HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 1, 2023) – Graduate student Akhil Vega returned to the mat and scored a second-period fall at 125 as No. 12 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling defeated Delaware Valley University 29-19 Wednesday in a dual meet inside Canavan Arena. 

Fellow graduate student Pasquale Vizzoni, junior Blaise Wagner and sophomore Ryan Smith each won their respective matches via technical fall as the Ducks won six of the 10 contested bouts – all with bonus points – to open 1-0. The victory extended the Ducks' winning streak against Delaware Valley to five as Stevens has now taken a 5-4 lead in the all-time series. 

Jacob Blair and Isaiah Johnson each had pins for the Aggies, who fell to 0-1.

The Rundown

• Competing in a Stevens uniform for the first time in over a year, Vega gave the Ducks an early lead, pinning Malik Asfour in 3:49. The first points of the season came early in the first period on a Vega takedown – the first scored under the new rules where takedowns are worth three points. Vega would build a 6-1 lead through the opening period and quickly escaped to start the second. A takedown shortly after led to the fall.
• Delaware Valley took the lead with victories at 133 and 141. Ryan Arndt scored a 9-0 major over senior Andrew Finateri, before #13 Jacob Blair pinned sophomore- and 10th-ranked – Nico Diaz in a spirited bout that saw the two wrestlers combine for 18 points before the fall.
• Vizzoni recorded the Ducks' first tech fall of the evening, compiling a 20-3 lead before the stoppage 49 seconds into the second period. The Flemington, New Jersey native scored an impressive five takedowns and a four-point near-fall in building his lead. Vizzoni had three tech falls one season ago.
• Smith, ranked third at 157, made it two tech falls in as many matches. The 2023 All-American scored all 15 points in a 15-0 victory over 4:57, earning the stoppage just before the second-period buzzer sounded following consecutive four-point near-falls.
• Junior Chris Stathopoulos followed with an impressive 21-9 major over Nicholas Delorenzo. The Clifton, New Jersey native raced out to a 7-0 lead before Delorenzo got on the board. Stathopolous scored the final six points of the second period after Delorenzo knotted the score at eight. He then would go on to outscore Delorenzo 8-1 in the final period to earn the victory.
• Delaware Valley's Joseph McCullough upset #4 Stefan Major 5-3 at 174 and Isaiah Johnson scored a pin at heavyweight to account for the Aggies' final nine points. In between, junior Joel Martsinovsky posted a dominant 14-5 major at 184 and Wagner had a 19-4 tech fall over Nicholas Hall at 197 to account for the Ducks' final victories of the year. The team leader in both wins and majors last season, Martinovsky scored his first major of the year after collecting nine in 2022-23. Wagner, who moved up in weight class, broke his match against Nicholas Hall open in the final period, totaling three takedowns to earn the stoppage in the final minute.

Top Performers

• Stathopoulos' 21 points in his victory over Delorenzo, was the highest mark by a Duck. Vizzoni was next with 20 points, which were all accumulated in just under four minutes. 
• Smith's tech fall was the first of his career.

For the Opponents

• McCullough scored four of his five points against Major via reversal and won the match without a takedown.

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference 

• Stevens was the first MAC school to compete this season.

Coach's Comments

• "Nice to open the season with a win over a tough conference opponent. I thought we were scoring a lot of points and think the new rule set favors our style of wrestling. Six wins by bonus points is huge in a dual and I think we can score even more. A few technical positions need to be adjusted and improved upon, but overall, it was a good performance to start the year. Very pleased with the atmosphere and crowd we had tonight, the team fed off our home crowd energy. Excited for the next opportunity to compete; it's a quick turnaround and will be another good test early in the season." – associate head coach Anthony Bonaventura

Up Next

• Stevens heads to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Nov. 4 for the annual Ned McGinley Invitational, hosted by King's College. A link for live video is currently posted to StevensDucks.com and will be joined by a live stats link once it's made available.

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