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Wrestling Ready for National Prominence

Before the Ivy dual meet season, the team will travel to Dallas, Texas for the Lone Star Duals. This is a tough addition to the schedule, as the grapplers will square off against three of the nation's best programs--No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Nebraska.

"This is our first time at the Duals, and it is a huge step for the program to wrestle against three top teams in the same day," Volpe said. "I think it will be a great experience for everyone, and great preparation for the next part of the season."

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But right now, the team is focusing on this weekend's season opener at East Stroudsburg, a tournament in which four wrestlers won individual titles last year and seven placed in the top four.

"We've been doing scrimmage in the room against each other, but this tournament is the first time we take the safety clips off," Weiss said. "It is great for the younger guys to get matches and get experience early on."

At 125-pounds, the team is excited about the return of junior Kevin El-Hayek who took a leave of absence last year. He will be joined by junior Brandon Rhoades, who did a terrific job at 125 last year, and sophomore David Germakian.

With two third place finishes and a sixth place finish at EIWAs under his belt, co-captain Matt Picarsic will lead the way for the Crimson at 133-pounds. He is joined by freshman Ken Kakesako, the Hawaii state champion.

Sophomore Nick Picarsic, Matt's brother, will continue to wrestle at 141-pounds after a great freshman year performance. Also wrestling at 141 will be senior John Bachman and sophomore Kendrick Sadler.

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