CJ Palmer Becomes the Second National Champion in Hunter Wrestling History

HERSHEY, PA - Cary Palmer defeated #2 seed Drew Van Anrooy of Luther College on March 14, winning the 141 lbs national championship, just the second national champion in Hunter College wrestling history.

The championship match was thrilling despite the lack of scoring. The first period ended scoreless, but Palmer picked up a point for an escape in the second period and held the 1-0 lead heading into the third period. Van Anrooy scored a one point escape late in the period, forcing overtime. Both wrestlers continued to battle each other, looking for their opportunity to score the clinching point.

The first overtime period ended without a point, as did the second and third, forcing the match into "sudden victory" — meaning the first point wins. Van Anrooy surrendered a point, giving Palmer a 2-1 advantage with just over 30 seconds remaining. With time winding down, Palmer wrapped Van Anrooy and slammed him to the edge of the mat, securing what would be the clinching points for Palmer's victory.

"The final match was really long," said head coach Chris Mazzatta. "All the credit to CJ, he wrestled his heart out for the whole tournament."

The Luther coaching staff would use their second challenge of the match to see if, in fact, both wrestlers were inbounds when Palmer scored the takedown. After an official review, the call stood and Palmer threw his arms up in victory.

"We were getting near the edge of the mat," said Palmer. "So I wrapped him and put him on his back and then the ref signaled for two. I was so hyped! It was an amazing feeling."

Palmer finishes his first season with a record of 38-1. He will add his national championship plaque to the display cases in Hunter's Sportsplex.

Cary Palmer and his teammate Jesse Bader '15 were both named All-Americans, while Bader and Dennis Melendez '15 were named Academic All-Americans.