After sweeping through the Colonial Athletic Association Duals in Fairfax, Va. last weekend, winning all four of its matches, the Boston University wrestling team received an inspiring message from its coach, Carl Adams.
‘I told [the team] that was probably the best team performance I’ve seen in 22 years at BU,’ Adams said.
A team performance it was, without a doubt. BU (11-1, 7-1 CAA) topped Old Dominion University, 24-16, last Friday, and then came back on Saturday to defeat Campbell University, 42-9, James Madison University, 28-12, and host George Mason University, 42-12. The Terriers have won nine consecutive dual meets.
Before the two-day competition in Fairfax, BU knew that it would be without its 133-pound wrestler, freshman Greg Politi. Politi fractured his elbow last week during practice and is expected to be out for at least three to four weeks, but Adams is optimistic that the freshman will return before the end of the season.
With Politi unable to compete, BU was forced to forfeit all four of its 133-pound matches during the duals. Several BU wrestlers stepped up, however, knowing the team had already surrendered six points to the opposition.
‘We had to have a total team effort to go 4-0,’ Adams said. ‘I feel we gave that effort and then some.’
Among the Terrier standouts were senior tri-captain and 197-pounder Chad Grant, junior 165-pounder Leighton Brady and sophomore 157-pounder Rayes Gonzales.
Grant went 3-0 at the duals, and earned points for the team with a forfeit win against George Mason. Wrestlers do not technically receive an individual win in the event of a forfeit, but six points are awarded to the team. The senior earned a technical fall over Old Dominion’s Greg Gill, a win by fall over Campbell’s John Ottinger and a major decision over James Madison’s Steve Kodish.
‘Chad Grant was off the charts,’ Adams said. ‘He was exceptional.’
One Terrier that has been exceptional all season is Brady. After a 3-0 weekend, plus a forfeit victory against Campbell, the junior improved his overall individual season record to 19-5. The 165-pounder won technical falls over Old Dominion’s Dave Kaplan and James Madison’s Josh Fultz and a decision over George Mason’s Richard Appau.
‘Brady wasn’t challenged,’ Adams said. ‘He can compete with the best in the country at this point.’
Another strong competitor wrestling for BU at the duals was Gonzales. The sophomore won all four of his matches, including an 8-7 comeback decision against George Mason’s Sean Early. Gonzales, in his final match of the duals, was trailing Early 7-2 before coming back to secure the win. He also earned a win by fall over Old Dominion’s Dennis Whitby, along with decisions over Campbell’s Vic Arena and James Madison’s Brian Consolvo. The 157-pounder upped his individual season record to 18-7.
Adams was not surprised to see Gonzales comeback against Early.
‘Rayes trains very hard,’ Adams began. ‘He basically runs people into the ground because he has great conditioning.’
Other victorious Terriers from the duals included senior 184-pounder Edward Strauss and sophomore heavyweight Courtney Howard. Strauss was 3-0, including a forfeit win, and Howard was 3-1. The heavyweight’s loss was against the No. 2 heavyweight in the CAA, Old Dominion’s Derrell Lorthridge.
After a very successful performance at the duals, BU looks to continue its momentum in the conference. Adams thinks his team is in good shape as it moves toward the CAA championships in March.
‘The biggest thing we have to do is stay healthy,’ Adams said. We want to win the rest of our duals and qualify as many wrestlers for the NCAA’s.’
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