Hofstra wrestling making strides

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Third-year Hofstra wrestling head coach Dennis Papadatos has worked hard to resurrect a winning culture into the program and is starting to see dividends.

Hofstra’s progression was evident during the Grapple at the Garden held at Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden on Nov. 27 when the Pride posted an 18-13 win against George Mason moments after battling eighth-ranked Cornell.

Papadatos said he’s proud of how his wrestlers battled that day on a big stage and even in a 39-0 loss to Cornell, the Pride were close to winning five bouts that the powerhouse Big Red were heavy favorites in. “A lot of the guys are getting better,” said Papadatos, a Bethpage native who was a two-time NCAA National Championship qualifier for Hofstra and a 2000 graduate. “We are battling.”

Hofstra graduated one of its two 2016 NCAA Championship qualifiers in Jamel Hudson at 141 pounds. The second NCAA qualifier, Michael Hughes at 285, is red-shirting due to a five-year program for his major, physical education, but is still a major presence at practices and is able to wrestle individually at open tournaments.

The Pride returned six starters from last year’s squad that placed 13th in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships. The returnees feature juniors Bryan Damon (125), Kyle Krasavage (149) and Cory Damiana (184) along with sophomores Bobby Fehr (165) and Omar Hadddad (197).

The Pride have received contributions early by freshmen Jake Kaminsky and Sage Heller, who each placed second in their weight classes during the Blue and Gold/Journeymen Tussle at Hofstra on Dec. 4. Heller was a three-time Illinois State qualifier and finished second at 170 pounds in the 2016 state championships. Kaminsky red-shirted last year and placed seventh in the 2015 New Jersey State Championships as a senior.

“He is having success, so he believes more,” said Papadatos of Kaminsky, who was 8-6 in open matches last year while red-shirting. “He is doing a much better job in staying consistent.”

Papadatos stresses to his wrestlers the importance of shining in the classroom in addition to on the mats. Hofstra competes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), which is the oldest wrestling conference in the nation and features top academic schools from the Ivy League and Patriot League. The affiliation with high-caliber schools that are also compete at a top level in wrestling like Cornell and Lehigh serves as an extra motivator for the Pride wrestlers to reach that next level.

“It’s a great wresting conference and a great academic conference,” Papadatos said. “It’s the most storied college wrestling conference in the nation.”

Hofstra’s next home match is slated for Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. against EIWA foe Army in the Mack Sports Complex. The Pride also host conference opponents Harvard on Feb. 17 and Brown on Feb. 18 to close the regular season.

The Pride will compete in the EIWA championships at Bucknell on March 3-4 and Papadatos hopes the team will be positioned by then to send multiple wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Hofstra will host the 2018 EIWA tournament and Papadatos is excited about building a foundation this winter that will stay strong for years to come.

“We have to make sure we are clicking on all cylinders,” he said. “I’m very optimistic with how young we are and how we are getting better every week.”