LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The nationally-ranked No. 25 Rider University wrestling team cruised past MAC foe George Mason, 36-6, Saturday night at Alumni Gym. With the win, the Broncs improve to 9-2 (5-1 MAC), while the Patriots are now 7-5 (2-4 MAC).
Rider had a dominating Senior Night, claiming victory in eight of the 10 matches, including the first seven. The Broncs scored wins at 157, 165, 174, 184, 197, 285 and 125 to open the match.
Jesse Dellavecchia (Great River, NY/East Islip [Binghamton]) opened the match with a 5-3 decision at 157.
Gary Dinmore (Skillman, NJ/Hunterdon Central [Penn State]) and No. 18
Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) followed with major decisions by matching 10-2 scores at 165 and 174, respectively, before
George Walton (Franklin, NJ/Bound Brook) won by fall over George Mason's Ali Salem at 2:30. No. 8
Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) followed with another six points as George Mason's Ramses Montalvo was disqualified at 197 following a fifth stalling call.
Following the intermission,
Ryan Cloud (Brookville, OH/Northmont) took a 9-4 decision at 285 and No. 30
Jonathan Tropea (Harrington Park, NJ/Saint Joseph (Montvale)) earned a 21-12 major decision at 125, pushing Rider to a 30-0 lead. The Patriots would win their first points of the night at 133 and another decision at 149, while
Peter Lipari (Byram Township, NJ/Bergen Catholic [Rutgers]) won by forfeit at 141.
Quotes & Notes
"It's a great class. When you have that many kids in your senior class, you're doing something right in your program. Eight kids out of that – and hopefully we get two of them back next year with an extra year with Jesse and with Pete – but it speaks to the volume of those kids. That they've bought into the program, that they've put the program on their back, that they've done all the right things for the longest time and they've contributed to make this program as successful as it's been, credit to them. It's always hard to lose senior leadership of that nature. But hopefully they pass their lessons on to the younger kids and, as it's their turn, they are ready to duplicate the success and demeanor of captains and seniors." –
Rider Head Coach John Hangey
- With the win, the Broncs now lead the all-time series with George Mason, 17-1, including wins in each of the last 11 duals.
- Prior to the match, the Broncs honored their eight-member senior class, consisting of Dellavecchia, Dinmore, Sherry, Cloud, Lipari,
Anthony Cefolo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park Regional [South Dakota State]),
Gino Fluri (Blairstown, NJ/North Warren Regional) and
Jim Brady (Egg Harbor City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep).
- Rider returns to action on Friday, Feb. 7, when it travel to Lock Haven and the Thomas Fieldhouse for a dual set to begin at 7 p.m.
#25 Rider 36, George Mason 6
157: #4
Jesse Dellavecchia (RID) dec. Kolby Ho (GM), 5-3; Rider leads, 3-0
165:
Gary Dinmore (RID) maj. dec. Justin Yorkdale (GM), 10-2; Rider leads, 7-0
174: #18
Dean Sherry (RID) maj. dec. Ryan Yorkdale (GM), 10-2, Rider leads, 11-0
184:
George Walton (RID) WBF Ali Salem (GM), at 2:30; Rider leads, 17-0
197: #8
Ethan Laird (RID) over Ramses Montalvo (GM), DQ; Rider leads, 23-0
285:
Ryan Cloud (RID) dec. Jake Slinger (GM), 9-4; Rider leads, 26-0
125: #30
Jonathan Tropea (RID) maj. dec. Talha Farooq (GM), 21-12; Rider leads, 30-0
133: Josh Jones (GM) dec.
Anthony Cefolo (RID), 8-3; Rider leads, 30-3
141:
Peter Lipari (RID) by forfeit; Rider leads, 36-3
149: #9 Colston DiBlasi (GM) dec.
Gino Fluri (RID), 1-0; Rider wins, 36-6.
