Terriers Open Season with Impressive Showing at the Bearcat Open
November 18, 2002 | Men's Wrestling
Vestal, NY - Looking to build upon last season's success, the Boston University wrestling team opened the 2002-03 season in impressive fashion at the Bearcat Open hosted by Binghamton University on Saturday (November 16). The tournament featured a number of Colonial Athletic Association rivals, including perennial favorites Hofstra and Drexel. Despite the stiff competition, the Terriers found themselves near the top of every weight class, as nine wrestlers finished in sixth-place or better.
Jose Leon (Santa Ana, CA), who will redshirt the season, wrestled unattached and fought his way to a second-place finish in the 133-pound weight class. Sophomore Joey Rivera (Stroudsburg, PA), competing at 133 for the first time as a Terrier, finished fourth.
In the 149-pound weight class, senior Jason Holder (Salem, NH) recorded a fourth-place finish. Holder, seeded fourth, dropped a 2-1 decision to Andy Vogel of Messiah in the third-place bout.
Junior Leighton Brady (Tulsa, OK) defeated Sean Jenkins 2-1 to secure third place at 165 pounds. The fourth-seeded Brady nearly upended Noel Thompson of Hofstra, currently ranked 10th in the country at 165, but fell 3-1 in their semifinal match.
Sophomore Courtney Howard (Sitka, AK) went 4-1 en route to a third-place finish in the heavyweight division. Howard secured third place by defeating Jared Hyman (unattached), 12-10, in the finals of the consolation bracket. Third-seeded Ed Strauss (Easton, PA) recorded a fourth-place finish in the 184-pound weight class. The senior dropped a 5-4 decision in the finals of the consolation round.
Also recording top six finishes were junior Ben Schliens (Westlake, OH) and Sophomore Rayes Gonzales (Las Vegas, NV). Schliens defeated Mike Pedro of Brown by medical forfeit to finished fifth, while Gonzales was forced to forfeit his fifth place match due to injury.
A number of freshmen saw their first collegiate action over the weekend. Among them was Justin Blumenthal (Madison, WI) who upset second-seed Kris Perrin (unattached) and third-seed Bill Heaverly (Drexel), as he recorded a 3-1 mark at 141 pounds. Zachary Johns (Owings Mills, MD) finished 2-2 at 149 and Michael Galorenzo (Oradell, NJ) went 3-2 at 125.
The Terriers will next travel to the University of Pennsylvania to take part in the Keystone Classic on Sunday November 24th.
