On Saturday, the NYU wrestling team started off their season strong with a first place finish at the Ned McGinley Invitational at King’s College. The team is back, ready to build off last season’s success and reach even greater heights this year. 

Last season, the No. 20 nationally ranked team finished with a 14-6 record and a 29th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Despite the strong showing, there were still some setbacks — now-graduated Cooper Pontelandolfo fell short of a national title and Trent Furman missed out on qualifying for nationals. 

Led by senior captains Nicky Bell and Jacob Venezia, who are both expected to make the NCAA tournament this year, the team aims to improve upon last season. After the Violets graduated nine players from last year’s squad, the team welcomed seven first-year wrestlers, as well as graduate transfers Justin Mayes from Cornell University and Ty Finn from Virginia Tech who are expected to heavily contribute to the team’s success. 

Although the roster is on the younger side this season, the Violets now have strong wrestlers in every weight class — a new development setting them apart from previous seasons that has coaches excited. 

“Normally, I’d have three or four guys that were our standouts, and these weight classes are our Achilles’ heel,” said Head Coach Bruce Haberli. “I think we’ve kind of got a parody now. We got some strength everywhere, so it kind of makes it fun and a little bit unknown where things are going to go.”

While the team has its sights set on long-term success this season, the coaching staff is looking to put more of a focus on daily progress rather than the bigger picture — a mindset they also look for when recruiting new wrestlers. Recently, the coaches have since shifted their focus to keeping a tighter ship and recruiting wrestlers who share the same goals and commitment to the team’s success.

“We’re getting to a point now where we want our roster full of people who see that path even if they’re the second or third string,” Haberli said. “They’re going to be part of a team where they say, ‘I know that I might not be the starter today, but when the day comes, anybody who’s that star has a shot at doing something special.’ When we have a team full of guys that have that expectation that leads to team success.”

This season’s roster is also smaller, with 35 wrestlers compared to 42 last season. Despite such a big roster, forming close connections and building team chemistry has not been an issue for the Violets’.

“It’s with a big team, and it’s kind of tough to have that tight knit community,” said Bell. “But I think we still have that. Especially at a school like NYU you kind of just get close with the people you practice and travel with every day.” 

Although wrestling is largely an individual sport, the Violets have built a strong team bond both on and off the mat. While you might catch the team starting practice with a game of dodgeball to have some fun and build camaraderie, the Violets have been putting in no shortage of intense work each day. 

“For me to get better I need to be pushing myself, but that means that I need a partner that’s going to push himself as well,” said junior Mark Dickey. “So the [first-years], I’m pushing them hard because I want to get better, and as a result, they’re getting better. I feel like it’s just not a team where we need to go get burgers on the weekend. We are going to get close, whether we like each other or not.”

In practice, they’ve focused on conditioning and drills such as shark bait – where one wrestler stays in the middle after winning a takedown and fresh teammates rotate in to challenge him — to prepare them for their tournament-heavy start of the season. They also simulate match days to stay competition-ready. 

The season runs until the NCAA championships in mid-March. One of the biggest challenges for the wrestlers is staying healthy throughout the long season. To prevent injuries, the team follows a lighter in-season practice schedule to prioritize recovery, proper nutrition and rest. 

The team is looking forward to heading to Iowa in January for the NWCA National Duals — which hosts teams from all NCAA divisions — and wrestling the United States Coast Guard Academy on Feb. 7. They are also, of course, anticipating their matchup with Stevens Institute of Technology, their proclaimed rival. 

The Violets’ next match takes place on Nov. 8 at the Racich Rumble at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. 

Contact Emily Barbire at [email protected].