Monthly Archives: March 2013

Check Out Video Interviews With All Five All-Americans From NY Schools And More from the NCAAs

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Check out video interviews with NY wrestlers at the NCAA tournament, including all five All-Americans from New York teams (Kyle Dake, Steve Bosak, Nahshon Garrett, Steve Santos and Mike Nevinger) and more.

 

Kyle Dake After Making History

 

Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett “Content But Not Satisfied” With Third Place at the NCAAs

 

Damion Hahn on Cornell’s Medal Round Performance at NCAAs

 

Steve Santos Takes Third at 149 For the Highest Columbia Finish Ever

 

Cornell’s Mike Nevinger Takes Fifth Place at NCAAs After a 9-2 Victory

 

Steve Bosak Finishes Off Three-Time All-American Career With Third at 184

 

Mike Nevinger – All-American Again After Five Straight Consolation Wins

 

Hofstra’s Jamie Franco – Two Straight in Overtime at the NCAAs

 

Hofstra’s Steve Bonanno After Upsetting #10 Seed in the First Round (Day 1)

 

Harvard 2012 All-American Steven Keith (Shoreham Wading River) After a First Round Pin (Day 1)

 

Photo by BV

 

 

Winning Words: Garrett, Bosak, Santos and Nevinger on Being All-Americans

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All four of the New York wrestlers taking part in the medal rounds on Saturday morning finished their seasons on a winning note, with third place showings for Nahshon Garrett at 125, Steve Santos of Columbia at 149 and Steve Bosak at 184.  Mike Nevinger grabbed fifth at 141 as the Big Red had at least four All-Americans (along with finalist Kyle Dake) for the ninth consecutive campaign.  Here’s a little more on the performances of each of those wrestlers this weekend.

Nahshon Garrett, 3rd at 125

The freshman from California finished off a tremendous first season for the Big Red with a third place finish at the NCAA tournament, beating two higher seeds on Saturday to get there.

Garrett in 3rd Place Match, Photo by BV

In his first match of the day he surrendered a pair of takedowns in the first and trailed 4-2 after that stanza against the fifth-seed, Jarrod Garnett.  Heading into the third, the Virginia Tech grappler led 9-6, but the Big Red freshman took control from there, immediately getting the escape and a takedown to knot the match at 9.  From there, he was dominant in the top position, riding his opponent out and racking up three near fall points along the way for the final 13-9 margin.

He then squared off with the tournament’s top seed, Alan Waters of Missouri.  The pair met twice earlier this season, with the Tiger wrestler coming out on top on both occasions.  But Garrett said he felt confident this time.

“Honestly, I knew his game plan and I knew what he was going to do,” Garrett said. “He was sitting on a knee like I knew he would. He wrestled tough, but I knew what I had to do. I figured I would ride him out. I’d been doing so well this tournament riding people out, I felt I could do that if I didn’t score points at all before that. He’s obviously really good on top. The last couple of times we wrestled, I didn’t really know how to get out. But no one was able to ride me this weekend.”

The match went as Garrett expected. After a scoreless initial period, Waters selected the down position and Garrett took control.  The California native not only rode Waters out, but also registered a pair of near fall points near the end of the second to take a 2-0 lead.

In the third, Garrett quickly escaped and tacked on a late takedown.  With riding time added, the Cornell wrestler triumphed 6-1.

The victory cemented Garrett in the Cornell record books for another reason – he’s now the Big Red single season leader in wins with 43. Who were the former holders of that mark with 42? Cam Simaz and Garrett’s current coach Mike Grey.

When Garrett was told about that achievement, he smiled.

“We were just talking about me one upping him because he took sixth his freshman year,” Garrett said of Grey. “Now that I have that record over him, it’s pretty sweet.”

So is the bronze, although Garrett admitted he has plenty left to achieve.

“[Third place] isn’t what I came here for,” he said. “I’m very content with it right now, but I’m not satisfied. I’m not going to be satisfied until I get that title.”

Mike Nevinger, Fifth at 141

Mike Nevinger said his goal coming into the tournament was to be a national champion after taking seventh a year ago.  After losing in the first round on Thursday to Virginia Tech’s Zach Niebert in overtime, which he called “heartbreaking”, he said he knew he had to put it all together to get back on the podium, both for himself and for his team.

Nevinger Takes 5th, Photo by BV

He did just that, earning fifth on Saturday with a victory over North Carolina’s Evan Henderson.

“I think it’s just toughness,” he said. “Obviously, you’re just crushed after that first loss. But you just have to regroup and know that you’re a good enough wrestler to go out there and be an All-American. You just have to go out there and wrestle. Don’t make excuses for yourself, just come back strong and go from there.  I just needed to go out and wrestle smart and wrestle my match. If I keep it tight and wrestle tough on top, I’m going to come out on top.”

In his first bout on Saturday, Nevinger was defeated by the top seed, Hunter Stieber of Ohio State.  However, in the fifth place bout, he began strong with a takedown and three back points to take a 5-0 advantage into the second.  The former Letchworth star extended his lead in the second with another takedown and after an exchange of escapes in the third, Nevinger walked away with a 9-2 win and a fifth place medal.

Nevinger went from seventh as a sophomore to fifth as a junior.  He’s looking for more in his final season as he said his goal is to be a national champion.

“All areas could use improvement,” he said.  “I definitely have to get more attacks going on my feet and work on my baseline ‘D’ like always. I know I have a lot of things to work on this summer so I can come back stronger next year.”

Steve Santos, Third at 149

Steve Santos became the highest finisher in Columbia wrestling history on Saturday when he took third at 149 pounds.

“It was a great accomplishment as an individual and for our program. It just feels awesome,” Santos said. “Columbia has a long history of wrestling and a great core following. To represent Columbia like that is a great feeling.”

Santos After Taking Third, Photo by BV

In his first contest of the morning, his opponent, Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State struck first with a takedown, but Santos managed an escape to trail 2-1 after the opening stanza. Santos imposed his will in the second period, riding the Beaver wrestler for the entire two minutes.  In the final period, Santos took down and got right to his feet, reversing his opponent and riding him out for a 4-2 victory (with riding time) and a spot in the bronze match.

In that third place tilt, Santos once again took control, this time against last year’s NCAA runner up Dylan Ness of Minnesota.  He entered the second with a 4-2 lead and over 1:40 riding time.  In the third, Santos immediately took Ness down to increase his advantage to 6-2.  The Gopher escaped late, but the Brick, New Jersey native completed his Columbia career with a third place medal.

“I knew he likes to roll around like that, but I’m just as good in there,” Santos said of the unconventional Ness.  “I kept solid; I knew I didn’t want to let him wrestle his match. I kept my position and when he showed any vulnerabilities, I just attacked right away.”

Steve Bosak, Third at 184

It might not have been the perfect ending that Steve Bosak said he was looking for, but he finished his career on a high note by taking third place on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Central Michigan’s Ben Bennett.

Bosak, Photo by BV

After a scoreless first period, the four-time All-American from the MAC chose down against Bosak.  However, he never came close to escaping and was warned for stalling twice, resulting in a point for the Big Red.  There was no further scoring in the third after Bosak took neutral and the Cornell 184-pounder collected a 2-0 victory with riding time to add a bronze medal to his 2012 national championship and 2011 fourth place showing.

“I was proud of how I wrestled and finished out. I feel good,” Bosak said right after the match, adding that his ultimate goal was to repeat as an NCAA champion.

“When the seedings came out, I felt disrespected,” he said of getting the #4 spot in the bracket. “I was unsure why the seeding committee did that, but when it came down to it, I knew I had to wrestle everyone anyway to win it.”

In his first bout of the morning, Bosak came out on the offensive, getting in deep on a shot early that was defended by his opponent, Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland.  However, the Big Red senior did put points on the board in the opening stanza with a takedown and then remained on top for the remaining 50 seconds of the first.  A Bosak escape in the third was the only other scoring in the bout as the Big Red senior finished off a 3-0 decision.

Cornell assistant coach Damion Hahn said Bosak will be extremely hard to replace for his squad.

“It’s emotional because we’ve been together for a long time,” he said of the 184-pounder. “He’s one of the Cornell greats. He did a phenomenal job this weekend. I know a national title is what he wanted. He fell a little short, but I don’t think anybody could be more pleased with his performance. He is a competitor, he has heart, he has every intangible thing you could want in a wrestler.  He will be greatly missed, no doubt about it.”

NCAA Session 4: Dake Earns Spot in the Finals (Again); Nevinger Joins List of New York All-Americans

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Four times at the NCAAs and four times in the finals for Kyle Dake.  The 165-pounder will take on David Taylor of Penn State in the finals Saturday night after blanking Oklahoma State’s Tyler Caldwell 2-0 in the semis.  After a scoreless opening period, Dake chose down and escaped in less than 10 seconds.  Entering the third, he held a 1-0 lead and added a point for riding time after staying in the top position the entire final stanza.

Dake, Photo by BV

Dake said “it feels good to be back” in the finals.  And he’s ready for the challenge that Taylor will present.

“[Taylor’s] basically imposing his will and everyone is scared to wrestle him,” Dake said. “But I’m not scared, so I’m not going to let him do that. We both kind of know that we both have that same, similar attitude where, you know, I’m taking away his dreams and he’s trying to take away mine. That’s just how it is. It comes with the sport.”

Dake was one of three semifinalists for the Big Red – along with 125-pound freshman Nahshon Garrett and 184-pound senior Steve Bosak.

Garrett squared off with Big 10 champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois, who came out firing from the start. The Fighting Illini grappler took a lead shortly after the opening whistle with a takedown and never looked back in a 10-5 decision. He will take on Virginia Tech’s Jarrod Garnett in the morning.

Three-time All-American Bosak went toe to toe with top-seeded Ed Ruth of Penn State in the semis, however, Ruth’s first period takedown, escape and riding time gave him a 4-1 decision over the Big Red grappler.

Steve Santos of Columbia, like Bosak, faced the number one seed, as he wrestled Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State at 149 pounds.  Oliver scored early on his feet and led throughout in a 13-4 major.

While Dake, Garrett, Santos and Bosak ensured themselves spots on the medal stand earlier on Friday, 141-pounder Mike Nevinger needed a victory over Iowa’s Mark Ballweg in his first match of Session 4 to repeat as an All-American.

He got it done, beating the Hawkeye for the second time this season.

Nevinger, Photo by BV

The Big Red junior got off to a fast start, converting a Ballweg shot into a takedown of his own.  He quickly added a pair of back points and rode Ballweg out to take a 4-0 lead into the second with over two minutes of riding time.

The fireworks really started in the final stanza, when Ballweg made a furious comeback attempt, taking the Big Red wrestler down three times and earning a reversal.  However, Nevinger held on for the 12-8 win and a spot on the podium.

“It started off pretty good,” Nevinger said. “I got a takedown and a turn so I was up pretty big, 5-0, after ride time in the first period.  I wish I had closed it out a little better, but I mean, a win is a win.”

For Nevinger, it was the fourth victory in a row after losing in the opening round in overtime to Virginia Tech’s Zach Niebert.

“It was pretty heartbreaking, I mean, I came in here wanting to win,” Nevinger said of the first round loss. “I recomposed myself and I knew my team needed me. Two-time All-American is not bad at all.  I needed to come back for my team and for myself.”

Nevinger did that and kept the momentum going later Friday night when he topped Minnesota’s Nick Dardanes to ensure he will finish higher than he did a year ago when he took seventh.

Also in the Round of 12 was Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson.  The senior made a seven-match run to third place after losing in the first round in 2012.  He once again had a winning streak after an early setback in his senior campaign, however, it came to an end on Friday night.  Vinson led Oregon State’s Scott Sakaguchi for most of the match, but the Beaver grappler notched a takedown late in the third period to earn the victory.  Vinson completes his career with the Bearcats with the most wins in the history of the program as well as a plethora of additional accolades.

Maryland’s Christian Boley also came within one win of the medal stand, dropping a bout to Oklahoma State’s Blake Rosholt.

So at the end of Day 2, there are five All-Americans from New York, all of whom will finish in the top 6. Stay tuned to see where they place on Saturday.

Upcoming Matches:

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech)

141: Mike Nevinger vs. Hunter Stieber (Ohio St)

149: Steve Santos vs. Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon St)

165: Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor (Penn St)

184: Steve Bosak vs. Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland)

NCAA Session 3: Cornell's Garrett Upsets McDonough, Joins Dake, Bosak and Santos in the Semis

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4-for-4 for New York.  In the Friday quarterfinals, Columbia’s Steve Santos and the Cornell trio of Nahshon Garrett, Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak all punched their tickets to the semifinals while solidifying All-American status.  They won’t be the only Empire State wrestlers in action in the evening, however, as the Big Red’s Mike Nevinger (141), Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson (149) and former Brockport standout Christian Boley (Maryland, 197) will compete in the Round of 12, looking to make the podium.

 

Binghamton:

Vinson, Photo by BV

Donnie Vinson continued his run through the consolations, beginning the morning with a victory over Michigan State’s Dan Osterman before an impressive 12-0 major over Michigan’s Eric Grajales.  197-pounder Nate Schiedel also got off to a winning start on Friday when he handled UTC’s Nik Brown.  In his second contest, he took an early lead against Iowa’s Nathan Burak, however, the Hawkeye followed by hitting a headlock and registering the fall.

133-pounder Derek Steeley was eliminated in the morning session with a loss to Maryland’s Geoff Alexander.

Upcoming Match

149: Donnie Vinson vs. Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) – Round of 12

 

Buffalo:

John-Martin Cannon endured a significant injury in his first match of the tournament, a victory over 12th seeded Mathew Miller of Navy.  He continued to battle, beginning his consolation action on Friday with a 3-2 tiebreaker win over Cal State Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond.  After finishing regulation knotted at 1 and a scoreless sudden victory period, Cannon notched a reversal to move ahead 3-1.  Hammond later escaped, but it wasn’t enough.

Cannon next took the mat against Ohio’s Cody Walters.  The Bobcat got on the board first with a first period takedown and the wrestlers later traded escapes, resulting in a 3-1 decision for Walters.

 

Columbia:

Steve Santos became the school’s first All-American since Matt Palmer in 2007 when he defeated Air Force’s Cole Von Ohlen in the quarterfinals.  The Columbia senior avenged a loss to Von Ohlen at last year’s NCAAs.

The Ivy Leaguer took a 4-1 lead into the third period, where he brought his riding time advantage to over two minutes.  However, late in the stanza, his opponent escaped and then picked up a takedown with less than 20 seconds to go to make it 4-4 on the scoreboard.  Santos’s riding time was the difference in the 5-4 decision.

EIWA finalist Matt Bystol and senior Stephen West each collected a victory in their first trip to the NCAAs, before completing their seasons on Friday.

Upcoming Match

149: Steve Santos vs. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), Semifinals

 

Cornell:

Garrett, Photo by BV

The Big Red wrestlers combined for a 5-0 record during Session 3, including a sweep of quarterfinal matches by Nahshon Garrett, Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak.  Garrett took on three-time NCAA finalist Matt McDonough of Iowa at 125 and fell behind 2-0 on a late first period takedown.  However, he got a key escape with just seconds left in the period to trail 2-1 after the opening stanza.  Garrett selected bottom and after McDonough notched just over a minute of riding time, the Cornell freshman got out to tie the score at 2.  Going into the third, the Hawkeye chose down and Garrett put on a dominant performance from the top position, riding the two-time NCAA champion out and forcing overtime.  (Garrett wound up with 58 seconds of riding time).

Garrett wasted little time in the sudden victory period, going on the offensive and earning the takedown to win a dramatic 4-2 match.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Garrett said. “I was much more excited than nervous. I didn’t think any of the pressure was on me.  I just went out there and wrestled.  I shot a couple of doubles earlier and got to his body. That last one [in sudden victory] was just a matter of strength and finishing.  It was just an awesome experience.”

There was far less drama for Kyle Dake at 165, as he controlled his bout against Virginia’s Nick Sulzer from the opening whistle.  Dake had his way in all three positions as he triumphed 13-0 in a match that was never in doubt. The win ensured that Dake will be a four-time All-American, although he’s shooting for loftier goals.

Steve Bosak made it two wins for the Big Red over the Hawkeyes on Friday morning when he defeated Ethen Lofthouse at 184.  After a scoreless first, Lofthouse chose bottom and Bosak went to work, remaining in control for the entire two minutes.  In the third, Bosak escaped quickly and added a takedown. With riding time tacked on at the end, the final score was 4-1.

Mike Nevinger made it three in a row in the wrestlebacks with a fall against Chris Mecate of Old Dominion in his opening action on Friday, followed by a 7-2 win over Missouri’s Nick Hucke later on.  The latter win avenged a loss to the Tiger at the Grapple at the Garden.

Upcoming Matches

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Jesse Delgado (Illinois), Semifinals

165: Kyle Dake vs. Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma St), Semifinals

184: Steve Bosak vs. Ed Ruth (Penn St), Semifinals

141: Mike Nevinger vs. Mark Ballweg (Iowa), Round of 12

 

Hofstra:

Steve Bonanno and Jamie Franco began Friday with victories in the wrestlebacks.  Bonanno topped Cal State Bakersfield’s Tyler Iwamura 7-4 while Franco triumphed in overtime for the second straight time when he reversed North Carolina’s Joey Ward in the tiebreakers to win 3-1.  Both completed their NCAA runs in the next round, however as Minnesota’s David Thorn topped Bonanno and Central Michigan’s Scotti Sentes defeated Franco at 133. Luke Vaith also completed his season on Friday, against Missouri’s Nick Hucke.

 

Additional New York Natives in the Field

Boley, Photo by BV

Christian Boley of Maryland collected a pair of victories on Day 2 to earn a spot in Session 4 Friday evening.  He first upended Arizona State’s Jake Meredith 6-3 before over Phil Wellington of Ohio.

Upcoming Match

Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma St), Round of 12

Reviewing NCAA Session 2: Cornell's Dake, Bosak and Garrett Join Columbia's Santos in the Quarterfinals

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Four New York wrestlers earned bids to the quarterfinals with victories in Session 2 on Thursday night.  The Cornell trio of Nahshon Garrett (125), Kyle Dake (165) and Steve Bosak (184) all advanced, as did Columbia’s Steve Santos (149).  Dake and Bosak controlled their matches all the way, while Garrett and Santos came back from early deficits to get their hands raised.  For more on how Session 2 went for all six of the Empire State’s Division 1 squads as well as additional New York natives, see below.

Army:

The Black Knights wrestled a number of close matches, but won’t have grapplers in the competition on Day 2.

149-pounder Daniel Young had a brutal draw, leading returning NCAA finalist Dylan Ness in the third period of his opener before the Minnesota wrestler notched a late takedown and then losing to nationally-ranked Andrew Alton. Connor Hanafee (141), Paul Hancock (165) and Bryce Barnes (197) also completed their seasons on Thursday.

Binghamton:

Donnie Vinson rebounded from a loss earlier in the day by easily handling Clarion’s Tyler Bedelyon in his first wrestleback contest.  He will be one of three Bearcats on the mat on Friday.  Derek Steeley and Nate Schiedel will also compete in the consolations after Round of 16 setbacks.

Upcoming Matches:

133: Derek Steeley vs. Geoff Alexander (Maryland)

149: Donnie Vinson vs. Dan Osterman (Michigan St)

197: Nate Schiedel vs. Nik Brown (UTC)

Buffalo:

After a gutsy 5-4 victory over #12 Mathew Miller in Round 1, John-Martin Cannon, dropped an 8-3 decision to returning All-American Josh Asper of Maryland.  The senior will square off with Cal State Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond in Friday’s first session.

Upcoming Matches:

174: John-Martin Cannon vs. Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield)

Cornell:

Garrett, Photo by BV

The first two Big Red grapplers to take the mat on Thursday evening got the team off to a good start.  Jace Bennett responded to an early morning loss to Mario Gonzalez of Illinois by pinning Ohio State’s Andrew Campolattano at 197.  Shortly afterwards, Nahshon Garrett overcame a late 3-2 deficit with a tilt and back points in the third to defeat Stanford’s Evan Silver, 5-3.  With the victory, Garrett moves on to the quarterfinals against Iowa’s Matt McDonough.  Also continuing on to the Round of 8 are top seeded Kyle Dake at 165, who dominated from start to finish against fellow New York native Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) and 184-pounder Steve Bosak, who blanked Navy’s Mason Bailey, 2-0.

Returning All-American Mike Nevinger beat Lehigh’s Anthony Salupo at 141 to move forward, however, teammates Chris Villalonga (149), Jace Bennett (197) and Stryker Lane (285) were eliminated on Thursday night.

Upcoming Matches:

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Matt McDonough (Iowa)

165: Kyle Dake vs. Nick Sulzer (Virginia)

184: Steve Bosak vs. Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa)

141: Mike Nevinger vs. Chris Mecate (ODU)

Columbia:

Fifth-seeded Steve Santos faced #12 Eric Grajales of Michigan in the Round of 16 and the Wolverine scored first, taking an early 2-0 lead.  However, Santos responded with a pair of escapes and then notched a takedown with just a few seconds left in the second period to go ahead 4-2.  As he has most of the season, Santos owned the final stanza, riding his opponent for the bulk of the period before adding insurance points after an escape for a 6-3 win.

EIWA finalist Matt Bystol came out on top against Davidson’s Anthony Elias in the consolations, while 174-pounder Stephen West won a 4-2 decision over Cody Weishoff of Oregon State to move on to Friday action.

Upcoming Matches:

133: Matt Bystol vs. Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan)

149: Steve Santos vs. Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force)

174: Stephen West vs. Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt)

Hofstra:

In the Round of 16, Steve Bonanno took an early lead against the #7 seed, Nathan Kraisser of North Carolina, however the Tar Heel responded to collect a 5-3 triumph.  At 141, Luke Vaith dropped his bout against fourth-seeded Mitchell Port of Edinboro.  Bonanno and Vaith will be joined on the mat on Friday by 133-pounder Jamie Franco, who came back from a deficit to capture a 6-4 triumph in sudden victory.

Upcoming Matches

125: Steve Bonanno vs. Tyler Iwamura (Bakersfield)

133: Jamie Franco vs. Joey Ward (UNC)

141: Luke Vaith vs. Nick Hucke (Missouri)

Additional New York wrestlers remaining in the field for Day 2 are Billy Watterson of Brown at 125, Josh Veltre (165) and Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg (133), Steven Keith of Harvard at 141, Ryan LeBlanc of Indiana at 165 and Christian Boley of Maryland at 197.

Upcoming Matches:

125: Billy Watterson (Brown) vs. David Thorn (Minnesota)

133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) vs. Shelton Mack (Pitt)

141: Steven Keith (Harvard) vs. Bryan Pearsall (Penn State)

165: Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) vs. Nate Moore (Iowa)

165: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) vs. John Staudenmeyer (UNC)

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Jake Meredith (Arizona St)

 

Session I NCAA Recap: Cornell Sends Three, Binghamton and Hofstra Both Advance Two to the Round of 16

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After Session I of the 2013 NCAA Championships in Des Moines,  a number of New York wrestlers remain in the championship bracket.  A few will meet in the Round of 16, with Cornell’s top-seeded Kyle Dake taking on Indiana’s Ryan LeBlanc, a former Section 3 star, at 165 pounds.

Hofstra’s Steve Bonanno defeated Air Force’s #10 seed Josh Martinez in one of the “upsets” in favor of New York wrestlers.  On the other end of upsets were a pair of 2012 All-Americans, who both fell in overtime.  Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson, the number three seed at 149, dropped a bout to American’s Kevin Tao while Cornell’s Mike Nevinger was upended by Virginia Tech’s Zach Niebert.

Here is a team-by-team Session I recap for each of the six New York colleges as well as for former New York high schoolers.

Army:

Daniel Young gave returning NCAA finalist Dylan Ness a major scare in Round 1, taking the lead with a reversal early in the third and going over a minute of riding time.  However, the Golden Gopher responded with a late takedown and erased the RT advantage, taking a 4-2 victory.  Paul Hancock, Connor Hanafee and Bryce Barnes will also get to work in the consolation brackets.  Barnes notched a takedown against Bloomsburg’s Richard Perry as time expired in the third period to tie the bout at 5, however, Perry picked up two of his own in the sudden victory session to get the win.

Army’s next matches

Consolations:

141: Connor Hanafee vs. Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia)

149: Daniel Young vs. Andrew Alton (Penn State)

165: Paul Hancock vs. Tyler Wilps (Pitt)

197: Bryce Barnes vs. Derrick Borlie (Virginia Tech)

 

Binghamton:

We all know Donnie Vinson can wrestle back really well after he captured seven straight victories at the NCAAs in 2012 to take the bronze.  He’ll have to do the same again this time, as he lost a match in the tiebreaker to American’s Kevin Tao after handling Ohio State’s Ian Paddock in the pigtail round.  Joining him in the consolations will be 184-pounder Cody Reed, who lost by decision to sixth-seeded Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa.

Victorious in their first bouts were 133-pounder Derek Steeley who prevailed over Fox Lane High’s Sam Speno of North Carolina State and 197-pounder Nate Schiedel, who dominated Conner Hartmann of Duke in a 10-1 major.

Binghamton’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

133: Derek Steeley vs. (4) AJ Schopp (Edinboro)

197: (7) Nate Schiedel vs. (10) Scott Schiller, Minnesota

Consolations:

149: (3) Donnie Vinson vs. Tyler Bedelyon (Clarion)

184: Cody Reed vs. Ophir Bernstein (Brown)

 

Buffalo:

Cannon, Photo by BV

John-Martin Cannon won a hard-fought 5-4 clash with 12th seeded Mathew Miller of Navy, with riding time the difference.  His teammates similarly faced tough draws, with Blake Roulo and Mark Lewandowski dropping their initial bouts to the seventh and third seeds, respectively (Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State and Peter Yates of Virginia Tech).  Max Soria was upended in the pigtail round by Penn’s Mark Rappo.

Buffalo’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

174: John-Martin Cannon vs. (5) Josh Asper, Maryland

Consolations:

125: Max Soria vs. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State)

149: Blake Roulo vs. Josh Roosa (Bloomsburg)

165: Mark Lewandowski vs. Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan)/Austin Wilson (Nebraska)

 

Columbia:

Steve Santos, a Round of 12 finisher a year ago, began with a fall in his opening match against UTC’s Alex Hudson.  It was a tough battle, with Santos falling behind early before taking control in the third period.  Jake O’Hara dropped his pigtail bout to Penn State’s Dylan Alton while Matt Bystol and Josh Houldsworth lost to seeded wrestlers Cody Brewer and Cody Yohn, respectively.  Jon Fausey of Virginia picked up a 3-0 victory over Stephen West of the Lions at 174.

Columbia’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

149: Steve Santos vs. (12) Eric Grajales (Michigan)

Consolations:

133: Matt Bystol vs. Anthony Elias (Davidson)

157: Jake O’Hara vs. Ryan Watts (Michigan St)

165: Josh Houldsworth vs. Ramon Santiago (Rider)

174: Stephen West vs. Cody Weishoff (Oregon State)

 

Cornell:

Defending national champions Kyle Dake (165) and Steve Bosak (184) began the day with shutouts, with Dake topping Ohio State’s Mark Martin 3-0 and Bosak breezing past Ty Vinson of Oregon State 12-0.  Nahshon Garrett was also dominant, with a 10-1 major decision over Campbell’s Eric Montoya in his first-ever NCAA action.  The Big Red’s other seeded wrestler, Mike Nevinger, battled Virginia Tech’s Zach Niebert in a low scoring affair won by the Hokie 3-1 on a reversal in the overtime.  He’ll look to go on a winning streak in the wrestlebacks as he did in 2012, as will 149-pounder Chris Villalonga, 197-pounder Jace Bennett and heavyweight Stryker Lane.

Cornell’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Evan Silver (Stanford)

165: Kyle Dake vs. Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana)

184: Steve Bosak vs. Mason Bailey (Navy)

Consolations:

141: (11) Mike Nevinger vs. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh)

149: Chris Villalonga vs. Ian Paddock (Ohio State)/David Habat (Edinboro)

197: Jace Bennett vs. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State)

285: Stryker Lane vs. Blake Herrin (American)

 

Hofstra:

Bonanno, Photo by BV

Returning All-American Steve Bonanno got off to another good start at the NCAA tournament, decisively defeating #10 seed Josh Martinez of Air Force in Round 1.  The Pride wrestler trailed early but kept the pace high and moved ahead 8-2 after the second stanza with some late back points.  He finished with a 9-2 decision.  Joining Bonanno as a first round winner was 141-pounder Luke Vaith, who topped West Virginia’s Nathan Pennesi.  Jamie Franco was edged 3-2 at 133 pounds by Pittsburgh’s Shelton Mack.

Hofstra’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

125: Steve Bonanno vs. (7) Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina)

141: Luke Vaith vs. (4) Mitchell Port (Edinboro)

Consolations:

133: Jamie Franco vs. Brandon Gambucci (Duke)/Devon Lotito (Cal Poly)

 

Additional NY High School Wrestlers

Winning their first round bouts were: Billy Watterson (John Jay HS, Brown), Steven Keith (Shoreham Wading River HS, Harvard), Josh Veltre (Greece Olympia HS, Bloomsburg) and Ryan LeBlanc (Morrisville Eaton, Indiana).

Next Matches, Championship Round

125: Billy Watterson (Brown) vs. (2) Jesse Delgado (Illinois)

141: Steven Keith (Harvard) vs. Hunter Stieber (Ohio State)

165: (9) Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) vs. (8) Nick Sulzer (Virginia)

165: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) vs. (1) Kyle Dake, (Cornell)

Consolations:

133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) vs. Daryl Thomas (Illinois)

133: Sam Speno (North Carolina State) vs. Rossi Bruno (Michigan)

133: Jimmy Morris (Rider) vs. Mackenzie McGuire (Kent State)

149: Ian Paddock (Ohio State) vs. David Habat (Edinboro)

165: John Greisheimer (Edinboro) vs. Pierce Harger (Northwestern)

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Conner Hartmann (Duke)

285: Steven Graziano (Penn) vs. Evan Knutson (North Dakota St)

 

NCAA Matchups for NY Wrestlers: Check for Updates Throughout the Tournament

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Session 5 (Saturday Morning)

Medal Rounds

125 Third Place: Nahshon Garrett dec Alan Waters (Missouri), 6-1

141 Fifth Place: Mike Nevinger dec Evan Henderson (UNC), 9-2

149 Third Place: Steve Santos dec Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 7-3

184 Third Place: Steve Bosak vs. Ben Bennett (Central Michigan)

Consolation Semifinals

125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech), 13-9

141: Hunter Stieber (Ohio St) maj Mike Nevinger (Cornell), 9-0

149: Steve Santos (Columbia) dec Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon St), 4-2

184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 3-0

 

Session 4 (Friday Evening)

Semifinals

125:  Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 10-5

149: Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) major Steve Santos (Columbia), 14-3

165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma St), 2-0

184:  Ed Ruth (Penn St) dec Steve Bosak (Cornell), 4-1

 

Consolations – Round 2

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 6-2

 

Consolations – Round 1

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Mark Ballweg (Iowa), 12-8

149: Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) dec Donnie Vinson (Binghamton), 2-1

197: Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma St) major Christian Boley (Maryland), 10-2

 

Session 3 (Friday Morning)

Consolations – Second Friday Round

125: David Thorn (Minnesota) dec Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 3-0

133: Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) fall Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 2:25

133: Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) fall Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg)

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Nick Hucke (Missouri), 7-2

141: Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec Steven Keith (Harvard), 7-4

149: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) major Eric Grajales (Michigan), 12-0

165: John Staudenmayer (UNC) dec Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg), 3-2 TB

174:  Cody Walters (Ohio) dec John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo), 3-1

197: Nathan Burak (Iowa) win by fall Nate Schiedel (Binghamton)

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) dec Phil Wellington (Ohio), 8-2

 

Quarterfinal Matches

125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec Matt McDonough (Iowa), 4-2 SV

149: Steve Santos (Columbia) dec Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force), 5-4

165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) major Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 13-0

184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 4-1

Consolations – First Friday Round

125: Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) dec Tyler Iwamura (Bakersfield), 7-5

125: David Thorn (Minnesota) win by fall Billy Watterson (Brown)

133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) vs. Shelton Mack (Pitt), 6-1 TB

133: Jamie Franco dec Joey Ward (UNC), 3-1 TB

133:  Geoff Alexander (Maryland) maj Derek Steeley (Binghamton), 13-5

133: Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) major Matt Bystol (Columbia), 11-1

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) win by fall Chris Mecate (ODU)

141: Nick Hucke (Missouri) dec Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 6-2

141: Steven Keith (Harvard) dec Bryan Pearsall (Penn State), 8-3

149: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) dec Dan Osterman (Michigan St), 7-2

165: Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) dec Nate Moore (Iowa), 8-5

165: John Staudenmeyer (UNC) dec Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana), 4-2 SV

174: John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo) dec Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield), 3-2 TB

174: Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec Stephen West (Columbia), 2-1

197: Nate Schiedel (Binghamton) win by fall Nik Brown (UTC), 6:12

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) dec Jake Meredith (Arizona St), 6-3

 

Session 2 (Thursday Night)

Round of 16 Matches
125: (7) Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina) dec Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 5-3
125: (6) Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec Evan Silver (Stanford), 5-3
125: (2) Jesse Delgado (Illinois) tech fall Billy Watterson (Brown), 20-5
133: (4) AJ Schopp (Edinboro) tech fall Derek Steeley (Binghamton), 18-1
141: (4) Mitchell Port (Edinboro) major Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 13-2
141: (1) Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) dec Steven Keith (Harvard), 7-3
149: (5) Steve Santos (Columbia) dec (12) Eric Grajales (Michigan), 6-3
165: (1) Kyle Dake (Cornell) major Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana), 10-0
165: (8) Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec (9) Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg), 3-1 TB
174: (5) Josh Asper (Maryland) dec John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo), 8-3
184: (4) Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec Mason Bailey (Navy), 2-0
197: (10) Scott Schiller, Minnesota dec (7) Nate Schiedel (Binghamton), 9-5

Wrestlebacks
125: Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) maj Max Soria (Buffalo), 9-1
133: Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec Brandon Gambucci (Duke), 6-4
133: Matt Bystol (Columbia) dec Anthony Elias (Davidson), 3-1
133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) major Daryl Thomas (Illinois), 8-0
133: Rossi Bruno (Michigan) dec Sam Speno (North Carolina State), 10-4
133: Mackenzie McGuire (Kent State) dec Jimmy Morris (Rider), 8-5
141: Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia) dec Connor Hanafee (Army), 5-3
141: (11) Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Anthony Salupo (Lehigh), 6-3
149: Josh Roosa (Bloomsburg) dec Blake Roulo (Buffalo), 4-1
149: (3) Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) major Tyler Bedelyon (Clarion), 13-1
149: Andrew Alton (Penn State) win by fall Daniel Young (Army)
149: David Habat (Edinboro) dec Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 13-6
149: David Habat (Edinboro) dec Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 3-1
157: Jake O’Hara (Columbia) dec Ryan Watts (Michigan St), 2-1; Walter Peppelman (Harvard) dec Jake O’Hara (Columbia), 3-1
165: Austin Wilson (Nebraska) win by fall Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo)
165: Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec Paul Hancock (Army), 10-4
165: Ramon Santiago (Rider) major Josh Houldsworth (Columbia), 13-1
165: Pierce Harger (Northwestern) dec John Greisheimer (Edinboro), 6-5
174: Stephen West (Columbia) dec Cody Weishoff (Oregon State), 4-2
184: Ophir Bernstein (Brown) major Cody Reed (Binghamton), 13-3
197: Derrick Borlie (Virginia Tech) dec Bryce Barnes (Army), 8-6
197: Jace Bennett (Cornell) win by fall Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State); Nik Brown (UTC) dec Jace Bennett, 10-5
197: Christian Boley (Maryland) dec Conner Hartmann (Duke), 4-2
285: Blake Herrin (American) dec Stryker Lane (Cornell), 7-3
285: Evan Knutson (North Dakota St) dec Steven Graziano (Penn), 4-0

 


Pigtails/Round 1

Army:

141 Pounds: Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa) maj Connor Hanafee (Army), 12-2

149 Pounds: (6) Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec Daniel Young (Army), 4-2

165 Pounds: (12) Taylor Massa (Michigan) dec Paul Hancock (Army), 11-7

197 Pounds: Richard Perry (Bloomsburg) dec Bryce Barnes (Army), 7-5 SV

Binghamton:

133 Pounds: Derek Steeley dec Sam Speno (NC State), 11-6

149 Pounds: Donnie Vinson dec Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 9-5; Kevin Tao (American) dec Donnie Vinson (Binghamton), 3-1 TB

184 Pounds: (6) Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) dec Cody Reed (Binghamton), 4-0

197 Pounds: Nate Schiedel maj Conner Hartmann (Duke), 10-1

Buffalo:

125 Pounds: Mark Rappo (Penn) maj Max Soria (Buffalo), 13-4

149 Pounds: (7) Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) maj Blake Roulo (Buffalo), 13-5

165 Pounds: (3) Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) dec Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo), 5-3

174 Pounds: John-Martin Cannon dec (12) Mathew Miller (Navy), 5-4

Columbia:

133 Pounds: (6) Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) TF Matt Bystol (Columbia), 20-5

149 Pounds: (5) Steve Santos win by fall Alex Hudson (UTC)

157 Pounds: (8)Dylan Alton maj Jake O’Hara (Columbia), 10-2

165 Pounds: (11) Cody Yohn (Minnesota) dec Josh Houldsworth (Columbia), 7-1

174 Pounds: Jon Fausey (Virginia) dec Stephen West (Columbia), 3-0

Cornell:

125 Pounds: (6) Nahshon Garrett maj Eric Montoya (Campbell), 10-1

141 Pounds: Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) dec Mike Nevinger (Cornell), 3-1 TB

149 Pounds: Derek Valenti (Virginia) dec Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 8-4

165 Pounds: (1) Kyle Dake dec Mark Martin (Ohio State), 3-0

184 Pounds: (4) Steve Bosak maj Ty Vinson (Oregon State), 12-0

197 Pounds: Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) maj Jace Bennett (Cornell), 12-3

285 Pounds: (1) Dominique Bradley (Missouri) maj Stryker Lane (Cornell), 10-1

Hofstra:

125 Pounds: Steve Bonanno dec (10) Josh Martinez, Air Force, 9-2

133 Pounds: Shelton Mack (Pittsburgh) dec Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 3-2

141 Pounds: Luke Vaith dec Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia), 8-3

 

Additional New York High School Wrestlers:

125 Pounds: Billy Watterson (Brown) dec Joe Duca (Indiana), 7-6

133 Pounds:  (2) Tony Ramos (Iowa) pin Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg)

133 Pounds: Derek Steeley (Binghamton) dec Sam Speno (NC State), 11-6

133 Pounds:(10) Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) maj Jimmy Morris (Rider), 13-2

141 Pounds: Steven Keith (Harvard) win by fall Julian Feikert (Oklahoma State)

149 Pounds: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) dec Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 9-5

165 Pounds: Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) dec Nijel Jones (NC State), 7-0

165 Pounds: Josh Condon (UTC) dec Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro), 7-4

165 Pounds: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) dec Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan), 5-3; LeBlanc (Indiana) dec Peyton Walsh, Navy, 6-1

197 Pounds: (10) Scott Schiller (Minnesota) maj Christian Boley (Maryland), 10-1

285 Pounds: (2) Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec Steven Graziano (Penn), 4-0

 

 

At the Second Annual NYWAY State Championships Over 900 Wrestlers Compete; Cobra Wrestling Academy Takes Team Title

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According to Cobra Wrestling Academy Executive Director Keith Maute, Sunday was a great day.

The fact that he got married was the obvious and most important reason for that sentiment.

But Maute admitted that he took glances at his phone at points during the day for another reason – to check on how his wrestlers were doing at the NYWAY State Championships in Elmira.

The Cobra grapplers gave him a wedding present as the Buffalo-area club captured the team title by a slim two-point margin over Journeymen a year after finishing second in a close race behind G2 World Wrestling Academy (third in 2013).

“I’m really excited that we won,” he said. “I’m really excited for the kids, our club and our section. Last year we lost by a point or two and this year we’re on the flip side of that.  The fact that it was a tight team race makes it exciting for everyone.  It’s really nice to have 20 kids in the finals and another bunch of All-State kids.”

Cobra was led by 10 champions and 10 second placers**, as well as another six bronze medalists.  The champions were: Cooper Gronowski, JJ Lucinski, Justin McDougald, Tyler Bartolomei, Hector Colom, Jacob Brewer, Tito Colom, Jake Weber, Carson Alberti and Dane Heberlein.  The last two, Alberti and Heberlein, won this event last year as well.

But taking the championship this season was a bit different than doing so in the inaugural NYWAY event in 2012.  The tournament had over 930 participants this weekend as opposed to 640 a year ago and had representation from the all corners of New York this time, something that wasn’t quite the case before.

“We were extremely happy with the number of wrestlers we had and especially that we had a cross section from across the state,” said NYWAY President Clint Wattenberg. “We had at least 50 kids from each of the eight regions.  Every region had some champions and it was really a unifying event across the state.”

Courtesy of NYWAY

Making Wattenberg equally excited was the quality of the competition.  For example, a pair of state silver medalists – Vincent DePrez of G2/Hilton and Connor Lapresi of the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club/Lansing squared off in a match won by DePrez in sudden victory in the semifinals in the high school division.  (It was a good weekend to be named DePrez as all four brothers – Vincent, Anthony, Louie and Sam – took first at the event).

In addition to DePrez and Lapresi, many others who competed at the Times Union Center in late February also took part. In fact, the 113-pound bracket in Division 6 included All-Staters Ryan Hetrick and Kelan McKenna as well as Eastern States champion Chris Cuccolo. And none of those accomplished wrestlers came out on top; instead it was 30-plus match winner Blake Abbey of Corning (who won this tournament at 103 pounds in 2012).

Similarly, the younger divisions featured wrestlers who have placed and won prestigious youth tournaments across the country.  Some of those picked up their second straight NYWAY State championship, including (in Division 2) Waverly’s Bryce Bailey, G2’s Jayden Scott, the previously mentioned Carson Alberti and Lockport’s JR Leuer; in Division 3 Stevo Poulin of Journeymen and Myles Griffin of Mexico and in Division 4 Journeymen’s Michael Gonyea and Dillan Palaszewski as well as Orion Anderson and Benny Baker.  (Repeat gold medalists in Divisions 5 and 6 were Dandre Norman of Edge, Andrew McFarland of Carthage and the previously discussed Dane Heberlein and Blake Abbey).

Courtesy of NYWAY

For the full list of placers from first to fourth in each division and weight, see here.

While this weekend’s action at the First Arena in Elmira represented the largest event on NYWAY’s calendar, Wattenberg stressed that the second-year organization is much more than just a state championship tournament.

“It was a great, but it’s only a small part of our mission,” Wattenberg said. “We’re dedicated to creating continuity and direction for New York wrestling.  It’s all about the lifecycle of developmental wrestling and tying it all together at the youth, high school and college levels.  We want to find out where we’re losing people and try to help fill those gaps.  We think one of the critical pieces of the development puzzle in New York is in modified wrestling.  That’s why having Division 5 (middle school and some freshmen) as our biggest division at this event was encouraging.  New York continues to lose modified programs or have the mat time cut down significantly.  We feel that this is a role we can fill in the state, helping develop wrestlers that aren’t getting what they need through modified programs.”

Of course, it’s no secret that wrestling is losing more than the modified level.  The IOC’s decision to drop the sport from the 2020 Olympic Games is fresh on the minds of fans and Wattenberg said all $600 of total proceeds from the sales of programs will be donated to the ‘Keep Wrestling in the Olympics’ movement.

In addition, a portion of every online NYWAY transaction this season has been allocated to the President’s Fund, which is dedicated to strengthening and advancing college wrestling.  According to Wattenberg, that money will be “spread around to not only strengthen current programs in New York but to encourage additional schools in the state to start new wrestling programs.”

The link with the college level of wrestling wasn’t hard to see over the weekend.  On Saturday night, Cornell All-Americans Kyle Dake, Steve Bosak and Mike Nevinger attended the event, signing autographs and talking with participants and fans.

Meanwhile, some of their peers were on the mat – as referees.

Photo by John Drew

“It’s core to our mission to reintegrate college wrestlers into youth wrestling to help the next generation,” Wattenberg said. “Having a group of officials being college age wrestlers, along with veterans as the head officials, helps keep that development cycle going and makes the wrestling community stronger.  That’s the reason we like to stick to that format, but we are trying to integrate some other experienced officials as well.  As a whole, the feedback on the structure and set up of the tournament was positive.”

And so the second NYWAY season came to a close with Cobra standing on the top step.   While Maute kept tabs on the day’s events from his wedding, he expects to be in attendance in 2014 to help his club defend its crown.

“This tournament grew so much in just one year,” Maute said. “It’s awesome that there were almost 1000 kids there this year. Hopefully next year it will be 1300 wrestlers or even more.”

—————————————————————————

Wattenberg wished to thank the NYWAY Board of Directors, especially the state tournament committee (Kristine Maslin, Adam Burgos, Kevin Lucinski, Mel Cutrie) for their time and dedication and for making decisions with “best intentions to provide opportunities and create a level playing field.”  He also wished to thank Eric Padelford for setting up the technology portion of the event, especially on short notice.

 

**Some of the Cobra wrestlers, according to Maute, weren’t listed under Cobra in the brackets

Hall of Famer Al Bevilacqua: NY's Influence Powerful From the Sidelines to the Mat

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BY AL BEVILACQUA

At the NCAA tournament in Des Moines, the eyes of wrestling fans will be fixed on Cornell’s Kyle Dake as he aims to make history by winning his fourth championship at his fourth different weight class without the benefit of a redshirt. To do so, he will likely have to beat returning Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor of Penn State for the third time this season and fourth this calendar year (if the All-Star Dual and the Olympic Trials are counted).

Dake, a Lansing native, has been a bright star for New York wrestling over the past several years but he won’t be the only Empire State representative threatening to make waves in Iowa. For example, his former training partner at the Shamrock Wrestling Club, Donnie Vinson of Binghamton, will be in the mix at 149 pounds after taking third there a year ago.

If history is any indication, they will be among the many New Yorkers on the podium. According to data from wrestlingstatistics.com, the Empire State ranks eighth among all states since 1961 in most individual national champions (24) and seventh in total titles (32). Last year, 26 New York natives took the mat at Nationals in St. Louis, the third most of any state behind Pennsylvania and Ohio and produced the third most All-Americans (six).

Simply put, there’s no question that New York is one of the top players on the NCAA scene.

But perhaps less appreciated is another way New York is making its presence felt. And that’s on the sidelines.

Tom Ryan, Courtesy ohiostatebuckeyes.com

From Tom Ryan’s young team in Buckeye Country to Steve Garland (Virginia) and Kerry McCoy (Maryland) in the ACC, the impact of the tough wrestling taught in this state is felt around the country.

And that’s just part of the story. A number of other programs are led by those who grew up in the Empire State, including Buffalo (Jim Beichner), North Carolina State (Pat Popolizio), Duke (Glen Lanahan), Columbia (Carl Fronhofer), Boston (Carl Adams) and Cal Poly (Brendan Buckley, who spent some time in New York). In addition, both Bloomsburg’s John Stutzman and Hofstra’s Rob Anspach did their college wrestling in the Empire State (at Buffalo and Hofstra, respectively).

Remember, there are less than 80 head coaching positions in Division I . . . and there are 49 states with wrestling. But a lot of leadership seems to be emerging from New York.

Kyle Dake will complete his Big Red career as one of the greats on the big stage.

But he will be only one of the New Yorkers to make headlines at NCAAs this year and in years to come.