LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Princeton wrestling team came out on top tonight 20-19 against the Rider Broncs at the Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, NJ. Tonight marked the first dual meet win of the Joe Dubuque head coaching era. The Tigers will take home the MAC IVY Trophy for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Hardware secured ??

The MAC IVY Trophy is coming back to Jadwin!#letsgetwild pic.twitter.com/z2umSa7EUl

— Princeton Wrestling (@tigerwrestling) January 12, 2024

The action kicked off at 125 pounds, where Tyler Klinsky of Rider faced Drew Heethuis. Klinsky displayed exceptional skill with four takedowns, a four second near fall and an extra riding time point, securing a major decision with a score of 17-3. Rider took an early lead, 4-0.

Sean Pierson was up next at 133 against Richie Koehler of Rider. Koehler took a win by decision, 10-4 with a pairing of a takedown, four second near fall along with riding time point. Rider extended their lead to 7-0.

Princeton was not to be outdone. In a closely contested match at 141 pounds, Tyler Vazquez secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Will Betancourt of Rider off of an escape. The Tigers closed the scoring gap, making the overall score 7-3 in Rider's favor.

The intensity of the dual reached its peak in the 149-pound matchup. Eligh Rivera's bout against No. 24 Quinn Kinner of Rider came down to sudden victory. Rivera emerged victorious with a takedown to make it an 11-8 win, cutting Princeton's deficit on the scoreboard to 7-6.

The dual meet continued with ups and downs in each weight class. No. 31 Colton Washleski of Rider secured a crucial win at 157 pounds over Rocco Camillaci, expanding Rider's lead to 10-6. However, Blaine Bergey of Princeton turned the tide at 165 pounds, earning a technical fall (TF) over Jake Silverstein with a score of 23-7 to give Princeton its first lead at 11-10.

Michael Wilson of Rider fought hard at 174 pounds, earning a 4-1 decision over Mikey Squires of Princeton. Rider regained the lead at 13-11, setting the stage for an intense finale.

In the 184-pound matchup, Nate Dugan showcased his dominance with a major decision (MD) over Isaac Dean of Rider, securing a 12-3 victory. The Tigers roared back into the lead at 15-13.

As the dual meet approached its conclusion, the 197-pound and 285-pound matchups remained, and the outcome hung in the balance. 

At 197, Luke Stout faced Azeem Bell of Rider in a bout that was a major deciding factor. The junior dominated on the mat and earned the tech fall off of a total six takedowns and put Princeton's final five points on the scoreboard.

The heavyweight clash and final match of the night featured Sebastian Garibaldi against No. 33 David Szuba of Rider. Rider fought back on the scoreboard with a pin in the final bout, but bonus points favored the Tigers.

Each team won bouts, but Princeton walked away with more bonus points to secure their first dual meet win of the season and the MAC IVY Trophy.

Scoring Breakdown

125: Tyler Klinsky (Rider) MD Drew Heethuis (Princeton) 17-3; Rider leads 4-0
133: Richie Koehler (Rider) DEC Sean Pierson (Princeton) 10-4; Rider leads 7-0
141: Tyler Vazquez (Princeton) DEC Will Betancourt (Rider) 1-0; Rider leads 7-3
149: 11/32 Eligh Rivera (Princeton) DEC No. 24 Quinn Kinner (Rider) 11-8 SV; Rider leads 7-6
157: No. 31 Colton Washleski (Rider) DEC Rocco Camillaci (Princeton) 8-3; Rider leads 10-6
165: Blaine Bergey (Princeton) TF Jake Silverstein (Rider) 23-7; Tigers lead 11-10
174: Michael Wilson (Rider) DEC Mikey Squires (Princeton) 4-1; Rider leads 13-11
184: 20/25 Nate Dugan (Princeton) MD Isaac Dean (Rider) 12-3; Tigers lead 15-13
197: 10/12 Luke Stout (Princeton) TF Azeem Bell (Rider) 21-4; Tigers lead 20-13
285: No. 33 David Szuba (Rider) F Sebastian Garibaldi (Princeton); Tigers win 20-19

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Up Next
The Princeton wrestling squad will host Morgan State on January 13th at 2:00 P.M. in Jadwin Gym on Future Tigers Day.