Western New England Rolls to 44-2 Win over Rhode Island College in Home Opener

Five Golden Bears register pins in victory

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 1, 2017) – The Western New England University wrestling team rolled to a 44-2 victory over Rhode Island College on Friday evening in its home opener at the Alumni Healthful Living Center. 

On a night in which 20+ wrestling alumni, including multiple Downes Athletic Hall of Famers, were in attendance for Alumni Appreciation Night, Western New England was victorious in nine of the ten weight classes, with five wins coming by pin.   

Match Review
• Freshman Nick Arborio (Berlin, Conn.) set the tone for the match with a win by fall (1:57) over Brandon Nunez at 125. Senior Tim McLinden (Plaistow, N.H.) added five points to Western New England's score with his technical fall victory over Alex DeVito at 133.
• Sophomore Alex Starr (Lebanon, Conn.) and senior Lamont Wallace (New Rochelle, N.Y.) registered wins at 141 and 149, respectively, as the Golden Bears extended their lead to 21-0.
• Freshman Chris Gresis (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) posted Western New England's fifth straight win at 157, as he pinned James Smith at 3:41. Sophomore Davey Goodall (Chelmsford, Mass.) followed that up with a 5-2 decision over Nicholas Gould at 165.
• Zachary Ford got the Anchormen on the board with a 3-2 decision over junior Josh Nelson (Bristol, Conn.) at 174.
• Sophomore John Boyle (Rowley, Mass.), senior Andrew Cole (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) and sophomore Nick Fortini (Deer Park, N.Y.) helped the Golden Bears finish the match strong with wins at 184, 197 and heavyweight, respectively. 

Up Next
Western New England will be on the road for a dual at New England College next Friday, while RIC travels to Southern Maine for a tri-match with Plymouth State next Saturday.