JERSEY CITY, N.J. – It was a monumental day for collegiate women's wrestling in the state of New Jersey on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 6, as the New Jersey City University women's wrestling team hosted East Stroudsburg University in front of a large crowd at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). It was the first collegiate women's match in New Jersey state history, as the Gothic Knights battled hard all day long against the Warriors, falling 28-14. Both teams are currently receiving votes in the NCAA Women's National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Top 15 poll.
 
NJCU (1-5) and ESU (5-2) started the day at 136 pounds, which the Gothic Knights forfeited to start in a 5-0 hole. The Warriors then picked up wins by pin at 143, 155 and 170 pounds to go up 20-0. Then, the Jersey City comeback was on.
 
Enter sophomore co-captain Sandy Guerrero (West Orange, N.J./West Orange), a 2020-21 All-American and the #7 ranked 191-pounder in the nation, who – in front of a large contingent of her family and friends – dominated her Warrior opponent from start to finish. She began with a trio of takedowns in the first period, as well as a skid. Then, just 00:25 into the second period, she notched a one-point escape to seal the 10-0 technical fall victory to improve to 7-3 on the season.
 
After a no-contest at 101 pounds, sophomore and 2020-21 national qualifier Johnae Drumright (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) earned a forfeit victory at 109 pounds to make it 20-9 in favor of ESU. Then, freshman 116-pounder Izabella Frezzo (East Rutherford, N.J./Becton Regional) stepped foot on the mat and mirrored the performance of Guerrero, just five seconds faster. She started with four takedowns in the first period, then – 00:20 into the second – notched one more takedown for the 10-0 technical fall victory. That made it 20-13 as Frezzo improved to 6-2 on the year.
 
After a win by pin at 123 pounds for East Stroudsburg, which sealed the decision of the match in favor of the road team, the most highly anticipated match of the day closed out the contest at 130 pounds. It featured Mia Macaluso of ESU – ranked #7 at 130 pounds – and sophomore co-captain Naomi Henry (Brooklyn, N.Y./Wingate) of NJCU – ranked #5. Macaluso eventually won the highly ranked match via an 11-4 decision, but Henry did manage a couple of impressive escapes, as well as a takedown at the midway point of the first period. The loss is the first of the season for Henry, who is now 9-1.
 
With the match decided, the teams settled on one exhibition – and it turned out to be the most exciting of the afternoon. Officially at 116 pounds, Drumright finally made her return to the mat after sitting out due to injury since mid-November. Initially, ESU took the 7-0 lead at the 1:45 mark in the first when Drumright scored her first points with a two-point escape at 1:04. The Warriors notched another takedown at 0:49 to take a 9-2 lead, but Drumright recorded a pair of takedowns at 00:34 and 00:21 to make it 9-6 after one period. She then started off the second with a takedown at 2:49 to make it 9-8. Then, trailing 11-8, Drumright secured two more takedowns to make and then another pair of takedowns in the final minute – including a four-pointer – to take it 18-14 to end the afternoon with a bang. She is now 4-1 on the season.
 
Up Next:
Jersey City returns to action next weekend for the Bearcat Open, hosted by #2 McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., on Saturday, Feb. 12. The Gothic Knights will compete against a slew of nationally-ranked individuals in one of the toughest tests for the program so far.