Wrestling falls to Wisconsin in unique 'home' bout

The start to the weekend ended in defeat for the Fighting Scots wrestling team, as they lost to the University of Wisconsin Badgers, 28-15. The two squads battled at local Saegertown Junior/Senior High School in what was officially an Edinboro home meet. The event was sold out.

Edinboro won in weight classes 125, 157, 174 and 197, with the last being a forfeit.

Saegertown alumni Cody Mulligan (184 pounds), Tyler Vath (149) and Dylan Reynolds (197) all competed for ‘Boro, while each shared their thoughts on the turnout.

Reynolds, who received the forfeit in the second-to-last weight class, was disappointed even though he technically won. But he still credited the atmosphere and crowd for their overall support and for what the team did accomplish.

“I think the crowd was great. They were all on our side, and I think it was just a big confidence booster. Our guys who won, they really stuck it out and grinded out the win,” he said.

Mulligan, meanwhile, admitted that he could have performed better in the areas of offense and shooting, yet felt that the event was exciting and looks forward to the ‘Boro Duals on Saturday at McComb Fieldhouse. Mulligan (184 lbs) lost to Tyler Dow by decision.

Vath explained that he ran out of energy during the third period at 149, with his opponent capitalizing on it. Vath (149 lbs) lost to Cole Martin by decision. Edinboro Head Coach Matt Hill also shared his thoughts. “We learned a lot tonight. We learned what we need to do and where we need to go with our wrestling. It’s a long journey, there’s a lot of stuff to learn and our guys fought hard.”

Mentioned areas for improvement include better conditioning and situational wrestling.

Assistant Head Coach Ernest James felt that the team was good at shooting, high-crotches and doubles.

Both James and Hill mentioned that the team is young, yet the most important part is the fight.

“We just gotta finish our attacks and get better on defense,’ said James.

“There’s a lot of good opportunities left to wrestle this year, so our guys just need to have short memories, learn from this experience and keep progressing forward.”

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