After two and a half months of practice without any competitions, a new era of Navy wrestling under the guidance of first-year coach Cary Kolat officially began Sunday night at Alumni Hall in Annapolis.
In the world of coronavirus, it was never a certainty a wrestling season would even commence. Getting a chance to compete against an opponent not wearing navy blue and gold was an opportunity Kolat said the entire team needed at this point in a grueling season.
Donning a white mask in a largely empty arena that had a second mat used for extra competition, Kolat lost his Navy coaching debut, as visiting Pittsburgh won the final five bouts to pull away with a 22-14 victory in both team’s season openers.