Ursinus Wrestling kicks off their season with two back-to-back weekend matches full of success. Bears on both the men and women’s teams competed, earning wins and placements across the board.
In their season debut at the Princeton Open on November 2nd, nine of the women’s wrestlers placed for Ursinus. Jurelys Peguero Del Rosario ’29 placed first in the 180-pound bracket, with teammates Cloe Charlesworth ’27, Mandy Gavares ’27, and Jahlia Miguel ’29 all earning runner-up finishes in the 145-, 103-, and 180-pound brackets. Peguero Del Rosario’s triumph marks the Bear’s first-ever champion for Ursinus College at the Princeton Open.
Stacy Bloomfield ’27 and Emma Matera ’27 both reached the consolation championship in the 131- and 180-pound brackets, with Bloomfield earning third and Matera earning fourth. The remaining placements were earned by Kloi Tighe ’29, Paisley Fox ’27, and Charlotte Bowman ’29, earning fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively.
In the following weekend, the Lady Bears continued to come out strong, sweeping Marymount University and Cedar Crest College in a tri-match on Sunday. Gavares opened the match against Cedar Crest College in a 22-second pin, with teammate Aubree Butler ’29 pinning her opponent at the 1:38 mark of her match. Cedar Crest fell to Ursinus 31-15, while Marymount fell 31-17. Fox made an 18-second pin against her Marymount rival, securing an early takedown for the Bears.
The men competed at the Messiah Invitational on November 1st, with two individual titles won by the Bears. Michael Adams ’26 and Andrew Schaen ’27 set the tone for the season, recording wins in the 125- and 141-pound brackets. Adams earned a 10-4 win over his McDaniel rival in the final, while Schaen marked a 14-13 victory against his Messiah counterpart. Teammate Anthoy Cerulli ’26 finished second in the 174-pound bracket, while Nils Updale ’26 took fourth in the 184-pound bracket. Braden Kmak ’27 recorded a top six finish in the 157-pound bracket to bring the total of Ursinus finishers from the match to five.
In their recent Racich Rumble last Saturday, the Bears secured a third-place finish at the tournament. Cerulli, Updale, and Sean Cowan ’27 all earned second-place titles, with Cowan competing in the 197-pound bracket. Adams came off his prior win to place third in his bracket, with Blaise Verdino ’28 (133-pound bracket) and Kmak earning fourth place finishes. Samuel Rock III ’28 earned a sixth-place finish in the 285-pound bracket, bringing the Bears to a total of 122.5 team points. They fell to New York University with 159.5 points, and Messiah University with 159 points.
The Ursinus Bears will return to the mat on November 13th against Lock Haven University for the women, and November 22nd at the Misericordia Invitational for the men.