The AU wrestling team pushed its dual meet record back to the .500 mark with wins over Binghamton University in Vestal, N.Y., and Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.
The Eagles recorded six decisions en route to defeating Binghamton 18-15 Feb. 3, before taking down EIWA opponent Bucknell 23-13 Feb. 5.
No. 1 Flores breaks tie at Binghamton
The Eagles picked up the victory in the 10-bout match that saw neither side hold more than a three-point advantage.
After falling behind by two points early in the ninth bout, No. 19 Daniel Mitchell came back with four consecutive points to edge Binghamton’s Cody Reed 5-3.
With the dual tied at 15 apiece entering the final bout, top-ranked Ryan Flores earned the victory for the Eagles when he took down No. 19 Nick Gwiazdowski, 8-1.
Flores earned two points in the first period and gained a 5-0 lead in the second with an escape and a takedown before picking up the seven-point win.
The Eagles and Bearcats began the match with two victories each. AU’s Thomas Williams started off the night with a 5-3 decision at 125 pounds, while No. 15 Matt Mariacher won at 141 pounds.
Corey Borshoff and Kevin Tao both came up short against Binghamton’s Patrick Hunter and No. 4 Donald Vinson, respectively.
No. 3 Ganbayar Sanjaa won the 157-pound match for the Eagles, defeating No. 10 Justin Lister, 5-3. Sanjaa recorded a takedown in the third period to pick up the win in the highly anticipated matchup.
AU picks up EIWA victory
The Eagles never trailed in the win over Bucknell, jumping out with four straight victories to take an early 17-0 lead over the Bison.
Flores gave AU six points at the outset following a forfeit at heavyweight, while Williams earned a 4-3 decision at 125 pounds for the Eagles.
Borshoff and Mariacher then followed with back-to-back victories, defeating their opponents 9-0 and 10-2, respectively.
The Bison then came back to win the next four contests of the day. Among these victories was Bucknell’s Corey Lear defeating Sanjaa 8-5 at 165 pounds when the AU grappler wrestled up a weight class.
With the Eagles in front 17-13, Thomas Barreiro and Daniel Mitchell secured the dual victory by posting two wins in their matchups.
The Eagles will next compete at the National Duals Regional Feb. 12 in Ithaca, N.Y. Competitors will include Cornell University, Central Michigan University, Purdue University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Illinois.
