EWING, N.J. (February 9, 2024) – Sophomore Ryan Smith recorded his third pin of the season as the No. 10/9 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team defeated No. 13/13 TCNJ 26-11 Friday evening. 

Seven ducks, including Smith, picked up victories on the evening as Stevens improves to 11-4 in duals this season. The Ducks trailed 3-0 to open the match, but ended the night with the 15-point advantage. TCNJ drops to 11-5 with the loss.

Smith, ranked #4/6 nationally at 157, remains perfect in dual matches on the season as he sits at 9-0. Sophomore #15/11 Nico Diaz, who also won tonight, is now 12-1 this season in dual matches.

This was the 16th meeting between the two programs. The Ducks are 9-7 all-time against the Lions. Stevens has also now won three-straight duals over TCNJ.

The Rundown

• The home side got the night started on the right foot, as #2/2 Nick Sacco defeated junior Chris Stathopoulos via a 4-1 decision at 165. That lead would not last long, as senior #13/8 Stefan Major picked up a major decision victory against Jimmy Dolan. The score of the bout was 11-1, which put Stevens up 4-3 after two.
• Senior #10/13 Joel Martsinovsky picked up a decision win in the 184 bout. He defeated Reid Colella 8-4. Senior Blaise Wagner backed up Martsinovsky's win a major, taking down D.J. Henry 15-7 to put Stevens in front 10-3.
• Peter Wersinger got a four points back for the Lions, as he defeated junior Max Ruiz 11-1 to earn the major decision victory at 285.
• Stevens picked up the next three victories by decision to win the match. Graduate student Akhil Vega earned a ranked victory at 125, as he beat #14/16 Matt Griffin by a narrow 8-7 decision to put the Ducks up 14-7. Senior #11/10 Luke Hoerle followed at 133, earning another one-point decision win for Stevens. He took down Kyle Nase 5-4. Diaz then won 7-2 over J.J. Giordano at 141 to seal the victory for Stevens.
• First-year Carmen Cortese competed in just his fifth dual match of the season against TCNJ, wrestling at 149. He lost to Mike Conklin by major decision 11-3. 
• Smith then finished the evening with a fall after 4:14. He earned the full six points for the Ducks at 157, beating Ryan Datz.

Top Performers

• Major and Wagner earned two of the four majors on the night. 
• Stevens outscored TCNJ 61-51.
• Seven of the 10 matches featured a nationally ranked wrestler.

For the Opponents

• Wersinger and Conklin each tallied 11 points in their major decision victories.

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference 

• King's 18, Delaware Valley 30 F/THUR
• Messiah vs. Elizabethtown 7 p.m.
• York vs. Alvernia 7:30 p.m.

Up Next

• No. 10/9 Stevens is back in action tomorrow as they visit No. 15/15 NYU for a dual. The match is scheduled for 12 p.m. Appropriate links are posted to StevensDucks.com once available.

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