Wrestling Holds Off USMMA, 20-19
KINGS PARK, N.Y. (January 21, 2022) – Junior Pasquale Vizzoni and classmate Hunter Gutierrez each posted bonus-point victories as the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team defeated the United States Merchant Marine Academy 20-19 Friday in a non-conference dual at Liebertz Gymnasium.
Junior Trevor Mastorio and classmate James Snyder, along with sophomore Andrew Finateri also had victories for the Ducks, who won five matches in the dual to win their second straight in moving to 2-4 on the year.
Cameron Pleninger and Jimmy Dunagan each had bonus-point victories for the Mariners, who dropped to 1-1 in duals this season. Stevens has won each of the last five meetings between the programs, who used to meet annually as part of the Centennial Conference.
"Every match mattered tonight." associate head coach Anthony Bonaventura said. "Great team effort to get the job done over a tough USMMA squad, who came to battle tonight. Really happy to see Trevor Mastorio and Pasquale Vizzoni back on the mat - they have been working hard to get healthy and stepped up big tonight. Gutierrez continues to be a bonus-point machine and James Snyder continues to improve every time he wrestles. Quick turnaround for the team, which is good and another opportunity to get better tomorrow at the JWU Open."
After Finateri provided Stevens with an early 6-0 advantage after a forfeit victory at 125, the Mariners got on the board with a major decision at 133 to pull within 6-4.
The Ducks reeled off four straight wins in the middle weights to extend their lead. Mastorio scored his third victory of the season at 141 with a spirited 9-7 decision over Eddie Pinc. Vizzoni followed at 149 with his second major of the season, defeating Austin Manning, who entered the match tied for USMMA's team lead in wins, 10-1. Gutierrez continued the run with a brilliant 13-0 major over Tharen Burns for his team-leading 19th win of the season. Snyder pushed the Ducks' advantage to 20-4, with a thrilling 9-8 decision over Eric DeWald at 165 to post his career-best 13th win of the season.
USMMA climbed back into the dual with three straight decision victories at 174, 184 and 197 before a pin at heavyweight produced the final 20-19 margin.
The teams split a pair of extra countable matches, with first-year Michael Conrad scoring a first-period pin of Aaron Rieger at 184, accounting for the Ducks' victory.
Dual Results
Stevens 20 – USMMA 19
125: Andrew Finateri (Stevens) wins by forfeit; Stevens leads 6-0
133: Cameron Pleninger (USMMA) wins by major decision over Arjun Khatri (Stevens), 15-1; Stevens leads 6-4
141: Trevor Mastorio (Stevens) wins by decision over Eddie Pinc (USMMA), 9-7; Stevens leads 9-4
149: Pasquale Vizzoni (Stevens) wins by major decision over Austin Manning (USMMA), 10-1; Stevens leads 13-4
157: Hunter Gutierrez (Stevens) wins by major decision over Tharen Burns (USMMA), 13-0; Stevens leads 17-4
165: James Snyder (Stevens) wins by decision over Eric DeWald (USMMA), 9-8; Stevens leads 20-4
174: Dominick Esposito (USMMA) wins by decision over Stefan Major (Stevens), 5-2; Stevens leads 20-7
184: Billy Sims (USMMA) wins by decision over Frank Medina (Stevens), 7-2; Stevens leads 20-10
197: Max Sims (USMMA) wins by decision over Michael Dooley (Stevens), 5-2; Stevens leads 20-13
285: Jimmy Dunagan (USMMA) wins by fall over Joseph Russell (Stevens), 0:30; Stevens wins 20-19
Extra Countable Matches
184: Luke Gauthier (USMMA) wins by fall over Brendan Newbury (Stevens), 0:47
184: Michael Conrad (Stevens) wins by fall over Aaron Rieger (USMMA), 2:30
Up Next: Wrestling heads north to Providence, Rhode Island for the Johnson & Wales Wildcat Open on Jan. 22. Please note that a limited number of fans will be permitted to the event. The full JWU spectator policy for the event can be found here.
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