LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider wrestling team pulled off an upset against No. 24 Maryland on Friday afternoon at the Rider Quad Meet in Alumni Gym. Facing three nationally ranked opponents throughout the day, the Broncs secured one victory while falling short against No. 14 South Dakota State and No. 18 Pittsburgh.

Rider vs No. 14 South Dakota State
Trailing 10-0 after the first two bouts, McKenzie Bell got the Broncs on the board over South Dakota State' Caleb Gross. After each wrestler's escape, Bell got the riding time point to get the gritty 2-1 victory, moving the team score to 10-3. 

No. 19 Sammy Alvarez (149 lbs) kept the momentum going for the Broncs securing two takedowns in the match en route to an 8-3 decision over Colin Dupill (South Dakota St).  

No 31. Colton Washleski picked two quick takedowns in the opening period over Moses Espinoza-Owens (South Dakota St) at 157 lbs making the bout 6-1 after three minutes. Another takedown in the second period extended Washleski's lead en route to an 11-2 major decision.

No. 24 Isaac Dean took on Brock Fettig (South Dakota St) at 184 lbs. After a low-scoring bout, each guy traded a pair of escapes making it 1-1. In the final seconds, Dean got into a shot and after a controversial call after a coach's challenge, it was deemed no takedown to send the bout into overtime. Fettig would get the takedown early in overtime to get the 4-1 decision. 

Results
Rider 10, No. 14 South Dakota State 30
125: No. 12 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) over Kaden Naame (Rider) (MD 8-0)
133: No. 23 Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) over Nieko Malone (Rider) (Fall 61:58)
141: McKenzie Bell (Rider) over Caleb Gross (South Dakota State) (Dec 2-1)
149: No. 19 Sammy Alvarez (Rider) over Colin Dupill (South Dakota State) (Dec 8-3)
157: No. 31 Colton Washleski (Rider) over Moses Espinoza-Owens (South Dakota State) (MD 11-2)
165: No. 14 Drake Rhodes (South Dakota State) over Enrique Munguia (Rider) (TF 17-2 64:00)
174: No. 8 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) over No. 28 Michael Wilson (Rider) (TF 19-4 62:52)
184: Brock Fettig (South Dakota State) over No. 24 Isaac Dean (Rider) (SV-1 4-1)
197: Thomas Dineen (South Dakota State) over Steyn De Lange (Rider) (Dec 8-3)
285: No. 25 Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State) over Collin French (Rider) (MD 14-5)

Rider vs No. 24 Maryland
The Broncs got on the board first with Kaden Naame having a gritty overtime performance over Tyler Garvin (Maryland) at 125 lbs. A pair of escapes made the match knotted at one to head into extra time. Naame was able to get the clutch takedown to secure the 4-1 decision. 

McKenzie Bell returned the momentum to the Broncs bench after a tough 2-1 decision over Dario Lemus (Maryland) at 141 lbs. 

No 31. Colton Washleski took on No. 8 Ethen Miller (Maryland) in the 157 lbs bout. A pair of escapes would make the score 1-1 in the final 90 seconds of the match. Both wrestlers pushed the pace each trying to secure a takedown but Miller ultimately found the takedown to secure the 4-1 victory. 

The momentum favored the Broncs when Enrique Munguia secured a pivotal fall in the second period over Ryan Money (Maryland) at 165 lbs to give the Broncs six team points to bring the match score to 15-8 in favor of the Broncs. 

Isaac Dean (184 lbs) secured his second win over a top-ten opponent this season when he defeated No. 9 Jaxon Smith. The match was deadlocked at one in the final period when Smith gave up his second stall warning to award Dean one point to give him the gritty 2-1 victory. 

The Broncs lost the final two bouts of the match but avoided conceding bonus points, holding on to secure an 18-17 upset victory.

Results
Rider 18, No. 24 Maryland 17
125: Kaden Naame (Rider) over Tyler Garvin (Maryland) (SV-1 4-1)
133: No. 16 Braxton Brown (Maryland) over D`Amani Almodovar (Rider) (TF 15-0 5:38)
141: McKenzie Bell (Rider) over Dario Lemus (Maryland) (Dec 2-1)
149: No. 19 Sammy Alvarez (Rider) over Kal Miller (Maryland) (Dec 9-4)
157: No. 8 Ethen Miller (Maryland) over Colton Washleski (Rider) (Dec 4-2)
165: Enrique Munguia (Rider) over Ryan Money (Maryland) (Fall 4:53)
174: Branson John (Maryland) over No. 28 Michael Wilson (Rider) (Dec 12-5)
184: No. 24 Isaac Dean (Rider) over No. 9 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) (Dec 2-1)
197: Chase Mielnik (Maryland) over Brock Zurawski (Rider) (Dec 8-3)
285: No. 16 Seth Nevills (Maryland) over Collin French (Rider) (Dec 7-2)

Rider vs No. 18 Pittsburgh 
After dropping the first three bouts, No. 19 Sammy Alvarez put the Broncs on the board at 149 lbs defeating No. 24 Finn Solomon by a final score of 6-5. 

Enrique Munguia faced off against No. 32 Jared Keslar at 165 lbs. Munguia got the escape after choosing the bottom positon following a scoreless opening period. Keslar took the lead with his first takedown of the match making the score 3-1. Munguia made things interesting turning a reversal into a cradle putting Keslar on his back to secure the fall. The pin made the team score 16-9 in favor of the Panthers

No. 24 Isaac Dean (184 lbs) went up against No. 11 Reece Heller. Dean had the 5-3 advantage going into the final period. Dean would gave up the escape to then secure another takedown earning the 8-4 decision to get his second ranked win of the day.

Results
Rider 12, No. 18 Pittsburgh 28
125: Matt Marlow (Pittsburgh) over Kaden Naame (Rider) (Dec 12-5)
133: No. 27 Vincent Santaniello (Pittsburgh) over D`Amani Almodovar (Rider) (MD 9-0)
141: Briar Priest (Pittsburgh) over Nieko Malone (Rider) (TF 18-1 3:58)
149: No. 19 Sammy Alvarez (Rider) over No. 24 Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) (Dec 6-5)
157: No. 32 Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) over No. 31 Colton Washleski (Rider) (MD 18-5)
165: Enrique Munguia (Rider) over No. 32 Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) (Fall 4:16)
174: No. 20 Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) over No. 28 Michael Wilson (Rider) (MD 16-3)
184: No. 24 Isaac Dean (Rider) over No. 11 Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) (Dec 8-4)
197: No. 21 Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) over Steyn De Lange (Rider) (Dec 9-3)
285: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) over Collin French (Rider) (TF 16-0 5:09)

Quotes and Notes
"It's always good when you're able to beat a Top 25 Big Ten team. Sammy, Isaac and McKenzie had good days individually.  We also learned a lot about everyone on the team, where they are and where they need to get to." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey

- Dean now has wins over both No. 6 Bennet Berge (South Dakota St), No. 9 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), and No. 11 Reece Hall (Pittsburgh) so far in the 2024 season. 
- Munguia earned two falls on the day.
- South Dakota State went 3-0 on the day
- Alvarez was the lone Bronc to win all three matches during the day.
- The Broncs are now 2-0 against BIG opponents.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action after Christmas when they travel to Northwestern University for the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30.