The wrestling team Sunday came up short against Rutgers New Jersey, losing 28-13 against their conference rivals. Forfeits were a major factor in the defeat for AU, which was without some of their top wrestlers such as defending national champion Josh Glenn.
Due to the forfeits, AU fell behind 6-0 in points early. However, the Eagles were able to gain some momentum in the later stages of the contest. Matt Mariacher out-dueled the Scarlet Knights' Dan Hilt in the 133-lb. match, using a pair of takedowns late to seal a 7-1 victory.
Kyle Borshoff, ranked 20th in the country, kept the ball rolling for AU despite falling behind opponent Steve Adamcsik early on in the 141-lb. match. Borshoff was able to fight back and gain control of the match before using a key takedown late to post an 8-4 victory. With the comeback, Borshoff ran his record to 19-6 and is undefeated in his last seven matches.
Rutgers jumped back into the lead as Jack Barrett dropped Chris Clarke in decisive fashion in the 149-lb. match by a score of 10-2.
The Eagles began to rally as Christopher Stout was able to hold off Chris Norell. Stout used a reversal late in the match to end Norell's surging comeback attempt and notch a 157-lb. victory for AU. Mike Cannon, ranked seventh nationally in the 165-lb. weight class, dominated Rutgers' Matt Pletcher, giving AU another win and the lead.
But that would be the conclusion of the scoring for the Eagles in the team scores. Rutgers' Mike Whalen and Keith Dobish scored big wins over AU's Jonathan Powell and Brooks Keefer in the 174- and 184-pound matches, respectively.
AU's Andy Semple, substituting for national champion and No. 1 ranked Josh Glenn, was able to hang in early against Lamar Brown in the 197-lb. contest, but Brown came on strong late to post the win.
The Eagles will look to bounce back at the University of Maryland, College Park Wednesday at 7 p.m. as the regular season ends and the conference and national tournaments begin.
