How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Sophomore wrestler Gene Kobilansky is on a roll this season, but he said it has nothing to do with luck.
'I don't really feel like I'm on a winning streak so much as I'm just performing well,' he said. 'There's no sense of 'How long can I keep this up for?' If I thought like that I would just put a lot more pressure on myself.'
Kobilansky added two more notches to his season-long winning streak over winter break, while helping the Violets pin the competition in a commanding team victory over Muhlenberg College. He has been undefeated since the beginning of the wrestling season in September, having lost only one match.
The Rochester, N.Y., native won his sixth-straight match last weekend, winning the 141-pound weight class championship at the Brute-Adidas Invitational held at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. He defeated Gettysburg College freshman Matt Shank 6-5. Sophomore Ryan Cooley finished third in the 165-pound weight class, after being pinned by Jared Duffy of Centenary College in 4 minutes 22 seconds.
Even with his stellar finish, Kobilansky said the wreslters at the Ursinus invite provided the toughest bouts over break.
'I wrestled poorly, which made the tournament much harder,' he said. 'In the end it was a good confidence builder though, because I saw that I can win even if I'm not firing on all cylinders.'
As a team, the Violets placed sixth among the nine teams at the invitational with 34 points. Ursinus won the competition with a total of 114 points.
Earlier this month, Kobilansky also took home the 141-pound crown at The College of New Jersey Lions Invitational on Jan. 7 in Ewing, N.J. He pinned freshman Mike Detsis of Stevens Institute of Technology in a quick 1 minute 58 second bout in the finals to take the title. Kobilansky pinned Jeff Warren of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2:05 seconds in the semifinals to advance to the finals, gaining a walkover in the first match.
Junior Vinnie Russo finished second in the 149-pound weight class, dropping a 4-3 decision to David Icenhower of TCNJ in the finals. Russo advanced to the final match after pinning Kevin Gin of Messiah College in 3 minutes 20 seconds. There was no team scoring at the competition.
Two days earlier, Kobilansky led his teammates to a 28-19 team victory over Muhlenberg on Jan. 5 in Allentown, Pa., recording a major decision 14-4 victory over Jeremy Hart in the 141-pound weight class.
Four other Violets posted wins against Muhlenberg to lift the Violets. Russo pinned Muhlenberg freshman Joseph DeCampo in a quick 57 second bout in the 149-pound weight class, while Cooley pinned junior Chris Gibson in 4 minutes, 22 seconds in the 165-pound weight class. Sophomore Sam Thorner recorded a 7-0 victory against Muhlenberg senior Frank Pepe in the 174-pound weight class.
Earlier in the 2004-05 season, Kobilansky won the 141-pound weight class at the State University of New York at Oneonta Invitational and went 3-0 in bouts at the New England Duals in December and the NYU Duals in November.
Kobilansky won the University Athletic Association 141-pound weight class championship last January at the University of Chicago, while also taking home 2004 UAA Rookie of the Year honors.
The Violets travel to the New York State Collegiate Championship next weekend, held at the SUNY-Oneonta in Oneonta, N.Y.
