The American University wrestling team (8-8) surged to victory against the Brown University Bears (1-8), winning 25-13 and ending the team’s three dual losing streak.
American came off two road losses in Pennsylvania against Drexel (9-9) and Lehigh (5-4) on Jan. 31 and hoped for a comeback.
The Eagles started off hot, with freshman 125-pounder redshirt Coen Bainey defeating sophomore Jared Brunner on a technical fall with an 18-2 score. Bainey entered the third period up 4-0 and proceeded to score 14 points off of two takedowns, a near fall and a technical fall to end the bout.
“Our strong start really helped us a lot,” head coach Jason Borrelli said after the dual. “[Bainey] just went out there and went after it, he had a great third period.”
Bainey was named the Gregorio’s Trattoria Student-Athlete of the Week following the match, and is now 5-5 this season in individual bouts.
American didn’t slow down after their first victory, as 133-pound junior Raymond Lopez went to work on senior Hunter Adrian, winning the bout 15-3 with four takedowns of his own. The Eagles led 9-0 after the first two matches.
Redshirt freshman 149-pounder Gage Owen was the next Eagle to win, defeating sophomore Ethan Mojena 6-3. Owen trailed most of the bout before getting a takedown at the end of the second period, putting him up two. Owen had previously lost to Mojena on Jan. 5 at the Southern Scuffle in the round of 32.
Eagles redshirt senior 157-pounder Jack Nies added to the fun, defeating sophomore Nico Romero with a major decision 15-2. Nies earned three takedowns against Romero and added in a near fall on Romero in the third period to put the bout away. American led 16-4 at the halfway mark.
The Eagles stayed aggressive as redshirt freshman 165-pounder Kaden Milheim went into a tight contest against senior Keegan Rothrock. Brown’s Rothrock led the bout 3-2 heading into the third period, where he began the period with a quick escape point.
Soon after, Milheim got a huge takedown to take his first lead of the bout and didn’t look back, winning 9-4 in front of an enthusiastic crowd. American had full control of the contest, up 19-4 on Brown.
Redshirt sophomore 174-pounder Caleb Campos also went down early in his bout against freshman Drew Clearie. After a slow first period, Clearie began the second with a two-point reversal, going up 2-0 into the third period.
While Brown’s Clearie seemed in control, it was Campos who stole the show, getting an electric takedown late in the third period to go up 3-2. The score wouldn’t change as a lively crowd saw Campos secure the match win for American as they went up 22-4.
The Eagles got their final victory in the heavyweight bout between redshirt freshman Emmanuel Ulrich and junior Alex Semenenko. Ulrich got American’s first point with an escape in the second, but Semenenko equalized in the third period with his own, leading to the day’s first and only sudden victory.
Halfway through sudden victory, Ulrich secured the win with a takedown to win 4-1, giving the Eagles a final score of 25-13. Ulrich had lost to Semenenko at the Southern Scuffle in the consolation quarterfinals on Jan. 4.
Borrelli said his team’s resilience is what gave them the win.
“You need to be able to overcome slow starts and score points late, and our wrestlers did just that,” Borrelli said. “I told my wrestlers, ‘Hey, it takes more than one score to beat you.’”
American returns to Bender Arena to face Bucknell (5-9) for an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association match on Feb. 14. The Eagles’ senior wrestlers will be recognized before the match as part of a Senior Day celebration.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Nicole Kariuki and Hannah Langenfeld.
