Sacred Heart won their first dual meet since November 2021 with a win over Queens University on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Kirsten Jarosz)
With four pins and eight individual victories, the Sacred Heart men’s wrestling team snapped a 28-match losing streak Sunday with a 40-9 win over Queens University of Charlotte.
It was the first win of the season for the Pioneers (1-8) and the dual meet victory since November 2021. The win came on the heels of a tough 24-17 loss to Virginia Military Institute in Charlotte about an hour earlier with VMI (5-5) winning three of the final four matches to secure the victory.
The Pioneers raced out to an 18-0 lead on three consecutive pins from Jake Ice (125), Andrew Fallon (133) and Vincent Milazzo (141). A technical fall from Mike McGhee boosted the lead to 23-0 and another pin from Scott Jarosz (165) clinched the victory for the Pioneers.
Hunter Perez (184) and Brendan Gilchrist (285) also picked up wins for Sacred Heart. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the wrestling mat.
It was a close match against VMI but the host team was able to rally from deficits twice to earn the victory.
“Our guys won a gutsy first dual meet today against Sacred Heart,” VMI coach Jim Gibson said. “It came down to bonus points and we had three guys find a way to get pins, which made the difference for us.”
Sacred Heart led 10-3 after four matches thanks to victories from Ice, Fallon and McGhee. But VMI cut the lead to one, 10-9, when Josh Yost (157) pinned Connor MacDonald in 3:53
Sacred Heart extended their lead to 14-9 after Jarosz beat Luke Hart, 10-2 at 165 pounds but VMI took their first lead of the day, 15-14, when Braxton Lewis (174) pinned Owen Ayotte in 2:12.
Sacred Heart again took the lead, 17-15, when Hunter Perez (184) outlasted Caleb Chandler, 4-2
VMI’s Josh Evans (197) beat Sacred Heart’s Jake Trovato, 8-1 to put his team up by one, 18-17. In the final match of the dual, VMI’s Tyler Mousaw pinned Gilchrist in 2:25 to secure the win for the home team, 24-17.
Sacred Heart’s 28-match losing streak was the second longest in program history. The Pioneers dropped 38 in a row from 2011-14.
The Pioneers return to the mat on Saturday when they travel to Cambridge, Mass., for a 2 p.m. EIWA match against Harvard.
Virginia Military Institute 24, Sacred Heart 17
At Charlotte, N.C.
125: Jake Ice (SHU) def. Tony Burke, 10-1
133 : Andrew Fallon (SHU) def. Dyson Dunham, 12-8
141: Patrick Jordon (VMI) def. Vincent Milazzo, 11-5
149: Mike McGhee (SHU) def. Ryan Vigil, 4-1
157: Josh Yost (VMI) pin Connor MacDonald, 3:53
165: Scott Jarosz (SHU) def. Luke Hart, 10-2
174: Braxton Lewis (VMI) pin Owen Ayotte, 2:12
184: Hunter Perez (SHU) def. Caleb Chandler, 4-2
197: Josh Evans (VMI) def. Jake Trovato, 8-1
285: Tyler Mousaw (VMI) pin Brendan Gilchrist, 2:25
Records: Sacred Heart 0-8, VMI 5-5
Sacred Heart 40, Queens University of Charlotte 9
At Charlotte, N.C.
125: Jake Ice (SHU) pin Daniel Graham, 2:54
133: Andrew Fallon (SHU) pin David Makupson, 4:08
141: Vincent Milazzo (SHU) pin Ananth Manibushan, 2:52
149: Mike McGhee (SHU) tech fall Suhaib Hatamleh, 21-5, 5:34
157: Connor MacDonald (SHU) def. Easton Tobia, 10-0
165: Scott Jarosz (SHU) pin Vladimir Sukhikh, 2:09
174: Greg Merriman (Q) pin Owen Ayotte, 0:31
184: Hunter Perez (SHU) def. D`Andree Hunt, 10-5
197: Riley Kuhn (Q) def. Jake Trovato, 12-7
285: Brendan Gilchrist (SHU) def. Joshua Voelkel, 12-4
Records: Sacred Heart 1-8, Queens University 2-11
