Two weeks after the close of its dual-meet season, the Columbia wrestling team heads to Philadelphia this weekend for the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships, held at the University of Pennsylvania. The tournament, which begins on Saturday and runs through Sunday, brings together the 14 teams of the EIWA and will determine the conference winner. In 2008, the Light Blue came in seventh.
The Lions will be searching for greater success than they could find during the dual season, which they finished with a record of 3-14 (1-4 Ivy). They ended the season on a slide, dropping six of their last seven duals. But the ten wrestlers who will take the mat on Saturday look to put the past in the rearview mirror and surprise their opponents.
“The season didn’t go quite as planned,” senior Kenji Porter said. Porter will represent Columbia this weekend in the 184-pound weight class. “We had higher expectations and I think we could have done better.”
The wrestlers, who have not competed since Feb. 21, were grateful to have a weekend off and an opportunity to recuperate. The Lions have been hampered by injuries this season, and have been forced to forfeit weight classes on several occasions.
“It’s important to let your body rest,” Porter said. “It’s a long, rough season. At this point, we’re trying to make sure everyone’s as healthy as they can be.”
Despite its open competition schedule, the team has not had a free pass over the past two weeks. Head coach Brendan Buckley has the wrestlers working hard in practice, especially on the mental aspects of the game.
“At this point, it’s not an issue of technique or conditioning,” Porter said. “I mean, we’re all in top shape and they’ve [the coaches] shown us all the moves they can. This last week was really just about trying to get us in the right mindset to compete at our best.”
Sophomore heavyweight Ryan Flores will occupy much of the spotlight this weekend. Currently ranked No. 9 nationally, Flores won all 18 of his dual bouts this season, including five against league opponents. He was honored last week with a unanimous selection to the all-Ivy League first team. Eren Civan, a sophomore who wrestles at 165 pounds, was named to the second team with a 15-9 overall record (4-1 Ivy) as he finished the season on a hot streak.
The Lions plan to seize the chance this weekend to redeem themselves after a season widely seen as disappointing. “I think you can have a slow start, but it’s important how you finish,” Porter said. “Once you put in the work, put in the hours, put in the years of training that we have, it really just comes down to who wants it more.”
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