Princeton @ Rider

Princeton edged Rider 20-19 at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., on January 11, 2024, in a one-point dual that came down to bonus-point production. The Tigers left with the win by the slimmest of margins in a meet defined by a string of high-scoring bouts.

Princeton racked up three bonus victories that provided the bulk of its points. Blaine Bergey tore off a 23-7 technical fall at 165 pounds, and Nate Dugan turned in a 12-3 major decision at 184 pounds. Luke Stout also finished with a technical fall, 21-4 at 197, and those three bonus results delivered the kind of margin Princeton needed to stay in front.

Rider answered with two big bonus outcomes of its own. Tyler Klinsky opened up a 17-3 major decision at 125 pounds, and heavyweight David Szuba recorded a fall over Sebastian Garibaldi to generate six crucial team points. Szuba’s pin cut the gap to a single point and made the final sequence tense, but Princeton’s earlier bonus production ultimately held up.

In the end the collection of tech falls and majors by Princeton outweighed Rider’s big moments by one point, 20-19. The match hinged on those bonus-point swings, with Szuba’s fall nearly shifting the result before Princeton’s trio of bonus wins proved just enough.