Wrestlers gain Conference experience in showcase

By LIAM TRESNAN For The News-Letter

On Saturday the Hopkins wrestling team made the trek up to Ursinus College to compete in the Fall Brawl. The Jays had several standout performances in their second competition of the season, although the event had no team scoring. Senior captain Evan Krumheuer finished with a record of 3-1 and was runner-up in the 125-pound weight class. He started the tournament with a 6-3 victory over Ursinus freshman Colin Monahan and a 7-2 win against Camden County College’s Rafael Melendez in the quarterfinals. Krumheuer then earned an 8-6 win over Ursinus’s Chris Tan who was the number-one seed in the weight class. Unfortunately, in the final he lost by a 3-2 decision to Gettysbur freshman Noah Malamut. At 141 pounds, sophomore Lucas Escobar had a 3-2 record, winning all of his matches by fall. He won his opening match against Gettysburg College freshman Luke Neal before falling 9-1 to The College of New Jersey’s Ryan Buzek. In consolation, he won his first two matches before losing a 7-3 decision to Liberty senior Logan Smith. Fellow sophomore Tommy Grifa also posted a 3-2 record in the 157-pound weight class. All three of Grifa’s wins came by decision, and his two losses came by way of the third and fourth place finishers. Grifa leads the team in victories through the first two events of the season with 10 victories. Freshman Nicholas Piwonka finished with a record of 2-2 in the 157-pound bracket. He lost both of his matches by just one point. Freshman Nicholas Piwonka first beat sophomore Yuri Gulak of the Western New England University Golden Bears in a 10-1 major decision before losing to the Delaware Valley College Aggie’s junior Sekou Harris. In consolation Piwonka beat Western New England’s freshman Ridge Sulkey 6-4, before he lost to junior Mike Marano of the Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats. Piwonka commented on his second collegiate event: “Obviously it’s disappointing not to win it,” he said, “but losing to two tough guys by one point apiece is something which I can be proud of but definitely work on and look to improve upon.” Freshman Anders Bright competed in his first collegiate wrestling event after transferring from Tulane University. Bright made it to the quarterfinals of consolation after winning three matches straight. Before the Jays head home for Thanksgiving, they will travel to Springfield, Massachusetts on Saturday Nov. 21, when Springfield College hosts the annual Douglas Parker Invitational. Hopkins remains optimistic looking forward and is hoping to continue improving. “It’s all about getting better throughout the season,” said Piwonka. “Every tournament adds up to a conference title, and that’s what our team is looking for. We will keep getting better.”