LAS VEGAS — Columbia wrestling's
Joshua Ogunsanya and
Cesar Alvan each placed among the top eight in their weight classes at the Cliff Keen Invitational, which was contested Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Ogunsanya proved tough from the start. He began his trek through the bracket with a 14-5 major decision win over Utah Valley's Cameron Haddock. The third-seeded Lion then took down Virginia Tech's Andrew Nicholson by fall to advance to the quarterfinals. There, he met 11th-seeded Matthew Olguin of Oregon State and pulled out a 5-2 decision to earn his place in the semis.
With just four wrestlers remaining in the 165-pound weight class, Ogunsanya was denied a shot at the title, falling behind 6-0 after the first round before succumbing to Cornell's Julian Ramirez on an 8-2 decision. Ogunsanya was awarded the fifth-place match via forfeit.
Alvan suffered an unfortunate early fall in his opening-round match at 157 pounds but battled his way back in the consolation bracket. He earned a 10-4 decision to open the consolation before earning a dramatic pin over Kent State's Aaron Ferguson. Alvan was trailing the match 9-3 in the third round when he took down Ferguson and pinned him at the 6:32 mark to move on. He then earned a first-round fall over Harvard's Evan Gleason and another dramatic, 6-5, victory against seventh-seeded Peyten Kellar of Ohio. That put Alvan in the consolation round of four, where his luck ran out against South Dakota State's Cael Swensen, 8-7.
Other highlights from the weekend included
Lennox Wolak taking down Christian Smoot via major decision, 17-7, to earn a spot in the Round of 16.
Angelo Rini pulled off a big win in the first round, knocking off Boo Dryden by decision, 9-6. After falling in Round of 16 to No. 24 Orine from NC State, he earned a major decision win in the consolation bracket, 12-1, over Purdue's Dustin Norris.
Matt Kazimir started things off with a pin over LIU's Devin Matthews at the 1:25 mark before dropping his next bout to NC State's Ryan Jack, who ranks 14th in the 141-pound weight class.
Danny Fongaro took out Edinboro's Jacob Pail, 12-5, in the opening round. In his next match, Fongaro went up against fourth-ranked Jonathan Miller of Appalachian State, who topped Fongaro, 10-3.
Columbia will host No. 17 Pittsburgh in its home opener on Sunday, December 11, in Levien Gymnasium. The Lions and Panthers start up at 12 noon Eastern. The match can also be accessed live on ESPN+.
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