Men’s basketball

wrestling returns home with big win

The Muhlenberg wrestling team gave its fans a reason to celebrate after coming back victorious to Memorial Hall following almost a year-long road swing.

The Mules (1-2) recorded their first win this season, defeating Scranton (0-5) at home in front of an enthusiastic group of hungry-for-wrestling spectators. The Mules didn’t leave any doubt which was the better team on the mat, steamrolling the Royals 42-9 after winning eight of the 10 bouts.

At 149, junior

McEnroy got the Mules off on the right foot with his second consecutive pin.

Rob Kein registered the quickest victory on the night, pinning Mike Ebert 1:06 into the contest. Prior to the meet against Scranton, the Rutherford, N.J., native moved up to seventh place in the national rankings in his weight class.

“We have to win the matches regardless of whether or not we are ranked,” said Kein, who improved his season record to 20-4.

Four more Muhlenberg wrestlers pinned their opponents: junior Dan McEnroy (125), freshman Michael Slevin (133), junior Matt Horn (184) and senior Joe Tartar (heavyweight).

In the most thrilling bout on the night, Billy Hall outsmarted Rich Russell, 4-3, in the 133 weight class. Losing 3-0 at the beginning of the third period, Hall tied the score at three following an escape and a takedown. The Chester, N.J., native clinched the vital fourth point thanks to his over-one-minute riding time.

Freshman 197-pounder Bill Sholly earned a technical foul victory against Joe Williams with 17 seconds remaining, while junior Justin Fitch registered an 11-3 major decision vs. Kevin DiGiulio in the 174-pound division.

“Our team wrestled a lot better compared to the previous dual meets earlier this season,” Kein said. “We showed a lot of improvement and I believe that we are on the right track.”
Click here for box score.