CHICAGO – University of Chicago wrestling kicked off their 2023-24 season with a home dual against Albion on Wednesday evening. The Maroons got down early but battled back for an impressive 15 point win over the Britons inside the Ratner Athletic Center.

RESULTS
Albion – 10
University of Chicago – 25

• 125: Matt Perez falls to Odrobina via major decision (17-7)
• 133: Jackson Rustad falls to Mars via decision (9-5)
• 141: Sean Conway defeats Matheney via technical fall (6:03)
• 149: Brendan Connolly defeats Honiss via major decision (17-9)
• 157: Drew Vlasnik defeats Gorman via decision (8-3)
• 165: Jay Greiner defeats Smith via decision (11-4)
• 174: Hutch Lynott defeats Beach via decision (4-1)
• 184: Wyatt Haynes falls to McDaniel via decision (7-3)
• 197: Danny Lingen defeats Brown via major decision (9-1)
• 285: Gunnar Garriques defeats Krum via decision (13-8)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• University of Chicago (1-0) started off the dual down 7-0 after two Albion (0-1) wins in the 125 and 133 weight classes. It wasn't long before the Maroons flipped things the other way, however.
• UChicago rattled off five straight victories starting with a technical fall from Sean Conway at 141 before Brendan Connolly won with a major decision score of 17-9. The rest of the wins at 157, 165, and 174 came via decisions to put the Maroons up 18-7 with three bouts left.
• The Britons were able to come away with a 7-3 decision in a close match at 184 but UChicago put things away and secured the overall win with another major decision at 197 from Danny Lingen and a 13-8 victory via decision at 285 from Gunnar Garriques against the eighth ranked heavyweight in the country for the 25-10 win to being their year.

UCHICAGO COMMENTS

• Head coach Leo Kocher: "Winning seven out of ten against a quality team like Albion is impressive and a great way to start our season. I really like the way we battled out there but I'm also looking forward to improving on some things we can correct to get even better."
• Student-athlete Sean Conway: "It felt incredible to finally compete again. The team was locked in from the start and every wrestler fought hard the entire dual. I'm proud of how we got the win."

WHO'S ON DECK
With their first dual out of the way, the Maroons will now prepare for their first tournament of the season. They'll be back in action this Saturday at the Ben McMullen Open in Muskegon, Mich. at 9:30 am eastern time.

For up-to-the-minute University of Chicago Maroons news, visit www.athletics.uchicago.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter @uchicagoath and @uchicagoathletics on Instagram.