BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Long Island University wrestling team continued its home stand to close out the 2019-20 regular season with two Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association duals inside the Pratt Recreation Center on Sunday, Feb. 16, hosting Brown University and Harvard University. The Sharks were unable to take down the Bears and Crimson despite strong showings, falling by 30-12 and 33-14 finals, respectively.
Match 1: Brown 30, LIU 12
On a day where both duals begin at 125, the Bears jumped out to an early lead with a technical fall and added six points via an LIU forfeit at 133. LIU got on the board with a forfeit by Brown at 165 and
Dan McClure earned a win at 184, taking down Aaron Wolk by a 7-5 decision.
Maguire Horl capped off the match with a win at heavyweight after controlling much of the bout. Horl earned a riding time point at the conclusion of the match to earn a 3-2 decision.
Brown took six of the eight contested bouts, using three technical falls in the first four bouts to push the Sharks out of reach.
Match 2: Harvard 33, LIU 14
The Sharks continued to show improvement against a powerful Crimson lineup that featured five nationally-ranked grapplers. 31st-ranked Beau Bayless gave Harvard an early lead with a decision at 125 and the Crimson jumped ahead 9-0 after a forfeit at 133.
Rhise Royster gave LIU some momentum at 149, using a takedown with just seconds remaining in the third period and adding four back points to grab a 7-2 decision over Aaron Kruk. No. 30 Hunter Ladnier and No. 16 Phillip Conigliaro gave Harvard 11 points at 157 and 165 to make it 24-3 before
James Langan dominated Michael Bausano for a second-period technical fall at 174.
After falling behind early,
Mark Malico used an escape and a quick takedown during the first period to gain control of Evan Callahan and earned a pin just moments later for his fourth pinfall of the season. Ninth-ranked Yaraslau Slavikouski gave Harvard its final points with a pin at heavyweight to help the Crimson to the 33-14 final margin.
LIU will close out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 22 when it plays host to Sacred Heart University on Senior Day. The opening bout is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. with senior day ceremonies to take place prior to introductions.
