CASTLETON, Vt. — In a day for the history books, the New Jersey City University men's wrestling squad made the trek up to Castleton University today, Saturday, Jan. 30, for the Gothic Knights' first official match in program history. NJCU did fall to the Spartans by an overall score of 35-9, however a pair of Gothic Knights recorded the program's first-ever victories on the day.

Head coach Harry Turner's program took on a strong team in Castleton (1-0) on Saturday, but as mentioned, a pair of NJCU (0-1) grapplers managed to secure wins. The first came at 149 pounds as senior Rob Cleary (Edison, N.J./Bound Brook) — a transfer from Division I Rider University — defeated Logan Dubuque of the Spartans in a 13-8 decision to put NJCU on the board with their first three dual match points in program history. The other Gothic Knight to earn a victory was junior Kyle Hillermeier (Howell, N.J./Freehold Township) at 197 pounds. The transfer from fellow Division III institution Delaware Valley University was up big — 10-3 — on Cody York of Castleton and was well on his way to at least a major decision victory, but York conceded the remainder of the match due to injury and Hillermeier ended up earning the full six points (normally awarded for a win by fall) for NJCU.

Other than a pair of falls, the Gothic Knights performed very strongly in the remainder of the matches. Freshman George Rivera (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) (125 pounds) and junior Mike Rubin (East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park) (133 pounds) — a transfer from Division III York College (Pa.) — started off the afternoon with a pair of respectable 13-7 decision defeats to their foes. Sophomore Jeff Johnson (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) — transfer from Division I Sacred Heart University — was also highly competitive for his squad at 157 pounds but ultimately fell in a 4-0 decision.

On the exhibition mat, a trio of familiar names picked up some strong victories that will provide good foundation for the program to build on moving forward. Rivera picked up a 15-6 major decision at 125 pounds, while Johnson secured an 8-3 decision at 157. Hillermeier once again showed strongly at 197 pounds, earning a 20-5 technical fall.

NJCU will return to action against this same Castleton squad for the Gothic Knights' first home match in program history when the Spartans travel to Jersey City, N.J., on Friday, Feb. 5, for a 2:00 p.m. start. This is currently the only home match on NJCU's schedule.