randy.cruz@me.com BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh sophomore Gordon Wolf made a bid to make the United States wrestling team at this summer’s Maccabiah Games in Israel as he competed at the Maccabiah USA Team Trials, Sunday at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Competing at 86 kg./189 lbs., Wolf came up just short of making the USA Maccabiah team, going 4-1 in a six-man round-robin to finish second at his weight class.
The Maccabiah Games are held every four years in Israel and features Jewish athletes from around the world. This year’s edition, the 20th, will take place July 4-18, with the winners from Sunday’s trials, which were contested in freestyle, will compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the games.
Wolf won his first four bouts in the round-robin opening with a fall over Zachary Goldrosen and then three wins via technical fall. In the final round of the round-robin, Wolf lost by fall to Sage Heller of Hofstra. Heller went 5-0 to claim the USA Team spot.
A NCAA qualifier as a deferred freshman in 2016 at 174, Wolf wrestled at 165 this past season, going 9-4 and winning a title at the East Stroudsburg Open. Wolf competed in Lehigh’s dual opener against Bucknell and posted a win by technical fall. After missing time due to injury, Wolf returned to action with a fourth place finish at the Edinboro Open.
The Maccabiah Games, a competition for Jewish athletes across the world, is the third largest multi-sport event in the world behind the Olympic Games and the Pan American Games. Wrestlers will be part of more than 1,100 athletes from Team USA at the 2017 games, which will feature 10,000 athletes, from 80 countries, participating in 43 sports.
Gordon Wolf – 86 kg./189 lbs. – 2nd place
Round 1 – Gordon Wolf (Unattached) won by fall over Zachary Goldrosen (Unattached) (Fall 2:22)
Round 2 – Gordon Wolf (Unattached) won by tech fall over Jonathan Wechter (Unattached) (TF 10-0)
Round 3 – Gordon Wolf (Unattached) won by tech fall over Jared Forman (Unattached) (TF 17-7)
Round 4 – Gordon Wolf (Unattached) won by tech fall over Jesse Weiner (Unattached) (TF 10-0)
Round 5 – Sage Heller (Unattached) won by fall over Gordon Wolf (Unattached) (Fall 1:29)
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*courtesy of lehighsports.com