HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 26, 2019)  – Sophomore Brett Kaliner scored two pins as the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team won 11 bouts spread over two duals to defeat both Muhlenberg College and Ursinus College Saturday in Centennial Conference action at Canavan Arena.

Senior Joey Borai also collected a pair of bonus-point victories, as did juniors Dylan Van Sickell and Troy Stanich, leading the Ducks to a thrilling 27-26 victory over ted the Mules 27-26 and then a 31-19 win over the Bears. The victories improved Stevens' dual record to 11-7 overall and 5-0 in conference duals. 

Prior to the matches, the Ducks recognized the contributions and careers of seniors Borai, Michael Heck, Zachary Kovacs and Michael Derin, in a special ceremony. Stevens also paid a moment of silent tribute to Ursinus' longtime coach Bill Racich and Cornell College's Mike Duroe before the competition began. The Ducks have dedicated the 2018-19 season to Coach Duroe. 

Against Muhlenberg, the Ducks raced out to a 27-0 lead after the first five bouts. Freshman Akhil Vega earned his second career pin, with a second-period fall over Matt Ferrante. Borai followed his 94th career victory with a first-period pin of Josh Hickey. The Ducks totaled six falls on the afternoon, and added an addition pin in Heck's exhibition win over Ursinus' Hunter Brown.

Stevens' strong start against the Mules continued into the middle portion of the lineup as Stanich (technical fall), Kaliner (fall) and Van Sickell (major decision), each posted decisive victories towards the Ducks' team total. Of Stevens' 11 wins, 10 came with bonus points. 

Muhlenberg rallied in the upper weight classes, earning a pins at 165 and 184 and a major at 174 to cut into Stevens' advantage. With a potential forfeit looming at 285, sophomore Bruce Parola, battled Gennaro Cerminara, second on the team in victories, and staved off a technical fall in the final minutes to fall via a major decision. The rally in the third period clinched the dual victory.

Against Ursinus, it was the Bears jumping on the board first, earning a 15-3 major at 125. Borai quickly put Stevens back in front with a technical fall over Brandon Miller at 133, leading 16-0 at the time of the second-period stoppage.The Toms River, New Jersey native finished the day five wins shy of his 100th career victory.

Consecutive pins by Stanich and Kaliner pushed the lead to 17-4, before Van Sickell earned a 21-6 tech fall over Jake Folk to give the Ducks a 22-4 advantage. 

The pivotal moments in the match came at 165 and 174, where junior Stephen Friedman and freshman Robbie Gennat each rallied in the final period to post come-from-behind victories to clinch the dual. Friedman trailed through the first two periods in his bout with Zach Goranson, before scoring with a takedown to take a 7-5 lead, with the fall coming shortly thereafter. Gennat earned his second last-minute win in three matches with a strong move to snap a 5-all tie. The two-point move proved to crucial, because Ursinus' Gary Nagle had a firm grip on the riding time point, which would have ultimately given Nagle the match, which finally ended in a 7-6 decision thanks to Gennat's heroics. 

The Bears scored a fall at 184 and a decision victory at 197 to close out the afternoon. The victories extended Stevens' Centennial Conference dual winning streak to 26.

Stevens 27, Muhlenberg 26
125: Akhil Vega (S) pinned Matt Ferrante (M), 4:40; Stevens leading 6-0
133: Joey Borai (S) pinned Josh Hickey (M), 2:48; Stevens leading 12-0
141: #1/#1 Troy Stanich (S) won by technical fall over Austin Sherman (M), 20-1 (7:00); Stevens leading 17-0
149: #5/#5 Brett Kaliner (S) pinned Matthew Castimore (M), 1:15; Stevens leading 23-0
157: Dylan Van Sickell (S) won by major decision over Ronnie Grevera (M), 13-3; Stevens leading 27-0
165: Dylan Schwartz pinned Stephen Friedman (S) 1:11; Stevens leading 27-6
174: Jimmy Fratantoni (M) won by major decision over Nico Ziccardi (S), 14-2; Stevens leading 27-10
184: Cam Wasson (M) pinned Robbie Gennat (S), 0:38; Stevens leading 27-16
197: Gennaro Cerminara (M) won by major decision over Bruce Parola (S) 21-8; Stevens leading 27-20
285: Scott Schaeffer (M) won by forfeit; Stevens wins 27-26
 
Stevens 31, Ursinus 19
125: Collin Wickramaratna (U) won by major decision Akhil Vega (S), 15-3; Ursinus leading 4-0
133: Joey Borai (S) won by technical fall over Brandon Miller (U), 16-0 (3:40); Stevens leading 5-4
141: #1/#1 Troy Stanich (S) pinned Kyle Seibert (U), 5:08; Stevens leading 11-4
149: #5/#5 Brett Kaliner (S) pinned Patrick Rowe (U), 2:44; Stevens leading 17-4
157: Dylan Van Sickell (S) won by technical fall over Jake Folk (U), 21-6 (7:00); Stevens leading 22-4
165: Stephen Friedman (S) pinned Zach Goranson (U), 6:00; Stevens leading 28-4
174: Robbie Gennat (S) won by decision over Gary Nagle, 7-6; Stevens leading 31-4
184: Anthony Cutrufello (U) pinned Nico Ziccardi (S), 1:40; Stevens leading 31-10
197: Brady Herr (U) won by decision over Bruce Parola (S), 9-5; Stevens leading 31-13
285: William McGinley (U) won by forfeit; Stevens wins 31-19
 
Exhibitions
125: Michael Heck (S) pinned Hunter Brown (U), 2:37
133: Patrick Ammiranti (U) pinned Alex Heplin (M), 2:24
149: Joseph Schneider (S) won by technical fall over Matthew Castimore (M), 18-0 (1:19)
157: Jason Zollers (U) won by decision Jarrett Weir (S), 11-4
165: Anthony Lanza (S) won by decision over Nick Cope, 7-5 (M)
165: Alex Koenig (U) won by decision over Adam Lizak (M), 15-14
174: Tommy DiSisto (M) won by decision over Douglas Chacon (S), 8-3
184: Luca Colestock (M) pinned Malcolm Hunt (U), 2:48
285: Sam Rothstein (M) won by decision over Robert Fiedler (U), 15-14
285: Robert Fiedler (U) pinned Ramiro Osuna (M), 6:19


Up Next: Wrestling travels to Baltimore, Maryland for the final Centennial Conference duals of the regular season, taking on Washington and Lee University, and hosting Johns Hopkins. Victories in both duals would clinch the program's fourth consecutive Centennial dual title.

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