On a Roll Again
Rider overcome injury bug, wins three in a row

By Paul Mullin

It’s a tough schedule. The head coach admitted it himself at the beginning of the year, and it has certainly played out that way so far.

The problem is, it doesn’t get any better, even if there are only four matches left in the season.

But it might be a little easier with a dose of confidence on your side.

Despite a season marred by injuries and a few disappointments, the wrestling team remained on track with wins over Rutgers on Jan. 31 and Clarion on Feb. 3, giving it a three-game winning streak going into its match against the No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones tomorrow in Ames, Iowa.

“In one week, we will wrestle two teams in the top six in the United States,” said Head Coach Gary Taylor. “I would much rather have some wins going into those two matches than losses coming in, so in that sense I am happy we have been able to turn it around and get some wins under our belt and get our confidence back up a little.”

These two victories give the Broncs five wins in their last six matches, resurrecting a season that saw them go 4-5 in the first nine contests before a surge of life found them at the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Duals on Jan. 19-20, where they won three out of four matches against conference teams.

“I think we are wrestling a bit better coming out of it,” said Taylor. “And in that sense it’s a turnaround, but a lot of it has to do with hitting the top people.”

Then came the match at Rutgers, a team the Broncs defeated 26-15 at home a year ago behind a pin by sophomore Doug Umbehauer at 174 pounds and a technical fall by junior T.J. Morrison at 197 pounds.

This time around, it started off in the Scarlet Knights’ favor, as they jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Junior Don Fisch gave Rider its first points with a major decision at 141 pounds to close the gap to 9-4.

After a win by sophomore Mike Kessler at 149 pounds made it 9-7, senior transfer student Nathan Galloway recorded another major decision at 157 pounds for an 11-9 Rider lead.
Umbehauer followed that up two bouts later with yet another major decision to put Rider ahead for good, 15-12.

“[Umbehauer] has probably been our most consistent wrestler all year,” said Taylor. “He’s currently ranked No. 1 in the conference [in his weight class].”

Morrison was again a big contributor for the Broncs, although in a slightly different manner than a year ago. After compiling an 11-2 lead, his opponent was disqualified for stalling, giving Morrison the win by default to put the Broncs up 24-12 with just one bout remaining.

Now winners of two in a row, the Broncs traveled to Clarion, Pa., to face the Golden Eagles, another team they had triumphed over last season. And it would be no different now, as Rider led from start to finish en route to a 37-9 win.

In a match filled with big decisions that went the Broncs’ way, Fisch got things started with a major decision that put Rider up 7-0 in the second bout. After a victory by Kessler put the Broncs up 10-0, Galloway pinned his opponent for a 16-0 Rider lead.

“[Galloway] came up with another pin, so any time we catch that, it’s a good thing,” Taylor said. “He and [Fisch] both looked very good at Clarion.”

Galloway, a transfer from Penn State, has been impressive for Rider, winning five of his six match-ups as a Bronc dating back to the CAA Duals.

“Getting [Galloway] was a real blessing because that helped us at a weight class where we needed help at that time,” Taylor said. “Had we not gotten him I think we would have been in real trouble.”

Freshman Mike Miller won by forfeit at 184 pounds to put Rider up 25-3, and Morrison followed that up with a pin of his own, giving the Broncs an insurmountable 31-3 advantage.

Following its match against Iowa State tomorrow, the team will then journey to fight nationally ranked Hofstra, certainly the Broncs’ most fearsome conference opponent and a big rival. And if a No. 6 ranking wasn’t enough, the Pride also boast a recent 18-17 win over the former No. 1 team in the country, Minnesota, which remains the Golden Gophers’ only loss.

“It can be a scary thing,” Taylor said in reference to the Top 10 rankings. “We’re trying to get [the team] not to be scared and to look at it like an opportunity to hopefully beat some of their kids and use that to build our confidence going into nationals.”