Rider takes it to the ‘Mat Town’

By Eamon Ducey

Rider wrestling proved once again it can produce winning wrestlers on a yearly basis.

Freshman Doug Umbehauer won the 174 pound weight class at the Keystone Classic, Sunday, Nov. 20, and the Lock Haven Mat Town, Saturday, Nov. 26.

“Doug was a Hardship Freshman; he works hard, ” said Head Coach Gary Taylor. “He is a tenacious competitor. He gains his advantage by wearing his opponents.”

The Broncs were unable to have a full lineup at the tournament. They only had wrestlers in six of the 10 weight classes. Despite the diminished lineup, they still were able to place fifth out of eight teams.

“We were only at 60 percent of our capacity,” said Taylor. “I was happy that seven of the eight kids we brought placed.”

Two sophomores placed third at Lock Haven. T.J. Morrison went the limit with All-American Kyle Cerminara of Buffalo, losing the match by a 9-8 decision.

“This was a good indication that T.J. is competing very well,” said Taylor.

Morrison won his final match of the day to capture third, he shut out Shaun Dee of Oregon, 3-0. At Keystone, Morrison won the 197 pound weight class.

Sophomore Ryan Smith also came in third. This was an improvement from his fourth place finish at Keystone.

“Ryan has been placing consistently in tournaments all year,” Taylor said.

Rider also had a freshman place fourth in the 149 pound weight class — freshman Michael Kessler. In his first tournament, Kessler did not place.

“Kessler showed a lot of improvement from the first tournament,” said Taylor. “That is what we look for from freshmen. In their first tournament, freshmen have to adjust from being a great high school wrestler to competing on a Division I level.”

Three other Broncs placed at Lock Haven. Junior Joe Maroney placed fourth in the 165 pound weight class, sophomore Zack Cunliffe placed fifth in the 133 pound weight class and senior Chris Marold placed seventh in the 165 pound weight class.

The team recently received news that senior Dave Miller would not wrestle this season.

“Most likely Dave Miller will be out the rest of the season,” said Taylor. “We will be applying for a hardship waiver. Hopefully, Dave will be able to wrestle for us next year. He had two hip surgeries in six months.”

Sophomore Jeff Black also had surgery. But Taylor was more optimistic about his speedy return.

“Jeff had surgery Wednes-day to clean out any debris in his knee,” said Taylor. “We think he will be back in the beginning of January.”

Sophomore Tyler Rees was also out on Saturday, Nov. 26, because of an injury.

“Tyler has a shoulder that is a little loose,” said Taylor.

In light of the injuries, Rider was led by its youth. The top three finishers were underclassman.

“We have a young team that is working hard,” said Taylor. “They all are showing improvement. This is a building season.”

The next time the team will get on the mat is Saturday, Dec. 10, when it travels to the University of Maryland.

“We want to get a win against a well-balanced team like Maryland,” said Taylor. “If we can get enough people healthy, we have a good shot at beating them.”