Wrestling sees potential at Sheridan Invitational

This weekend, the wrestling team got another glimpse of its potential during the Billy Sheridan Invitational in Lehigh, Pa. In a nine-team tournament won by host Lehigh, the Blue Devils finished fifth amidst tough competition, narrowly missing ACC opponent N.C. State, which finished fourth.

"All in all, it wasn't a bad showing," head coach Bill Harvey said. "Last year we were ninth, so we moved up four spots. That's a pretty good improvement."

Giving the Blue Devils an immediate boost was sophomore Indra Sulijoadikusumo in the 118-pound weight class. Sulijoadikusumo beat two wrestlers from Lehigh on his way to a third-place finish.

Sophomore Chris Heckel continued the good start at the 126-pound class with a fifth-place finish. After losing his first round match 4-2 to the eventual champion, Heckel was relegated to the losers' bracket. From there he won the rest of his matches, including a 5-1 upset of the third-seeded wrestler from N.C. State.

Not wanting to be outdone, sophomore Dan Covatta, a 142-pound sophomore, also fell victim to the defending champion in his weight class. However, he too was able to recover from the loss, finishing third in his class.

"Our lower wrestlers really give us a good feeling," Harvey said. "It will be a big help to get some early points in our dual meets."

At 134-pounds, freshman Dan Kocab took eighth place, finishing in the top half of the draw. Junior Scott Frinzi grabbed fifth in the 150-pound class while sophomore Jacob Hart clinched third at 158-pounds.

Senior John Kays led the upper weight classes with a sixth-place finish at 177-pounds, but that was one of the few shining moments for the big men. Freshmen Dion Santo and Jesse Raia had trouble against their more experienced opponents, finishing 10th and 12th, respectively.