FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University men's wrestling team returned to EIWA action Saturday evening inside the William H. Pitt Center, dropping a hard-fought 21-16 decision to Franklin & Marshall.
Dual Records:
Sacred Heart (3-6, 0-2 EIWA)
Franklin & Marshall (4-2, 2-1 EIWA)
Of Note:
The dual opened at 157 pounds, where Josh Hillard earned a major decision for the opposition, 12-1. At 165,
AJ Falcone pushed the pace in a back-and-forth bout before dropping a close 9-7 decision. Sacred Heart got on the board at 174 pounds as
Aidan Zarrella delivered a strong performance, securing a 4-2 decision to cut into the deficit.
At 184 pounds,
Hunter Perez was edged by a 7-1 decision before the Pioneers responded again at 197.
Chris DeLena controlled the action in his bout, earning a 5-1 decision to keep the team score within reach. Heavyweight
Brendan Gilchrist followed with another clutch win, defeating Brody Kline by a 4-2 decision to further close the gap, 10-9.
After a technical fall at 125 pounds extended the lead for the opposition, but Sacred Heart answered at 133 as
John Sheehy turned in a 10-6 decision after falling behind early against Ejiro Montoya.
At 141 pounds, Bryce Kresho recorded a fall at 4:04, setting up a pivotal final bout.
Dakota Asuncion capped the dual for the Pioneers with an impressive 10-3 decision at 149 pounds, but Sacred Heart was unable to overcome the earlier bonus-point wins.
Results:
157: Josh Hillard (FM) over
Felix Lettini (SHU) MD, 12-1
165: Josh Palmucci (FM) over
AJ Falcone (SHU) Dec., 9-7
174:
Aidan Zarrella (SHU) over Brandon Carr (FM) Dec., 4-2
184: James Conway (FM) over
Hunter Perez (SHU) Dec., 7-1
197:
Chris DeLena (SHU) over Leo Varga (FM) Dec., 5-1
285:
Brendan Gilchrist (SHU) over Brody Kline (FM) Dec., 4-2
125: James Garcia (FM) over
Caden Smith (SHU) TF, 20-5
133:
John Sheehy (SHU) over Ejiro Montoya (FM) Dec., 10-6
141: Bryce Kresho (FM) over
John Hildebrandt (SHU) Fall (4:04)
149:
Dakota Asuncion (SHU) over Pat Phillips (FM) Dec., 10-3
Up Next:
The Pioneers return to the mat on Feb. 7th against Binghamton at 5:30 PM.
