The Boston University wrestling team came into the weekend beat up and shorthanded, but persevered to win one and barely lose another in its two matches. The Terriers lost to a strong Drexel University squad, 24-16, on Friday in Case Gymnasium but were able to hand Rutgers University a 27-20 loss the next day.
With many key players out due to injury, BU coach Carl Adams sent a young and inexperienced squad – one that included six freshmen – to the mat, and came away with nothing but optimism.
“Friday was not a question of what went wrong,” Adams said. “Drexel has a very good team, and I thought we wrestled pretty well.”
What initially looked like a blowout on Friday turned into a close contest after the Terriers (4-7) took four out of the final six matches, but it wasn’t enough. BU dropped the first three decisions to the 7-3 Dragons and gave up 15 points.
The first three matches were started by freshman wrestlers, including Elijah Vidal, who lost to Drexel’s Justin Terhune, 5-0. Josh Statum lost a 6-0 decision to Steve Mytych in the 125-pound class, while James Connors lost a close match, 5-3, to Chris Cowen in the heavyweight bout.
“They were clearly a better team with our injuries,” Adams said. “With three weight classes out – you have a problem.”
Without anyone to put in the 133-pound weight class, BU forfeited one match before getting its first win of the night when sophomore Joe Whitaker grinded out a close decision, 9-7, over Zach Makovsky. Redshirt freshman Mike Roberts followed suit, getting by Chris Renninger, 11-9.
“Anytime you lose a national qualifier and two senior captains, it’s going to hurt,” Adams said. “You’re giving away points before you even start.”
The Terriers were still within reach of the win when senior Zach Johns made his team-leading fifth pin of the season. But Drexel clinched the victory soon after with a Nick Kozar victory over BU senior Chris Tripp.
Before moving on to Saturday’s match, BU senior Tom Sforza finished Friday with a 17-5 major decision win over Brian Stouffer.
The Terriers didn’t walk away from the Drexel match with their heads hanging and instead took that experience along with them to get a win over Rutgers (7-6).
“When you lose, it shouldn’t knock you down to the point you can’t rebound,” Adams said. “This was a whole new match and a whole new opponent.”
Nothing about BU’s second match came easy, as the lead changed hands five times before the Terriers emerged with the victory.
Vidal led the match off, losing by technical fall to Rudy Medini, but three of his teammates followed him up to put BU ahead, 12-5. Sforza and Connors each won close decision matches and Statum pinned Ricky Ringel.
“Connors and Statum’s wins are what really helped seal the deal for us,” Adams said.
Rutgers regained the lead after BU forfeited at 133-pounds for the second day in a row, and sophomore Joe Whitaker was defeated, 6-0, by Steve Adamcsik.
The young Terrier team that is trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament needed just a little bit more to put them over the top, and they got it from both a rookie and a veteran.
Freshman Carlo Ferrandino won with a pin of Marcello Medini followed by a Roberts loss by pin, putting Rutgers up, 20-18. After that, it was BU the rest of the way. Johns completed a strong weekend of wrestling by winning a 4-0 decision over Matt Pletcher and in effect the match points for BU.
The final points of the day went to BU by default, when Rutgers forfeited the 174-pound match.
“At this point, they should get better every time they take the mat and learn something,” Adams said. “It’s important that we pull together when it really matters at the conference tournament.”
The Terriers next wrestle on Feb. 4 when they take on East Stroudsburg University and Delaware Valley College for a trimatch in East Stroudsburg, Pa. Senior Justin Blumenthal is questionable for the match.