Columbia University
Army
Wrestling Falls at Army, 21-13
1/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Looking tired and not aggressive, Columbia fell behind just 1:27 into the match when the Cadets' second-string heavyweight, Nathan Thobaben, pinned first-year Kevin Lester on a sudden headlock. Army increased its lead to 9-0 as Fernando Martinez shut out Lion junior Brandon Kinney, 4-0.
Columbia got on the scoreboard at 133 pounds, thanks to senior Matt DeLorenzo. The 18th-ranked DeLorenzo scored the bout's only takedown with just 51 seconds to go in the third period to prevail over Army's William Simpson, voted the Outstanding Wrestler of the recent N.Y. State Championships.
That reduced the margin to 9-3, but the Cadets increased it to 18-7 by winning three of the next four weight classes.
Matt Kyler defeated Sal Tirico at 141, 8-3; Christian Snook spoiled Devin Mesanko's first match since December by edging the senior co-captain, 4-3, on 2:07 of riding time; and Brian Rown surprised both the Army and Columbia teams by shutting out senior Ricky Turk in the third period to win, 4-2.
Columbia's lone win in that stretch was turned in by first-year Matt Dunn, who had a takedown and 3-point near fall against Austin Milster in the first period, just missing a pin, and went on to shut Milster out with a 9-0 major decision. Still, the Lions trailed by 11 points.
Senior Matt Palmer appeared quite capable of reducing the margin considerably as he took the mat at 174 against Brent Smith. Although Smith is ranked among the top 174-pounders in the EIWA, Palmer had punished him when they met in the N.Y. State Championships semifinals, beating him 15-0 for a technical fall, worth five team points.
As he had done in that match, Palmer was frequently able to take Smith down. However, he could not tilt him toward the mat, or turn him over, both of which had scored so many points before. The Lion still led by 7-1 in the final period, but Smith rallied with a five-point move of his own, and Palmer had to hold on for an 8-6 victory.
At 18-10, the match was still within Columbia's grasp. However, the team was without 14th-ranked Justin Barent, injured Sunday against Lehigh, and sophomore Andy Geving, despite taking a 4-1 lead in the first period against Army's Scott Ferguson, was unable to hold off the Cadet standout. Ferguson's 10-4 victory in the 184-pound bout put the match out of reach for Columbia.
Junior Nick Sommerfeld closed the wrestling on a winning note for the Lions when he managed a third-period escape to tie his bout with Connor Sanders at 197, 1-1, and then achieved a hard-fought takedown with just 17 seconds left in the sudden victory overtime for a 3-1 win. Army captured the victory though, 21-13, Columbia's second straight defeat by an EIWA opponent. The Lions fell to 4-2 overall, while Army improved to 10-4.
Columbia coach Brendan Buckley was at a loss to explain the loss.
“We were flat, totally flat,” the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling said, shaking his head. “We looked tired, both physically and mentally.”
It's never easy to maintain a mental edge in wrestling, and the pressure of training particularly hard to justify being one of the top 25 teams in the nation, could have caused Columbia's problems.
Buckley had another thought. “I don't know, having to make weight twice this week could have hurt us,” he speculated. The Lions had had to make weight just four days ago, at the Sunday match with Lehigh.
Unfortunately, Columbia will have to make weight and be mentally ready just three days from now, when Cornell comes to Morningside Heights. The 15th-ranked Big Red will initiate the Ivy League season for Columbia in a 7 p.m. match.
Army 21, No. 25 Columbia 13
Hwt - Nathan Thobaben (A) pinned Kevin Lester, 1:27
125 - Fernando Martinez (A) dec. Brandon Kinney, 4-0
133 - #18 Matt DeLorenzo (C) dec. William Simpson, 2-1
141 - Matt Kyler (A) dec. Sal Tirico, 8-3
149 - Matt Dunn (C) major dec. Austin Milster, 9-0
157 - Christian Snook (A) dec. Devin Mesanko, 4-3
165 - Brian Rowan (A) dec. Ricky Turk, 4-2
174 - Matt Palmer (C) dec. Brent Smith, 8-6
184 - Scott Ferguson (A) dec. Andy Geving, 10-4
197 – Nick Sommerfeld (C) dec. Connor Sanders, 3-1 sv OT
Wednesday, January 31, 2007, Christl Arena, West Point, N.Y.
Records: Columbia 4-2, 0-2 EIWA; Army 10-4, 6-1 EIWA
Players Mentioned
