Wrestling to Face Harvard in Downtown Showdown at PPAC
2/7/2018 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University wrestling is set to face Ivy League rival Harvard University in the Downtown Showdown at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
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THE DOWNTOWN SHOWDOWN
The Downtown Showdown will feature a pair of dual meets as Brown faces Harvard and Johnson & Wales University takes on Roger Williams University. The event begins at 6:30 p.m., and the action will alternate between a Brown-Harvard match and a JWU-RWU match. The teams will compete on the PPAC stage with orchestra seating available for students and general admission. Loge, first dress circle, and second dress circle seating is reserved. Students from all four schools will receive free admission with their student IDs.
LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Zach Krause (Plainfield, Ill.) defeated the No. 10 ranked wrestler in his weight class, freshmen Hunter Kosco (Canal Fulton, Ohio) and Bryce Rogers (Orlando, Fla.) each earned major decision wins, and Brown defeated Princeton University, 17-15, on Sunday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
As part of a combined meet with Brown gymnastics on the team's Alumni & Family Weekend, the Bears took a lead in the dual's second match and never trailed again in their win over the Tigers. Brown picked up its second Ivy victory in as many days after topping Penn, 25-17, on Saturday.
THE LAST HARVARD MEETING
Jon Viruet '19 (Springfield, Mass.) posted a fall at 165 pounds, Trey Keeley '20 won via technical fall at 125 pounds, and Brown defeated Harvard, 23-12, in an EIWA and Ivy League dual meet at the Malkin Athletic Center on Friday, Feb. 10.
The Bears won four of the match's last five bouts to top the host Crimson. With victories over Harvard and Penn in 2016-17, Brown won two Ivy duals for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
IVY LEAGUE DUALS
At 2-1 in Ivy League dual meets this season, Brown has posted two Ivy dual wins for the second straight season. Prior to last year, the last time that the Bears won two Ivy duals came in the 2011-12 season. Brown last won three Ivy duals in the 2008-09 season and last won four Ivy duals in the 1996-97 season.
NCAA VETERANS
Brown carries a pair of NCAA Championships veterans in senior 157-pounder Justin Staudenmayer (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) and junior 184-pounder CJ LaFragola (Little Egg Harbor, N.J.).
This season, Staudenmayer leads the team in wins (19), dual wins (six), dual EIWA wins (five), and dual points (18). He won the 157-pound weight class at the Navy Classic and placed sixth at the Midlands Championships. LaFragola has notched a 12-7 record and won the 184-pound weight class at the Navy Classic.
UPPERCLASSMEN
Several other upperclassmen have made an impact for the Bears this season including juniors Ian Butterbrodt (North Andover, Mass.), Jon Viruet (Springfield, Mass.), and Tucker Ziegler (Myersville, Md.) as well as sophomore Zach Krause (Plainfield, Ill.).
Viruet has gone 15-11 on the season, tallying 17 dual points and three pins while Butterbrodt has compiled a 14-11 record, including a 4-2 EIWA dual mark and 17 dual points. Ziegler has posted 12 wins and 17 dual points, and Krause has totaled 14 wins with three falls.
FRESHMEN STEP RIGHT IN
A number of freshmen have stepped right in for the Bears with Nino Bastianelli (Marysville, Mich.), Hunter Kosco (Canal Fulton, Ohio), AJ Pedro (Methuen, Mass.), and Bryce Rogers (Orlando, Fla.) all totaling double-digit victories on the year. Kosco and Rogers stand tied for the team lead with four major decisions apiece while Bastianelli paces the squad with six falls.
THE CAPTAINS
Junior CJ LaFragola (Little Egg Harbor, N.J.), senior Justin Staudenmayer (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), and junior Jon Viruet (Springfield, Mass.) will lead Brown as captains during the 2017-18 season. Both Viruet and Staudenmayer will act as captains for the Bears for the second time in their careers.
UP NEXT
Next, Brown wrestles at Sacred Heart on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 5:00 p.m. before concluding its dual season on Saturday, Feb. 17 with meets at Hofstra (1:00 p.m.) and at Columbia (6:00 p.m.).
IVY LEAGUE NETWORK
Video of select home contests and select Ivy League duals meets, will be broadcast live on the Ivy League Network, now available on Apple TV, Roku, and the ILN app for Android and Apple devices. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing yearly, monthly, or daily packages.
