The Muhlenberg Weekly

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Sports

Junior Matt Horn went 5-0 on the day at King's Monarch Invitational last weekend, taking first in the 184 lb. weight class.

The College proved to be tough competition at King's Monarch Invitational this past weekend. Juniors Billy Hall (141), Rob Kein (149), and Matt Horn (184) all took first in the tournament. Senior Joe Tartar (HWT) took second and junior Justin Fitch took fourth. The tournament went all day, from the morning to after midnight, but the time it took didn't damage the performance.

Hall won all four matches. His final bout was won by a major decision of 11-3 against a wrestler from the College's rival Ursinus. Last season Hall was an NCAA qualifier at 133lbs. Saturday gave him his fifth tournament title and his fiftieth win of his career with the College.

Kein, another former NCAA qualifier, was also competing up at a higher weight class, 149lbs. Five winning matches marked his success. He met tough competition in a large weight class, but had an impressive technical fall of 21-6. His final bout was won by a decision of 6-4. This is his second year in a row taking this tournament's title. He credits the team's effort for the individual victories. Kein commented, "the hard practices we had this pre-season and the work people put in over the summer really showed in how well most of us did this season opener."

Horn took on the 184 lbs. weight class to end victoriously 5-0 on the day with three pins, including one in the final. He dominated the weight class to take the first title of his career. Horn noted that "the good competition in the practice room helped me mentally and physically."

Tartar is ranked 10th in Division III. He competed very well, pinning his first two opponents. But his streak came to a halt in the finals with a 14-8 decision to the 2nd ranked heavyweight.

Fitch had a repeat of last year with his fourth-place finish. Sophomore Tucker Grass had a performance worth noticing. He competed for a 4-1 finish before forfeiting out. His only loss came in a match against a raked D III wrestler.

The college frequents the Monarch Invitational each year. "There is always good competition. It's a good way to start the year, there are some ranked teams there," commented senior co-captain, David Lavin. But this tournament was extremely long in comparison to the usual, already long and competition day. When asked about the effects of this lengthy tournament, Horn replied, "I was just so anxious to wrestle all day." Lavin was concerned about the longevity of the competition. "I think it took a toll on some guys mentally and physically because the tournament spanned about 15 hours, but our guys handled it well and still wrestled to their greatest potential"

Next Sunday Muhlenberg will be wrestling at Ursinus's Fall Brawl.

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