Four Tiger seniors combined to go 6-0 during a dominant day for Princeton, which defeated Brown 32-6 and Harvard 33-3 to improve to 7-6 on the season, 3-0 in the Ivy League. Those seniors can look to climb an even higher mountain next weekend, as they head to New York to take on Columbia (Friday, 6) and Cornell (Saturday, 3) in a chase for the program's first Ivy League championship since 1986. Both matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
There is plenty of time to look ahead, though. Saturday was a day to celebrate the Class of 2017, while taking notice of a Tiger team that has come through the gauntlet of a loaded schedule and appears to be peaking at the opportune time.
Seniors Jordan Laster and Ray O'Donnell both went 2-0 on the day, while classmates Troy Murtha and Brett Harner posted wins at 197 for Princeton, which swept the first five matches in both ends of the doubleheader to maintain complete control during the day.
The highlight of the opener came from Murtha, the senior who has answered the bell at a variety of upperclass weights throughout his career. He took out Tucker Ziegler, pinning him in 2:19 to help close the convincing win over Brown.
The nightcap, which began with Princeton honoring its two earliest Ivy championship teams -- including the 1967 squad on its 50th anniversary -- included wins for all three returning NCAA-qualifying seniors. Laster scored a pair of late takedowns to secure a 6-1 win at 141, while Harner fought off Logan Kirby for a 6-4 win at 197. The finale, a showdown of two of the Ivy's top heavyweights, belonged to O'Donnell, whose dominant third-period ride led the way to a 2-0 victory over Nick Gajdzik.
Of course, there were plenty of other highlights, including a stirring performance from the youngest of the Tigers. Freshmen Ty Agaisse and Matthew Kolodzik both went 2-0 on the day, while Leonard Merkin may have put on one of the most thrilling shows of the day. He scored a 22-11 major decision over Peter Bearse, even though Bearse had the slight advantage in riding time. Merkin continuously put his opponent to his back, including once only seconds after he appeared to be fighting out of a cradle.
A strong Dillon crowd was ignited through the match, just as they were during Mike D'Angelo's fall at 157. D'Angelo is quietly having a brilliant Ivy season. After opening with a thrilling overtime win over Penn's May Bethea, D'Angelo posted a technical fall and a pin Saturday.
Princeton 32, Brown 6
125 - Ty Agaisse (P) dec. Donald Keeley 5-2
133 - Pat D'Arcy (P) dec. James Pawelski 3-1
141 - #4 Matthew Kolodzik (P) TF Ezekiel Salvo 20-3
149 - #16 Jordan Laster (P) dec. Travis Vasquez 4-1
157 - Mike D'Angelo (P) TF William McDonald 17-2
165 - Jonathan Viruet (B) dec. Leonard Merkin 15-8
174 - #19 Jonathan Schleifer (P) mdec. Andrew LaBrie 15-1
184 - Christian LaFragola (B) dec. Kevin Parker 7-3
197 - Troy Murtha (P) WBF Tucker Ziegler 2:19
285 - #18 Ray O'Donnell dec. Ian Butterbrodt 12-5
Princeton 33, Harvard 3
125 - Ty Agaisse (P) TF Connor Sakmar 21-3
133 - Pat D'Arcy (P) dec. Sam Goldman 6-2
141 - #4 Matthew Kolodzik (P) dec. AJ Jaffe 7-5
149 - #16 Jordan Laster (P) dec. Hunter Ladnier 6-1
157 - Mike D'Angelo (P) WBF Zeth Dean 4:17
165 - Leonard Merkin (P) mdec. Peter Bearse 22-11
174 - Josef Johnson (H) dec. #19 Jonathan Schleifer 3-1, sv-1
184 - Ian Baker (P) dec. Kanon Dean 3-0
197 - #10 Brett Harner (P) dec. Logan Kirby 6-4
285 - #18 Ray O'Donnell (P) dec. Nick Gajdzik 2-0
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