The wrestling team was defeated by both Cornell and Binghamton University Saturday, losing 42-6 to the Big Red and 19-15 to the Bearcats. Bruno found tough sledding against a No. 10 Cornell team that had five of 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally. In the matchup against Binghamton, both teams each won five individual matches, but bonus points in three of their victories gave the Bearcats the edge.
Five wrestlers picked up wins Saturday for Brown (4-4, 2-3 EIWA). Jon Viruet ’19 (165 lbs) was the only Bear to go 2-0 on the day and the only one to win his match against Cornell (8-2, 3-0). Trey Keeley ’20 (125 lbs), Christian LaBrie ’19 (157 lbs), Nino Bastianelli ’21 (197 lbs) and Ian Butterbrodt ’19 (285 lbs) each won their match against Binghamton (4-3, 3-2).
Keeley, Reese Fry ’22 (133 lbs) and Colin Realbuto ’22 (141 lbs) were pitted against the Big Red’s highly ranked lightweights to begin Saturday’s first dual. Vitali Arujau, ranked No. 11 in the nation, used a variety of takedowns to defeat Keeley 16-3 while 12th-ranked Chas Tucker earned a takedown with two seconds left in the match to seal a 20-5 victory over Fry. Realbuto was able to fight off his back against first-ranked defending national champion Yianni Diakomihalis for about a minute to avoid giving up a pin, but ultimately lost the match.
The Big Red kept rolling as Jonathan Furnas and Adam Santoro defeated Sam Lynch ’22 (149 lbs) and LaBrie, respectively. But Viruet provided a highlight for Bruno in the dual, pinning Cornell’s Andrew Berreyessa.
“I went into that match trying to wrestle my own style,” Viruet said of his win. “I’m pretty comfortable (in tough) positions, whether it’s underhooks (or) overhooks,” Viruet said.
Cade Wilson ’22 (174 lbs) put up an impressive effort against 15th-ranked Brandon Womack, getting a reversal and riding out Womack for the whole third period, but a strong second period by Womack proved crucial in an 8-5 decision. Cornell won the final three matches decisively to conclude their 42-6 win.
Later that day against Binghamton, Keeley turned things around in a match against Steven Bulzomi, to whom he had lost earlier in the year, defeating him 4-3. With Keeley in bottom position and time winding down, he drew a stalling penalty from Bulzomi at the buzzer to take a two-point victory. However, Binghamton responded by winning the next three matches to put Brown in an 11-3 hole. In the 157-pound match, LaBrie locked up double underhooks and threw Chris Barker to his back for six points in the first period, and held on for the eventual 7-6 victory.
“I’m a very tall 157-pounder, so if I can get close to a leg and then build up to the body lock, since I’m very long, I can get my hands wrapped (around my opponent),” LaBrie said of his winning throw. “Once my hands are locked I usually can secure a body lock to bring the guy to his back.”
Viruet won a dramatic overtime match against 165-pounder Aidan Monteverdi to follow up LaBrie’s close victory. Neither wrestler was able to generate much offense throughout the match, but Viruet earned the winning takedown on the edge in sudden victory. Wins by Bastianelli and Butterbrodt, by identical 6-2 scores, closed out the close defeat for Brown.
The match against Binghamton was part of Brown’s annual “Rumble and Tumble” event, where the gymnastics team competed alongside the wrestlers in the Pizzitola Sports Center. Head Coach Todd Beckerman thought the atmosphere of the event could have rattled some of his more inexperienced wrestlers.
“It was a different atmosphere; it was loud, it was not the norm (the freshmen) were used to,” Beckerman said. “But that’s what we like about this; it’s going to prepare them for the conference tournament and ultimately the NCAA Championships with 20,000 screaming fans.”
The Bears will look to get back on track next Saturday as they head on the road to take on Penn and Princeton.
Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article stated that Reese Fry's weight class is 133 lbs, when in fact it is 135 lbs. In addition, a previous version of this article stated that Trey Keeley bested Steven Bulzomi by a score of 5-3, when in fact the actual score was 4-3. The Herald regrets the error.
