By John Napolitano -- STAFF WRITER Earlier this month, the Hofstra Pride wrestling team confirmed the continuation of the 20-year tradition of sending two or more wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
Junior Michael Hughes and graduate student Jamel Hudson were one of six EIWA shooters in their respective weight classes to qualify for the big dance on Thursday, March 17 at Madison Square Garden.
Hughes and Hudson have both had a standout year for the Pride. Hughes will make his NCAA tournament debut after a career-best 39-8 record this year, good for fifth all-time on Hofstra wrestling’s single-season victory list.
This will be Hudson’s second year under the bright lights. He went 1-1 with a medical default at the NCAA tournament last year in St. Louis. The Bay Shore native finished the 2015-16 season with a 20-8 record.
The 285-pound Hughes is slated to kick off his inaugural NCAA tournament appearance with a rematch from the EIWA Championship semifinals. He will face the eighth-seed and the grappler who went on to win the EIWA Championship, Lehigh’s Max Wessell (24-4). Wessell bested Hughes 7-3 back on March 6.
Over in the 141-pound bracket, Hudson will take on the fourth-seed, Rutgers’ Anthony Ashnault (29-3) in the first round of the NCAA Championships. Hudson and Ashnault did not face one another this season, but the two competitors did meet in a dual at Rutgers during the 2014-15 season, which saw Ashnault pick up a 10-7 victory over Hudson.
The NCAA Championships begin on March 17 and continue to March 19 at Madison Square Garden.