Ithaca, NY – Graduate-student Joe Booth and seniors Jamie Franco and Luke Vaith all captured individual titles and seven more Pride wrestlers placed in the top eight to lead Hofstra to a second place finish at the 2013 New York State Collegiate Championship at Cornell University's Newman Arena at Bartels Hall Sunday.

The Pride tallied 157 points to finish 18 points ahead of third-place Binghamton in the team standings. Hofstra's second-place finish is their best-placement since a second-place finish in 2002. The Big Red of Cornell won the team title with 207 points in the 27-team field.

Booth, ranked 12th in the nation, posted a 5-0 record, including a 6-3 win over Craig Eifert from Cornell in the title match, at 165 pounds. He had three bonus point wins. Booth is now 10-1 on the season. Franco also recorded a 4-0 record, including a 6-0 win over Penn Gottfried from Columbia in the title match, at 125 pounds. Franco boosted his season record to 7-3. Vaith, ranked seventh in the country, was also 4-0 with four bonus point victories, including a win by fall in 4:38 of the 141-pound title match against Matt Bystol from Columbia. Vaith is now 9-1 on the year.

Three other Pride wrestlers placed second to help the Hofstra cause. Red-shirt freshman Jamel Hudson was 4-1 with three bonus-point victories at 133 pounds. He lost to Cornell's Mark Grey by tech fall, 20-3 in the title match. Hudson is now 8-3 this season. Junior Cody Ruggirello was 3-1 with a win by fall at 149 pounds. He dropped a 2-1 decision to Cornell's Chris Villalonga in the 149 title match. Junior Nick Terdick was 3-1 with a tech fall at 157 pounds. He dropped a 15-8 decision to Cornell's Brian Realbuto in the 157 title match. Terdick is now 6-4 on the season.

Pride freshman Michael Hughes tallied a 4-2 mark to place fifth at 285 pounds. He recorded two bonus point victories. Hughes defeated Army's Stephen Snyder, 3-0 in the fifth-place match. He is now 5-7 on the year.

Red-shirt freshman Frank Affronti placed seventh at 174 pounds with a 3-2 record. He defeated teammate Victor Pozsonyi, 6-4 in the 174-pound seventh-place match. Affronti is now 5-4 this season. Pozsonyi, a sophomore, was 2-3 while finishing in eighth-place. He is 3-8 on the year. Junior Zeal McGrew placed eighth at 197 pounds with a 3-3 record. He is 5-7 on the season.

Eight more Hofstra wrestlers competed in the New York State Championship “B” (Open) tournament with five placing. Red-shirt freshman Maverick Passaro placed second at 133 pounds with a 3-1 record including two bonus point wins. He lost to Binghamton's Nick Kelly, 10-5, in the “B” 133 title match. Red-shirt freshman Kyle Krasavage and junior Russ Benner placed third at 133 and 165 pounds, respectively. Krasavage was 4-1 with two majors including a 14-1 win over Mike Lanasa from the Stony Brook Wrestling Club. That win will not count in his season slate. Benner was also 3-1 including a win by fall over RPI's Connor Burns in the third-place match. Red-shirt freshman Cory Goshkagarian finished fourth with a 2-2 mark at 149 pounds. He dropped a 5-1 decision to Columbia's Alec Mooradian in the third-place match. Red-shirt freshman Jahlani Callender was 5-1 and placed fifth in the 149-pound division. He defeated Brockport State's Adam Troy by fall in 3:00 in the fifth-place match. Freshman Michael May, 1-2 at 133, and red-shirt freshmen Alex Mirante, 0-2 at 149, and Mike Caputo, 2-2 at 157, did not place.

Hofstra returns to action next Sunday, December 1 when they face two opponents in the second annual Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden. The Pride will face Army at 10 a.m. and Boston University at noon in the Garden's college wrestling extravaganza.