Cedar Rapids, Iowa - March 5, 2010 - Freshman Joe Grippi split a pair of matches in the opening day of the 2010 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships on Friday. Grippi, who was seeded eighth in the 133-pound weight classification, lost a 4-1 decision to William Livingston from Centenary to start the day before cruising past Tom D'Alessandro of Heidelberg, 15-6.Grippi was one of two seeded wrestlers to drop in the opening round of matches this morning. Second-seeded Nathan Fitzenreider from North Central was upset by SUNY Cortland's Aljamain Sterling, 1-0. The Bedford Hills, N.Y. native will now face Sterling on Saturday.
Grippi, who lost just his third match of the entire season today, now stands at 23-3.
Jason Holder will enter his second season as head wrestling coach in 2012. Holder had a standout first season at the helm of the Pride, leading Springfield to the NEWA Duals Championship and taking three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
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