PRINCETON, N.J. – The Columbia wrestling team had a strong start to the 2024-25 season as seven wrestlers earned a podium finish Sunday at the Princeton Open.
Kai Owen (141) and
Cesar Alvan (165) highlighted the day by posting second place finishes in their weight categories.
Jack McGill (174) and
Richard Ryu (285) both finished in fourth place.
Boris Witmer (133) finished fifth, while
Sulayman Bah (125) and
Billy McChesney (285) each took the sixth-place spot.
Owen got the day started with a quick win via fall (0:48) over Musa Tamaradze in the 141 bracket. Owen followed that up with tech fall victory against Brandon Palcko (Rider) to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. A 10-3 decision win over Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) sent Owen to the semifinals, where he cruised to an 8-0 major decision win against Billy Dekraker. Owen fell to Lock Haven's Wyatt Henson via fall to finish in second place
Alvan also found success early in the day as he used two major decisions and a pin to advance to the 165 semifinals. Alvan posted major decision wins over Cole McComas (Rider) and Joseph Cangro before defeating Richie Grungo (Lehigh) via fall (3:25). Alvan used a narrow 6-5 decision over Sean Seefeldt (Princeton) in the semifinals to setup a match against Army's Gunnar Filipowicz in the finals. Filipowicz took the 165 title with a 7-1 decision over Alvan.
McGill (174) and Ryu (285) made a run to the semifinals before losing and moving into the third-place match. McGill and Ryu both lost their third-place matches as each posted a fourth place finish. McGill earned a major decision win over Jarod Schoppe (Lehigh) and a decision win against Xavier Giles (Princeton) to earn a spot in the 174 semifinals. Ryu defeated Tristan Hitchcock (Army) in a 3-1 decision to advance to the semifinals.
Bah (125) and Witmer (133) advanced to the quarterfinals before falling into the consolation bracket. Bah posted back-to-back tech fall wins before losing in the quarterfinals. Bah bounced back for decision wins over Kaden Naame (Rider) and Teague Strobel (Hofstra) to earn a spot in the fifth-place match. Bah fell in a 5-1 decision to Ethan Rivera (Princeton). Witmer lost his quarterfinal match and moved into consolation. Witmer also bounced back for a decision win against Brandan Chletsos (Rutgers) and major decision over Nain Vazquez (Army) to earn a spot in the fifth-place match. Witmer cruised to a 9-0 major decision victory against Drew Heethuis (Princeton) to secure the fifth-place finish at 133.
McChesney suffered a narrow 4-2 decision loss to Collin French (Rider) in the first round of the 285 bracket. McChesney responded with an 11-3 major decision win over Adrian Sans (Hofstra) in the first round of consolation. He then advanced again via medical forfeit before defeating Brown's Braden Ewing in a 9-1 major decision to advance to the fifth-place match. McChesney dropped a 4-1 decision to Alex Semenenko (Brown) to finish sixth at 285.
In total, 26 Columbia wrestlers competed at the Princeton Open on Sunday. Full results from the Princeton Open can be found on the FloArena website by clicking
HERE.
UP NEXT
Columbia begins its dual season Friday, November 15 at Cleveland State. The Lions will finish the weekend trip with a dual against Michigan at 2 p.m. on November 17. Columbia hosts Indiana for its home opener on Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.
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