruising to a 41-6 victory while dropping just one weight class.
 
One of the highlights of the dual came in the final bout, though the match was well in hand for NYU by then. In his final collegiate bout, heavyweight Rudy De La Cruz pinned Luke Genovese in 5:49, picking up his third victory of the year and first fall.
 
“It was a great way for Rudy to end his career at NYU,” commented Luce.
 
Janik Santana-Quintana (125), Fayyaz (bumped up from 133 to 141) and Jamie Myers (197) also all earned pins, while Rice (165) and Martino (174) each recorded technical falls (18-3 and 15-0, respectively).
 
Gorman (149) added a 16-2 major decision, while Jake Pawlowski (184) won a tight 5-4 decision, helping NYU close its dual-meet season with a record of 12-9 – a three-win improvement from 2010-11.
 
“The guys were consistent against Scranton – they wrestled tough and kept the pressure on their opponents,” noted Luce. “As a team we had a solid day. It was very motivating to go into the Centennial Championships with two wins.”
 
NYU will compete in the Centennial Conference Championships for the first time ever on Saturday, Feb. 25, seeking to send as many wrestlers as possible to the NCAA Division III Championships. The competition starts at 11:00 am on the campus of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA.
 
 
NYU 24, Johns Hopkins 15
125         Paul Bewak (J) dec. Janik Santana-Quintana(N), 9-2
133         Adlee Fayyaz (N) maj. dec. Mike Koren (J), 10-1
141         Ray Yagloski (J) won by forfeit
149         Dan Gorman (N) dec. Duncan Crystal (J), 5-2
157         Matt Fusaro (J) dec. Sam Friedfeld (N), 8-1
165         David Rice (N) tech fall. Jody Gowen (J), 17-0
174         Gregg Martino (N) pinned Travis Laska (J), 4:36
184         Steve Massey (N) dec. Ben Finelli (J), 5-1
197         Reid Mosquera (J) dec. Jamie Myers (N), 7-6
285         Dan Brereton (N) dec. Evan Johnson (J), 9-6
 
 
NYU 41, Scranton 6
125         Janik Santana-Quintana (N) pinned Kyle McCall (S), 4:08
133         No contest
141         Adlee Fayyaz (N) pinned Kevin Williams (S), 3:49
149         Dan Gorman (N) maj. dec. Rob Leavy (S), 16-2
157         Shawn Flesche (S) pinned Sam Friedfeld (N), 2:00
165         David Rice (N) tech. fall John Riccardi (S), 18-3
174         Gregg Martino (N) tech. fall Joe Weitemeyer (S), 15-0
184         Jake Pawlowski (N) dec. Matt Terry (S), 5-4
197         Jamie Myers (N) pinned Steve Kaiser (S), 2:46
285         Rudy De La Cruz (N) pinned Luke Genovese (S), 5:49