PROVIDENCE, RI – Year in and year out, the battle on the mat between the Roger Williams University and Johnson and Wales University wrestling teams is one of the best in the country. The 2016 edition went down to the wire as the third-ranked Hawks won the tiebreaking point and the match, 16-15, over the 12th-ranked Wildcats.
The two teams were tied 15-15 after the last bout and the team decision then went to a tiebreaker. The third tiebreaking criteria (the first two are unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and pins) went to Roger Williams as it outscored JWU, 39-38, in total points won during the match.
Johnson & Wales ends the dual meet season with a 17-7 mark. The Hawks improved to 23-3.
Johnson & Wales won the first two matches to jump out to a 6-0 lead. Fourth-ranked Bobby Jordan needed the extra point from riding time to defeat Nick Barbaria (Scarsdale, N.Y.) 4-3, at 125 pounds. A third-period take down and riding time point gave Joe Ferinde the 3-0 win at 133 pounds against
Jean-Luc Lemieux.
Roger Williams got on the board when
Justin Cochran beat Justin Colon (Belleville, NJ), 6-3, at 141 pounds. In the next bout,
Danny Downes (Houston, TX) was defeated by Joey Gaccione , 3-0, because of a third-period escape and riding time.
Freshman Thomas Grippi (Bedford Hills, NY) staked the Wildcats to a 12-3 lead when he beat
Jason Bowen, 11-4 at 157 pounds. Grippi nearly had a major decision but Bowen fought back and got four points late in the third period. The Hawks continued by winning back-to-back matches to pull within 12-9.
Johnson & Wales picked up a victory at 184 pounds as Dae'Sean Brown (Neptune, NJ) got a pair of takedowns in the second period on his way to a 4-3 victory over
Joe Albina. Roger Williams narrowed the lead to three when top-ranked
David Welch (Salem, N.H.) beat Khamri Thomas 3-2, at 197 pounds. At 285 pounds,
Kyle Foster (Somers, CT) had a 2-1 decision over Jonah Aurelio.
The Hawks won the Pilgrim League Championship for the fourth straight year.
Up next for the Hawks is the Futures Tournament February 21st, hosted by Roger Williams University and then NCAA Northeast Regional, hosted by Springfield College on February 27-28.
