DaCruz Pins Down CAA Wrestler Of The Week Award
January 25, 2005 | Men's Wrestling
BOSTON - It was a perfect week for Boston University wrestler John DaCruz (Ludlow, Mass. / Ludlow). The sophomore pinned each of his five opponents in the 197-pound weight class to help the Terriers to a 4-1 record. Included in that total was a 3-1 mark at the annual Colonial Athletic Association Duals, held Jan. 21-22 in Fairfax, Va.
DaCruz, ranked second in the CAA at 197, improved his overall record to 13-3. Remarkably, 10 of his 13 victories have come by pinfall. He is 7-1 in dual-match competition and 5-1 against CAA opponents.
All five of his pins came in the first period. He defeated Springfield College's Jason Leckey in 1:03 to help the Terriers to a 37-6 win over the Division III wrestling powerhouse. In the CAA Duals, he opened against James Madision with a pin of Zach Winfrey in 2:22, then followed with pins of Old Dominion's Andrew Jordan (2:14), George Mason's Harry Zander (2:22), and Campbell's Willy Johnson (2:18).
B.U. beat JMU, 39-3, George Mason, 27-13, and Campbell, 41-9. The Terriers fell to Old Dominion, 20-18.
DaCruz has been as strong in his sophomore season as he was during his freshman campaign when he posted a 20-9 overall record. He has wrestled to second-place finishes at both the Empire Open on Nov. 14 and the Keystone Classic on Nov. 20.
In seven career appearances at the CAA Duals, DaCruz is 7-0 with all of those victories coming by way of the pin. It is DaCruz's first CAA Wrestler of the Week honor and the second honor for the Terriers this season. Senior heavyweight Courtney Howard (Sitka, Alaska) was honored on Jan. 11.
B.U. (5-3, 4-2 CAA) next competes when it travels to Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 28 to face Drexel University. Start time is set for 7 p.m.
Boston University is hosting this year's CAA Wrestling Championship at Case Gymnasium on March 4-5.
