Since the beginning of winter break, the wrestling team has competed in 10 events including the Virginia Duals, Waynesburg Open and Wednesday night’s conference affair with Gettysburg.
The last month has been much kinder to the Jays who endured a difficult start to the season against several Division I and II teams. Although they held their own, the Jays have flourished in facing other D-III opponents, starting Janurary 5th against NYU.
The match with the Violets was the Jays’s first in over a month. The time off hardly mattered when all was said an done, however, as Hopkins won convincingly 40-3.
In their last eight events, the Jays have won four, taking down Apprentice School, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, and Washington and Lee, but fell to Nassau Community College, Brockport and Ursinus.
Hopkins also placed third in the Waynesbug Open over the break, the best amongst Centennial Conference teams, falling just shy of host Waynesburg and Baldwin Wallace.
Following the invitational, the Jays began their Centennial Conference season, taking on McDaniel on Jan. 18th. Led by seniors Eric Levenseller and Patrick Stanley, Hopkins tore through the Green Terror 28-12, the biggest win over McDaniel in 45 years.
Hopkins followed that with two matches over the weekend, crushing the Mules of Muhlenberg 43-9, but then losing to Ursinus 29-12.
This past weekend, Hopkins posted one of their best performances of the season as the Jays swarmed the Generals of Washington and Lee in every weight class.
After two early forfeits at 125 and 133 pounds, freshman Henry Stauber won 12-5 at 141 pounds, and soon after, senior co-captain Rocky Barilla won 5-0 at 157.
The nail in the coffin came when freshman Matt Fusaro, wrestling in the 165 pound division, won 18-2 on a technical fall. Levenseller won the next duel at 174 pounds, and the Generals forfeited the final two matches to give Hopkins a 45-3 victory.
On Wednesday, the Jays continued their conference play, taking on the Gettysburg Bullets. Hopkins controlled the mat from the get-go, led by a 9-1 major decision win by Stauber.
Four more major decisions by Barilla (13-2), Levenseller (11-3), and Stanley (11-0), as well as sophomore Reid Mosquera (13-4) at 197 pounds would follow for the Jays, as Hopkins rolled to a 32-9 win, their fourth straight over the Bullets.
Levenseller, also a co-captain, won his 74th career match against the Bullets. His move to begin conference play has elevated the team, and has put a stamp on his career.
The victory upped the Jays’s season record to 7-9 while in conference they stand at 4-1.
Hopkins will face off at Messiah College on Friday in their next match.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.