| Wrestling team wins first dual meets of the season BY MIKE UNGER Despite being hamstrung by forfeitures in more weight classes than its opponent, Wagner College, AU outwrestled the Seahawks Jan. 29 to win its first dual meet of the year.
Photo by Larry French
Junior Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov defeated his Wagner College opponent.
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Sophomore Dwayne Hash-Barberis and freshman Josh Glenn recorded pins, while junior Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov and senior Daniel Waters won decisions to lead the Eagles. Suffering from a rash of injuries, AU had to forfeit weight classes of 125, 133, and 141 pounds, while Wagner forfeited 184 and 197 pound matches.
Still, Coach Mark Cody was encouraged by the victory. “We’re definitely excited about it,” he said. “Because of the situation that we’re in, we lost three individuals to injuries in the first three weight classes, so we’re giving up 18 points every dual meet. Anytime you can beat a team and still give up 18 points, that means you scored a lot of points.” The Eagles, who defeated George Mason University Friday, next take to the mat Saturday at 7 p.m. in Annapolis against the Naval Academy, hoping to use the momentum gained from the Wagner win throughout the rest of the season. “It does build confidence,” Cody said. “It’s nice to go through the anxiety of wrestling and attacking as much as [we] did. When we go wrestle better competition, it will definitely help.”
Photo by Larry French
Juan Jaysingh
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Men’s tennis wins home opener
The men’s tennis team served up its 2005 home schedule with a resounding win over D.C. rival George Washington University—in Montclair, Va. Until the weather warms, the Eagles play some of their home matches at indoor facilities in Virginia and College Park, Md. After the hard-fought victory over the Colonials, AU’s record sits at 2-1. “I think the most important thing when you’re starting out these beginning matches is not necessarily to win them, but to go out and be focused and compete well,” AU coach Kyle Bailey said. “The main thing we’re looking for is discipline.” The Eagles started sluggishly, dropping all three doubles matches before regrouping to win five of the six singles matches, for a 5-2 team victory. Each singles win is worth a point, while whichever team takes the majority of doubles matches earns a single point. “We came out really flat, we played really tight,” Bailey said. “Between the doubles and singles we had a talk, and I let them know that what was happening out there, if they continued to do it, we were going to lose this match. They needed a wake-up call, that’s the best way to put it. Thankfully, they came out and responded.” The tennis team is back in action Feb. 19 in against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Photo by Larry French
Phil Gaeta
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Track performs in New York at Millrose Games, New Balance Collegiate Invitational
It was a successful weekend in the Big Apple for four members of the AU men’s track team. Alex Caudana, Dustin Emrani, Phil Gaeta, and Brian McCabe won the 4x800 relay at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York City. The AU team’s time of 7:46.73 bested runner-up Duke and third-place finisher Boston College at Madison Square Garden. Other members of the AU track team were also in New York, competing at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. |
