PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Rider wrestling team seized control from the opening whistle, winning the first five matches to build a 19-0 cushion and cruising to a 30-10 victory  over Drexel on Saturday afternoon.

No. 15/21 Tyler Klinsky opened the dual at 125 pounds against No. 29 Desmond Pleasant. After an early takedown sequence was reviewed and waved off, Pleasant struck first to take a 3-0 lead into the second period. Klinsky answered with an escape and later converted a slick single-leg to even the score at 4-4 after two periods. In the third, Klinsky cut Pleasant, knowing he would need a takedown to win. He put together two shots and secured the go-ahead takedown for a 7-5 lead. Pleasant escaped late, but Klinsky held on for a gritty 7-6 decision, extending his winning streak to 14 matches and improving to a perfect 17-0 in duals this season.

At 133 pounds, No. 32 Will Betancourt faced Kyle Waterman. After a scoreless first period, Waterman earned an escape to open the second for a 1-0 advantage. Betancourt answered with an escape of his own to start the third, then quickly earned a takedown to take control. Waterman escaped late, but Betancourt secured the 4-2 decision to give Rider a 6-0 team lead.

No. 14/21 Elijah Griffin needed just 2:12 at 141 pounds to pin returning NCAA qualifier Jordan Soriano on the edge of the mat, extending the lead to 12-0.

Dylan Layton kept the momentum rolling at 149 pounds with a dominant 12-1 major decision over Deon Pleasant.

At 157 pounds, Gianni Maldonado battled Gavin Carroll in a tightly contested bout. A third-period takedown proved to be the difference as Maldonado earned a 4-3 decision, pushing the team advantage to 19-0.

Drexel picked up its first win at 165 pounds with a major decision.

At 174, Enrique Munguia squared off with No. 21 and returning NCAA qualifier Josiah Queen. Munguia trailed 6-2 after the first period and 12-4 after two. In the third, he erupted for 11 points to take a 15-13 lead. However, Queen was injured during the sequence and unable to continue with 35 seconds remaining, resulting in an injury default and six team points for Rider to extend the lead to 24-4.

The Dragons claimed the bout at 184 pounds by decision before No. 15/19 Brock Zurawski delivered another dominant performance, scoring 19 points en route to a 19-4 technical fall in the second period.

Drexel won the final match of the afternoon, but Rider closed out an impressive 30-10 road victory.

Quotes and Notes
"Our kids wrestled well today, we went out, scored points, and pushed the pace.  We need to keep building on this momentum heading into next week with UPenn and into the MAC and NCAA tournaments." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey

Match Results
Rider 30, Drexel 10
125: #15/21 Tyler Klinsky (Rider) over #28 Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) (Dec 7-6)
133: #32 Will Betancourt (Rider) over Kyle Waterman (Drexel) (Dec 4-2)
141: #14/20 Elijah Griffin (Rider) over Jordan Soriano (Drexel) (Fall 2:12)
149: Dylan Layton (Rider) over Deon Pleasant (Drexel) (MD 12-1)
157: Gianni Maldonado (Rider) over Gavin Carroll (Drexel) (Dec 4-3)
165: Cody Walsh (Drexel) over Brendon Abdon (Rider) (MD 12-0)
174: Enrique Munguia (Rider) over #21 Jasiah Queen (Drexel) (Inj. 6:27)
184: Ethan Wilson (Drexel) over Giovanni Alejandro (Rider) (Dec 2-1)
197: #15/19 Brock Zurawski (Rider) over Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) (TF 19-4 7:00)
285: #24 Nate Schon (Drexel) over Hogan Swenski (Rider) (Dec 5-1)

Up Next
Rider returns to action on Feb. 19 with another trip to Philadelphia to face Penn in its final dual meet of the regular season.
First whistle is set for 7 p.m.