The Elizabethtown College wrestling team welcomed Alvernia University to Elizabethtown, Pa. this past weekend on Saturday, Feb. 3 at home. It was their second head-to-head matchup this season. While the Blue Jays had hoped to get some revenge for their earlier defeat, they went on to lose a nailbiter, as Alvernia narrowly escaped this one with a 23-22 victory.
As the match kicked off, Etown had the early edge thanks to fourth-year Ethan Liptzin. The Blue Jays wrestler for the 125-weight class notched an early win to put his team ahead. The 12-0 major decision gave Etown the momentum early with a 4-0 lead.
However, the momentum quickly started to shift as the match progressed. Over the next five weight classes, Alvernia proved dominant. They would win all five of those matches. Two by decision for three points each, one by a major decision for four points and two by technical fall for five points each. This five-win stretch would quickly build up their lead to 20-4. Such a lead was incredibly difficult to come back from with just four matches left on Saturday, but Etown showed resilience in those last four.
With the odds stacked against them, the Blue Jays locked in. They took three of the last four by way of a pin, earning six points for each win. Second-year Ganon Smith of the 174-weight class shifted the tide with a spectacular pinfall and fourth-years Trai Roland at 184 and Dylan Waller in the 285 class also made strong contributions to closing the gap. Smith earned a fall in 2:16, Roland earned his in 2:12 and Waller in 3:57.
However, with such a large deficit, Etown needed to win all four of the final matches on the day if they wanted a chance at winning. While the team put up a valiant attempt, they came up just short, winning three of the last four. It was an agonizing defeat but was certainly an impressive effort put on display against the 14th ranked Alvernia Golden Wolves.
Still, the Blue Jays maintain an 8-2 record on the season. They will have the chance to bounce back this week, as they get into the final stretch of their season.
