Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Wrestling team returns to action and closes out the 2014 portion of the 2014-15 season this Monday, December 29 when the Pride compete in the First Citizens Community Bank-Lock Haven University Invitational Tournament at Thomas Fieldhouse.

The one-day affair begins at 9:30 a.m. on the Lock Haven University campus. In addition to Hofstra and Lock Haven, also scheduled to compete are Clarion, Bloomsburg, Davidson, Franklin and Marshall, Bucknell, George Mason and Virginia. Live stats and brackets can be found on Gimp Software.com.
 
Hofstra, 3-5 on the season, will be competing in their third tournament of the season after appearances in the New York State Collegiate Championships in November and the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational earlier this month. The Pride finished second of 31 teams at the New York State Championships and 24th of 37 in Las Vegas.
 
Hofstra is coming off a split of two matches in the Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden last Sunday (Dec. 21). The Pride defeated Maryland, 29-12 before falling to Bucknell, 25-15. Sophomores Jamel Hudson at 141, Jahlani Callender at 157 and Frank Affronti at 174 each were 2-0 in the two contests.

Hofstra continues to have three wrestlers, sophomore Jamel Hudson, graduate-student Cody Ruggirello and sophomore Michael Hughes, ranked in the five individual polls this week.

For the third time this season, sophomore Jamel Hudson (Bay Shore, NY) is ranked in all five polls at 141 pounds this week. He is ranked 14th by The Wrestling Report and Amateur Wrestling News, 16th by The Open Mat, 18th by InterMat and 20th by WIN Magazine. Hudson, who has also won eight of his last 10 matches, is now 10-3 on the season.

Ruggirello (Walden, NY) is ranked in two of the five polls at 149 pounds this week after winning 14 of his first 18 outings. Ruggirello is ranked 17th by The Wrestling Report and 19th by Amateur Wrestling News. A 2014 NCAA Championship qualifier, Ruggirello has won seven of his last 10 matches and is 14-4 on the year.

Sophomore Michael Hughes (Smithtown, NY) is now ranked 24th in The Wrestling Report rankings at 285 pounds. Hughes, who has won 11 of his last 15 matches, is now 12-5 on the season.