LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider wrestling team went a perfect 2-0 on Sunday afternoon, earning dual victories over MAC opponent Clarion and Ivy League foe Columbia in Alumni Gym.

Rider vs. Clarion
No. 22/19 Tyler Klinsky opened the dual at 125 lbs. against Travis Clawson, setting the tone early with an arm-drag go-behind takedown to jump out to a 3-0 lead. A Clawson escape trimmed the score to 3-1 after one, but Klinsky added a late second-period takedown to extend his advantage to 6-1. After cutting Clawson to begin the third, Klinsky secured the decision with another takedown before an escape made it a 9-3 final.

Clarion claimed the bout at 133 lbs., but the Broncs responded with back-to-back bonus-point victories. At 141 lbs., No. 15/13 Elijah Griffin needed just one period, recording a first-period fall with a lat drop.

At 149 lbs., Dylan Layton followed with a dominant 17-2 technical fall, pushing Rider's lead to 14-3.

James Farina continued the momentum at 157 lbs. After a scoreless opening period against Wesley Barnes, Farina scored takedowns in both the second and third periods to earn an 8-2 decision and extend the team score to 17-3.

Clarion picked up a win at 165 lbs., but Rider quickly answered at 174. Enrique Munguia energized the Broncs with a first-period fall over Patrick Cutchember, stretching Rider's lead to 23-6.

At 184 lbs., Giovanni Alejandro battled Adrian Gacek through a scoreless first period. After surrendering an escape, Alejandro responded with a takedown late in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Starting the third on bottom, he earned a quick reversal to seal the 5-1 decision.

No. 21/24 Brock Zurawski closed out the dual in dominant fashion at 197 lbs., posting a 21-3 technical fall in the third period to secure a 31-6 team victory for the Broncs.

Match Results
Rider 34, Clarion 6
125: #22/19 Tyler Klinsky (Rider) over Travis Clawson (Clarion) (Dec 9-3)
133: Joey Fischer (Clarion) over Kaden Naame (Rider) (Dec 7-3)
141: #15/13 Elijah Griffin (Rider) over Scott Johnson (Clarion) (Fall 0:57)
149: Dylan Layton (Rider) over Oliver Fairchild (Clarion) (TF 17-2 7:00)
157: James Farina (Rider) over Wesley Barnes (Clarion) (Dec 8-2)
165: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion) over Brendon Abdon (Rider) (Dec 7-0)
174: Enrique Munguia (Rider) over Patrick Cutchember (Clarion) (Fall 1:34)
184: Giovanni Alejandro (Rider) over Adrian Gacek (Clarion) (Dec 5-1)
197: #21/24 Brock Zurawski (Rider) over Ethan Wiant (Clarion) (TF 20-3 6:10)
285: Hogan Swenski (Rider) over John Meyers (Clarion) (Dec 4-2)

Rider vs Columbia
No. 22/19 Tyler Klinsky stayed red-hot at 125 lbs., squaring off once again with No. 32 Sulayman Bah. Klinsky wasted little time, locking up a cradle just 90 seconds into the bout to earn the fall and give Rider an early 6-0 advantage.

Columbia responded with wins at 133 lbs. by technical fall and at 141 lbs. via injury default to move in front, 11-6.

At 149 lbs., Dylan Layton set the pace early against Roman Lermer, scoring two first-period takedowns to take a 6-2 lead. An escape by Lermer in the second trimmed the margin to 6-3, but Layton chose bottom to start the third and quickly earned an escape to secure the 7-3 decision.

The win cut Columbia's lead to 11-9.

James Farina battled Charlie Scanlan at 157 lbs. After a pair of escapes left the match tied 1-1 through regulation, Farina countered a Scanlan shot with a quick go-behind in sudden victory to claim the 4-1 win and put the Broncs back on top, 12-11.

Rider built separation at 165 lbs. as Brendon Abdon delivered one of the dual's biggest moments, throwing a headlock and pinning No. 22 Cesar Alvan in just 26 seconds to extend the Broncs' lead to 18-11.

At 174 lbs., Enrique Munguia used late scrambles to turn defense into offense, earning an 11-6 decision to extend Rider's lead to 21-11.

Columbia picked up a technical fall at 184 lbs. to close the gap to 21-16.

No. 21/24 Brock Zurawski sealed the dual at 197 lbs. against Jake Wehmeyer. A first-period penalty point assessed to Wehmeyer for pulling on Zurawski's headgear proved decisive. With each wrestler recording an escape, the bout ended in a 2-1 decision in favor of Zurawski.

The Lions earned the final bout at heavyweight, but Rider closed out the afternoon with a 24-19 victory.

Match Results
Rider 24, Columbia 19
125: #22/19 Tyler Klinsky (Rider) over #32 Sulayman Bah (Columbia) (Fall 1:22)
133: Evin Gursoy (Columbia) over Kaden Naame (Rider) (TF 18-3 7:00)
141: #21/16 Lorenzo Frezza (Columbia) over #15/13 Elijah Griffin (Rider) (Inj. 2:05)
149: Dylan Layton (Rider) over Roman Lermer (Columbia) (Dec 7-3)
157: James Farina (Rider) over Charlie Scanlan (Columbia) (SV-1 4-1)
165: Brendon Abdon (Rider) over #23/22 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) (Fall 0:26)
174: Enrique Munguia (Rider) over #31/29 Nick Fine (Columbia) (Dec 11-6)
184: #16/19 Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia) over Giovanni Alejandro (Rider) (TF 15-0 5:00)
197: #21/24 Brock Zurawski (Rider) over Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) (Dec 2-1)
285: Vincent Muleller (Columbia) over Hogan Swenski (Rider) (Dec 4-1)

Quotes and Notes
"I thought we handled adversity really well in the second match. The team came together, competed for each other, and found a way to win instead of wrestling just for themselves. That's a big step forward for our program. It's always nice to get a lopsided win in the Clarion match , and I think that reflects the schedule we've battled through to put ourselves in a position to come out and compete at this level. That was good for our guys to see.

Tyler's preparation is off the charts. He's always working, always watching film, always talking with Nick. When you prepare like that, you can stop overthinking and just react and wrestle, and that's exactly what he's doing. He had a great day.

Columbia is very well coached and has quality kids in its program, so those back-and-forth matches really test you. Going through that kind of battle helps set the table for future opportunities, and that's an important part of what we're building." - Rider Head Coach John Hangey

Up Next
The Broncs return to action on Jan. 2, hosting Purdue in Alumni Gym. 
First whistle is set for 7 p.m.