Wrestling | 12/30/2021 9:04:00 PM

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – #33 Senior Alex Carida (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) took fourth overall at the 2021 Illinois Matmen Open at 157 pounds while junior Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) went 2-2 for the tournament.
 
Carida's day open with a last-second 3-1 loss to Doug Zapf in the semifinals of the 157-pound bracket. With the score tied 1-1, Zapf got a take down in the final 10 seconds of the third period to advance to the championship match.
 
Carida went into the consolation bracket and defeated Brawley Lamer 11-5 to advance to the third-place bout. Lamer opened the match with a takedown in the first period and got an escape to open the second and take a 3-0 lead. Carida got on the board with a takedown of his own before Lamer got another escape to take a 4-2 lead. Carida closed out the second with a near fall for four points and took a 6-4 lead into the final period.
 
The two began the third neutral and Carida scored first with a takedown but Lamer escaped to cut the lead to 8-5. Carida got another takedown to go up 10-5 and earned the riding time point to seal the 11-5 win to move on to the third-place bout.
 
Carida faced Jake Keating in the third-place match but fell by a narrow 5-3 decision to claim fourth place. Midway through the third period, Carida got a take down to tie the match 3-3 but Keating escaped and earned the riding time point to win 5-3.
 
Carida went 4-2 for the tournament.
 
Rhone fell in his only match of the day to Julian Farber, 6-3, in his first match in the consolation bracket.
 
The Huskies return to the mat in January when they travel to Lexington, Va. to take on Gardner-Webb University and Virginia Military Institute on January 8 beginning at 11:00 am.