Anchormen come up short against Wesleyan

Aidan Thompson

Assistant Sports Editor

Photo via goanchormen.com

RIC’s wrestling team was in action against the now 7-6 Wesleyan Cardinals on Saturday. Sophomore Kwesi Amoa and Senior Nathan Lackman had two major decision victories, but that still wasn’t enough to take down Wesleyan.

Brett Redner, Amoa, and Thomas Malone gave RIC a 10-0 lead after three victories in a row early on. Redner, in the 125 lbs weight class, Amoa in the 133 lbs weight class and Malone in the 141 lbs weight class.

The Anchormen went into the next matches with an early lead expecting victory, but they were met with a tough Wesleyan team.

The next two matches were not in favor of RIC. CJ Shea, from Wesleyan, gained a technical fall victory over RIC freshman, Jensen Offerman. And Aaron Goldman of Wesleyan defeated RIC senior, Eric Zane via a decision victory.

Lackman was up next, he notched a major decision victory over Jack Reusing in the 165 lbs class. Wesleyan then racked up three victories in a row of their own, gathering 15 points and taking a lead heading into the final match. Junior, Michael Alfonso finished the match with a pin for the Anchormen, but it still wasn’t enough as Wesleyan walked away with the 23-20 victory.

Despite the loss, there was some good news for Head Coach Jay Jones and Athletic Hall of Famer Brandon Gauthier. They were both recently inducted into the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Hall of Fame during the 2023 NEWA Dual Meet Championship.

This is Jones’ 24th season as coaching the Anchormen – a career lasting over two decades where he continuously gains more achievements and acknowledgement from RIC and the collegiate wrestling community.

Jones led the Anchormen to the NEWA championship in back to back years, 2008 and 2009, which are included in his total of seven top five finishes as a coach. His all-time record over his illustrious career is 258-226-1, and just a few years ago, Jones became Anchormen Wrestling’s winningest coach in program history.

Jones and the team will have about a week off until their next meet, where they will host Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Friday at 7 p.m.