Lions see mixed results in two Ivy matches

Columbia’s wrestling team kicked off their homecoming weekend with a 32-8 upset over No. 56 Princeton at the New York Athletic Club. The Lions won eight out of ten matches, with losses in the 125 and 141 pound weight classes. There were multiple major decisions, with 149-pounder Shane Strumwasser defeating Jason Ott 10-2 and heavyweight Kevin Lester defeating Princeton’s Charles Fox 13-4. 165-pounder senior Eren Civan pinned Seth Hazleton in 5:47 to earn an extra six points for Columbia. After the match, there was a ceremony honoring Dave and Mike Barry for endowing the new assistant coaching position.

On Saturday, the Columbia wrestling team nearly scored another upset over No. 19 Penn, but the Quakers triumphed in the end with a final score of 19-13. The Lions began the contest with a slew of losses in the first four matches, yet brought it back with a major decision for 157-pounder Jake O’Hara against Brad Wukie with a score of 11-2. The star of the match was Civan, who notched a victory against No. 18 Gabriel Burak with a score of 3-1. Another victory for Columbia belonged to sophomore Nick Mills, who is ranked in the top 5 in the EIWA and defeated Erich Smith 5-3. In the last match of the day, Columbia Student-Athlete of the Month Kevin Lester defeated Kyle Cowan 4-3. Prior to the match, the class of 1961 Ivy League Championship team was honored. The Lions return to the mat this weekend in their final dual matches of the season at Harvard and at Brown.