Rider gaining momentum after ODU win
By Jenni Chiarello
The Rider wrestling team (3-1) is fresh off a win against Old Dominion (4-4) and now anxiously awaits its next bout against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (3-1) on Saturday.
Freshman Clint Morrison, who defeated the third-best wrestler at the 184-pound division in the CAA, is looking forward to continuing the team’s recent roll of success.
“I think that we are definitely pumped up after beating ODU, but we all know that our efforts have to continue into this weekend in order to beat Rutgers, so celebrating was very minimal and we are all ready to wrestle,” Morrison said.
The Scarlet Knights also defeated Old Dominion on Dec. 2, 20-13.
“I believe the fact that Rutgers also beat ODU is not in our heads,” Morrison said. “We know it will be tough, but if we wrestle with the same intensity we had Saturday, then it will be a fun match to watch in our favor.”
If the Broncs have anything going for them coming into the match against Rutgers, it’s that the Scarlet Knights will be facing off against Princeton (1-3) earlier in the afternoon.
Last weekend, the Broncs took five of 10 bouts from the Monarchs and won the match, 50-45. Wins came from seniors Aaron Nestor and Jimmy Kirchner, junior Brandon Lintner, sophomore Ramon Santiago and Morrison.
Even though the celebration from the ODU win was short lived, team morale and confidence is still present. The Broncs will try to ride the wave of emotion in hopes of a win this weekend.
Three Scarlet Knights have been ranked on Intermat’s list of the top-20 wrestlers for 2011-12.
Junior Mario Mason is ranked third in the 149-pound weight class. Fellow junior Scott Winston is ranked sixth in the 165-pound weight class and junior Greg Zannetti is ranked 14th at 174 pounds.
In addition, Intermat ranked Rutgers as the 16th rated program in the country. Rider, as a team, is tied at 46th, while junior Jim Resnick is the 11th-best wrestler in the 174-pound division.
Even though the Broncs are only four team matches into the season, they have shown major potential at making important strides forward in the year.
“I think everyone has a tough match against Rutgers,” Morrison said. “It’s going to be fun watching our team battle on Saturday night. There will be nothing better for us personally than taking down this team.”
