Springfield, MA --- Tyler Riggs (North Scituate, RI) and Mario Barberio (Muncy, MA) posted their 17th and 18th wins of the season respectively for WPI on Friday evening but the Crimson and Gray dropped a 29-15 decision to host Springfield in a matchup of New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) foes.
With the result, the Pride closes out its regular season with a record at 14-6 while the Crimson and Gray dip to 7-12 with their final dual meet Saturday at home at 3pm versus Western New England.
Riggs got WPI off to a great start as the NEWA's seventh-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds recorded a fall 24 seconds into the second period. The pin was the senior's sixth of the season and moves Riggs to 17-7 on the season.
Springfield began a string of six straight wins beginning at heavyweight when No. 7 Michael Filieri (Garfield, NJ) used the riding time advantage to take an 8-0 major decision before Isiac Paulino (Athol, MA) used a late scoring move in his bout to post a 5-3 upset over the seventh-ranked grappler in the NEWA.
Nationally-ranked Springfield wrestlers posted tech falls in two of the next three bouts. 12th-ranked 133-pounder Gianni Manginelli (Dumont, NJ) claimed a 16-1 tech fall at 2:33 and 14th-ranked 149-pounder Chase Parrott (Stamford, CT) registered a 21-6 tech fall at 4:48 sandwiched around Joseph Parsons (Waldwick, NJ), holding on for a 4-3 decision at 141 pounds.
The most anticipated bout of the day was arguably at 157 pounds and did not disappoint. Springfield's Jacob Deguire (Schenectady, N.Y), ranked third in the NEWA, jumped out to a quick 6-0 advantage over previously undefeated Tommy Dell'Aera (Eastchester, NY). The WPI sophomore, who is ranked eighth in the NEWA and 20th nationally by The Open Mat, battled back to tie the match at 8-8 during a wild third period flurry that saw Deguire quickly strike back and collect a pin at 5:28.
Barberio got WPI back in the win column in the next bout. Ranked sixth at 165 pounds, the sophomore notched his team-leading 18th victory of the season when he coasted to an 8-2 triumph to stop the Pride surge.
Springfield's Brayden Grim (Gales Ferry, CT) avoided an upset at 174 pounds. WPI's Adam Marsh (Upper Black Eddy, PA) forced sudden victory with a move that just beat the horn at the end of regulation, but the fifth-ranked Grim took the bout 7-5 with a scoring move 30 seconds into SV1. The match concluded when WPI's Ethan Edmondson (Milford, CT) moved up a weigh class and took a six-point victory at 184.
WPI has a quick turnaround, returning to the mat on Saturday at 3pm when it hosts Western New England on Senior Day underneath the spotlight inside Harrington Auditorium. Springfield is back in action on Sunday, February 19th in the NEWA Futures Tournament.
