ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 4 Ithaca College wrestling team turned in its most dominant performance of the dual meet season to-date on Sunday afternoon, taking down LIU-Post of NCAA Division II 44-3 at Ben Light Gymnasium. The victory improves the Bombers record to 5-2 in duals on the season, which includes at 2-0 mark at home this year.
 
125 LB | Jimmy Kaishian (ITHACA) def. Jacoby Jones (LIU-POST) FALL (6:27)
133 LB | Tito Colom (ITHACA) wins by forfeit
141 LB | Matt Langan (LIU-POST) def. Joe Rorick (ITHACA) DEC 8-1
149 LB | Sammy Schneider (ITHACA) def. Kyle Bhojwani (LIU-POST) FALL (1:27)
157 LB | Jawan Jones (ITHACA) def. Jackson Mordente (LIU-POST) FALL (4:58)
165 LB | Anthony Fano (ITHACA) def. Michael Cipolla (LIU-POST) TF 19-3 (5:28)
174 LB | Nik Hansen (ITHACA) def. Jesse Weiner (LIU-POST) TF 22-7 (7:00)
184 LB | Jake Ashcraft (ITHACA) def. Dan McClure (LIU-POST) DEC 11-5
197 LB | Carlos Toribio (ITHACA) def. Bobby Pease (LIU-POST) MD 21-10
285 LB | Jake O'Brien (ITHACA) def. Monair McDonald (LIU-POST) DEC 2-0
 
Ithaca got things started right off the bat with a fantastic bounce-back performance from senior Jimmy Kaishian  (8^th NWCA, 8^th d3wrestle.com). Coming off a 1-3 performance at the NWCA National Duals last week, the IC grappler looked to assert himself early in his bout against LIU-Post's athletic 125-pounder Jacoby Jones.
 
The first bout began with a defensive opening period for both wrestlers; however, it was the Kaishian that emerged with the 2-0 lead in the 125-poind bout. Taking a late shot in the period, he snatched the leg of Jones and swept around for the two-point takedown with just 10 seconds remaining in the period.
 
Kaishian blew open the bout during the middle period. Choosing down to begin the period, he escaped almost immediately after the restart. He then took another shot, which he once again finished for the takedown. Building his riding time throughout the majority of the period, Kaishian broke things open in the waning moments of the period when he rolled Jones into the cradle for four near-fall points to make it 9-0 entering the final period.
 
Sensing the opportunity for big bonus points, the IC senior stayed on the offensive during the third period. He scored three more takedowns, before locking in the pin-fall with 1:33 left in the period. The six-point lead ballooned to an early 12-0 advantage for the Bombers when freshman Tito Colom ran unopposed at 133-pounds.
 
LIU-Post got on the board at 141-pounds when Matt Langan scored an 8-1 decision over Ithaca's sophomore grappler Joe Rorick. The Pioneers grappler scored takedowns in each period and built riding time above three minutes; however, Rorick scored a big escape with five seconds remaining in the bout to avoid the major decision.
 
Ithaca broke things open in the 149-pound bout, as Schneider (3^rd NWCA, 4^th d3wrestle.com) continued to make quick work of his foes to move to 19-1 on the year. He scored a pair of early takedowns, before locking in the Bombers' second pin-fall of the afternoon just 1:27 into the opening period against LIU-Post's Kyle Bhojwani.
 
The 157-pound bout featured an exciting battle between IC's Jones and the Pioneer's Jackson Mordente. Both wrestlers showcased excellent defensive tactics in the opening period, repeatedly staving off attacks, as the contest entered the second frame scoreless.
 
Choosing top to begin period two, Jones battled Mordente to the mat several times; however, the Pioneers' grappler was able to escape after 39-seconds of riding time. With the period nearing conclusion, Jones took a quick shot and in one motion brought Mordente to his back for a pin-fall with just two seconds remaining in the middle period. The result put the Bombers on the cusp of victory, leading 24-3 entering the 165-pound bout.
 
The strong results continued for IC when Fano took on the Pioneers' Michael Cipolla in the 165-pound bout. The Ithaca grappler scored a pair of first period takedowns; however, he really broke things open during a dominant second period.
 
The second-year product twice drove Cipolla to the mat for takedowns, before locking into the cradle for four near-fall points. The 12 points in the frame upped Fano's lead to 16-3 entering the third. It took him only 28 seconds to secure the technical fall, as he connected on another shot in the 19-3 win, which clinched the meet for the Bombers with four bouts remaining.
 
The string of dominant performances continued at 174 pounds when Nik Hansen got the nod for IC against LIU-Post's Jesse Weiner. Hansen set the tone for the bout with three takedowns in the opening period, before using the middle period to pull away.
 
Hansen broke things open with a takedown and four takedowns in the second frame, before putting the finishing touches on Ithaca's second technical fall victory of the afternoon in the third period. His riding time point lifted Hansen to a 22-7 technical fall victory through three complete periods.
 
In one of the tighter bouts of the afternoon, Ashcraft scored an 11-5 decision over LIU-Post's Dan McClure. It was a tactical battle throughout with both wrestlers getting warned for stalling during the matchup.
 
IC's sophomore notched a pair of takedowns in both the first and second period, while he added a third takedown during the third to nearly score the major. He drove McClure to the mat just as time expired for what nearly was a major decision takedown, but the referee whistled it was just after the final horn. The win extended the Bombers advantage to 36-3 in the match.
 
Ithaca's Toribio (4^th NWCA, 4^th d3wrestle.com) put on a takedown clinic in his 197-pound bout against the Pioneers' Bobby Pease. He racked up 10 total takedowns during the bout to secure the Bombers' seventh victory with bonus points of the afternoon. He finished off a 21-10 major decision to run his active winning streak to seven consecutive bouts. O'Brien finished out Ithaca's dominant day with a 2-0 shutout of LIU-Post's Monair McDonald to put a cherry on top of the 44-3 victory, IC's largest margin of defeat dating back to a 50-0 blanking of Mercyhurst North East on January 23^rd of last season.
 
Fourth-ranked Ithaca returns to action next weekend when it travels to Oswego, N.Y., for the 2017 Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Championships on Saturday, January 21. The event is slated to get underway at 10:00 a.m. at Oswego State's Max Ziel Gymnasium.