HOBOKEN, N.J. – The No. 9 TCNJ wrestling team grabbed Garden State bragging rights on Friday night with a 26-15 victory at No. 24 Stevens in a high-level showdown of in-state rivals.
 
It was the sixth straight dual win for the Lions (13-5), who picked up their sixth ranked victory of the season.
 
The match started at 174, where No. 8 Hunter Mays had two takedowns in the first period en route to a 15-4 major decision.
 
The Ducks (6-7), however, came flying back with wins in each of the next three bouts, one of them a major and another a tech fall, to open up a 12-4 lead heading into the lightweight bouts.
 
The Lions took advantage of a Stevens forfeit at 125 to get back within two, and No. 7 Garrett Totten quickly gave the blue and gold a lead they would not relinquish with a 20-4 technical fall over Naci Robinson at 133. Totten racked up four takedowns in the first period alone and added a four-point near fall in the second en route to another dominant victory.
 
The match continued to swing in TCNJ's favor as No. 14 Sam Kotch piled up four third-period takedowns in an impressive 18-8 major decision against three-time NCAA qualifier Luke Hoerle at 141.
 
No. 12 Mike Conklin followed with a 14-2 major decision opposite Carmen Cortese, ranked fifth regionally, at 149 to give the Lions a four-bout winning streak and a 23-12 advantage.
 
The teams traded decisions to end the dual, with No. 8 Nick Sacco closing out the match with a 4-2 victory against No. 15 Chris Stathopoulous in a matchup of nationally ranked foes.

NOTES

• Conklin is now a perfect 17-0 in duals and ran his season record to 28-4; he now owns 98 career victories
• Totten stayed perfect at 14-0 on the season, including a 10-0 dual mark
• TCNJ snapped a three-match losing streak to Stevens and evened the all-time series at 8 dual victories apiece

UP NEXT

• The Lions head to Pennsylvania for the Messiah Open on Saturday

#9 TCNJ 26, #24 Stevens 15
174 – Hunter Mays (TCNJ) maj. dec. Harrison Hinojosa, 15-4 (4-0)
184 – Joel Martsinovsky (SIOT) dec. James Romaine, 7-3 (4-3)
197 – Branden Bulatao (SIOT) maj. dec. Luke Theis, 12-3 (4-7)
285 – Blaise Wagner (SIOT) tech fall Matt Coon, 20-4 (7:00) (4-12)
125 – Matthew Griffin (TCNJ) wins by forfeit (10-12)
133 – Garrett Totten (TCNJ) tech fall Naci Robinson, 20-4 (4:07) (15-12)
141 – Sam Kotch (TCNJ) maj. dec. Luke Hoerle, 18-8 (19-12)
149 – Mike Conklin (TCNJ) maj. dec. Carmen Cortese, 14-2 (23-12)
157 – Ryan Smith (SIOT) dec. J.J. Giordano, 7-1 (23-15)
165 – Nick Sacco (TCNJ) dec. Chris Stathopoulous, 4-2 (26-15)