Wrestlers Place Seventh at Navy Classic
November 22, 1999 | Men's Wrestling
ANNAPOLIS - (Nov. 22) The Boston University wrestling team finished seventh at the eight-team Navy Classic on Saturday, November 20.
The Terriers were without sophomore captain Jay Holder (Danville, NH) and junior standout Malik Elliott (Park Forest, IL), but still placed six wrestlers in the top six.
Freshman Jose Leon (Santa Ana, CA) was the lone Terrier to reach the championship match, as he finished second in the 125-pound bracket. Leon defeated two opponents before dropping a narrow 10-9 decision in the finals to top-seeded Angelo Zegarelli of West Virginia, ranked 11th in the nation at the time.
Another freshman, Mike Messina (Smithtown, NY), followed Leon with a fifth-place showing at 133 pounds. Messina pinned his first opponent at 5:20, and then won three-of-four matches in the consolation bracket.
The next Terrier to place was senior Chris Simmons (Hendricks, MN), who captured fourth in the 165-pound division. Simmons picked up four wins on the day, including a pin of fourth-seeded Scott Garren of N.C. State.
The final three weight classes featured three more strong showings by Terrier freshmen. Chad Grant (Eaton Rapids, MI) won three matches to capture fifth place at 184 pounds, while Ed Strauss (Macungie, PA) pinned Paul Castellini of Rutgers in the consolation final to finish third at 197.
The final bracket of the day saw Fred Wong (Poway, CA) make his collegiate debut with a fifth-place showing in the heavyweight division.
West Virginia won the team title with a score of 157.00, followed by Navy, N.C. State, Rutgers, James Madison, Virginia Tech, B.U., and Western Maryland.
Despite the team standings, Head Coach Carl Adams was pleased with the team's performance.
"We couldn't do well in the team standings because we only brought 13 wrestlers, and Navy, for example, had 40," Adams said. "But we're wrestling well, especially the freshmen. To have five of them place is a great sign."
The Terriers will open up their dual-meet season on Wednesday, December 8, when they host nationally-ranked Hofstra University at 7:00 p.m. in Case Gym.
