Cards Improve to 3rd at Doug Parker Invite as Greg Hurd '10 & Dan Bloom '10 Repeat as Champs

WIth virtually the same field of teams at the annual Doug Parker Invitational at Springfield Sat., Nov. 21 that were represented a year ago at the event, Wesleyan did itself proud by moving up from ninth in 2008 to a solid third in 2009. Leading the way for the Cardinals as they did a year ago were 125-pounder Dan Bloom '10 (photo insert upper right) and 174-pounder Greg Hurd '10, as each successfully defending his title. In addition, fiour other Cardinals placed in their respective weight class.

Both Hurd, who sits ninth in the latest NCAA Division III rankings, and Bloom, who ranks 10th, came through with perfect 5-0 marks to win their brackets. Bloom's closest match came in the semi-finals as he won 7-2. Three of his wins came via pin while the other was a major decision. It was much the same for Hurd as he pinned two of his opponents while winning the other three by margins of 14, 5 and 7 points. Bloom and Hurd are two big reasons Wesleyan has cracked into the national rankings as a team, holding the No. 24 spot to go along with its No. 2 regional ranking.

Other top performances by Cardinals grapplers came from Josh Berkovic '10, who placed third at 165. One of his defeats came by a slim 5-3 score against a wrestler from the Merchant Marine Academy ranked eighth nationally. Two Cardinals finished fourth in their weight classes - Kyle Roosa '13 at 174 and Chris Alvanos '11 at 133. Dave Bachy '10 grabbed fifth at 157. Though he did not place, Dave Amhrein '12 had a fine effort at 197, as one of his losses was a 6-3 decision to the No. 8 wrestler in the country.

Wesleyan will resume tournament competition Sat., Dec. 5 when the team ventures to the R.I.T. Invitational as the final activity of the first semester.

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