Category Archives: Section 11

X-Cel Tops Apex to Win Second Annual Eastern Nationals Championship; Check out Videos from the Event

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FOR VIDEOS FROM THE EASTERN NATIONALS, SEE BELOW

The championship featured the same two clubs. The end result was the same, too.

Two weeks ago in Lake Placid, X-Cel met Apex in the finals of the Pop and Flo National Duals with the Long Island squad coming out on top by a 25-24 score.

This weekend, the two teams squared off again for the title at the Eastern Nationals at Eastport South Manor High School.  X-Cel was once again victorious, this time by a much larger margin, against an Apex team with several lineup changes from the Pop and Flo competition.

One of the holdovers from the Apex team that competed in Lake Placid, Rutgers-bound Tony Pafumi, was named the event’s Most Outstanding Wrestler by vote of the coaches.   The St. Peter’s Prep (NJ) standout notched several impressive victories on the weekend, including decisive wins over New York placewinners Gio Santiago of Sachem North and Dylen Seybolt of Longwood. (Match video of Pafumi is available below, along with several other bouts).

“Pafumi is very, very tough,” X-Cel coach and event leader Nick Garone said. “He definitely impressed a lot of people, especially on his feet.  It says a lot to win the MOW when you aren’t on the championship team.”

X-Cel’s title squad also boasted several top-notch performances and a host of undefeated wrestlers. Rather than singling out any individuals, however, Garone preferred to talk about X-Cel as a unit.

“The team we put out there could have competed with anyone in the country,” Garone said. “The kids were spectacular and I’m very proud of them. It’s phenomenal for us as a club to win Pop and Flo and now this event; it shows that we’re doing things right and getting guys to compete at a high level.“

Another group competing at a high level, according to Garone, was the squad from Sachem East, which defeated nearby Sachem North in the third place dual.

“East was tough; they were right there in the mix with Apex, but Apex had just enough to overcome them,” he said. “Most of the teams here were club teams with kids from lots of different schools, but Sachem East mostly came as their high school team, with a few fill-ins.  It’s darn impressive to place in an event like this as a high school team.  I give them a lot of credit.”

There were a lot of people Garone wanted to give credit to following the event.  He mentioned great refereeing and the work of Dean Zenie, Kim Leo, Darren Goldstein and Teddy Fabian, among others.  He also was grateful to MSG Varsity for agreeing to provide television coverage of both the championship and third place bouts (on July 2).

“It’s very difficult to get somebody to agree to air wrestling,” he said.  “MSG came on board and stepped up to the plate.  It adds credibility and exposure for the kids and we’re really excited it will be on TV.”

Garone also expressed his excitement about X-Cel winning its second title in the past three weeks.  And he is thrilled about the future of the Eastern Nationals.

“We’re trying to provide a platform for the kids in this area to wrestle in a high profile event without having to get on a plane or travel far and spend so much money,” he said. “We were up against some obstacles this year like proms and SATs which made the number of teams a little lower than we wanted, but we will work on that and find a better date next year.  We believe this event will grow into something tremendous that will allow our Long Island wrestlers to wrestle the best competition without having to go far from home.”

Below are some of the videos from the Eastern Nationals 2012.  

 

T. Pafumi (Apex) vs. G. Santiago (Sachem North)

 

J. Rodriguez (X-Cel) vs. DiBartolo (Smithtown East)

 

C. Rasheed (X-Cel) vs. Greenberg (Smithtown East)

 

Nick Garone Talks Eastern Nationals 2012 and Team X-Cel

 

D. Salkey (X-Cel) vs. Smithtown East

 

Dante Salkey on X-Cel and What’s Next

 

Sean McCabe Headed to Rutgers

 

S. McCabe (X-Cel) vs. Forca (Smithtown East)

 

N. Hall (X-Cel) vs. Outcault (Smithtown East)

 

T. Fabian (X-Cel) vs. Truncale (Smithtown East)

 

N. Piccininni (631 Elite) vs. O’Connell (KT Kidz)

 

C. Ladd (Sachem North) vs. P. Merzbacher (Apex)

 

Milo (Sachem North) vs. Voelker (Apex)

 

Z. Mullen (X-Cel) vs. Kipkowski (Port Jefferson)

 

S. Schwartzapfel (X-Cel) vs. Cavanagh (Port Jefferson)

 

J. Sanzone (Sachem North) vs. D. Fried (Apex)

 

J. Szymanski (X-Cel) vs. Cummings (Smithtown East)

 

Calderone (631 Elite) vs. Kane (KT Kidz)

 

M. Marino (Sachem North) vs. M. Barber (Apex)

 

A. Marino (Sachem North) vs. Balboni (Apex)

 

M. Stallone (Sachem North) vs. M. Seitz (Apex)

 

A. Nunziatta (Sachem North) vs. Burkert (Apex)

 

Perez (Sachem North) vs. Russo (Apex)

 

Sparacio (Sachem North) vs. Cancellieri (Apex)

 

Mazzella (631 Elite) vs. Davis (KT Kidz)

 

 

NYS Cadet Freestyle Team Looking For Wrestlers

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The NYS Cadet Freestyle team is looking for interested wrestlers to wrestle on the National Duals Team in Daytona, Florida June 15-16. There are weight classes that need to be filled (88, 84, 113, 120, 182, 195 & 220)

Please contact Coaches asap:

Anthony Servidone (aservidone@yahoo.com)
Dean Zenie (rdzenie@aol.com)
Larry Cantor (LCantor2@schools.nyc.gov)

X-Cel is for Excellence: Long Island Team Captures Pop and Flo National Duals Championship

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By Betsy Veysman

The most nervous moments for Team X-Cel coach Nick Garone this past weekend, during which the squad captured the championship at the Pop and Flo National Duals, didn’t take place on the mat.  Instead, his most nervous moments took place on the water during the team’s celebration.

“The guys dove into the lake after the event,” he said.  “It was pretty great to see how excited they were.  I took the easy way out, paddling out in a boat.  They were messing with me, telling me they were going to tip me over.  I begged them not to. It was a lot of fun, which is what the weekend was all about.”

It was also about winning, something the team did in all five of its duals, concluding with a 25-24 triumph over New Jersey’s Apex in the title match.  The squads ended the meet deadlocked at 24, but X-Cel earned the crown by virtue of capturing eight of the 15 bouts.

It was a victory that the team felt was for more than just the wrestlers and coaches that made the trip upstate.

“We weren’t just trying to win it for the guys who were there,” said heavyweight Dante Salkey, who went 5-0 on the weekend.  “We went out to make a statement about Long Island wrestling.  We knew that we were in Lake Placid, a place where history was made.  We wanted to bring some of Long Island’s best, upset the top seed (Apex) and win it all.  We wanted to show how tough our wrestling is.”

Some of Long Island’s best started things off on the right foot in the finale.  A pair of state champions from Section 11, Sean McCabe (130) and Maverick Passaro (135), propelled the squad to a 6-0 lead.  McCabe controlled his bout with Apex’s Matt Caputo (an Empire state resident) in a 9-3 decision.

Passaro followed by notching a takedown with less than 30 seconds to go to garner a come-from-behind victory over Richie Lewis.   Passaro’s late heroics didn’t go unnoticed by his coach, especially since the Eastport South Manor senior rebounded from a bonus point loss in the previous round.

“That kid’s a champion,” Garone said. “In the semis, he was beaten by a high score.  Some guys can’t let that go.  It’s like a fighter who gets knocked out – their next fight is the hardest of their life.  Maverick got over it.  He showed fortitude and heart to bounce back and wrestle with confidence and get that late score.  What a great match he wrestled.”

Apex responded with a pair of victories, a decision at 140 and a pin at 145, to take a 9-6 advantage.

In stepped John Glenn’s James Dekrone against a familiar foe, NHSCA National Champion Lenny Richardson.  The two have had some tough, close matches in the past and this was no different.  After neither competitor scored in neutral in the opening stanza, Dekrone rode his opponent for the entire second period.  In the third, it looked like Richardson might return the favor, but Dekrone broke free for an escape and got his hand raised in a 1-0 result, knotting the score at 9.

“It was an unbelievable match,” Garone said. “I knew it would be exciting.  Richardson is so dangerous and scary from every tie up and James is a pressure wrestler that keeps coming after you.  James just wrestled a perfect match when we needed it.”

X-Cel continued putting points on the board with victories in the next two bouts.  At 160, Nicky Hall topped Brandon Keena and at 170 Dylan Palacio bumped up to face All-American Tony Pafumi and came away with an overtime triumph.

“We changed things around a little bit because I thought it gave us an edge,” Garone said. “I knew Nicky Hall was capable of winning at 160 and I thought Palacio could win at either 160 or 170. Obviously, it could have backfired because Pafumi is tough and hardnosed.  Dylan’s match came down to OT and we were biting our fingernails.  But both Nicky and Dylan got the job done.  I thought Dylan might be upset about the change, but he told me it was fine; he’d do whatever it took for the team to win. They were both team players.”

It was a short-lived 15-9 lead for the Empire State group.  Apex came out on top in the next three matches and moved ahead 18-15 as the 285 pounders took the mat.

Dante Salkey attacked his opponent, Mike Spencer, almost immediately, scoring off a low single to move ahead 2-0.  He extended his lead early in the second with an escape and another takedown before withstanding a comeback attempt by his opponent, New Jersey’s fourth place finisher in 2012, for a narrow victory.  After Salkey’s fifth win of the weekend, the score was tied again.

“I knew going in that we were down by the three and I had to get the win,” Salkey said. “I didn’t want it to come down to the last few guys; I wanted to make sure I did my part.  I felt that I was a lot quicker than [Spencer], so I went to my offense for the first half of the match.  It got closer than I wanted late in the match, but it worked out in the end.”

“Dante was unbelievable the whole weekend,” Garone added. “I get a big grin on my face when I think about it because he’s so funny.  He was the team jokester, keeping everyone loose and relaxed by making everyone laugh.  On the mat, he wrestles like a lightweight, taking a lot of shots and moving well.  I think he could be very, very good at the next level because he’s really nimble on his feet for a big guy.  He made huge contributions to the team.”

Also making big contributions were lightweights Jay Rodriguez (105) and Nick Piccininni (113), who came through with wins over Nick Suriano and Joe Travato, respectively to push X-Cel’s lead to 24-18.

Apex fought back, however, capturing the matches at 120 and 126 to deadlock the score until criteria declared the Long Island squad the winners.

“Going to criteria – that’s a true testament to what kind of dual it was,” Garone said. “That’s what you pray for, a battle like that.  The Apex coaches had to like how they fought back and tied it by winning the last two matches.  My hat is off to those guys over at Apex.  They do a great job with those kids every year.  They’re a great club.”

Garone also tipped his hat to several others he said played important roles in X-Cel’s achievement.

“Finally we can tell people that Long Island can compete with the best in the country and have proof.  I really want to thank Darren Goldstein, my right arm, who would do anything for us and Steve Hromada for helping us train.  Anthony Abidin really helped us out, getting the guys warmed up, which is harder for us old guys,” he said, laughing.  “All the coaches who had someone represented should be appreciated – they do a great job with the wrestlers for most of the year.  Most importantly, I need to thank the guys we brought.  Every one of them is great.  But they put their egos aside and were willing to do what was best for the team. That’s not typical for a bunch of studs. We had a great time.”

That was a sentiment echoed by everyone involved.

“It felt amazing,” Salkey said. “We had so much fun, celebrating in the lake and on the ride back home.  We knew we were good coming in and we thought we could win it, but the competition was good too.  We wrestled our best and walked away with the title for us and for Long Island wrestling.”

Team X-Cel, 2012 Pop and Flo National Duals Champions

105 –   Jay Rodriguez

113 –   Nick Piccininni

120 –   Pat Skinner

125 –   Travis Passaro

130 –   Sean McCabe

135 –   Maverick Passaro

140 –   Tommy Dutton

145 –   Louis Hernandez

152 –   James DeKrone

152 –   Sam Schwartzapfel

160 –   Dylan Palacio

160 –   Nick Hall

170 –   Zac Mullen

182 –   Dylan Seybolt

182 –   Colin Gironda

195 –   Nick Weber

220 –   Kenny Drew

285 –   Dante Salkey

 

Finals: Team X-Cel Over Apex (NJ), 25-24

130 Sean McCabe decision Matt Caputo, 3-0 NY

135 Maverick Passaro decision Richie Lewis, 6-0 NY

140 Jason Estevez decision Thomas Dutton, 6-3 NY

145 BJ Clagon pin Louis Hernandez, 9-6 NJ

152 James Dekrone decision Lenny Richardson, 9-9

160 Nicky Hall decision Brandon Keena, 12-9 NY

170 Dylan Palacio decision Tony Pafumi, 15-9 NY

182 Brian Loughlin decision Dylen Seybolt, 15-12 NY

195 Tyler Rios decision Colin Gironda, 15-15

220 Eric McMullen decision Ken Drew, 18-15 NJ

285 Dante Salkey decision Mike Spencer, 18-18 NY

105 Jay Rodriguez decision Nick Suriano, 21-18 NY

113 Nick Piccinnini decision Joe Travato, 24-18 NY

120 Luis Gonzalez decision Pat Skinner, 24-21 NY

126 Joe Oliva decision Travis Passaro, 24-24 NY

NY Wins on Criteria*, 25-24

*(Most matches won, X-Cel 8, Apex 7)

 

Semifinals:  Team X-Cel Over Dark Knights (PA), 42-22

105 Jay Rodriguez tech fall Tyson Klump, 5-0 NY

113 Nick Piccininni major Tyrone Klump, 9-0 NY

120 Zach Valley Valley major Pat Skinner, 9-4 NY

126 Travis Passaro dec Mason Bryne, 12-4 NY

130 Sean McCabe dec Chase Zemanak, 15-4 NY

135 Tyson Dippery tech fall Maverick Passaro, 15-9 NY

140 Chris Vasser pin Thomas Dutton, 15-15

145 Shyheim Brown dec Louis Hernandez, 18-15 PA

152 James Dekrone dec Zach Ross, 18-18

160 Dylan Palacio dec Garrett Peppelman, 21-18 NY

170 Elliot Riddick maj Zac Mullen, 22-21 PA

182 Dylen Seybolt pin Nick Sevi, 27-22 NY

195 Colin Gironda win by forfeit, 33-22 NY

220 Ken Drew win by forfeit, 39-22 NY

285 Dante Salkey dec Dawson Peck, 42-22 NY

 

Earlier Round Results

 

Round 1: Team X-Cel 65, Apex II (NJ) 0

Round 2: Team X-Cel 66, Iowa Style (NY) 3

Round 3: Team X-Cel 42, Triumph (NJ) 13

Finals Videos from New York States Junior Division (Fargo Qualifier)

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Check out videos for the finals from the New York State Championships (Fargo Qualifier) on May 5 in Binghamton.

 

160 Pounds: Dylan Palacio (Ascend) vs. Burke Paddock (Team Ten)

 

182 Pounds: McZiggy Richards (Beat the Streets) vs. Jeffrey Day (Genessee Valley WC)

 

170 Pounds: Rrok Ndokaj (Beat the Streets) vs. Sher Mohammad (Beat the Streets)

 

138 Pounds: Tom Page (NYSS) vs. Vincent Turano (Ascend)

 

126 Pounds: Keanu Thompson (Beat the Streets) vs. Oral Allen (Ascend)

 

132 Pounds: Jessy Williams (Team Worldwide) vs. James Ronca (Journeymen)

 

145 Pounds: Matt Greene (Columbia) vs. Justin Boone (Copiague)

 

152 Pounds: Tial Thang (MVWC) vs Leland Slawson (MVWC)

 

220 Pounds: Soslan Gularov (Steeplechase) vs Jonathan Babson (Happy Yo)

 

195 Pounds: Pat Nasoni (MVWC) vs Alex Moss (MVWC)

 

Cornell Regional Training Center Clinic Comes to Long Island May 25-26

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In late April, Kyle Dake, Mack Lewnes and Frank Perrelli, representing the U.S. Regional Training Center (RTC) at Cornell, competed with the best freestyle wrestlers in the country at the 2012 Olympic Trials.

On May 25-26, Dake, Lewnes and Perrelli will come to three locations (Askren Wrestling Academy, Luthern High School and Eastport-South Manor High) for the Cornell RTC Long Island training camp.  They will be bringing some of the nation’s best with them, as NCAA champions Steve Bosak, Troy Nickerson and Cam Simaz will be on hand as clinicians as will coaches Rob Koll, Damion Hahn, Mike Grey and Clint Wattenberg.

“We are looking to put on a great clinic in a part of the state that has excellent wrestling, while also making our presence more visible in downstate New York,” Cornell head coach Rob Koll said.  “I’m not sure many people are aware that we are building our RTC in Ithaca.  We are doing more than just molding student-athletes to be All-Americans and NCAA champions at Cornell, we are also developing the RTC to help make Olympic dreams come true.”

Lewnes was one of the first to take advantage.  When he first arrived in Ithaca as a freshman in the fall of 2007, he thought he would have to go elsewhere to pursue his freestyle goals after completing his collegiate career.  However, by the time he graduated in 2011, the RTC was up and running and he was able to stay at Cornell to work on freestyle and prepare for the Olympic Trials.

The three-time All-American spent the 2011-12 campaign training with a number of individuals accomplished in the international styles at the RTC, including Olympic alternates Hahn and Wattenberg, World Championships placer Koll as well as members of the Big Red team.

“I got fantastic support and had an amazing year,” Lewnes said. “We’ve only been designated as a Regional Training Center for a few years and things are developing so fast; it’s great.  It’s only going to keep growing, especially as we bring in a freestyle coach.”

While the RTC sent three grapplers to the Olympic Trials in 2012, Lewnes and Koll expect that to change.

“We were able to support Mack, Frank and Kyle, and we’re looking to support and train more athletes over the next few years,” Koll said.  “Our goal is to help more and more people move up the ladder and work for their Olympic aspirations. Next time the Olympic Trials roll around in 2016, we want to make sure we don’t have three guys competing, but more like 10.”

Some of those future Olympic hopefuls will be at the clinic on May 25-26.  All staff members will rotate among the three sites (Askren Wrestling Academy in Somers, Luthern High School in Brookville and Eastport South Manor High in Manorville).

On Friday the 25th, the event will take place from 6-8:15 p.m.  The following day, the camp will have sessions from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3.  Lunch will be included for all on Saturday.   Registration costs $90 in advance and $100 at the door. For group discounts please call Rob Koll directly at 607-255-7307.

[button link=”http://www.flwrestlingclub.org/RTC_LongIslandCamp_flyer.pdf” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Camp Flyer[/button]

 

 

For further information or to sign up, please visit flwrestlingclub.org/rtc.htm

–Betsy Veysman

 

 

Palacio Earns Triple Crown; Ndokaj, Koll, Gularov, Livernash Win Double Titles at NY States

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By Betsy Veysman

The first thing Dylan Palacio told Long Beach head coach Ray Adams after winning the Greco and Freestyle New York State titles this past weekend was that he’s not done yet.

While the Cornell-bound senior, who competed for Ascend in Binghamton, won’t consider himself finished with his high school goals until he competes for national championships in Freestyle and Greco in North Dakota this summer, he did achieve something significant this weekend – the New York State Triple Crown.  (He won the Empire State folkstyle title at the NYPHSAA Division I tournament in Albany in February).

None of the results have come as a surprise to Adams.

“Going into the season, I thought he could have all the success he’s had,” the coach said. “He just missed on a lot of these goals in the past – finishing third at States and at the Nationals in Virginia Beach.  He just came up a little short and was knocking at the door.  After all he’s done, it was just his time.”

Adams believes that both Palacio’s mindset and the work he put in prior to this season made the difference.

“Dylan really improved his technique all around, but especially on his feet where he developed more of an arsenal.  He opened up and put a lot of points on the board,” Adams said. “He also had a one-track mind this year; he was 100% driven.  His mental toughness and refusal to lose have really shown.  He’s really stubborn with his goals.”

At Fargo in 2011, Palacio went 4-2 in Freestyle and took eighth in Greco.  He has made it clear that he expects to be on the top of the podium this time.

“You obviously have to be really good to win at Fargo and you need a little luck too,” Adams said. “Dylan knows he can win there.  If he continues to train hard, I think he has a very legitimate shot at winning in both styles.”

Another wrestler looking forward to a return trip to North Dakota is Rrok Ndokaj.   The Monsignor Farrell senior didn’t place there a year ago, but clinched a spot on the Empire State squad with his titles in both Freestyle and Greco over the weekend while wrestling for Beat the Streets.

“I felt confident going in,” Ndokaj said. “I felt like there shouldn’t be anything standing in my way.”

The titles were a continuation of Ndokaj’s postseason success in 2012.  After falling one round short of the podium at the state tournament in 2011, the Catholic League champ took fourth place at the Times Union Center this time at 170.

“It was a little bittersweet at States,” he said. “I came in seeded second and wanted to make the finals, but I guess I can’t be too upset about placing.”

The Staten Island native followed up his performance in Albany with an All-American finish (eighth) at FloNationals in Philadelphia down at 160.

Back at 170 pounds this weekend, the future Bloomsburg grappler won 13 matches, dropping a total of just two periods, to capture both the Freestyle and Greco Roman New York state titles.

“Wrestling at Fargo last year was definitely a great experience, being in that arena wrestling at a national level,” Ndokaj said. “I want to go back and try to do something better.  A national championship is my goal. It’s the only goal you can set.”

Joining Palacio and Ndokaj as double champions at Broome Community College on Saturday and Sunday were Team Worldwide’s Ethan Livernash (100 pounds), Finger Lakes Wrestling Club’s William Koll (120) and Soslan Gularov of Team Steeplechase (220).

Koll won both Freestyle and Greco titles at this event a year ago, but didn’t make the trip to Fargo in 2011.  He will make his debut in North Dakota after breezing through the competition in the Empire State, winning by pin or technical fall in eight of his 11 bouts, dropping just one period along the way.

Livernash swept Andy Martinez to win both of his titles while Gularov won 10 of his 11 bouts in straight periods.  The only opponent to take him to the limit was Team Worldwide’s Matthew Abbott in the Freestyle finals, however Gularov took the third stanza of that match in dominating fashion, 6-0.

Ndokaj was one of the champions for Beat the Streets, which showed its strength across the Cadet, Junior and Women’s brackets.  The New York City based club took first in both Freestyle and Greco in the Junior division and second and third, respectively, in Cadet Greco and Freestyle.

MVWC came out on top in both styles in the Cadet competition, while Ascend was top three in three of the events (second in Cadet FS and Junior Greco; third in Junior FS). (Team points weren’t available for Women’s Freestyle).

In addition to the double winners in the Junior division, there were also several wrestlers victorious in both styles at the Cadet level: Matthew Morris (ATWA, 113 pounds), Freddie Dunau (Technical Edge, 120), Mike Dusold (VHW, 152), Daniel Smith (MVWC, 170) and Joe Nasoni (MVWC, 195).

For full results for Cadet, Junior and Women’s competition, please see the following links:

http://newyorkwrestlingnews.com/sundays-updated-results-from-new-york-freestyle-and-greco-states/

http://newyorkwrestlingnews.com/results-from-ny-freestyle-and-greco-states/

New York Well Represented on NWCA Division I All-Academic Team

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On Tuesday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association released the 2011-12 All-Academic Team, which included several wrestlers who went to high school in New York or who wrestle for teams based in the Empire State.  Congratulations to those Division I competitors.

 

Steve Bonanno, Hofstra, Accounting (Wantagh, NY)

Kyle Dake, Cornell, Development Sociology (Ithaca, NY)

Nick Gwiazdowski, Binghamton, Undeclared (Delanson, NY)

Matt Kaylor, Binghamton, Master of Arts in Teaching (Ballston Spa, NY)

Steven Keith, Harvard, Economics (Shoreham, NY)

Ryan LeBlanc, Indiana, Fitness Specialist (Morrisville, NY)

Matt Mariacher, American, Public Communication (Buffalo, NY)

Mike Nevinger, Cornell, Engineering (Perry, NY)

Jake O’Hara, Columbia, Financial Economics (Mountaintop, PA)

James Rafferty, Army, Int’l and Comparative Legal Studies (Haddon Heights, NJ)

Steve Santos, Columbia, Financial Economics (Brick, NJ)

Kevin Smith, Buffalo, Physical Therapy (Mexico, NY)

Billy Watterson, Brown, Economics (Pound Ridge, NY)

 

The full list can be found at:

Click to access 2012-individual-all-academic-team.pdf

Stephen Dutton Receives Release from Lehigh; Considering Michigan and Hofstra

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When he was going through the recruiting process, two-time NCAA qualifier Stephen Dutton developed a strong relationship with Donny Pritzlaff, then an assistant coach at Wisconsin.  He strongly considered becoming a Badger, but ultimately decided that he didn’t want to move so far from home and chose to attend Lehigh.

However, wrestling for Pritzlaff (now at Michigan) is a possibility again as the former Rocky Point High standout recently received a full release from the Mountain Hawks.

Dutton will visit Ann Arbor this weekend and then choose whether to continue his career for the Wolverines or at Hofstra.

A number of factors went into the decision to leave Lehigh, according to Dutton’s father, Steve.

“Stephen had a tough year,” Steve Dutton said of his son. “He lost his lightweight coach [Jason Kutz] and also another workout partner when Frank Cagnina left. [Cagnina will wrestle for Nebraska next year].   He spent a lot of last year hurt.  He decided it was best to move on.”

In addition to the connection to Pritzlaff, Mr. Dutton said Michigan is appealing for some other reasons.

“Michigan might be a good spot for him,” he said. “He’s wrestled with [Wolverine assistant] Sean Bormet and he feels confident that with the coaches and workout partners there, he can reach all his goals.  Hofstra is also a possibility, especially because it is so close to home.”

Dutton compiled a 42-21 record in his two years with the Mountain Hawks, taking fourth place in the EIWA as a freshman and third as a sophomore.  He qualified for the NCAA tournament in both of his campaigns, making the Round of 12 in his rookie season.

Mr. Dutton said that his son will likely make his decision within the next week.

 

–Betsy Veysman

Sunday's Updated Results from New York Freestyle and Greco States

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Junior Freestyle Results

100 Pounds: Ethan Livernash (Team Worldwide) over Andy Martinez (Beat the Streets)

106 Pounds: Kyle Kelly (Team Worldwide) over Golan Cohen (Titan Worldwide)

Third: Nicco Riccio (Journeymen)

113 Pounds: Lucas Malmberg (Finger Lakes Wrestling Club) over Josh Antoine (Beat the Streets)

Third: Allan McNeil (Titans NY)

120 Pounds: William Koll (Finger Lakes Wrestling Club) dec Santo Curatolo (Beat the Streets), 2-0, 1-0

Third: Freddy Medina (Ascend)

126 Pounds: Rocco Russo (NYSS) dec Oral Allen (Ascend), 5-6, 8-7, 5-0

Third: Blake Retell (Journeymen)

132 Pounds: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Buffalo Grapplers) pin James Ronca (Journeymen), 6-0, 1:05

Third: Abubakarr Sow (Beat the Streets)

138 Pounds: Nick Kelley (Journeymen) dec Tom Page (NYSS), 2-0, 3-2

Third: Emin Aliyev (Beat the Streets)

145 Pounds: David Almaviva (Journeymen) dec Quinton Murphy (Team Miron), 6-3, 5-4

Third: Justin Boone (Copiague)

152 Pounds: Tial Thang (MVWC) dec Andrew Paulsen (Buffalo Grapplers) 3-0, 9-1

Third: Leland Slawson (Team Worldwide)

160 Pounds: Dylan Palacio (Ascend) dec Tyler Grimaldi (631 Elite), 5-0, 5-0

Third: Burke Paddock (Teamten)

170 Pounds: Rrok Ndokaj (Beat the Streets) dec Austin Weigel (Journeymen) 1-0, 3-0

Third: David Bunn (Copiague)

182 Pounds: Tim Schaefer (Teamten) dec Tom Murray (Askren Wrestling Academy), 1-0, 2-1

Third: McZiggy Richards (Beat the Streets)

195 Pounds: Reggie Williams (Johnson City) TF Spencer Morton (MVWC), 4-6, 6-0, 10-4

Third: Levi Ashley (Journeymen)

220 Pounds: Soslan Gularov (Steplechase) dec Matthew Abbott (Team Worldwide), 2-0, 0-5, 6-0

Third: Josh Langley (MVWC)

285 Pounds: El Shaddai Vantbesen (Titan Worldwide) dec Quasar Hampton (Beat the Streets), 2-0, 2-1

Third: Dante Salkey (Ascend)

 

Cadet Greco Roman

 

88 Pounds: David Ciciarelli (MVWC)

94 Pounds: Sean Miller (Connetquot)

100 Pounds: Dolan McColgan (Beat the Streets) over Bryan Arroyo (Beat the Streets)

Third: Ray Sorensen (MVWC)

106 Pounds: Nicholas Casella (VHW) dec Donny McCoy (Section Six Freestyle), 8-4, 4-0

Third: Dandre Norman (MVWC)

113 Pounds: Matthew Morris (ATWA) dec Travis Alexander (Ascend) 7-3, 7-0

Third: Carter Merecki (Journeymen)

120 Pounds: Freddie Dunau (Technical Edge) pin Ian Lupole (Team Worldwide), 0:13

Third: Zack Barker (Titans Wrestling Club)

126 Pounds: Ryan Snow (MVWC) TF Tom Stobe (Clarke), 6-0, 7-0

Third: Anthony Nunziata Jr (Sachem North)

132 Pounds: Jesse Porter (Journeymen) pin Sam Ward (VHW), 1-0, 1:31

Third: Sean O’Hagan (Sachem North)

138 Pounds: Jordan Bushey (Celler Dwellers) dec Jay Oakes (ATWA), 2-0, 4-4

Third: Matthew Marino (Sachem North)

145 Pounds: Nicholas Forget (Celler Dwellers) dec Skylar Kropman (Titan Worldwide), 6-4, 6-0

Third: Jordan Torbitt (Finger Lakes Wrestling Club)

152 Pounds: Mike Dusold (VHW) pin Conner Halladay (Johnson City), 6-0, 0:04

Third: Jacob Ashcraft (Journeymen)

160 Pounds: Gregory Kleinsmith (Team Worldwide) TF Travis Eberley (MVWC), 6-0, 7-0

Third: Angelo Kress (Journeymen)

170 Pounds: Daniel Smith (MVWC) pin Jack Buell (MVWC), 1-0, 1:45

Third: Aidan Mathews (Askren Wrestling Academy)

182 Pounds: Steven Lee (Journey) pin James Bethel (Dark Corner), 1:38

Third: Aaron Paddock (Team X)

195 Pounds: Joe Nasoni (MVWC) pin Chris Tangora (NY Titans) 4-1, 1-6, 0:25

Third: Nick Weber (Journey)

220 Pounds: Matthew St. Onge (Clarkstown South)

285 Pounds: Mark Ifraimov (Beat the Streets) over Mazen Hassen (Beat the Streets)

Third: Mason Cross (Titans Wrestling Club)

 

For Saturday’s results, see: http://newyorkwrestlingnews.com/results-from-ny-freestyle-and-greco-states/