Hempstead, NY –The Hofstra Wrestling team begins the home stretch of the season and the first of three home matches in the month of February when the Pride host the Broncs of Rider University in a non-conference match this Sunday, February 1 at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. Match time is 1 p.m.
The live audio and video broadcast of the match can be accessed via Pride Productions on GoHofstra.com
After hosting their first two home matches of the season in the Mack Sports Complex, Hofstra will conduct its final three home contests in the Mack Physical Education Center. The Pride will host Cornell on February 7 and Virginia Tech on February 22.
Hofstra, 5-8 overall and 3-4 in the EIWA, is coming off a split of two conference matches at the Columbia University Tri-Match last Sunday. The Pride defeated American, 26-14 before falling to Columbia, 27-7. Against American, Hofstra won six of the 10 matches including wins by fall by graduate-student
Cody Ruggirello and sophomore
Michael Hughes and a tech fall by sophomore
Frank Affronti. In the Columbia match, the Lions won eight of the 10 weight classes, with only sophomore
Jamel Hudson and Ruggirello winning for the Pride, as Columbia rolled to the victory.
Hofstra continues to have three grapplers ranked in the weekly polls this week. Hudson (Bay Shore, NY) is ranked in all five polls at 141 pounds again this week. He is ranked 11th by The Wrestling Report and The Open Mat, 15th by WIN Magazine, 19th by InterMat and 20th by Amateur Wrestling News. Hudson, who has also won 16 of his last 18 matches, is now 18-3 on the season.
Ruggirello (Walden, NY) is ranked in four of the five polls at 149 pounds. He is ranked 16th by InterMat and The Open Mat and 17th by The Wrestling Report and Amateur Wrestling News after winning 13 of his last 16 outings. A 2014 NCAA Championship qualifier, Ruggirello is 20-4 on the year.
Sophomore
Michael Hughes (Smithtown, NY) is now ranked 29th in The Wrestling Report rankings at 285 pounds. Hughes, who has won nine of his last 16 matches, is now 16-9 on the season.
In the latest EIWA rankings, released on Tuesday, January 20,
Jamel Hudson is the top-rated wrestler at 141 pounds, according to the conference coaches. Hughes is ranked fourth in the EIWA at 285 and Ruggirello is ranked fifth at 149.
The Broncs of Rider enter the week with an 8-6 dual match record heading into their Friday night match at Bloomsburg prior to visiting Hofstra. The Broncs have wins over Northern Illinois (28-9), SIU-Edwardsville (31-9), Wisconsin (20-19), Clarion (38-3), Pennsylvania (21-12), Lehigh (17-16), The Citadel (26-12) and George Mason (25-13). Rider has lost to Illinois (29-6), Virginia (20-15), Arizona State (28-16), Bucknell (25-12), Edinboro (20-16) and North Carolina (20-13).
The Broncs are led by a pair of redshirt freshmen in Chad Walsh, who is 21-6 at 157, and B.J. Clagon, who is 17-7 at 149. Both wrestlers are ranked 19th in their respective weight classes by InterMat. Junior Rob Deutsch is 17-6 at 133 pounds this season.
Hofstra and the Rider last met on February 9, 2014 in Lawrenceville with the Broncs winning 22-18 at Alumni Gymnasium.
