Wrestling Finishes Last at Championships
The 2020 wrestling team (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College Athletics)
By John Zak, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg College Wrestling Team competed in the Centennial Conference Championship in Allentown last Saturday, Feb. 15, placing seventh out of seven with a team score of 14.5. The match was won by Washington and Lee who recorded a score of 75.5. It was the Generals’ first conference championship in wrestling.
During the match, Sean Thompson ’21 at 141 pounds earned his third consecutive top four finish in the conference championship, placing third. Thompson took down Merchant Marine’s Matt Garza in his first matchup 8-2, following a 11-4 loss to Ryker Eckenbarger. Thompson then managed to bounce back to win his third matchup via a forfeit.
First year Jake Stein also delivered a notable performance by making it to third place before being beaten 7-2 by Ursinus’s Roy Calderiao. Eric Mougalian ’23 also earned a win in his bracket after getting a 8-6 win over Washington and Lee’s Alex Winant at 149 pounds. Sophomore Ray Martin also won his bracket at 157 pounds by beating out Merchant Marine’s Luke Gauthier 6-4, but could not continue the match due to injury.
Sean Thompson’s two wins during the conference championship helped him to the second 30-win season for his career. He managed to exceed his previous personal best during the match and improved to an impressive 30-15 record, for a dominant winning percentage of 66% on the season. Thompson also has achieved 80 career wins with his senior year still to go next season.
Mougalian also earned 18 wins on the season, leaving him two shy of becoming the fifth wrestler on Gettysburg’s team to earn 20 wins. Two of Gettysburg’s 20-win players were unable to compete in the conference championships, as junior Marc Larson and senior Colin Devlin were unavailable due to injuries.
This no doubt made it considerably more difficult for the Bullets to compete in the conference championships with two top performers absent plus the loss of Martin at the match due to injury.
The last place finish by the Bullets during the conference championship underscores a seasonal theme of struggling against conference opponents that has dogged the team all year. The team has a 0-6 record against Centennial Conference teams, contributing to their disappointing 8-14 record on the season.
The team’s struggles this year have also been highlighted by an 8-match losing streak and an inability to utilize home mat advantage with a 1-7 record at home.
With the burgeoning youth of this team, the squad can look forward to better days ahead as some of their top performers such as Thompson, Larson, and Martin will be returning alongside a number of promising first-years.
Devlin captured the hope for the team’s young players in an interview for Gettysburg College Athletics.
“This year we’re excited to have a full lineup, not expecting many holes.” he said. “We have a strong freshmen class, a big freshmen class too. So in the beginning it’s going to be about cohesion, becoming a new team. I think we’re going to put together a solid dual schedule and then obviously as an individual I was knocking at the door of last year so the goal is not just to be here but to be an All-American.”
Devlin’s hopes for the team’s demonstrate the team’s optimism. The Bullets Wrestling team will seek to compete again in the Futures Tournament in Allentown at Muhlenberg College this Sunday, their last meet before the NCAA Regionals on Feb. 28.
