Hofstra Wins CAA Title With Four Champions

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Binghamton, NY – Hofstra crowned four individual champions  and captured its 10th CAA team title in its 11 years in the league at the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Championships at the Binghamton University Events Center Saturday night.

Seven-teams and 70 wrestlers competed for the CAA team crown and 23 individual berths to the 2012 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri on March 15-17.

Pride seniors P.J. Gillespie at 165 and Ben Clymer at 184, junior Steve Bonanno at 125 and sophomore Luke Vaith at 141 captured CAA individual titles. It was Gillespie’s second conference title after winning at 149 pounds in 2009. It was Clymer’s second CAA title after winning at 184 in 2011. Bonanno and Vaith recorded their first conference titles.

Those four individuals plus Hofstra’s two second-place finishers, sophomore Jamie Franco at 133 and junior Justin Accordino at 149, have all qualified for the NCAA Championships.

In the final team standings, the Pride edged the host Bearcats of Binghamton by two points, 80.5-78.5. It was Hofstra’s second consecutive CAA championship since Binghamton broke the Pride’s streak of eight straight CAA conference titles from 2002 through 2009. Hofstra also won the final conference title in the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) in 2001.

The CAA Championship is Hofstra mentor Rob Anspach‘s first as head coach of the Pride after taking over for Tom Shifflet last spring.

Following Hofstra and Binghamton in the team standings were Old Dominion (68.5 pts.), Boston University (34), Drexel (33.5), George Mason (30.5) and Rider.

2012 CAA Championship Results 

125 Pounds 
Jerome Robinson (ODU) dec. #4 Derek Steeley (Bing), 5-2
Chris McGinley (Boston) dec. #3 Chuck Zeisloft (Rider), 1-0
#2 Vince Rodriguez (GMU) tech fall Franco Faeraina (Drexel), 17-2, 0:00

Consolations
Chuck Zeisloft (Rider) major dec. Franco Ferraina (Drexel), 8-0

Semifinals
#1 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) major dec. Jerome Robinson (ODU), 8-0
#2 Vince Rodriguez (GMU) WBF Chris McGinley (Boston), 5:35

Second Round Consolations
Chris McGinley (Boston) dec. #4 Derek Steeley (BU), 8-5
Jerome Robinson (ODU) dec. #3 Chuck Zeifloft (Rider), 6-1

Championship
#1 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) major dec. #2 Vince Rodriguez (GMU), 9-0
3rd Place
Jerome Robinson (ODU) dec. Chris McGinley (Boston), 3-0

133 Pounds 
#1 Jimmy Morris (Rider) dec. Zachary Isenhour (GMU), 4-2
#3 Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec. Patrick Hunter (Bing), 6-4 tb1
#2 Fred Santaite (Boston) dec. Josh Yurasits (Drexel), 8-3

Consolations
Patrick Hunter (Bing) WBF Josh Yurasits (Drexel), 1:40

Semifinals
#4 Scott Festejo (ODU) WBF #1 Jimmy Morris (Rider), 3:04
#3 Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec. #2 Fred Santaite (Boston), 2-0

Second Round Consolations
#2 Fred Santaite (Boston) dec. Zachary Isenhour (GMU), 9-4
Patrick Hunter (Bing) dec. #1 Jimmy Morris (Rider), 8-7

Championship 
#4 Scott Festejo (ODU) dec. #3 Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 4-3
3rd Place
Patrick Hunter (Bing) dec. #2 Fred Santaite (Boston), 6-3

141 Pounds 
#1 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) dec. Dennis Herndon (GMU), 6-3
#4 Joe Bonaldi (Bing) dec. Tyler Scotton (Boston), 5-4 tb2
#2 Frank Cimato (Drexel) dec. Vinny Fava (Rider), 10-4

Consolations
Dennis Herndon (GMU) dec. Tyler Scotton (Boston), 4-0

Semifinals
#1 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) dec. #4 Joe Bonaldi (Bing), 8-3
#3 Justin LaValle (ODU) dec. #2 Frank Cimato (Drexel), 6-5

Second Round Consolations
Dennis Herndon (GMU) dec. #2 Frank Cimato (Drexel), 11-9 tb1
Vinny Fava (Rider) dec. #4 Joe Bonaldi (Bing), 8-6

Championship 
#1 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) dec. #3 Justin LaValle (ODU), 3-1
3rd Place
Dennis Herndon (GMU) dec. Vinny Fava (Rider), 6-4
True Second
#3 Justin LaValle (ODU) dec. Dennis Herndon (GMU), 5-3

149 Pounds 
#1 Donnie Vinson (Bing) WBF B.J. Suitor (Boston), 1:19
#3 Zac Cibula (Rider) dec. Shane Fenningham (Drexel), 4-1
#2 Justin Accordino (Hofstra) major dec. Kevin Timothy (GMU), 10-2

Consolations
Shane Fenningham (Drexel) dec. Kevin Timothy (GMU), 7-4

Semifinals
#1 Donnie Vinson (Bing) tech fall #4 Brennan Brumley (ODU), 15-0, 4:00
#2 Justin Accordino (Hofstra) dec. #3 Zac Cibula (Rider), 7-2

Second Round Consolations
#3 Zac Cibula (Rider) WBF B.J. Suitor (Boston), 1:55
#4 Brennan Brumley (ODU) dec. Shane Fenningham (Drexel), 2-1

Championship 
#1 Donnie Vinson (Bing) major dec. #2 Justin Accordino (Hofstra), 12-3
3rd Place
#3 Zac Cibula (Rider) dec. #4 Brennan Brumley (ODU), 8-3

157 Pounds 
#1 Justin Lister (Bing) WBF Jaaziah Bethea (GMU) , 0:43
#3 Austin Sommer (Drexel) WBF Ramon Santiago (Rider), 4:30
#2 John Nicholson (ODU) dec. Nick Tourville (Boston), 13-8

Consolations
Ramon Santiago (Rider) dec. Nick Tourville (Boston), 1-0

Semifinals
#1 Justin Lister (Bing) dec. #4 Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 7-2
#2 John Nicholson (ODU) major dec. #3 Austin Sommer (Drexel), 14-5

Second Round Consolations
#3 Austin Sommer (Drexel) med. forfeit Jaaziah Bethea (GMU)
Ramon Santiago (Rider) dec. #4 Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 6-5 tb2

Championship 
#1 Justin Lister (Bing) WBF #2 John Nicholson (OSU), 1:32
3rd Place
Ramon Santiago (Rider) dec. #3 Austin Sommer (Drexel), 10-5
True Second
#2 John Nicholson (ODU) dec. Ramon Santiago (Rider), 5-3

165 Pounds 
#1 Joe Booth (Drexel) dec. James Brundage (Rider), 6-3
#4 Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. Ty Knepp (GMU), 5-1
#3 Matt Kaylor (Bing) major dec. Mitchell Wightman (Boston), 13-4

Consolations
James Brundage (Rider) major dec. Ty Knepp (GMU), 12-3

Semifinals
#4 Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. #1 Joe Booth (Drexel), 3-1 tb2
#2 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. #3 Matt Kaylor (Bing), 6-4 tb1

Second Round Consolations
James Brundage (Rider) dec. #3 Matt Kaylor (Bing), 9-5
#1 Joe Booth (Drexel) dec. Mitchell Wightman (Boston), 3-1

Championship 
#2 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. #4 Tristan Warner (ODU), 4-1
3rd Place
#1 Joe Booth (Drexel) major dec.James Brundage (Rider), 12-3
5th Place
#3 Matt Kaylor (Bing) dec. Mitchell Wightman (Boston), 4-2

174 Pounds 
Alex Rinaldi (Drexel) dec. #4 Caleb Wallace (Bing), 4-0
#3 Jim Resnick (Rider) tech fall Seth Robertson (GMU), 17-1, 4:52
#2 Kyle Czarneck (Boston) dec. Jermaine John (Hofstra), 3-1

Consolations
Jermaine John (Hofstra) major dec. Seth Robertson (GMU), 12-0

Semifinals
#1 Te Edwards (ODU) dec. Alex Rinaldi (Drexel), 10-7
#2 Kyle Czarnecki (Boston) injury def. #3 Jim Resnick (Rider), 6:52

Second Round Consolation
#4 Caleb Wallace (Bing) med. forfeit #3 Jim Resnick (Rider)
Jermaine John (Hofstra) major dec. Alex Rinaldi (Drexel), 12-3

Championship 
#1 Te Edwards (ODU) dec. #2 Kyle Czarnecki (Boston), 6-2
3rd Place
#4 Caleb Wallace (Bing) WBF Jermaine John (Hofstra), 0:55
True Second
#2 Kyle Czarnecki (Boston) dec. #4 Caleb Wallace (Bing), 7-3

184 Pounds 
#1 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) major dec. Niccolo Becattini (Drexel), 10-2
Hunter Meys (Boston) WBF #3 Clint Morrison (Rider), 3:51
#2 Nate Schiedel (Bing) WBF Ryan Hembury (GMU) 3:13

Consolations
Clint Morrison (Rider) tech. fall Ryan Hembury (GMU), 17-2, 0:00

Semifinals
#1 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) dec. #4 Billy Curling (ODU), 4-0
#2 Nate Schiedel (Bing) dec. Hunter Meys (Boston), 4-2

Second Round Consolations
Hunter Meys (Boston) WBF Niccolo Becattini (Drexel), 4:20
#4 Billy Curling (ODU) dec. #3 Clint Morrison (Rider), 2-0

Championship 
#1 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) dec. #2 Nate Schiedel (Bing), 6-0
3rd Place
Hunter Meys (Boston) dec. #4 Billy Curling (ODU), 3-2

197 Pounds 
#1 Bagna Tovuujav (GMU) major dec. Cody Reed (Bing), 15-4
#3 Brandon Palik (Drexel) dec. Donald McNeil (Rider), 3-1
#2 John Hall (Boston) dec. Tim Murphy (Hofstra), 10-4

Consolations
Donald McNeil (Rider) major dec. Tim Murphy (Hofstra), 16-6

Semifinals
#1 Bagna Tovuujav (GMU) dec. #4 Joe Budi (ODU), 3-1 tb1
#3 Brandon Palik (Drexel) dec. #2 John Hall (Boston), 8-1

Second Round Consolations
Cody Reed (Bing) dec. #2 John Hall (Boston), 9-5
#4 Joe Budi (ODU) dec. Donald McNeil (Rider), 5-3

Championship 
#1 Bagna Tovuujav (GMU) dec. #3 Brandon Palik (Drexel), 3-1 tb1
3rd Place
#4 Joe Budi (ODU) dec. Cody Reed (Bing), 7-5 tb1

285 Pounds
#1 Kyle Frey (Drexel) dec. Matt Tourdot (ODU), 3-2
#4 Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec. Evan Craig (Rider), 2-1
#3 Kevin Innis (Boston) dec. Adam Barnette (GMU), 8-2

Consolations
Matt Tourdot (ODU) dec. Evan Craig (Rider), 6-3

Semifinals
#1 Kyle Frey (Drexel) dec. #4 Paul Snyder (Hofstra), 2-1
#2 Nick Gwiazdowski (Bing) major dec. #3 Kevin Ennis (Boston), 13-3

Second Round Consolations
#3 Kevin Innis (Boston) dec. Matt Tourdot (ODU), 10-6
#4 Paul Snyder (Hofstra) WBF Adam Barnette (GMU), 6:42

Championship 
#2 Nick Gwiazdowski (Bing) dec. #1 Kyle Frey (Drexel), 3-1
3rd Place
#3 Kevin Innis (Boston) dec. #4 Paul Snyder (Hofstra), 3-2

For final brackets, see:

Click to access 829847.pdf

— Hofstra Athletic Communications

Army Finishes Ninth at EIWA Championships

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PRINCETON, N.J. – Freshman Cole Gracey placed third at 165 pounds, and senior Derek Stanley took fifth at 197 pounds as the Army wrestling team finished ninth at the 108th EIWA Championships on Sunday inside Jadwin Gym on the campus of Princeton University.

Senior Michael Gorman (184 pounds), junior Jordan Thome (133) and freshman Scott Filbert (125) turned in seventh-place finishes to help the Black Knights rack up 57.5 points and finish near the middle of the 14-team field.

Cornell won its sixth straight EIWA title, accumulating 151.5 points and edging runner-up Lehigh (149 points) for the team crown in the final bout of the tournament. American (103) finished a distant third with Pennsylvania (94.5) and Navy (85) rounding out the top five.

Gracey began the second day of competition by slipping past eighth-seeded Mason Bailey of Navy, 1-0. The talented plebe then knocked off Cornell’s third-seeded Marshall Peppelman in sudden victory, 9-4, in the third-place bout.

Stanley fell to fifth-seeded Daniel Rinaldi of Rutgers, 7-4, in the consolation semifinals, before edging fourth-seeded Daniel Mitchell of American, 4-3, in the fifth-place bout.

Filbert posted a 10-0 major decision opposite Lehigh’s Alexander Abreu in the seventh-place match. Thome and Gorman were both credited with wins via medical forfeit en route to seventh-place finishes in their respective weight classes.

Daniel Mills, meanwhile, lost a 3-1 decision to seventh-seeded Daniel Hopkins of Rutgers and settled for eighth place in the heavyweight bracket.

Army will return to action in a couple of weeks (March 15-17) when the Black Knights travel to St. Louis, Mo., for the NCAA Championships.

Scott Filbert (125 Pounds)
Defeated Alexander Abreu (Lehigh), 10-0 (MD)

Jordan Thome (133 Pounds)
Defeated #8 Christopher Perez (Princeton), medical forfeit

Cole Gracey (165 Pounds)
Defeated #8 Mason Bailey (Navy), 1-0
Defeated #3 Marshall Peppelman (Cornell), 9-4 (sv1)

Michael Gorman (184 Pounds)
Defeated Zachary Moran (Sacred Heart), medical forfeit

Derek Stanley (197 Pounds)
Lost to #5 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers), 7-4
Defeated #4 Daniel Mitchell (American), 4-3

Daniel Mills (285 Pounds)
Lost to #7 Daniel Hopkins (Rutgers), 3-1

 –goarmysports.com

Three Bearcats Win CAA Championships, Team Takes Second

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Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

VESTAL, N.Y.—Hofstra crowned four individual champions and added two runnersup to edge host Binghamton by two points (80.5-78.5) and capture the program’s second straight CAA Wrestling Championship and 10th in the last 11 years. The seven-team event was held at Binghamton’s Events Center with seven teams and 70 wrestlers competing for the team crown and 23 NCAA individual berths.

After Hofstra and Binghamton in the team standings were Old Dominion (68.5 pts.), Boston University (34), Drexel (33.5), George Mason (30.5) and Rider.

Three Bearcats won titles: junior 149-pound Donnie Vinson, senior 157-pound Justin Lister and freshman heavyweightNick Gwiazdowski. Vinson, ranked No. 4 in the country, racked up a pin, technical fall and major decision and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. In the finals against second-seeded Justin Accordino, Vinson rolled to a 12-3 major decision. Lister posted two pins en route to his title at 157. he put a stamp on his third straight CAA crown with a pin in 1:32 over second-seeded John Nicholson of ODU. Gwiazdowski won twice to capture the heavyweight title. In the final, he earned a 3-1 decision over top-seeded Kyle Frey of Drexel.

Junior 184-pound Nate Schiedel won twice to place second, junior 133-pound Patrick Hunter went 3-1 to place third and freshman 174-pound Caleb Wallace won twice to take third. Hunter’s only loss was a tiebreaking 6-4 decision at the hands of eventual runnerup Jamie Franco of Hofstra and he knocked off the top two seeds in his weight class. Wallace won twice, including a dramatic pin of Hofstra’s Jermaine John in the third-place bout, before losing to Boston’s Kyle Czarnecki 7-3 for “true” second with an NCAA spot on the line. Also suffering a heartbreaking defeat was sophomore 197-pound Cody Reed, who was ahead 5-3 with 11 seconds left in his third-place match with Joe Budi of ODU. Budi, however, took advantage of a false whistle and grabbed an uncontested takedown to force overtime. In the one-minute tiebreaker, Budi shot in and ended the match, leaving Reed to await a possible NCAA at-large bid next week.

“Our top-level guys wrestled extremely well,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “They are wrestling their best at the right time. I thought Patrick (Hunter) had a great tournament. I don’t know what happened in Cody’s match. Now he’s on the bubble for NCAAs.”

Four Bearcats secured NCAA Championship berths: Vinson, Lister, Schiedel and Gwiazdowski. Reed and senior 165-pound Matt Kaylor will hope for NCAA at-large selections next week. Kaylor went 2-2, suffering a 6-4 tiebreaker loss to eventual champion Paul Gillespie of Hofstra in the semifinals.

Lewandowski and Soria Earn NCAA Bids at MAC Tournament

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ATHENS, OH – The Buffalo wrestling team traveled to the campus of Ohio University Sunday for the Mid-American Conference championships. Though the team was unable to capture any individual champions, junior Mark Lewandowskiand freshman Max Soria earned automatic bids to the upcoming NCAA tournament.

After receiving a bye to the quarterfinals, Lewandowski defeated Kent State’s Ross Tice 3-1 in the semifinals to earn a shot at Central Michigan’s Mike Ottinger. After losing to Ottinger in December, Lewandowski finished the season on a 13-0 streak. The bitterly contest matchup went deep into overtime before Lewandowski lost on rideout, 4-3. Despite the loss, the Depew, NY native earned one of the conference’s two auto-bids at 165 pounds.

Soria lost both of his first two matches at 125 pounds, losing 9-3 to eventual champion Joe Roth (CMU) and 11-5 to Eastern Michigan’s Jared Germaine. With the conference boasting such a deep weight class at 125, the NCAA rewarded it with four automatic bids. With that fact, Soria was given a chance to wrestle for true fourth with a glimmer of hope to keep his season alive. Facing Northern Illinois’ Nick Smith, who came into the day ranked 20th in the nation in the coaches poll, Soria wrestled one of his best matches of the season and earned a 19-8 major decision to secure the true fourth place and an opportunity to wrestle in St. Louis.

Two true freshmen Bulls came in the top three at the tournament. Blake Roulo won his opening round match 6-4 over Shawn Fayette (Northern Illinois) and earned a 2-1 decision over Andrew Romanchik to earn a shot at the 149-pound title and the conference’s lone auto-bid. He fell to Kent State’s Ian Miller 12-3 in the finals, but earned true second with a double-overtime 3-1 win over Central Michigan’s Joey Kielbasa. Jake Waste needed to reach the finals to earn a chance at the NCAA tournament but lost 3-1 to Eastern Michigan’s Phillip Joseph in the semis. He rallied to finish third thanks to a 8-2 win over Northern Illinois’ Caleb Busson.

Senior Kevin Smith‘s quest for his first conference championship came to a frustrating end, as he lost in the semifinals to Northern Illinois’ Kevin Fanta 4-3. Needing to finish at least third to earn an auto bid, Smith lost in the consolation round to Central Michigan’s Scott Mattingly 9-2.

Waste, Roulo and Smith still have an opportunity to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, to be held Mar. 15-17. The 40 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 7, with the at-large selections being made based on head-to-head competition, qualifying event placement, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, RPI, and coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.

–buffalobulls.com

Columbia Earns Three Automatic Bids at EIWA Tournament

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PRINCETON, N.J. — Juniors Steve Santos and Jake O’Hara and senior captain Kevin Lester punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships on Sunday by earning NCAA auto-bids at the EIWA Championships in Jadwin Gymnasium. With 76.5 team points, Columbia finished in sixth place.

Cornell won the team title with a score of 151.5 — just enough to edge Lehigh (149).

The Lions placed at seven weight classes, including:
133: Kyle Gilchrist, 6th Place
141: Matt Bystol, 7th Place
149: Steve Santos, 4th Place
157: Jake O’Hara, 5th Place
165: Eren Civan, 8th Place
174: Stephen West, 5th Place
285: Kevin Lester, 3rd Place

“Steve, Jake and Kevin wrestled a great tournament and they are guys that should be in the NCAA Tournament,” Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Carl Fronhofer said. “They got it done this weekend so they don’t have to wait around for the qualifying process. I’m proud of them and I’m proud of the whole team.”

At 149 pounds, the top six wrestlers earned the NCAA auto-bids and Santos (23-9)  took fourth place after Harvard’s Corey Jantzen withdrew in the consolation semifinals due to medical forfeit. Cornell’s Chris Villalonga edged Santos, 4-3, in the third-place bout. Santos will be making his first trip to the NCAAs.

At 157 pounds, the top six earned the NCAA auto-bids and O’Hara (28-14) placed fifth. O’Hara had a 4-3 lead over Princeton’s Daniel Kolodzik in the consolation semis, but Kolodizik came back to take a 7-4 win. In the fifth-place bout, O’Hara used late takedown in the third period to edge Lehigh’s Biran Tanen, 6-5. O’Hara will be making his first trip to the NCAAs.

Lester (31-11) had the smallest room for error heading into Sunday as the top three heavyweights earned NCAA auto-bids. He opened the day with a 1:34 pin over Penn’s Steven Graziano to advance to the third-place bout. The victory marked the 100th win of Lester’s outstanding Lions career. Lester jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Navy’s Daniel Miller with a takedown and a two-point near fall in the first period. He held on for the 6-4 win, earning his second-straight ticket to the NCAAs.

–Columbia University Athletics

Cornell Edges Lehigh to Win 6th Straight EIWA Title

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The 2012 EIWA team race came down to the very last match Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gym in Princeton, New Jersey.

Cornell came into the heavyweight bout with 151.5 points, Lehigh with 149.   As Ryan Flores of American and Zach Rey of Lehigh took the mat, there was nothing further the Big Red could do but sit and watch.  Or, in head coach Rob Koll’s case, not watch.

“I left the gym, I couldn’t be there,” Koll said.  “I listened to the crowd.  I knew a lot of cheering meant trouble and since I didn’t hear much noise, I knew we had a chance.  You could say I’m a fan of Ryan Flores.”

Flores defeated Rey in last year’s 285-pound EIWA title match and did it again, earning a 3-1 decision on a takedown in sudden victory.  That result sealed the EIWA crown for the Big Red for the sixth consecutive time.

“It’s so hard when you don’t have a guy out there and your team’s outcome is being determined,” added Cornell assistant coach Damion Hahn. “I have to say thank you to Flores.  He’s my favorite wrestler on another team right now.  He helped Cornell make history today with our sixth in a row.”

The Big Red came into the final session with a lead of 2.5 points over the Mountain Hawks after an eventful morning.

Frank Perrelli helped to extend that lead with a 7-4 win in the 125 pound championship bout over Princeton’s Garrett Frey.  The senior was on the offensive all weekend as he notched two technical falls and a major on his way to his second consecutive EIWA title.

“Frank went after guys the whole tournament,” Hahn said. “He’s at his best when he’s attacking and he’s in such good shape that we keep telling him to keep shooting.  He will have a lot of success at NCAAs, especially if he keeps that up.”

The Big Red had the chance to increase the margin at 141 pounds when Mike Nevinger took on Matt Mariacher.  But the defending conference champion from American dominated in neutral, earning three takedowns in a 6-4 triumph.

“The finals match wasn’t indicative of what Mike can do,” Koll said.  “He was out of his stance way too many times.  But he had a huge win in the semis [over Lehigh’s Stephen Dutton]. I can’t say enough about how excited I am about his improvement.”

“Nevinger is the epitome of what you want in a college wrestler.  He’s tough and a workhorse,” Hahn added. “We expect him on the podium and I know he expects that of himself.  It might be forgotten at this point but his win in the semis was huge, it really propelled us towards the title.”

At 149 pounds, Lehigh had an opportunity to narrow the gap with surprise finalist Shane Welsh.  The junior had been in and out of the lineup for the Mountain Hawks, but upset Chris Villalonga in overtime in the quarters and received a medical forfeit in the semis from Corey Jantzen to make the title bout.   He took full advantage, soundly defeating American’s Kevin Tao 4-0.

It was Cornell’s turn to respond and two-time national champion Kyle Dake did just that.  He used a takedown at the end of the second period and an escape in the third to score a 3-0 win over Harvard’s Walter Peppelman.

“When Kyle goes out there, I just sit back and just watch,” Hahn said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll win. I don’t get nervous at all.  He’s a pleasure to watch.  It doesn’t matter if the guy has Kyle in the air, on his back, whatever.  He’ll wrestle the position and come out on top.  He’s a winner, plain and simple.”

Then it was Lehigh’s turn again.  Brandon Hatchett missed nearly two months of action with an injury but lived up to his number one seed at 165 pounds by topping last season’s EIWA victor Scott Winston of Rutgers in sudden victory.

The only head to head meeting between the top two teams was next with Robert Hamlin of Lehigh taking on Steve Bosak of Cornell at 184 pounds.  Hamlin had beaten Bosak three out of the four times they wrestled, with every match going down to the wire.  This time, it was no different.

In a 1-1 bout late in the third, Bosak took a shot that Hamlin countered for a takedown of his own.  With just seconds left, Bosak came close to the winning points, but ran out of time in a 3-2 decision.   The team from Bethlehem jumped out to a 149-147.5 advantage.

“We came in with a little bit of a different strategy than the dual meet,” Hahn said of Bosak’s 2-1 win over Hamlin on January 8. “Steve was a little frustrated that he wasn’t offensive enough in that match.  But that late in the match, he didn’t need to force the action. He went after it and got scored on.  He’ll probably get another chance at him in a few weeks.”

Now in second place, Cornell needed a win from 197-pound senior Cam Simaz.  He faced a very familiar foe, Micah Burak of Penn, whom he had defeated eight times during his career coming into the bout.

This match yielded the same results as Simaz picked up a 9-4 win en route to his fourth EIWA title and Most Outstanding Wrestler honors.  He also received the John Fletcher Trophy as the wrestler who scored the most points for his team at EIWAs during his career.

“Truthfully, we were hoping for some bonus points,” Hahn said of his 197 pounder, who had won 23 of his 25 matches by bonus heading into the finals. “He had an opportunity in the second period when he put Burak on his back and I thought he was about to pin him.  But Burak wrestled a very strategic match and kept things somewhat close.   I believe Cam is the most dominant wrestler in college this year and it showed again this weekend.”

After that bout, the score read Cornell 151.5 and Lehigh 149 and after Flores got his hand raised, that score became final.

Several other wrestlers played important roles in bringing the conference trophy back to Ithaca.

Chris Villalonga bounced back to take third at 149, avenging a dual meet loss to Columbia’s Steve Santos along the way.  Marshall Peppelman earned fourth at 165, winning in dramatic fashion against last season’s EIWA runner up Eren Civan late on Saturday to stay alive for an NCAA qualifying slot.  Nick Arujau overcame a difficult 3-2 loss to top seeded Steven Keith in his first match on Sunday to take fifth at 133.  All three punched their tickets to NCAAs in St. Louis with their performances.

“We put a lot on our young guys this year and this weekend, they wrestled well,” Hahn said.  “Jeremy [Spates] puts together highlight-lowlight videos for the guys and when Marshall saw his, he was shocked with how he handled some situations in matches this year.  I think he came in with a different perspective and he showed progress.  He has phenomenal talent and will continue to put it all together.”

“Villalonga looked really good and Arujau performed,” Hahn added. “Arujau had two losses to tough guys he could have beaten.  He was right there and he knows it.  He just needs to take that next step.”

Heavyweight Maciej Jochym has taken many steps forward during the course of the season.  He picked up some key team points with two pins and his fifth place showing.   He handed eventual third place finisher Kevin Lester of Columbia his only loss of the weekend and will wait to see if he receives a wildcard for nationals.

Despite the excitement in the finals, the drama most people were talking about took place in the morning at 174 pounds in the bout between Cornell’s Billy George and Lehigh’s Nathaniel Brown.  The stakes were high, with a relatively close team competition and an NCAA berth for the winner.  George grew increasingly frustrated in the third period of a close loss.  After the clock ran out, he struck Brown with his knee, knocking the Mountain Hawk wrestler to the ground, where he stayed for several minutes.  George was disqualified and the points he had earned were subtracted from Cornell’s team score.  In addition, the bout was ruled a disqualification rather than a decision, adding extra points to Lehigh’s total.

“Obviously, Billy got caught up and let his emotions get the best of him,” Hahn said.  “He was frustrated and he lost control.  How he handled things was completely unacceptable and we will sit down and evaluate it and what the consequences will be.  It’s a shame. He’s a great kid from a great family.  But he let his emotions take control.  We hope Brown is okay.”

The Lehigh freshman did not wrestle his match for third place and further information on his status was not available after the tournament.

It was a low point in a day that should have been a celebration of an achievement not seen in the modern era.  No team had captured six in a row since prior to World War II.

“Rob [Koll] brushes it off like it’s no big deal, but it’s an amazing accomplishment,” Hahn said. “He deserves to be honored.  What he has done in his time at Cornell is spectacular.  We keep saying that the best is yet to come and I believe it.  We’ve been close to our goal of winning NCAAs and it will happen. That’s what we’re ultimately shooting for.”

Hahn acknowledges that Cornell is not frequently mentioned among the contenders for this year’s NCAA crown, but with three returning All-Americans in the title hunt (Dake, Bosak and Simaz) and eight automatic qualifiers, Hahn thinks the team will make its presence felt in St. Louis.

“Our confidence is high going into the nationals,” he said.  “We’re an underdog but we’re ready to perform.   We can’t wait.”

 

–Betsy Veysman

Never Say Never: Stanton, Greene Wrestlers Defy the Odds at States

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By Betsy Veysman

One team member was told in junior high that he would never wrestle again.  Another believed his season was finished over a month ago after a car accident.  A third was unable to effectively use his right hand due to a pinched nerve and a fourth failed to place in two tournaments early in the campaign.  But on the biggest weekend of the high school calendar, the squad from Greene High School overcame adversity to produce three medalists, including a dominant state champion, and a fourth place finish in the Division II points race.

You can’t talk about the Greene weekend without mentioning 2:57.  Two minutes and fifty-seven seconds. That’s all it took for 220 pounder Kyle Stanton to pin all four of his weekend opponents and capture the state championship in his final high school match.

“It was one of the most amazing feelings ever,” Stanton said. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.  I watched [former Greene wrestlers] Nick Wilcox and Tyler Beckwith win titles and wanted it so badly for myself.”

Not bad for someone who thought just a few years ago that he had hung up his wrestling shoes forever.

When he was in seventh grade, doctors told Stanton that he had a genetic defect in his back.  The first medical opinion he received was that he would never wrestle again.  It was devastating news for someone who had been successfully competing in the sport since he was in peewees.

“Everything was based around wrestling for me at that time,” he said. “I felt like my whole life was being taken away.”

But another surgeon told him that there was hope.  He believed he could operate and insert two titanium rods in his back to support the vertebrae.  If Stanton followed a slow and controlled rehabilitation process, getting back on the mats would be a possibility.  Stanton happily agreed.

“Kyle just lit up when he heard there was a chance,” said Greene head coach Tim Jenks. “He was so excited and willing to do whatever the doctor told him.”

After the procedure, Stanton was not cleared to wrestle as a ninth grader, although he was allowed to play basketball.  But he couldn’t stay away from his favorite sport.  He stayed involved with the grapplers by keeping the team statistics and attending every meet that didn’t conflict with hoops.

“I promised the doctor I would follow everything he said, word for word,” Stanton said. “When he told me to, I started doing some strength training with Dickie White.  That made a huge difference.  When I went back to the doctor after my freshman year, he was amazed at how I recovered.  He said that he saw no reason I shouldn’t wrestle.”

So finally, during his sophomore campaign, he was allowed to strap on the headgear again.  There were some initial concerns but those were soon alleviated.  Just getting back on the mat was an achievement; the results seemed secondary.  After all, he hadn’t participated in the sport in years.

However, Stanton surprised many, including his coach and himself, by taking second at the Section IV tournament after very little mat time.

“That was unbelievable,” Jenks said. “Without much wrestling for so long, the fact that he made it that far was amazing.”

He intensified his training and lifting and came into his junior year ready to take the next step to the state tournament.   After a solid year, a knee injury sustained in football worsened a few weeks before the sectionals. He fought through it, took second and qualified for the state tournament, where he placed fourth.

“I think the knee hurt me a little bit, but in general I thought I wrestled one of my best tournaments at states that year,” Stanton said.  “I felt that I was pretty calm for my first trip to states.  I wanted more than fourth, though.”

Immediately after the season was over, he underwent knee surgery.  Rehab was nothing new to him and he attacked it with the same ferocity that he attacked his opponents this past weekend.

Finally healthy, he came into his senior year with a new attitude and a single-minded goal.

“I knew it was my last shot and that motivated me more,” he said. “I also felt good that nothing was holding me back like all the other years.”

“Because of what happened to him, Kyle had a really special commitment in the room and outside of it too,” Jenks added. “When we did goals at the beginning of the year, he said he would be satisfied with nothing less than a state championship.  Sometimes kids say that but don’t put everything into making it happen.  Kyle lived it.  He practiced every day with states on his mind. He didn’t take anything for granted.”

Stanton, who plans to wrestle at the Division I level in college, established himself as the Empire State’s best at 220, compiling a 33-2 record with the only two losses coming to nationally-ranked AJ Vizcarrondo of Wyoming Seminary.

When he got to Albany, he didn’t waste any time demonstrating he was the best.

“I thought the finals at least would be a close match,” Jenks said. “But Kyle told me before the match started that he felt great and he thought he was going to pin the kid. He was so pumped, so confident.  He just had a whole different attitude.  He wanted it over quickly.  He was just so happy to be there.”

Also happy to be there was junior 160-pounder Mike Beckwith.  He began the year with 15 straight wins in contested matches, including a victory over 2012 state placer Stephen Lumley of South Glens Falls.  However, he was in a car accident in January and sustained a back injury that put the rest of the season in question.

According to Jenks, Beckwith was determined to wrestle at the sectional tournament.  However, it seemed that he wouldn’t be adequately prepared with just two light practices under his belt prior to the event.

“He did a little drilling but no live wrestling at all,” he said. “We were thinking it would be so difficult to get through four matches at sectionals when he couldn’t even practice with our 126 pounder. How many people could win sectionals with just two practices?”

Beckwith did, earning his ticket to states by picking up two majors and two pins on the way to the Section IV title.

“Mike had a fairly tough bracket at sectionals and to see him win it without practice was really impressive,” Stanton said.

In Albany, Beckwith went 1-2 with two close losses, including a 3-1 overtime setback in the wrestlebacks.

“Mike had to stop doing what he’s really good at,” Jenks said. “He’s an upper body wrestler. But it’s so hard to work the upper body stuff with an injured back.  He fought hard, but it was really his conditioning that lost him those two close matches.  He’ll be ready for next year.”

Also looking toward next year is 152-pounder Dan Dickman.

The junior had a rocky beginning to the campaign, with a 13-6 record at the end of 2011.  He didn’t place at the Jarvis Wildcat Memorial or the Windsor Christmas Tournament and moved around in the lineup, from 160 to 152 to 145 pounds.

“Dan had some down times early on,” Jenks said. “He was the runner up in the section last year but he had some trouble adjusting after moving up a few weights.”

Things started to turn around at Eastern States, where he had some quality wins and ended up on the podium at 145 pounds.   Even so, the cut was difficult so he moved back to 152, where he settled in at the end of January and won 10 straight bouts to give him momentum going into the state tournament.

He was unseeded in Albany and after a second round loss to eventual runner up Derek Pfluger, bounced back with three victories in the consolation bracket, all by two points or less, to take fourth.   Jenks said that he “couldn’t even breathe” in most of Dickman’s matches because they all went down to the wire.

“I was impressed with how Dan turned things around,” said senior Keegan Cerwinski. “Toward the end of the year, he got his head together and wrestled.  Instead of caring how he looked out there, he focused on his performance and it worked.”

“Dan came a long way since the beginning of the year,” added Stanton. “I was really proud of his performance.  Everything seemed to click at Eastern States and after that he started doing well.  He wrestled great at states.”

Also wrestling great at states was Cerwinski, who finished second at 182 pounds.  The senior outscored his opponents 16-2 in his first two matches before edging Warsaw’s Tim Schaefer 1-0 in the semifinals.  Cerwinski defeated Schaefer by the same score earlier in the season.

“Keegan was outstanding,” Jenks said. “He did a tremendous job to get where he did. I think I lost about seven pounds in the match against Schaefer.  [Schaefer] knew he had to get out from bottom but Keegan wouldn’t let him.  Although he lost to a very tough Tony Lock in the finals, Lock took neutral against Keegan which shows how tough he is on top.”

Not only is he tough on top, he’s tough in general.  He’s competed with knee and ankle injuries and a week before the state tournament, he suffered a pinched nerve in his shoulder.  He said he had very little strength in his right hand and was unable to open and close the hand or even hold a pencil in it.  Nevertheless, he finished his high school action with a state silver medal and has at least four meetings with Division I college programs in the coming weeks.

Afterwards, however, Cerwinski was talking about what his frequent workout partner Stanton had achieved.

“I don’t really know how to explain what Kyle did,” Cerwinski said. “He really came out of his shell.  He opened up.  I was surprised by how aggressive he was, even in the finals.”

Stanton has been thinking about a state title since he was in elementary school. Yet, the weekend exceeded his expectations.

“I couldn’t have imagined it happening like this,” he said of his four pins. “I thought I would have decent matches on Friday and then I would squeak out two close ones on Saturday.  It was better than I ever expected.”

For a young man told he may never wrestle again, better is hard to imagine.