A week off, two injured starters and a long flight to Iowa did little to slow down the NYU wrestling team, which clawed its way to a fifth-place finish at the Simpson Invitational tournament in Indianola, Iowa.
None of the Violets finished top-two in their brackets, but the grapplers did post top-six place winners in several weight classes, including two at the 165-pound weight class. The finish was especially satisfying given that two NYU veterans, sophomore Sabino Galassi (184) and junior Rudy De la Cruz (heavyweight), were unable to compete because of injuries.
"Team-wise it was really good," said Captain Matt Magill, who took third at 165. "We placed above two top-30 teams and we didn't have Sabino or a heavyweight, unfortunately, if we had those guys, it's possible we might have done even better.
Among the other players to place were juniors Steve Massey (197), David Rice (165) and Calvin Hawkes (149), who each took sixth in their brackets. Most impressive was sophomore Jakub Pawlowski, who finished third (174) despite being seeded fifth entering the tournament.
"[He] had the best outing of his career in a really tough tournament," said Magill.
Magill himself suffered a heartbreaker in the semifinals after losing 5-2 to top-seeded Nick LeClere of Coe College. LeClere went on to win the 165 bracket, but Magill dominated the wrestle-back bracket and eventually claimed third place. Magill called the LeClere loss a "winnable match," but seemed confident he'd be able to bounce back in the long run.
In any case, given NYU's spectacular finish over two nationally ranked teams, the Violets have some momentum and potentially some exciting news awaiting them.
"It's possible we might get ranked," Magill said of the team's finish. "But if not, it's still a great showing for the team overall."
NYU will continue its season on Dec. 10 when they travel to Elizabethtown, Pa., to participate in a tri-meet against Elizabethtown College and Stevens Institute of Technology.
