The Boston University wrestling team found itself wedged in the middle at the Keystone Classic hosted by the University of Pennsylvania last weekend, squeezing into fifth place, despite three top-three finishes and 10 top-six finishes.
“We have long-term and short-term goals for every competition,” said BU coach Carl Adams. “The biggest goal is getting the mental, physical and technical aspects of wrestling to come together so you can be at your best every time you compete.
“When you bring those three elements together, you will continue to improve and be at your best when it really counts at the conference and NCAA Tournaments.”
The Terriers suffered when junior John DaCruz, the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, withdrew with a back injury that prevented the Terriers from finishing fourth, where Adams said his team belonged.
“We had a couple guys who were banged up and we missed them,” Adams said. “We fell short of where we’d hoped we’d be.”
The host Quakers looked comfortable, taking the team title with 151 points. The University of Virginia took second with 109.5, American University came in third with 100.5 and Appalachian State put up 79.5 points, edging the Terriers’ 76.5 points.
Sophomore Joey Whitaker lost, 4-3 in triple overtime to eventual champion Ceasar Grajalas (of UPenn) in the 141-pound semifinals before winning the consolation match against Antwone Floyd of Duke University to finish third. Adams called Whitaker’s showing the team’s best performance.
Whitaker was not a starter last year, but he has been wrestling with smarts and grit. According to Adams, if he can make the jump to the next level, he could receive All-American honors come April.
The highest finisher among the Terriers was redshirt freshman Mike Roberts, who took second in the 149-pound weight class. Roberts, the No. 4 seed, lost in overtime, 6-4, in a match that could have gone either way. A national Greco-Roman wrestling champ in high school, Roberts hasn’t slowed.
“[Roberts] is a very talented athlete,” Adams said. “He’ll do very, very well at this level when it’s all said and done because he has lots of talent, loves the sport and works hard.”
Other notable performances came from senior Justin Blumenthal (third at 157) and freshman Carlo Ferrandino (fifth at 141). Ferrandino lost to teammate Whitaker in his fifth match. In his fourth bout, Ferrandino pinned No. 2 Mark Savino of Brown University in 2:13 and had what Adams called a “fantastic tournament.”
The Terriers will head back to the Keystone State Dec. 4 for their next tournament, the Penn State Open.