Wrestling Places a Pair at Stroudsburg

In a tournament featuring over 500 wrestlers, Columbia made sure it did not get lost in the crowd at the East Stroudsburg Open. Two Lions returned to New York City with victories under their belts, as senior Brandon Kinney took the 125-pound title and junior Derek Sickles was the 157-pound champion.

Kinney, who is ranked 15th in the 125-pound weight class by the InterMat/NWCA/NWMA poll, won four matches to get to the final, in which he defeated Clarion’s Jay Ivanco by a score of 5-3. Sickles had to win six matches before he got his shot at the title, in which he overtook Bloomsburg University’s Alex Conover, 6-3.

The meet gave the Lions a chance to compete against student-athletes from a variety of colleges. Kinney faced competitors from Duke and Wagner, while Sickles beat athletes from Newman College, East Stroudsburg, and Princeton.

Several other Columbia wrestlers were successful at the Open, although they did not bring home victories. Senior Nick Sommerfeld was the runner-up at 197 pounds, losing a 4-3 heartbreaker to Drexel’s Jon Oplinger in the championship match. Sommerfeld defeated four opponents to get to the finals. Junior Sal Tirico, the 18th-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, got to the quarterfinals in his weight class before falling to Pittsburgh’s Tyler Nauman.

Junior Andy Geving overtook 17th-ranked Eric Decker of Virginia Tech in the first round at 174 pounds, while sophomore Matt Dunn, ranked 18th at 149 pounds, advanced to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Edinboro’s Daryl Cocozzo.

The Lions will look to build upon their successes this Saturday at Mat Town USA in Lock Haven, PA.