Wrestlers squeeze out win against Brown

After grappling through and winning two matches of contrasting difficulty last Saturday, the Boston University wrestling team looks forward to a crucial upcoming weekend, when it travels to Fairfax, Va. for the Colonial Athletic Association Duals.

Last weekend, the Terriers (7-1, 3-1 CAA) first enjoyed a close, hard-fought 21-15 victory over Brown University, followed by a dominating 46-0 shutout over Johnson and Wales University. The team has won five straight meets.

‘We’re wrestling very well and we’re in good shape,’ said BU Coach Carl Adams. ‘The win versus Brown was a good win. We hadn’t beaten them in a dual meet in about 10 years.’

Junior Leighton Brady, a competitor in the 165-pound weight class, set the tone early for the Terriers with his 5-2 decision over Brown’s Sean Jenkins. The win was especially sweet for Brady, who lost to Jenkins at the Keystone Classic tournament in Philadelphia, Pa. in November. With Saturday’s win, Brady improved his overall individual season record to 16-5.

‘Leighton Brady has shown himself to be one of the top 165-pound wrestlers in the country,’ Adams said of the junior, who has been ranked as high as No. 17 in the country in his weight class this season. ‘He pretty much dominated Jenkins.’

While Brady’s early success was a catalyst for the team’s victory over Brown, Adams also said that sophomore Courtney Howard and freshman Greg Politi played large roles in the win.

Howard, a heavyweight, pinned Brown’s Lee Beane in 3:34. The 133-pound Politi defeated Dan Appello, 6-0.

‘Courtney Howard’s pin was key,’ Adams said. ‘That was a pretty big turning point in the match.’

‘[Politi] is a true freshman, and he wrestled very well,’ Adams added.

Other winners via decision for the Terriers against Brown were senior co-captain Chad Grant and sophomores Rayes Gonzales and Joey Rivera. Freshman Justin Blumenthal performed very well in a one-point loss to Brown’s Clint Frease, the No. 5 ranked 149-pound wrestler in the country.

‘It was a great team performance,’ Adams said about the Brown victory. ‘That match could have easily gone the other way.’

After defeating Brown, the Terriers came right back on Saturday to crush Johnson and Wales. The team won all 10 matches, including four victories by pin.

Howard, Politi, freshman Michael Galorenzo and fellow freshman Zachary Johns all pinned their Wildcat opponents. Other winners by decision were Gonzales, Rivera, senior Edward Strauss, sophomore Warren Haines and freshman Thomas Sforza. Grant won via forfeit.

This coming weekend, the team will travel to Fairfax, Va. to compete in the CAA Duals hosted by George Mason University. With four meets against CAA rivals beginning on Friday night and continuing through Saturday, Adams and the team understand that this juncture in the season is crucial.

‘[The CAA Duals] is very critical,’ Adams said. ‘If we have a little luck with our health, it would be nice to get four wins.’

The Terriers will compete against Old Dominion University (3-2, 0-0 CAA) on Friday at 8 p.m., and then on Saturday, will face Campbell University (3-4, 0-1 CAA) at 11 a.m., James Madison University (1-2, 0-0 CAA) at 1 p.m. and George Mason University (1-4, 1-1 CAA) at 3 p.m.

‘It’s a tall order, but like I said, we’re wrestling well and we’re healthy,’ Adams said.

As is evident, the Terriers are enjoying success this season with quite a young collection of wrestlers. Adams recognizes that the opponents this weekend all feature talented individuals, but he is very pleased with the progress of his starting lineup, especially the three freshmen.

‘We have a fairly young group going [to Fairfax],’ Adams said. ‘We need a total team effort in all of the match-ups.’

Despite the tough task of competing in four meets against conference foes in a span of less than 24 hours, Adams is confident that his team will wrestle well.

‘This group has tremendous chemistry right now,’ Adams noted. ‘Our goal is to go 4-0.’