Overview

Head coach: Chris Ayres (17th season)

Assistants: Sean Gray, Joe Dubuque, Nate Jackson

2022 NCAA tournament finish: 16th

2022 NCAA tournament record: 11-10

2022 NCAA tournament points: 38

2022 EIWA tournament finish: 3rd

2022 dual record: 6-5 (3-2 conference)

Returning national qualifiers: 6 (Pat Glory, Marshall Keller, Quincy Monday, Travis Stefanik, Luke Stout, Matthew Cover)

Returning All-Americans: 2 (Pat Glory, Quincy Monday)

Last NCAA champion: Brad Glass (1951)

Highest NCAA team finish: 5th (1951)

Highest NCAA team finish under Ayres: 15th (2019)

Most national place winners under Ayres: 3 (2019)

Summary

Princeton returns its entire line-up from last season, which includes national finalists Pat Glory (2nd at 125) and Quincy Monday (2nd at 157). The Tigers will rely on Glory and Monday for the bulk of their points at the 2023 NCAA Championships after the two combined for 35 of the team’s 38 points in 2022. 

Last year’s team faced stiff competition, which is reflected in the 6-5 dual record. Princeton posted a nice 20-18 win over Arizona State but dropped duals to Iowa (32-12), North Carolina State (32-9), Cornell (21-12), Penn (20-13), and Rutgers (24-13). Remember, though, that Ayres went winless in duals during his first two seasons as head coach so this team has seen massive gains over the past several seasons. Princeton wrestling is relevant, and that’s a testament to this team’s ability to continually improve. 

“Generally speaking about my line-up, everyone is back,” Ayres said. “We didn’t have a starter graduate last year. Basically, it could be the same line-up but we have some freshmen coming in that could challenge for some spots.”

Princeton’s Projected 2022-23 Starting Lineup

125: Pat Glory, SR (AA)

133: Nick Kayal, JR

141: Danny Coles, SO

149: Marshall Keller, SR (NQ)

157: Blaine Bergey, SO

165: Quincy Monday, SR (AA)

174: Nate Dugan, JR

184: Travis Stefanik, SR (NQ)

197: Luke Stout, SO (NQ)

285: Matt Cover, JR (NQ)

125: Pat Glory, SR
2022 record: 20-2
2022 NCAA tournament record: 4-1 (2nd)

Glory is a returning finalist and two-time national placer who was stripped of his chance to become a four-time All-American due to COVID restrictions imposed by Ivy League schools. The Randolph, New Jersey, native has a good shot at making the finals again this year but will have to contend with Iowa’s returning three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee who was absent with an injury last season. Glory can put up big numbers on the scoreboard and will factor heavily into how the Tigers finish at the end of the season. 

Ayres on 125: “Pat Glory is the core of the program. He’s our energy. He pretty much leads the crew and everyone looks to him. We want everyone to follow his lead. He does an amazing job — both on and off the mat.”

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Pat Glory breaks down his epic semifinal win over Cornell's Vito Arujau

133: Nick Kayal, JR
2022 record: 11-10

Kayal is the likely starter but will get pushed by Sean Pierson and Anthony Clark for the spot. Kayal had a back-and-forth season so qualifying for nationals should be the goal here. His most memorable match was a 15-11 loss to Penn’s Michael Colaiocco during a dual on February 12. 

Ayres on 133: "We didn’t have an NCAA qualifier last year so we’re looking to strengthen that weight. I think Nick Kayal did a good job last year moving up to that weight. He had some good wins but dealt with some injuries so maybe didn’t have the best year he could have had. He’ll be battling with Sean Pierson — a PA state champ who has been in our program for a couple of years now — and also Anthony Clark who was injured last year. This is one of the more up-in-the-air weights. We’ll be wrestling those guys throughout the fall to figure out who that guy will be. All those guys are pretty darn good."

141: Danny Coles, SO
2022 record: 10-8

Coles didn’t qualify for nationals after going 3-2 at the EIWA Championships but put together a four-match winning streak at the beginning of the year where he had a fall and three convincing wins. Jonathan Miers is returning from an injury and should be in the mix.

Ayres on 141: "This is another weight where we didn’t qualify but Coles will be challenged by Jonathan Miers. Miers missed a lot of last year coming off of an injury from high school. He really showed a lot of promise at the end of the year. Those two will be challenging for 141."

149: Marshall Keller, SR
2022 record: 15-16
NCAA tournament record: 1-2

Keller had a losing record on the season but qualified for nationals after an impressive EIWA Championships where he went 5-2 and placed fourth. He entered as the 16-seed and beat four higher-seeded wrestlers to reach the consolation finals. Keller even won a match by major decision at the NCAA Championships, so he has the potential to break through this year for the Tigers. 

Ayres on 149: “Keller will be the guy. He probably had the best summer of any of our guys. He was here the whole time lifting and wrestling quite a bit. We expect him to make a pretty big jump. He’ll be challenged by Rocco Camillaci who is also a very good freshman coming in so we’re pretty excited about him.”

157: Blaine Bergey
2022 record: 12-7

165: Quincy Monday, SR
2022 record: 24-4
NCAA tournament record: 4-1

This is where things get interesting. Monday is a returning national finalist at 157 pounds who plans to move up. However, he is going to certify at the lower weight in case he wants to move down during the season. That means sophomore Blaine Bergey — last year’s starter at 165 — will likely be the starter at 157 with Ty Whalen, Travis Tavoso, and Jake Marsh challenging. 

Ayres on 157 and 165: “Our 165-pounder from last year who wrestled at EIWAs will probably move down and then we have Travis Tavoso who’s been pretty good in the room challenging for that spot. This will be our deepest weight because there will be a void if Monday starts at 165. You also have Jake Marsh in there, too. These are our two most competitive weights. We really do have a lot of pretty darn good guys. Whoever emerges at each weight is probably going to be fine. As of our last conversation, Quincy is going to go 165.”

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Watch highlights from Quincy Monday's semifinal win over Michigan's Will Lewan

174: Nate Dugan, JR
2022 record: 11-13

Dugan went 2-3 at the EIWA Championships and missed out on nationals. This is a weight where Princeton can incrementally improve since Dugan was unable to string together three consecutive wins during the year. 

Ayres on 174: “Another weight where we didn’t qualify. He’ll probably be challenged by Cole Mulhauser, a New York state champ. He’s a pretty darn good recruit.”

184: Travis Stefanik, SR
2022 record: 16-6
2022 NCAA tournament record: 1-2

Stefanik has been a consistent spot in the line-up for the Tigers after qualifying for nationals three times despite not competing in 2020 due to the tournament’s cancelation. The Nazareth, Pennsylvania, native picked up a consolation win at nationals in 2022 and is looking to go even further this season. Points are scarce at nationals so an additional win or two from Stefanik gives Princeton a better chance of placing in the top 15. 

Ayres on 184: “We don’t have a ton of depth here. We have a ton of guys at 174 and then it gets a little thin at 184. Stefanik will look to be an All-American.” 

197: Luke Stout, SO
2022 record: 21-7
2022 NCAA tournament record: 1-2

Like Stefanik, Stout also has an opportunity to improve Princeton’s national placing. He had a big sudden victory win in the first round of the NCAA Championships over North Carolina State’s Isaac Trumble but dropped his next two. Stout won consistently throughout the year and should only get better entering his sophomore campaign. 

Ayres on 197: “Luke was our best freshman last year. He beat an All-American. He won matches at NCAAs. We fully expect that he’s going to be in the hunt to be in the top eight at the end of the season.”

285: Matthew Cover, JR
2022 record: 17-12
2022 record: 0-2

Heavyweight is as deep as ever and will continue to be a tough hill to climb for most programs. Cover qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships but went 0-2 as the 32 seed. Any win at nationals will help, and his recent Greco title at U23 Nationals could boost his confidence entering the season. 

Ayres on 285: “Cover was an NCAA qualifier for us. He won U23 Nationals but Cohlton Schultz took the spot since he qualified for Senior Worlds. Everyone is back from last season so we should expect to be just as good this year.”

Where Will The Tigers Finish At The NCAAs?

Predicting a final placing is tricky since much of the team’s 2022 success was predicated on two wrestlers. A top 15 finish is possible if Glory and Monday can reach the finals again, or if they finish high with bonus points on the backside. Keller, Stefanik, Stout, and Cover can help the cause if they can collectively win a few more matches than last year and score bonus points. Glory and Monday are consistent winners so, at minimum, they should make it back to the podium. Expect this team to be in the 15-20 range.