The Boston University wrestling team had six out of 16 wrestlers place in their respective weight brackets Saturday in a field of 350 at the prestigious Brute/Binghamton Open in Vestal, N.Y.
The Terriers sent a true freshman to the finals along with eight wrestlers to the quarterfinals and two to the semifinals.
BU coach Carl Adams said he was pleased with how his team stacked up against top-quality competition.
‘It was extremely competitive,’ Adams said. ‘I felt like we wrestled well. In a tournament like this, you find out what you need to work on.’
Standout freshman Hunter Meys (174 pounds) won his first four matches, including two pins in less than 40 seconds before losing in the finals to senior Steve Anceravage of Cornell University.
Anceravage is a First-Team All-Ivy League selection who placed sixth in the NCAA Tournament last season. He also holds the school record for pins in a season with 17.
Cornell was the top-ranked program in the tournament and is ranked fourth in the nation in the latest InterMat coaches’ poll.’
BU junior Ryan Buff went 3-2 and finished fourth in the 133-pound bracket. He lost to eventual champion Jason Guffey of Bloomsburg University.
Coming off dominant performances against Wagner College and American International College, sophomore John Hall followed a first-round loss with five straight victories ‘-‘- good for fifth in the 197-pound bracket.
BU’s top-ranked wrestler, senior Mike Roberts, finished sixth in the 149-pound bracket. He went 4-2 with both losses coming in overtime.
‘Mike Roberts lost to a pretty tough young kid,’ Adams said. ‘It was a little disappointing for him I’m sure, but he’ll be back.’
At 165 pounds, junior C.J. Inglin strung together four straight victories, including a pin at 2:44, before losing the fifth-place match.
Redshirt freshman Freddy Santaite (125 pounds) placed sixth with a 5-2 record. Both loses came to three-time NCAA Tournament qualifier Steve Mytych, a senior from Drexel University.
‘For [Santaite] to go that far with a three-time national qualifier was very good,’ Adams said.’ ‘
In the heavyweight division, senior Jim Connors lost a heart-breaking decision to eventual champion Zach Hammond, a Cornell senior.
Hammond also won the heavyweight division in the Brute/Binghamton Open last season.
The Big Red was the only team to place more wrestlers than BU.
The tournament featured two nationally ranked programs in No. 19 Old Dominion University and No. 25 Harvard University. The field also included Colonial Athletic Association rivals Binghamton University,’ Drexel, Hofstra University and Sacred Heart University.’ ‘
The Terriers will be matched up against another strong Ivy League program Sunday, when they travel to Philadelphia to compete in the Keystone Classic at the University of Pennsylvania.
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