In a weekend filled with championship action for Boston University sports, the Terrier wrestling squad distinguished itself with a third-place showing at the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Championship on Saturday in Harrisburg, Va.
The Terriers will be sending two representatives to the NCAA Wrestling Championship as a result of their performances on Saturday. Senior Ali Abri will represent the Terriers in the 184-pound weight class and junior Jose Leon will be making his third consecutive trip at 125 pounds.
“We’re taking two real quality kids to the national tournament,” coach Carl Adams said.
Abri came in to Saturday’s match as the No. 1 seed in his weight class and proved to be worthy of the ranking. He defeated Pat Miller of Drexel, 15-10, in the finals to earn the CAA crown.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a champ in a few years, so it’s good to break through again,” Adams said.
Leon finished second in his weight class after coming up on the short end of a 3-1 decision in the finals against Tom Noto of Hofstra University. But Leon was able to earn extra points for his team via a major decision in the quarterfinals and a pin in the semis.
Both Abri and Leon took on stiff competition on their way to the finals. Abri defeated a former NCAA qualifier in the semifinals, and four of the eight wrestlers from Leon’s weight class ended up earning national championship berths.
The top two wrestlers in each weight class earn automatic berths to the NCAAs, but the coaches also select wildcard entries to represent the conference in the battle for the national championship.
Adams is cautiously optimistic about Abri and Leon’s chances in the NCAA Championship, scheduled to start March 21 in Albany, N.Y.
“The competition there is absolutely brutal,” he said. “But if they wrestle well, they can do well. Their goal is to be All-Americans.”
One Terrier wrestler whom Adams was hoping would be chosen as a wildcard was senior Jason Holder. He finished third after winning a 6-5 double overtime match against Matt Kennett of Drexel University, but it was not enough to earn him a wildcard bid.
The Terriers also got a couple of fourth-place finishes from junior Mark Laramee in the 141-pound class and junior Ed Strauss in the heavyweight division.
BU ran into some tough luck in the 157-pound class. In his second match, freshman Rayes Gonzales was hurt and could not finish, costing the Terriers points. The team was in second for a good portion of the tournament, but was overtaken by Drexel. Still, the Terriers’ 64.5 total points was good enough for a third-place finish.
“I was very happy with the performance,” Adams said. “The kids wrestled very well in a really tough conference.”
Adams said he was satisfied with the season as a whole and the improvement the team showed as the campaign wore on.
“We came a long way from the beginning,” he said. “I’m very pleased, and I think [the wrestlers] are pleased as well.”
The Terriers finished with an 11-4 record that included solid wins over Rutgers University and Rider University.
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