Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1 the Elizabethtown College wrestling team competed in the New Standard Corporation Invitational. The invitational was held at the York College of Pennsylvania, and 16 schools were represented. On Friday, Etown took 12th place and Saturday they took 16th.

Seven Blue Jays were able to move through the competition Friday to compete Saturday. Junior Tyler Rex easily went into the quarterfinals during Friday’s competition. Rex’s record improved 12-6 for the season.

“We don’t look past a single competition, we take it day by day, week by week,” junior Cole Cameron said. “As competition day approaches, we get our weight down and focus on the jobs we have to get done. Wrestling is a tough grind, but the coaches we have make it fun. We as a team compete for them.”

Junior Max Rhoden fell to an Ithaca College opponent in the second round. Junior John Paisley came back after a first round loss, and first-year Nick Gonzalez had bonus points added to his score before he fell short in round two. Junior Nikolay Savin had a first round pin but suffered a pin shortly after. First-year Quinn Hogue took a loss early during Saturday’s competition.

The team received a total of 23 points on Friday and a total of 25.50 for the weekend. The top contenders were Johnson & Wales University with 154.50 points and Ithaca with 106.50 points.

“Balancing academics and athletics is a difficult task no doubt. I just keep on moving forward,” Cameron said. “I put a major emphasis on self-care. Making sure I’m eating the right foods, getting enough sleep and taking time out of each day to kick back and clear my head. Frustration is hard to avoid, but with my support systems in the classroom and on the mat, I find a solid balance in my life.”