The Ithaca College wrestling team lost its first match of the early season at the John Reese Duals on Nov. 14 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The Blue and Gold, who were ranked fifth in the country in the latest NCAA National Wrestling Coaches’ Association poll, dropped a 20–15 decision to Stevens Institute of Technology in the first match, before taking down Rowan University and York College to close out the competition.
It was a full team effort for the Bombers, as five players on the squad recorded two wins at the event. Senior Dan Pak, junior Carlos Toribio and sophomore Bryan Israel went 2–0, while senior captain Eamonn Gaffney and junior Matt Booth finished with 2–1 records on the mat.
The first match against Stevens was a back-and-forth contest before the Blue and Gold dropped three consecutive matches, with Gaffney, freshman Anthony Fano and sophomore Jaison White dropping decisions.
The second match started off with three forfeits in a row from Rowan, putting the Bombers in prime position to finish off the match. They would win the final four bouts to close out the contest 41–6.
In the final match of the duals, the Bombers would take four matchups in a row to propel them to the 21–19 victory over York, and put them at 2–1 on the day.
The South Hill squad will be back in action 9 a.m. Nov. 22 when it makes the short trip to Cornell University for the New York State Collegiate Championships.
