The Spotlight on NY Wrestling
After three grueling days of competition, heart attack moments, setbacks, incredible determination, and persistence in spite of the ever present obstacles, two Hofstra Pride wrestlers emerged from the cheers and hollers of Philadelphia with All-American honors in the 2011 championships.
PHILADELPHIA – After three grueling days of competition, heart attack moments, setbacks, incredible determination, and persistence in spite of the ever present obstacles, two Hofstra Pride wrestlers emerged from the cheers and hollers of Philadelphia with All-American honors in the 2011 championships. Senior Lou Ruggirello captured a 7th place finish at the 133lbs weight class, and junior PJ Gillespie returned with an 8th place finish at 165lbs.
After bouncing between 2 and 4 in the standings, the Cornell Big Red emerged the team leader after the quarterfinal round. Only a half a point separates them from their Eastern Rival, Penn State. The top three team leaders are Cornell with 61, Penn State with 60.5, and Iowa with 51.5 points.
PHILADELPHIA – By Bill Miller and Pete Candito, After bouncing between 2 and 4 in the standings, the Cornell Big Red emerged the team leader after the quarterfinal round. Only a half a point separates them from their Eastern Rival, Penn State. The top three team leaders are Cornell with 61, Penn State with 60.5, and Iowa with 51.5 points.
A year later, a year stronger, and determined to exorcise the curse from their wrestling souls, the Pride reclaimed the CAA title ripping away the title from the Binghamton Bearcats, the team who terminated their championship streak in 2010 at 9 straight, and qualified 7 athletes for the championships in Philadelphia PA.
In the 2010 championships in Omaha Nebraska, the Hofstra Pride wrestling team sent two grapplers to compete for All-American titles. Their stranglehold on the CAA conference title was smashed when their top athletes fell to season ending injuries. Unlike season’s past when the Pride would wrestle deep and return with hardware, they exited the tournament on the first day after having compiled a 1 and 4 record.
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