SCRANTON, Pa. – The Hunter College wrestling team put together a gritty performance at the Scranton Quad this weekend, earning a dramatic comeback win while competing against Pitt-Bradford before facing off against hosting University of Scranton and King's College.
Hunter opened the day with a 26-21 victory over Pitt-Bradford, overcoming an early 12-0 deficit. The Hawks chipped away throughout the dual and pulled within one point at 21-20 heading into the final heavyweight bout. Freshman Hayden Roy delivered the decisive moment, pinning Pavtitar Singh at the 1:10 mark at 285 pounds to seal the comeback win for Hunter. Roy later added another highlight with a pin at 4:53 over Sam Moffett in Hunter's match against King's.
The Hawks fell 26-17 to King's in the second dual before closing the day with a 34-12 loss to Scranton.
Freshman Alimkhan Guseinov anchored the lineup with a perfect 3-0 day at 197 pounds, recording bonus-point victories in all three bouts. Guseinov opened with a 16-1 technical fall over Pitt-Bradford's Gavin Thompson, followed by a dominant 19-0 technical fall against Scranton's Quinten Laughlin. He capped his day with a win by injury default over King's Josh Brown and now sits at 23-9 on the season.
Freshman Kenan Djokic also went 3-0 at 141 pounds, earning a 6-1 decision over Scranton's Chris Cordero, a 14-1 major decision against Scranton's Alex Boyd, and a 16-11 decision over Pitt-Bradford's Mike Worsen.
Sophomores Jayden Medina and Jack Kent each recorded two wins on the day. Medina posted a 9-2 decision over Pitt-Bradford's Nikolas Fegert and a 14-2 major decision against Scranton's Shkeb Nadir at 149 pounds. Kent earned a 13-9 decision over King's Jordan Bentley and added a 13-0 major decision over Pitt-Bradford's Peyton Mitchell at 165 pounds.
Additional victories for Hunter came from Nacim Benzine (149 lbs), Christopher Gliaos (157 lbs), Anthony Coccarelli (157 lbs), Therrol Lafayette (165 lbs), Jordan Fisher (165 lbs), and Naseer Johnson (184 lbs), as the Hawks showcased depth and resilience across the lineup at the King's College Tri-Match.
Hunter returns to action on Feb. 14 for the team's final home tri-match of the season, as the Hawks are set to compete against Arcadia University and Emmanuel College, starting at 12 p.m. in the Sportsplex.
