Ithaca, NY – Freshman Vinny Vespa placed second at 133 pounds and sophomore Ryan Burkert finished third at 149 pounds to lead the Hofstra Wrestling team to a sixth-place finish at the 2016 New York State Collegiate Wrestling Championships at Cornell University Sunday night.

The Pride recorded seven place-winners in the championship "A" division to finish with 79.5 points. The host Big Red of Cornell won their fifth consecutive State title and 12th overall with 155 points. Buffalo was second with 132 points and was followed by Columbia (118), Army West Point (108.5) and Ithaca (91.0).

In addition to Vespa and Ryan Burkert, Hofstra place-winners in the "A" division included freshmen Jacob Martin at 125 and Sage Heller at 174 in fifth place; red-shirt sophomore Connor Muli at 149 and red-shirt freshman Jake Kaminsky at 157 in sixth place; and red-shirt sophomore Michael Oxley at 184 in seventh place.

Vespa tallied a 3-1 record at 133 pounds, losing to Freddy Eckles from Niagara Community College by fall at the 6:57 mark. He had three wins by decision, including two majors, on the way to title match.

Ryan Burkert posted a 4-1 mark on the day with a major decision, two wins by fall and a win by decision to capture third place at 149 pounds. He majored T.J. Fabian from LIU Post, whom he lost to by fall in his opening match, in the third-place contest.

Martin was 3-2 on the day to finish fifth at 125 pounds. He posted a decision, a major decision and a win by injury default in the fifth-place match. Heller was also 3-2 on the day to place fifth at 174 pounds. He recorded a win by tech fall, a decision and a win by forfeit in the fifth-place match.

Muli was 3-3 to finish in sixth-place at 149 pounds. He tallied two wins by fall and a win by decision on the day. Kaminsky was 4-3 on the day to place sixth at 157 pounds. He recorded four wins by decision, including one major on the day.

Oxley was 3-2 Sunday to finish seventh at 184 pounds. He recorded two wins by fall and a win by major decision in the seventh-place match.

Red-shirt junior Kyle Krasavage was 1-1 at 141 pounds before injury defaulting out of the championship. Sophomore Omar Haddad also suffered an injury and defaulted out of the tournament and was 0-1 at 285 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Connor Burkert, who also suffered an injury and defaulted out of the tournament, was 0-1 at 141 pounds.
 
In the Open "B" division, Hofstra senior Michael Hughes won the 285-pound title for the second consecutive week, going 5-0 to lead four unattached Pride wrestlers in the division. Freshman Ricky Stamm went 4-1 to place second in the 157-pound weight class. Anthony Olivieri, another newcomer, went 2-2 at 165-pounds to finish sixth while junior Bryan Damon was 1-1 at 133 to also place sixth. Freshman Charlie Kane posted a 3-1 slate at 141 pounds but did not place.

Hofstra returns to action on Sunday, November 27 when the Pride begins their dual match schedule with two contests in the Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden. Hofstra will face eighth-ranked Cornell at 10:30 a.m. and George Mason at 12:30 p.m.