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

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

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

Josh Antoine Wins Double Titles at Northeast Regionals; Full List of NY Placers

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

New York top four placewinners at the Northeast Regional Freestyle and Greco championships in Bloomsburg, PA.

FREESTYLE

Junior

106 – Alpha Diallo, Champion

113 – Josh Antoine, Champion

126 – Trey Aslanian, 4th

145 – Quinton Murphy, Champion

195 – McZiggy Richards, 3rd

220 –

Soslan Gularov, Champion

David Farr, 2nd

285 – Elvin Gervacio, 3rd

Cadet

95 – Christopher Cuccolo, 2nd

120 –

Ian Lupole, 2nd

Zachery Bendick, 4th

170 –

Isaiah Zimmer, 2nd

Daniel Smith, 3rd

Intermediate

65 – Logan Gumble, 2nd

75 – Daniel Butavicius, 3rd

120 – Andrew Grechko, Champion

Novice

70 –

Luca Errico, Champion

Nikita Nesterenko, 3rd

80 – Deshawn Herber, 3rd

100 – Matthew Grippi, Champion

Schoolboy

120 – Scott Rodrigues, 2nd

128 – Leonard Merkin, 3rd

136 – Joseph Clemente, Champion

GRECO

Junior

100/106 – Alpha Diallo, 2nd

113 – Josh Antoine, Champion

126 –

Rocco Russo, Champion

Brandon Diaz, 3rd

145 –

Justin Boone, 3rd

Nigel Williams, 4th

152 – Brendan Goldup, 3rd

170 –

David Bunn, 3rd

Kevin Rodriguez, 4th

182 – Cedrick Stephens, 3rd

195 – McZiggy Richards, Champion

285 – Elvin Gervacio, Champion

Cadet

94 – Christopher Cuccolo, Champion

106 – Donny McCoy, 4th

113 – Matthew Morris, Champion

12o –

Freddie Dunau, Champion

Austin Acquard, 2nd

Ian Lupole, 4th

126 – Ryan Snow, 4th

152 – Nikolas Hansen, 4th

170 –

Daniel Smith, 2nd

Isaiah Zimmer, 3rd

Bradley Perry, 4th

Intermediate

65 – Logan Gumble, 2nd

70 – Clint Baker, 4th

75 – Daniel Butavicius, Champion

80 – Landon Sibley, Champion

Novice

70 –

Nathan Lehr, Champion

Nikita Nesterenko, 2nd

80 – Deshawn Herber, 2nd

Schoolboy

84 – Maksim Pasichaik, 4th

120 – Ryan Moore, 3rd

128 Leonard Merkin, Champion

136 Joseph Clemente, 2nd

Troy Nickerson Ready to Start Next Chapter as Cyclones Assistant Coach

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

By Betsy Veysman

It sounded like Troy Nickerson was talking about Cornell, the way he has for years. A beautiful campus. Great opportunities for outdoor activities like hunting. An unmistakable family atmosphere on the wrestling team.

But on Saturday when being interviewed, he wasn’t describing Ithaca, which he has called home since 2005. He was discussing the place he’ll be starting the next chapter of his career – Ames, Iowa as an assistant coach at Iowa State University.

“I’ve been in New York almost my entire life,” he said. “It will definitely be different living in Iowa, but there are a lot of similarities. I think the opportunity I have out there is a great one.”

The opportunity was one of several available to the four-time NCAA All-American. At different points since graduating from Cornell he considered medical school and a Masters degree, but ultimately decided he couldn’t imagine his life without wrestling, even after a recent challenging time in the sport.

Nickerson spent much of the recent past working on freestyle in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Trials. However, his quest for London didn’t go as planned, as he didn’t qualify for the Trials.

“It was a life experience for me,” he said. “I’m happy that I made the commitment to train. I think I wouldn’t have been satisfied if I didn’t try. I had a lot of setbacks. Health was a factor stopping me from reaching my goals. But I developed great relationships and traveled the world. I learned a lot about myself. I realized how much passion I still have for wrestling and that I still wanted it to be the focus for me. I loved coaching before and decided it was what I wanted in the future.”

Nickerson has previous coaching experience at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC) in Ithaca, where he mentored grapplers ranging from the youth to senior levels after completing his Big Red degree. He was the head coach of the club’s college team in 2010-11.

“The thing I enjoyed most about working at FLWC was helping those guys achieve their goals,” he said. “I got to see their improvement on a daily basis and that’s what excited me. I was able to develop relationships with them and impact their lives – like so many of my coaches have done for me.”

The only wrestler to capture five New York high school state titles said he feels lucky to have been around great leaders who he hopes to emulate in his new position.

“I really admire what Rob Koll and all of the Cornell coaches have done,” he said. “I think the thing that has impressed me most is the atmosphere of family and community that has been cultivated. Whether you’re a top guy or a backup who is unlikely to ever start, the coaches take a value in each person’s life, in wrestling and outside of wrestling. That’s extremely important. It has helped Cornell develop a rich tradition in a short time. I look forward to developing similar relationships at Iowa State.”

Nickerson has that chance with a team that is looking to get back to the top of the college wrestling world after 20th and 35th place finishes at the past two NCAA tournaments.

“There’s a lot of young talent in the room right now,” he said. “When [head coach] Kevin [Jackson] came in, they were really in a rebuilding phase and that continued this past season. But there are some great guys there and some talented recruits coming in. I’ve seen the ability of NCAA qualifers like Ryak Finch and Luke Goettl as well as incoming guys like John Meeks, Destin McCauley and Dakota Bauer, to name just a few. I look forward to working with those guys and making a big impact.”

The 2009 NCAA champion at 125 pounds certainly can relate to the young talent. He joined the Big Red lineup as a true freshman and showed he belonged right away. The Chenango Forks native won his first 18 bouts, earned the first of his three EIWA crowns and reached the NCAA finals in his first season out of high school.

In his 97-8 career with the Big Red, Nickerson had many memorable victories. One of them was a match against a Cyclone – Andrew Long – in early 2010.

It was a high profile tilt for a number of reasons. It was the opening bout of a dual between two top teams – #2 Iowa State and #6 Cornell. It was also being televised live and was part of a fundraising event for the Adam Frey Foundation. Long had been impressive and was ranked fifth in the nation. Nickerson had been struggling with injuries.

It didn’t matter. The Cornellian put on a show for the crowd, albeit a short one. He took Long down soon after the opening whistle and put him on his back. While the Cyclone fought hard to keep the match going, Nickerson earned the first period pin and a victory many Big Red fans still discuss. But Nickerson isn’t one of them.

“That match was in the past,” he said. “I think what you can take away from that win and others is that when you step on the mat, it doesn’t matter who you’re facing or what the environment is like. That’s the kind of mindset I hope to instill.”

“I saw a lot in the past year, traveling internationally and being put way out of my comfort zone,” he continued. “We had to perform in environments where we didn’t have the food, equipment and other amenities we’re used to in the United States. It’s all about being able to adapt. That’s what the guys at Iowa State need to do, just go work hard; don’t worry about who the opponent is. I want to have guys that just compete and believe they’ll win.”

While he talked about not worrying about who the opponent is, Nickerson admitted that he’s happy Cornell is not on the Cyclone schedule this season after three consecutive years of dual meets between the squads.

“I loved my time at Cornell and consider Ithaca home,” he said. “I learned from the best coaches in Division I. I will always be a Big Red fan. I am grateful for the opportunities Cornell has given me. When it comes time to coach against the Big Red at NCAAs or some other tournament down the line, I’m sure it will feel different than against other teams. But I’m excited to be at such a storied program and I’ll do everything I can to bring victory to the Cyclones.”

Buffalo's Kevin Smith Selected as Scholar-Athlete Award Winner

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

BUFFALO, NY – Five University at Buffalo student-athletes have been selected as SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award winners for the 2011-12 academic year. The Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award was created in 2003-04 to recognize students who have combined academic excellence and outstanding athletic achievement at the Division I, Division III and NJCAA levels at SUNY schools.

One award winner was selected in each sport at each of the three athletic levels. Among the four Division I SUNY schools, the Bulls had five athletes on the list, second-most behind Binghamton (with six). The athletes honored this season were Shannon Algoe (women’s soccer), Brittney Kuras (swimming), Kevin Smith (wrestling), Wojciech Starakiewicz (men’s tennis) and Shante White (track and field).

Shannon Algoe (Lockport, NY / Williamsville North/UConn)
Women’s Soccer, 3.934 GPA, Business Administration

Algoe was named to the Mid-American Conference Academic team for second straight year and earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-American Second Team. Shannon was one of the surest defenders on the team, serving as captain of a defense that shutout the opposition 11 times, the third most in the country. She also scored a goal and took 13 total shots, most coming on free kicks, and put nine of those shots on goal.

Brittney Kuras (Canandaigua, NY / Canandaigua Academy)
Swimming, 3.934 GPA, Psychology

Kuras set three individual records and four relay records at the MAC Championships en route to earning the league’s Most Outstanding Swimmer award. At the NCAA National Championships in Auburn, AL, she broke her own records in the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.87) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:59.67) while also turning in a 49.15 in the 100-yard freestyle, a quarter-second off her record time (48.90) from the MAC Championships. At the MAC meet, she helped the Bulls to first-place finishes in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.

Kevin Smith (Mexico, NY / Mexico)
Wrestling, 3.653 GPA, Physical Therapy

Smith was named a NWCA Academic and MAC All-Academic teams for the fourth straight season. He finished his career at Buffalo with a 29-9 overall record, including 16-5 in dual meets (tied for seventh most in a single season). In November, he became the seventh wrestler in program history to reach 100 career wins, his final total of 122 comes in at second on the all-time list and his 52 career wins in dual meets are a new program record. He also won his third career New York State Championship and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler, making him the second Buffalo wrestler to ever pull off the feat.

Wojciech Starakiewicz (Warsaw, Poland / Miguel de Cervantes)
Men’s Tennis, 3.859 GPA, Communications

Starakiewicz was an All-MAC Second Team honoree in 2012 after first-team recognitions in 2010 and 2011. He finished the 2012 season 19-11 in singles and 16-13 in doubles. Played third singles and second doubles. Two-time MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week. MAC Player of the Week 4/22. Finished with career records of 49-29 in singles and 46-30 in doubles.

Shante White (Syracuse, NY / Henninger)
Women’s Track, 3.725 GPA, Nursing

White redshirted the 2012 indoor and outdoor track seasons, In the 2011 outdoor season, White was a Mid-American Conference champion, setting the school record in the hammer throw. White nearly missed NCAA Nationals, finishing in 13th place at the NCAA East Preliminary Round back in May.

Courtesy of Buffalobulls.com

Hofstra All-American Steve Bonanno Earns Academic Honor

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

Hempstead, NY – Hofstra junior wrestler Steve Bonanno has been voted to the 2012 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)-Capital One Academic All-District 1 Men’s At-Large first team, CoSIDA announced Friday afternoon.

Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), who was also named to the 2011-12 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Individual All-Academic Team on May 8, will now advance to the men’s at-large national ballot along with the first team honorees from the seven other districts. The 2012 CoSIDA-Capital One Academic All-America Division I Men’s At-Large Team will be announced on Thursday, June 7.

The CoSIDA-Capital One Academic All-America men’s at-large district nominations can include student-athletes from fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.

Bonanno, the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned his second NWCA All-Academic Team honor recently after being selected in 2011. A junior majoring in accounting, Bonnano has also been a three-time CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award recipient and a member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll his entire career.

Bonanno earned NCAA All-America honors after placing eighth in the 125-pound weight class at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. He posted a 31-9 record this season, including a 14-1 mark in dual matches. Bonanno was the 2012 CAA champion at 125 pounds and finished the year ranked #12 in the nation in his weight class. A three-time NCAA qualifier, he also posted a second-place finish at the Binghamton Open, was third at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational and placed sixth at the Southern Scuffle in 2011-12.

Courtesy of gohofstra.com

Columbia Announces Nationally-Ranked Recruiting Class

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

NEW YORK – The Columbia wrestling program and Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Carl Fronhofer has announced the Lions’ highly-touted 2012 recruiting class – group that ranks among the best incoming groups of newcomers in the nation.

Columbia’s 11-member incoming class of first-years features Angelo Amenta, Andrew Barth Jr., Austin Coniker, Zach Hernandez, Chris Loew, Johnson Mai, Jacob Marks, Joe Moita, Alec Mooradian, Ryan Murdock and Connor Sutton. The group has been ranked by WIN Magazine as the No. 24 recruiting class in the nation. Mai (138) and Mooradian (174) both ranked in the D1CW Top 200 Recruits for 2012.

“I am excited to get this class on campus,” Fronhofer said. “I think it is a good group of kids and with the right focus and work ethic I believe that they will make a big impact on our program.”

Here is a quick rundown of Columbia wrestling’s incoming class of 2016:

Angelo Amenta – 133 pounds | Oregon Clay HS (Oregon, Ohio)
Amenta was a two-time Ohio state placewinner, including a fifth-place showing at 138 pounds in 2012. He was also a two-time Walsh Ironman Placewinner (2010-11).

Andrew Barth Jr. – 174 pounds | San Marino HS (San Marino, Calif.)
Barth won the Rio Hondo League Wrestling Championship at 160 pounds in each of the past two seasons. He is the son of Columbia wrestling alumnus Andrew Barth.

Austin Coniker – 174 pounds | Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Coniker was a PIAA state placewinner as a junior 2011, taking sixth place at 171 pounds. He compiled an impressive 41-15 overall record with 12 pins and three major decisions in 2010-11.

Zach Hernandez – 184 pounds | Punahou HS (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Hernandez was a two-time HHSAA state champion at 191 pounds, winning the state title at that weight in 2011 and 2012. As a junior in 2010-11, he went undefeated, pinned all but three opponents and allowed only one takedown against him. He was also an outstanding football player earning second-team all-state honors as a senior linebacker.

Chris Loew – 184/197 pounds | Wantagh HS (Wantagh, N.Y.)
Loew helped lead Wantagh to three Nassau County Division 1 Wrestling Championship team titles in three of his four years. As a senior in 2012, he took third place at 170 pounds. He compiled a 117-35 overall record in high school with 78 pins. Loew was a third-place finisher at New York State Freestyle/Greco-Roman Championships in 2010 and 2012.

Johnson Mai – 125 pounds | North Torrence HS (Torrence, Calif.)
Mai is the Lions’ highest-rated recruit as D1CW ranked him as the no. 138 recruit in the nation for 2012. As a junior, Mai won the 103-pound state title at the 2011 CIF State Championship. He was also the 2011 Junior National Greco-Roman Champion at 105 pounds and the 2011 Junior National Freestyle runner-up at 105 pounds. As a senior, he took second place at 106 pounds at the 2012 CIF State Championship.

Jacob Marks – 157 pounds | Interlake HS (Bellevue, Wash.)
As a junior in 2011, Marks was the WIAA 2A state runner-up at 152 pounds. He is the brother of Columbia senior pole vaulterJason Marks.

Joe Moita – 133 pounds | De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.)
Moita is another highly-regarded wrestler from the state of California. He took third place at 132 pounds as a senior at the 2012 CIF State Championship.

Alec Mooradian – 141 pounds | Detroit Catholic Central HS (Novi, Mich.)
Mooradian was a three-time MHSAA state champion, winning at 112 in 2009, 119 in 2010 and 135 in 2011. As a senior, Mooradian went 47-3 at 152 pounds and finished as the state runner-up. He is ranked at no. 174 in the D1CW Top 200 Recruits for 2012.

Ryan Murdock – 133/141 pounds | Dublin Coffman HS (Dublin, Ohio)
Murdock was a three-time OHSAA state. He took fourth place at 126 in 2010, sixth place at 112 in 2011 and fourth place at 126 in 2012.

Connor Sutton – 157/165 pounds | La Salle Institute (Troy, N.Y.)
Sutton is a promising middle-weight wrestler from New York. He was the NYSPHSAA state champion at 140 pounds and went 42-4 with 22 pins as a junior in 2011. As a senior, Sutton took sixth place at 160 pounds at the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships and compiled a 37-5 record with 18 pins.

The Lions are coming off an outstanding 2011-12 season which featured three individuals, recently-graduated senior Kevin Lester and juniors Steve Santos and Jake O’Hara, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Columbia went 8-5 in duals, 3-2 against the Ivy League and 4-3 against the EIWA. The Lions placed sixth as a team at the EIWA Championships and posted seven placewinners. In 2012-13, Columbia will return seven of its 10 starters from last season.

Courtesy of Columbia University Athletics

"Winning Big With New York Kids": Matt Dernlan Excited to Get Started at Binghamton

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

By Betsy Veysman

Matt Dernlan was focused on his Clarion wrestlers at the 2012 NCAA tournament in St. Louis, but like many other coaches and fans, he couldn’t help but notice the performance of Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson.

The 149-pounder dropped his initial bout to Nick Lester of Oklahoma before rattling off seven straight victories to take third place.

“I think it’s the toughest tournament in the world, especially if you lose your first match,” Dernlan said. “It’s not the achievement of third place that was so impressive. It was the resilience and resolve he showed to come back and keep fighting and winning. With that type of character and his talent, he’s got everything it takes to be a national champion.”

Dernlan now has an opportunity to be a part of Vinson’s run at a title in his new position as head coach at Binghamton. In fact, when talking to Dernlan, the phrase “national champion” comes up quite a bit.

The Ohio native has some experience with reaching the pinnacle of the college wrestling world. As the Director of Operations, he was part of Penn State’s NCAA title team in 2011. He witnessed the key ingredients that brought that crown to State College and believes he sees many of the same pieces in place at Binghamton.

“When the job first opened up, it wasn’t something I pursued because there were a lot of good things going on at Clarion,” he said of the institution he coached for nine months. “But Binghamton reached out to me. The more I talked to them, the more I saw all the elements necessary to build a national championship program.”

Those elements, according to Dernlan, go beyond the athletes and coaches.

“Coming from Penn State, I have an understanding of everything that has to come together to get to the top,” he said. “You need to have committed support from everyone – from the President, the athletic department, the alumni and the community. You need to have support systems in place for the student-athletes. I wouldn’t have left a top 20 program with the history and tradition of Clarion if I didn’t think all of that support was here. When I spoke to the President about his vision for the university and to the Athletic Director about his vision and plans for the next five years, I got really excited. Conversations with the alumni made me even more excited. It became an easy decision.”

Another reason the decision was “easy” is the current state of the Bearcat program. When now-North Carolina State head coach Pat Popolizio took the reins six years ago, Binghamton was a winless team. Fast forward to 2011-12, when the Bearcats earned a top 20 dual meet ranking in addition to an 14th place finish at the NCAAs fueled by five qualifiers and a pair of All-Americans (Vinson and freshman heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski). Dernlan spoke with admiration about the foundation Popolizio developed.

“A lot of credit needs to go to Pat,” Dernlan said. “He did so much to elevate the program to national prominence. He created the right kind of culture. We want to take advantage of that and build on all the momentum.”

To do that, Dernlan will look for a holdover from Popolizio’s staff, Jasen Borshoff, to play a key role.

“I’ve been spending time with Jasen, picking his brain and getting to know him,” he said. “I am very impressed with his intelligence and passion. He’s everything I think college coaching should be about. Retaining Jasen was a priority. He is committed and driven towards the same goals as I am.”

Dernlan said he also would like to utilize the expertise of volunteer assistant Andy Seras, whom he has not spoken to yet in detail in his few days on the job.

“Andy’s resume and track record show that he brings a lot to the table,” he said. “If he wants to continue on, that would be attractive. He has roots in New York.”

New York roots are another topic Dernlan talks about with enthusiasm. He has watched several Empire State grapplers succeed in the postseason over the past several years and believes that homestate wrestlers should form the backbone of the squad.

“It is very appealing to be in New York, which is one of the best scholastic states in the country,” he said. “That’s been proven by performance at the NCAAs. If we can get the talent in this state on our team, I don’t anticipate going outside the borders that much. I believe we can win and win big with New York kids.”

Dernlan knows it won’t always be easy getting those top Empire State grapplers on campus. There aren’t double digit in-state programs competing for talent like in Pennsylvania, but the coach knows that programs such as Cornell, Hofstra and Buffalo are competitors on the recruiting trail — and on the mat.

“Rob Anspach has done a great job at Hofstra,” he said. “They have great tradition and I am sure we will push each other to be great and continue to elevate the stature of CAA wrestling. And I know there’s a team up the road in Ithaca that’s been doing special things. You want to compete against teams like Cornell. Rob Koll is one of the best coaches in the nation and he’s created the standard. We’ve got a bullseye on his team. Having several elite teams in this state can only be a great thing. But our goal is to become the face of New York wrestling. If we can do that, we’ll be contending for national titles because that’s what Cornell is doing now.”

Trying to take that step next year will be a fairly experienced Bearcat team. While longtime standouts Justin Lister and Matt Kaylor have graduated, and heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski is likely to transfer, Binghamton could return the remainder of its starters, including NCAA qualifiers Vinson, Nate Scheidel and Cody Reed.

“I think we’ve got great experience and a collection of individuals that have gone deep into March and know what that environment is like,” Dernlan said. “Everyone is proud of what Binghamton accomplished last year but now we’re aspiring to go beyond. There’s a lot that goes into that; a lot of intangibles you can’t control at the national tournament. But my expectation is that with the talent we have returning and the incoming guys, we can improve upon last year if we prepare the right way.”

An integral component of that, according to Dernlan, is optimizing the level of competition throughout the campaign.

“We need to elevate our schedule and compete against the best,” he said. “The CAA tournament and Nationals are the two target weeks of the season. We won’t be doing our program or any of our wrestlers favors by padding records heading into the conference tournament. We need to test ourselves early, often and consistently so that when March rolls around, we’re ready for those big moments. We know what the intensity and the fight of March are all about and we need to be prepared.”

Part of that preparation, the coach said, is encouraging an aggressive style of wrestling.

“We want to go out to dominate, put up points and break our opponents,” he said. “If you do that, you build a reputation and it spreads. It creates a tangible element at the national tournament. People step on the mat with you and they already know what they’re in for. They know you won’t back down and you’ll be in their face for seven minutes. That’s what makes you succeed against the best.”

Succeeding against the best is something Dernlan values. When asked about his most memorable match, he almost immediately brings up one of his toughest high school battles in the Buckeye State against fellow state champion John Marchette.

“Competing against him is something I remember to this day because he pushed my limits in every capacity,” he said. “We laugh about it at this point and appreciate and respect each other for pushing each other to new levels. Fortunately, I was the winner, but we were both better for the battle and it helped us both later on.”

Dernlan sees that competitive fire in the Binghamton room. He has spent his first few days meeting the team and laying out the gameplan for the summer and next season. He joked about his endless to-do list, which includes things like figuring out summer camps, talking to this year’s incoming class, selling a house and hiring another assistant coach (Frank Beasley accompanied Popolizio to the ACC), all while shuttling back and forth to Pennsylvania. But he’s enjoying every minute of it and his optimism is obvious.

“[Popolizio] won and he did it the right way,” he said. “He wanted to win with character kids who were a positive reflection on the program. That’s fundamental for me; doing things in a way that the university and the community will be proud of. With what we have in place here, I think Binghamton should be a top 10 team every year. But that won’t be enough for me. I’m driven to win a national title. If we attract the right kids with all we have to offer, I believe we can get there.”

Cancer's Nightmare: Team VinnyV Ready to Battle

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

By Betsy Veysman

“There’s a theme with Vinny,” Michael Vespa said on Monday night about his 14-year old brother. “He finds a way to win. That’s the bottom line, no matter how bad it looks, he finds a way to win.”

That’s been true many times over the years. The freshman from Monroe-Woodbury High is a four-time youth New York state champion who also took third in the country at the NHSCA Middle School Nationals.

As a ninth grader wrestling varsity for the third straight time in 2011-12, Vespa went 31-8, was a Sectional runner up and qualified for the state tournament at 99 pounds while routinely weighing in around 94. Despite his hard work, however, the grappler often found himself struggling later in bouts with shortness of breath.

Less than two weeks ago, Vinny Vespa achieved a long-time goal when he took first place at the New York State Cadet Freestyle Championships in Binghamton to earn his spot on the Empire State squad going to the national championships in Fargo, North Dakota in July. He looked forward to the most prestigious event on the summer wrestling calendar, where the competition would be a notch higher than what he has seen before.

However, Vespa will have a far more challenging opponent to face before he steps on the mat again.

“I thought I was going to Fargo to represent New York at nationals,” he said. “I was really excited. But I was still having trouble with breathing so I went to the doctor after I won. That’s when they found the tumor.”

The tumor is believed to be Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma.

“The tumor in Vinny’s lungs compromised his breathing more than 50%, according to the doctors,” his mother said. “We found it because of wrestling. He was having trouble after the first period. The doctor explained that once his respiration got up, he was basically working off one lung. We thought it was a few different things during the season — a new mouthpiece, asthma, bronchitis. Thank God we found it.”

After digesting the news, Vinny quickly moved into fighting mode.

“When he was diagnosed, he was crushed,” Michael Vespa said. “But he’s come back with such a vengeance, just like I knew he would. He’s the type of person that has always been really mature and dedicated. If he wants something, nothing will stop him. He’s really strong.”

Many would agree with that. His varsity coach Steve Fischbein says he’s the strongest pound for pound wrestler that he’s ever seen. At 94 pounds, he squats and deadlifts more than 225 pounds. The student with the 90 average in school also religiously follows the plans set out for him by trainer John Rahn. In fact, Michael Vespa said that even in his hospital bed, Vinny is making sure to follow his meal plans and drink his protein shakes.

He’s also finding other ways to make the hospital time tolerable.

“I’m keeping myself busy,” he said. “[On Monday] 15 people came and we had a little mini party. We went down to the lobby and had pizza and just hung out. I played mini golf at a course right outside the hospital with my mom.”

Vinny mentioned that his family has been great, but wanted to specifically mention his mother.

“She hasn’t left my bedside for the past seven days,” he said. “She’s my number one supporter.”

His extended wrestling family has been there too. That doesn’t include just his friends and teammates. It also includes grapplers from all over the country. Vinny started the @teamvinnyv twitter account on Sunday night and in one day had over 1220 followers.

“I knew I had a lot of support, but it’s been crazy,” he said. “It’s been amazing what the wrestling community has done. [NCAA champion] Bubba Jenkins retweeted something about me. [Former Olympian] Jeff Blatnick called me. It’s amazing how supportive people have been.”

He also singled out a phone call he received from one of his favorite wrestlers from the school he hopes to attend one day, Cornell University.

“[Three-time NCAA champion] Kyle Dake was out of the country at the World Cup,” Michael Vespa said. “But his first tweet when he got back to the United States had my brother in it. And then he called my brother in the hospital. It meant so much.”

The support will keep coming.

This Wednesday, local New York All-Star wrestlers will come together at Delaware Valley High School in Matamoras, Pennsylvania to face squads from the Keystone State and New Jersey. Vinny Vespa was scheduled to compete, but now $2 for each attendee will go to his family.

In addition, a takedown tournament titled “Victory 4 Vinny ” will be held at Monroe-Woodbury High School on June 30 from 8 am – 6 pm. The event will have elementary, middle school, high school and open divisions, with the possibility of a masters division as well. Registration will be $20 and all proceeds will go directly to the Vespa family. In conjunction with the tournament, will be a family fun day event with face painting, cotton candy and more.

Forever Fierce has donated over 1000 specially-designed T-shirts that can soon be purchased at foreverfierce.com. All proceeds will go to helping the Vespas.

Vinny is excited for these fundraising endeavors. He said he expects to be in the hospital for about another week and then will come home to continue his fight.

“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy,” he said on Monday night, quoting the legendary Dan Gable. “That’s pretty much what I’m going by right now. I definitely think wrestling puts me in a better position. My trainer [Rahn] has helped me out so much this year. He helped me put on 20 pounds of mostly muscle and that will help me with what I’m going through.”

Michael Vespa believes his brother’s strength and will are the keys.

“In the semifinals at Sections he was wrestling a kid who pinned him at the beginning of the season,” Michael Vespa said. “He was down by a point with about 20 seconds left. I felt okay about it. Not for a split second did I doubt that he would win. Sure enough, with five seconds left, he got the reversal to win.”

He has a similar sense of confidence now in his younger sibling, whom he calls “Cancer’s Nightmare”.

“I guess the best way I can describe my brother is to say that he has more heart than anyone I’ve ever encountered,” Michael Vespa said. “So many people told me that if it had to happen to anyone, it might as well happen to him, because there’s no doubt he’ll get through it. I believe that. Not only that, but he’ll get through it and then go out and win a national title.”

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For an update on Vinny Vespa prior to the 2012-13 wrestling season, see here.

Binghamton Hires Matt Dernlan as New Head Coach

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Urgent Doctor

Binghamton University has hired Clarion head coach Matt Dernlan as the new leader of the Bearcat program.

Dernlan takes the reins of the CAA squad following the departure of Pat Popolizio, who took over a winless program and in six years, built Binghamton into a nationally-ranked team.

An Ohio native, Dernlan held the top position at Clarion for one season, leading the Golden Eagles to an 18^th place finish at the NCAA tournament with two All-Americans.

Prior to his stint at Clarion, Dernlan spent six years at Penn State, first as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and then as the director of operations for the Nittany Lions. In addition, he has held positions at Ohio Northern University, Jeff Jordan Champ Camps and St. Paris Graham High School.

On the mat, Dernlan was a three-time Ohio State Champion who amassed a 154-4 record. He wrestled for Liberty University and was an NCAA qualifier.

2011-12 was a banner year for the Bearcats, who went 15-4 in dual meets and finished 14^th at the NCAA tournament with a pair of All-Americans (true freshman Nick Gwiazdowski at 285 and 149-pounder Donnie Vinson). The squad also swept the major CAA awards with Popolizio capturing Coach of the Year honors, Vinson nabbing Wrestler of the Year and Gwiazdowski earning the conference’s top rookie award.

–Betsy Veysman