The Ithaca College wrestling team traveled to Messiah College for the annual Chocolate Duals. Located just outside of Hershey, this tournament rewards every win with a one-pound Hershey's Kiss. The Bombers were challenged with taking on NWCA #6 Johnson and Wales (J&W), tourney host Messiah University, and historically great Delaware Valley.

Their first match was the toughest by far. Facing #6 Johnson and Wales on short notice is a tough pull, but it's an even tougher battle when it's your first dual meet of the day. J&W are not an unfamiliar foe. Ithaca matched up with them a few times in the Ithaca Invitational. Still, there are no hard scores to predict where this match could have gone.

IC started off on a bleak note when 125 Cosmo Damiani forfeited due to injury, setting the Bombers in a six-point deficit for all three dual meets wrestled on the day. J&W strategically bumped up #1 Joziah Fry to take on Isaias Torres at 133. Torres battled but dropped a close loss 4-2. The Bombers went on a small streak going three for four with 141 Luis Hernandez, 149 Matthew Beyer, and 165 Jackson Gray all picking up decisions. J&W responded in a big way, scoring bonus points in every win throughout the rest of the dual. Unfortunately, that also means 197 Eze Chukwuezi's perfect season is snapped. IC started off the day with a loss 32-9.

Ithaca bounced back firing off some bonus point victories of their own in their second dual against Messiah. The Bombers had three pins: 165 Jackson Gray, 197 Eze, and HWT Nicolas Galka. Wrestling is an unforgiving sport, but Eze seemed unshaken in his next match following a loss. He never missed a beat, dominating the entire match before deciding to end it with a fall. It was a promising sight to see. Torres was almost able to collect a pin of his own but couldn't secure the fall. Instead, he collected a 17 point tech after putting on a near-fall clinic in his 19-2 win. 165 pounder Jackson Gray would also score a bonus point win in a 17-5 major decision. All the bonus point victories were able to dig IC out of the six-point hole and then some, doubling Messiah's handicapped score in a 30-15 dual win. This win was huge because it shows that Ithaca isn't falling victim to a common problem with developing teams that also have top tier talent separation between the "vets" and the "rookies". The resilience of the Bombers shows that the older leaders are wrestling with the young members of the team.

Delaware Valley was IC's final opponent and best matchup of the day. The Bombers started off with five consecutive victories (not counting Ithaca's forfeit at 125), highlighted by a pair of tech falls by 141 Hernandez and 149 lb. Matthew Beyer. Hernandez won a perfect 15-0, rolling and tilting his way to a shutout. Beyer wrestled a very clean match and showcased why he was so dangerous. His single legs were on point, his turns were slick, and his mat returns were explosive enroute to a 21-5 win. 197 Eze also had a tech. It was just a takedown clinic, scoring five takedowns in the first period alone.

The two 3-0 undefeated wrestlers on the day were Beyer at 149 and Jackson Gray at 165. Their defense was what put them above the competition. Neither allowed any stall points, nearfall, or riding time in their victories. They stayed aggressive but continued to wrestle smart from whistle to whistle. Together they scored a combined for 21 team points on the day.

Technically, Travis Jones was undefeated as well, filling in for Wenchard Pierre-Louis after the first match against J&W. Jones racked up a pin and an 8-6 decision going 2-0 on the day. Another wrestler to highlight is Torres at 133. While he did have a loss, the loss was by a takedown to the No. 1 ranked 125-pound wrestler in the country. J&W sent Fry out there thinking he was going to easily collect some bonus points on the first year. Instead, the Bomber almost pulled off a massive upset. Torres' two wins were a commanding 5-2 that never felt close and a 19-2 bashing. While that loss could be seen as a blemish, it's arguable that Torres had the best day out of anyone on the team.

The Bombers will have the next few weeks off before returning to action on Saturday, January 7 when they host the Ithaca Tri-Meet. The duals will begin at 1 p.m.