Wrestling Dominates LIU to Open New Year

Saturday, January 3

Brookville, N.Y.

1:00 PM

Columbia University

LIU

1/3/2026 2:46:00 PM | Wrestling

Results (PDF)

Columbia wins eight of 10 bouts in lopsided victory over Sharks

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Columbia wrestling notched its first win of the 2026 calendar year with a lopsided 35-12 win over LIU at the Pratt Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions (3-3) won eight of 10 bouts and got five wins courtesy of a major decision, technical fall or fall. After a medical forfeit gave LIU (1-9) the opening win of the day, Columbia won seven consecutive bouts.

Earning wins for the Lions on Saturday were Sulayman Bah, Evin Gursoy, Lorenzo Frezza, Richard Fedalen, Kai Owen, Nick Fine, Jack Wehmeyer, and Vincent Mueller.

Wehmeyer got the Lions on the board with a strong showing at 197. The senior opened the bout with a takedown at 1:40, he added four more points on a near-fall, and finished off the bout with a fall at 2:47. His first pin of the 2025-26 season for Wehmeyer.

Mueller put the Lions out front for good at 285. Mueller opened the bout against Chris Powell with a take down at 1:20 in the first period. In the second, leading 3-1, Mueller scored four more points on an escape and another takedown. Leading 7-1 in the third, Powell chose down and escaped to make it 7-2, but Mueller responded with a final takedown and earned the win via an 11-2 major decision.

Bah carried the momentum into the 125 bout. Bah jumped out to a commanding lead in the first period with an opening takedown and a 10-point near-fall to go up 13-0. He closed it out early in the second with a takedown to earn the 16-0 tech fall win.

Gursoy made it four in a row for the Lions with a 4-0 win over Branden Rozanski. It was Gursoy's second win of the year over the Sharks' freshman, with Gursoy getting the better of Rozanski in a 2-1 decision at the Black Knight Invite earlier this year.

Frezza picked up his 20th win of the season with a one-sided 19-4 tech fall. After leading 6-1 after one, Frezza put the match away with a dominating second period and closed it out in the third.

Fedalen got back into the win column with a win via a 6-3 decision. In the opening period, Fedlaen gave up a takedown, then escaped and scored a takedown of his own. After a break in the action, Fedalen chose down and scored an escape to take a 5-3 lead into the second. Through two more periods, Fedalen took a defensive approach and held on for the 6-3 win.

Kai Owen's 8-3 win made it seven in a row for the Lions. Owen scored a late takedown in the first to go up 3-0. In the second, a near fall made it 7-0 in Owen's favor. He put the match away in the third with an escape to make it 8-3.

LIU earned its second win of the afternoon when Jordan Barry got the better of Marc Maurath, earning a win via fall at 5:54 into the bout. Columbia closed out the dual when Nick Fine pinned Braden Brown in 1:17 in the first.

Columbia returns to action on Friday when it competes in the Franklin & Marshall Open on January 9.

RESULTS
COLUMBIA 35 - LIU 12
184: Anthony D'Alesio LIU def. #16 Aaron Ayzerov | MFFL, 3-4 | 6-0 LIU
197: Jack Wehmeyer (COL) def. John Dusza (LIU) | Fall, 2:47 | Tied 6-6
285: Vincent Mueller (COL) def. Chris Powell (LIU) | Major Decision, 11-2 | 10-6 Columbia
125: Sulayman Bah (COL) def. Anthony Chuquilin (LIU) | Tech Fall, 16-0 | 15-6 Columbia
133: Evin Gursoy (COL) def. Branden Rozanski (LIU) | Decision, 4-0 | 18-6 Columbia
141: #22 Lorenzo Frezza (COL) def. Amir Avazov (LIU) | Tech Fall, 19-4 | 23-6 Columbia
149: Richard Fedalen (COL) def. Tommy Bonasera (LIU) | Decision, 6-3 | 26-6 Columbia
157: Kai Owen (COL) def… Brayden Roberts (LIU) | Decision, 9-3 | 29-6 Columbia
165: Jordan Barry (LIU) def. Marc Maurath (COL) | Fall, 5:54 | 29-12 Columbia
174: #33 Nick Fine (COL) def. Braden Brown (LIU) | Fall, 1:17 | 35-12 Columbia
*rankings via FloWrestling

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