The New York University wrestling team competed at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship on Saturday, February 11, in Chicago, IL.

Vying for their third straight title, the Violets fell just short to host University of Chicago, getting outpointed 141-138.

Case Western Reserve University finished a distant third (36 points).

NYU wrestlers won six of the 10 brackets, while Chicago wrestlers won the other four.

The competition was held in a tournament structure where points were allotted for final placements in each bracket (10 points to the winner, seven points for second, etc.). Bonus points were also awarded for falls/forfeits (2), tech falls (1.5) and major decisions (1).  

Chicago, on the basis of having more second- (6-4) and third-place finishers (3-2), as well as more overall victories, was able to add points and eek out the victory. 

"It couldn't have been any closer," Associate Head Coach Corey Luce described. "It literally came down to the final bouts on the mat. We couldn't be totally sure of the winning team until the very end." 

Despite the narrow loss, there were some outstanding performances. Heavyweight Evan Anderson was selected UAA Freshman of the Year after defeating Chicago's former Rookie of the Year, Cole Fibranz, 9-2 in the final.     

The other NYU wrestlers to capture their weight classes were Tyler Crew (133), Nick Kruczynski (141), Hassan Khan (157), Jason Geyer (174), and Nicky Bell and Scott DuPont (184).    

Cooper Pontelandolfo (165), NYU's All-American, was edged 2-1 by Chicago's All-American, Darian Estevez, and also finished second.    

"It's a tough loss, no doubt, but I'm proud of the effort the guys gave," Luce said. "We were in a position to win but it just didn't go our way."

The squad will be back in action next Saturday, February 18, when NYU celebrates Senior Day. The Violets will be hosting a tri-meet with Trinity College and Hunter College beginning at 12:00pm at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.