Five wrestlers place in second straight weekend tournament

For a second consecutive weekend, the Columbia Wrestling team traveled upstate to compete in a major tournament. Like last Sunday, the Light Blue finished the day by placing five wrestlers.

The Body Bar Invitational, which was hosted by Cornell in Ithaca on Saturday, consisted of 11 teams from around the country and was attended by several national powerhouses, including Cornell and Maryland. Kent State came out on top in terms of team score with 147.5 points, while Cornell and Maryland tied for second with 109. The Lions came in eighth with 49 points on the day.

Head coach Brendan Buckley acknowledged the intensive aspect of two straight weekend invitationals. “This weekend the tournament was definitely a bit more competitive,” he said.

Junior Eren Civan was Columbia’s star for the day in the 165-pound bracket. He upended Wyoming’s Shane Onufer 8-7 in a shocking upset in the opening round en route to a second-place finish behind Maryland’s Josh Asper.

“That was a big win,” Buckley said. “When he [Civan] wrestles aggressively, nobody can stop him.”

Freshman Steve Santos, who raised eyebrows at the Bearcat Open last weekend with a second‑place finish in the 149‑pound bracket, placed fourth on Saturday. Still, he achieved a measure of redemption with a 3-1 opening-round triumph over Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson, the only wrestler to beat him last Sunday.

“All in all, Santos had a really good day,” Buckley said. “That was a really big win.”

Other strong finishers included freshman Stephen West and sophomore Jonathan Weibel, both at 174 pounds. The teammates each lost in the semifinals and then squared off against one another for third place. West came away with a 4-2 win in the showdown.

Freshman Jake O’Hara also made his presence felt at 141 pounds with a sixth‑place finish. “He’s progressing really well,” Buckley said.

The Lions are looking forward to Saturday’s three duels against Bloomsburg, North Carolina, and Sacred Heart. Buckley knows what they have to work on between now and then. “We’re losing by a bit of inexperience,” he said. “Mistakes are real fixable, and that can be expected with all the freshmen.”

The Lions will get their first taste of head‑to‑head competition at the Northeast Duels in Troy, NY on Saturday, Nov. 28.