#23 HOFSTRA FALLS TO #3 CORNELL, 27-12

Hempstead, NY --

Justin Accordino recorded a victory by fall and Lou Ruggirello and Jordan Enck tallied decisions for the Pride but the Big Red captured the other seven matches as #3 Cornell downed #23 Hofstra, 27-12, at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday evening, Hofstra falls to 8-5 on the year while Cornell improved to 8-2.

Opening up at 125 pounds, Cornell senior Troy Nickerson held his opponent to just two escapes and improved to 11-0 on the year with a 10-2 major decision over 20^th-ranked freshman Steve Bonanno (24-11). Hofstra junior Lou Ruggirello, ranked eighth at 133 pounds, posted a 6-0 victory over 12^th-ranked Mike Grey (15-7). Ruggirello improved to 22-3 on the year. At 141 pounds, red-shirt freshman Justin Accordino recorded his eighth pin of the season with victory over sophomore Cory Manson (5-10) in 4:05. Accordino improved to 17-10 on the year and gave the Pride its only lead of the match at 9-4.

The Big Red regained the lead at 149 when sophomore D.J. Meagher (11-7) pinned freshman substitute Fran O'Brien (0-2) in 2:06. At 157 pounds the Pride may have lost more than the match as defending national champion and fifth-ranked Jordan Leen (18-2) pinned Pride junior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman in 6:44. Just before the pin, Bonilla-Bowman (18-7) took an injury timeout with a torso injury. On the restart, the 16^th-ranked wrestler could not defend himself from the down position and was pinned, giving Cornell a 16-9 advantage in the contest.

Cornell's top-ranked sophomore Mack Lewnes improved to 27-0 with a hard-fought 3-1 sudden victory decision over sophomore Ryan Patrovich. After each wrestler exchanged escapes Lewnes caught Patrovich on the edge of the match with three seconds remaining in sudden victory. The Big Red boosted the lead to 22-9 at 174 pounds as sixth-ranked senior Steve Anceravage improved to 20-3 with a 2-0 decision over #10 Alton Lucas (19-5), who was making his final home appearance Sunday. Anceravage rode Lucas the entire second period and posted an escape in the third for the victory.

Justin Kerber (23-8), Cornell's 16^th-ranked sophomore, posted a 6-2 victory over Pride freshman Ben Clymer (18-8) at 184 pounds to boost the Big Red lead to 25-9. At 197 Cornell freshman Cam Simaz improved to 25-8 with a 10-4 victory over Pride senior Anthony Tortora (14-15). The Big Red was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench after this match. In the match finale, Hofstra freshman Jordan Enck evened his record at 15-15 by pulling out a 2-1 decision in the tie-breaker over 12^th-ranked Zach Hammond (12-8). After each exchanged escapes during regulation and a scoreless sudden victory, Enck rode out Hammond in the first half of the tied-breaker and then escaped in the first five seconds of the bottom half and kept Hammond at bay.

Hofstra honored Nick Gallo, its only national champion who captured the 126-pound title and was named the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1977, with a banner-raising ceremony at halftime. The Pride return to action next weekend when they travel to 12th-ranked Edinboro on Saturday, February 14, and unranked Buffalo on Sunday, February 15.

#3 Cornell (27), #23 Hofstra (12)
125- #2 Troy Nickerson (C) maj. dec. #20 Steve Bonanno (H), 10-2
133- #8 Lou Ruggirello (H) dec. #12 Mike Grey (C), 6-0
141- Justin Accordino (H) WBF Corey Manson (C), 4:05
149- D.J. Meagher (C) WBF Fran O'Brien (H), 2:06
157- #5 Jordan Leen (C) WBF #16 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H), 6:44
165- #1 Mack Lewnes (C) dec. Ryan Patrovich (H), 3-1 in SV
174- #6 Steve Anceravage (C) dec. #10 Alton Lucas (H), 2-0
184- #16 Justin Kerber (C) dec. Ben Clymer (H), 6-2
197- Cam Simaz (C) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 10-4
285- Jordan Enck (H) dec. #12 Zach Hammond (C), 2-1 in TB1

" >Click here for Pride coach Tom Shifflet's post-match comments -30-

HOFSTRA RAISES BANNER TO HONOR '77 NATIONAL CHAMPION NICK GALLO

Hempstead, NY --

Hofstra honored its only NCAA national champion with a halftime ceremony for Nick Gallo during the Pride's wrestling match versus third-ranked Cornell Sunday night at the Mack Sports Complex.

Almost 32 years have passed since Gallo defeated Iowa's Keith Mourlam, 8-3, in the championship round of the 126-pound weight class in 1977. The University will unveil a banner that will hang from the Mack Sports Complex's rafters to commemorate that accomplishment.

"It's a pretty neat thing," Gallo said. "I won a national championship for myself, but also for a lot of other people. Having that banner at Hofstra means a lot to me, since I was able to go to school there and make a mark and have something that will last there forever."

Gallo's on-the-mat accomplishments extend beyond Hempstead. The three-time NCAA Championship qualifier also earned a spot on the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling teams. He also garnered two All-American selections, including one as a freshman in 1975 and again two years later when he won it all.

"Nick's been big part of Hofstra wrestling. He's been a big supporter of us," Hofstra Wrestling Head Coach Tom Shifflet said. "It's great we have a banner up there. It's a motivational tool for all of our guys to see that banner and try to work hard to achieve the same thing."

Speaking at his Ronkonkoma office in Suffolk County, Gallo said many of his friends and coaches said he would struggle to compete for a national championship out of Hofstra, which didn't have the reputation of a formidable wrestling program at the time. That didn't stop Gallo from earning the No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA Championships.

"I tried to focus on qualifying first," Gallo said. "Once I got there; I knew once I saw the crowd and see how much it meant to other people, my energy level would rise right away.

Despite three decades passing since the title run, Gallo still can rattle off the final score of most of his tournament matches. The championships were held in Oklahoma, a place that very welcoming to Long Island participants. Though Iowa State took home the team title that season, Gallo earned individual honors by being named Outstanding Wrestler.

"I had a good season and I was seeded first. All of the matches were pretty tough, but my closest match was my finals match. My philosophy was to score as many points as I could, take the officials out of the match and take the crowd out of the match because I didn't have that many people supporting me until I got into the finals."

After his colligate playing career ended, Gallo returned to Hofstra as the fifth head coach in Pride wrestling history. Gallo, who was inducted into the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, led Hofstra to a 49-25 dual meet record during his tenure from 1979-83, posting a .662 winning percentage, including a 13-3 record in his final season.

When it came time to pick a college, Gallo decided to stay close to home and forgo a chance at attending a school with a more renowned wrestling program.

"I see Hofstra as an opportunity for anyone who goes there," Gallo said. "I heard the rumors that you couldn't win it [a title] at Hofstra because it was too small of a school; you didn't have the support, you didn't have the competition.

"I tell everyone that it was about finding a way. I wrestled during the summers and the spring. Anyone who goes to Hofstra can do the same thing, even at this point. You don't even have to do it as much, because the program has come so far and competes against the best schools."

Gallo regularly comes to matches to cheer on the current squad, which is ranked 21st in the country. He said he is proud of maintaining that link to something that has positively impacted his life.

"I look at Hofstra as a great opportunity," he said. "It's paid me back enormously throughout the years."

" >Nick Gallo interview " >Nick Gallo banner-unveiling ceremony