Wrestling Puts Together Strong Showing at Central Jersey Open
November 12, 2006 | Men's Wrestling
EWING, N.J. - Led by four first-place finishes, the Boston University wrestling team had a successful season debut at the Central Jersey Open, hosted by TCNJ on Sunday. Junior Joe Whitaker (133), sophomore Carlo Ferrandino (141) and freshmen Abbie Rush (125) and Alex Brown (165) all finished first in their respective brackets.
In the 125 bracket, Rush followed up an opening-round victory with an impressive 7-6 win over Lehigh's Kevin Vinh in the quarterfinals. He later advanced to the final with a 10-5 decision against Navy's Phillip Mahne. On the other half of the bracket, sophomore Josh Statum recorded falls in his first two matches before advancing to the final with a 10-6 victory over Springfield's Ryan Hannigan.
The two teammates met in the championship match, with an escape giving Rush a narrow 1-0 victory.
Rush was not the only BU newcomer making strong impressions in his debut, as Brown emerged the champion in the 165 bracket, posting an 11-9 overtime victory over Navy's Jason Coyne in the final after defeating Coyne's teammate, Jesse Feinsod, by a 13-12 count in the semifinal.
After opening with a pin followed by a major decision, Whitaker advanced to the 133-pound final against freshman teammate Ryan Buff, who posted an 8-6 victory over TCNJ's Ray Sarinelli in the semifinals. Whitaker held off Buff, 10-7, in the title bout.
Ferrandino opened with a 10-5 victory over Navy's Kyle O'Neill before posting an 18-5 decision over BU freshman Ryan Goddu, who went on to finish third in the bracket. Ferrandino held off TCNJ's Tyler Branham in the final, 8-5.
Another strong finish came in the heavyweight bracket, where sophomore Orey Hall reached the championship match before wrestling to a respectable 3-0 loss against American's Adam LoPiccolo. Freshman C.J. Inglin fell to Delaware Valley's Ryan Herwig by a score of 8-5 in the 157 final.
The Terriers will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 19, when they compete in the Keystone Classic, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
