Double-header Marks Last Dual Meets for CU

The wrestling team heads on a New England road trip this weekend to close out its dual meet season. Columbia will face Brown in Providence, R.I. today and travel to Cambridge, Mass. for a Saturday doubleheader against Harvard and Bucknell.

The Lions (6-3, 2-3 EIWA) are coming into the weekend fresh off a sweep of Princeton and Ivy power Penn at home last weekend. The Quakers, who were ranked 16th in the country at the time, lost to the Light Blue for the first time since 1993, and Columbia wrestlers won seven of the 10 individual matches. Four of those matches were decided by four points or fewer, and the Lions victory was based on crucial wins by juniors Nick Sommerfeld at 197 pounds and Brandon Kinney at 125, and senior Matt Palmer at 174 pounds. The wins over Princeton and Penn ended a three-game losing streak for Columbia and may have helped give the team new hope as the season ends.

"Coming into this weekend after the performance we had against Penn, I think, is going to give us a lot of confidence," head coach Brendan Buckley said. "Our goal is to keep wrestling at that high level, and I think we'll be able to close out the weekend like we want."

The Lions will face their first obstacle in Providence this afternoon, when they face off against Brown. The Bears (3-11, 3-6 EIWA) have struggled against other Ivy teams this season, with their sole victory coming over winless Princeton. Brown has also lost two of its last three matches, including a 27-15 defeat by Harvard in Cambridge last weekend. Although the Bears do not feature any ranked wrestlers, the team has been strong at the lower classes, led by Greg Einfrank at 125 pounds and Jeff Schell at 133.

Buckley, however, has made it no secret which team will be the toughest opponent.

"I'd say the best team this weekend will probably be Harvard," he said. "They always have some good individuals."

The Crimson (4-6, 3-2 EIWA) will also be riding into the weekend on a winning streak, having swept Boston University, Brown, and Franklin and Marshall last week. Harvard's strength is concentrated in the middle weights, where the Crimson feature three wrestlers in the top 20. Sixth-ranked J.P. O'Connor leads the team at 149 pounds, and 9th-ranked Andrew Flanagan and 16th-ranked Max Meltzer follow at the 157- and 141-pound levels, respectively. Louis Caputo, 15th-ranked at 184 pounds, anchors the heavier weights for Harvard.

Columbia's final opponent of the weekend will be Bucknell. The Bison (11-9, 2-3 EIWA) are coming off a 49-0 rout of Wagner last Sunday, while their last league match was a 31-9 loss to Navy. Like Harvard, Bucknell is strongest at the middle weight classes, led by 18th-ranked Andy Rendos at 165 pounds.

For Columbia, the lighter classes will feature Kinney, senior Matt DeLorenzo at 133 pounds, and sophomore Sal Tirico at 141, the latter two of whom are ranked 18th nationally in their respective weight classes. In addition to Sommerfeld, the heavier weight levels will feature 13th-ranked senior Justin Barent at 184 pounds and freshman heavyweight Kevin Lester, both of whom won their bouts against Penn last Saturday. Rounding out the lineup will be seniors Ricky Turk at 165 pounds and the 10th-ranked 174-pound Palmer.

The Lions kick off the weekend against Brown at 3 p.m. today in Providence, R.I. Columbia will face Harvard tomorrow at 1 p.m. and Bucknell at 2:30 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.