Tag Archives: Finger Lakes Wrestling Club

Great Experience + Experience Greatness = NYWAY's Future Stars and National Duals at Cornell on Sunday

Posted on by
Reply

Two different ends of the wrestling spectrum will be represented on the campus of Cornell University on Sunday.

In the afternoon, the Big Red will host the quarterfinal round of the NWCA National Duals, including a trio of top 15 teams – the host school plus Nebraska and Virginia, as well as Hofstra, which had Cornell on the ropes after five weights in last week’s dual.

But before some of the top college wrestlers in the country take the mat, grapplers who are just getting their start in the sport will compete in a very different event.

NYWAY’s Future Stars State Championships tournament is open to first or second year wrestlers up through eighth grade who want an opportunity to get some competitive experience.

“There’s a gaping hole in New York for development,” said NYWAY President Clint Wattenberg. “There are a lot of places around the state where there aren’t modified programs anymore.  Even where there are modified programs, the kids don’t get much mat time or many matches to get hooked into the sport.”

Courtesy of NYWAY

“A lot of times, the modified season is only 10 weeks long and some kids only get six meets,” added Finger Lakes Wrestling Club Pee-Wee Coach Eric Toftegaard. “You can’t create good wrestlers when you’re only wrestling that many times, especially when you haven’t been wrestling for very long. We’re trying to bridge the gap.”

That’s the thought process behind the Future Stars, which pits novice wrestlers against others who are in the same boat.

“Wrestlers who are new to the sport often aren’t ready for tournaments,” Toftegaard said. “Who wants to go somewhere and get pinned twice against much more experienced opponents?  This will give newer wrestlers a chance to get accustomed to tournaments with kids across the state in the same position they’re in.  We think this will invigorate their love for the sport and encourage them to continue to their third and fourth years when they’ll be ready for other tournaments.”

The Future Stars event will begin at 8 a.m. and use Madison Style pairing.  The top four will receive custom made medals.

And after they compete, the grapplers will receive free admission to the National Duals.

“It was a really spectacular opportunity to do this event in conjunction with the National Duals,” Toftegaard said. “The kids will get a chance to wrestle and then stay and watch some amazing college athletes and some phenomenal wrestling.  They’ll see what could be if they remain in the sport.”

According to Wattenberg, uniting novice and top notch college wrestling fits perfectly with what NYWAY aims to accomplish.

“We’re trying to provide opportunities for wrestlers at all levels, to grow the sport in New York,” he said. “That includes youth, high school and college.  This event is another way to bring different levels of folkstyle together and have a great day of wrestling.”

For more information, see the flyer here: Future Stars Final-1

The registration deadline is February 15.  To register, see here.

Five Cornell Wrestlers Make the Semi-Finals at the Southern Scuffle; Several Army and Big Red Grapplers Remain in Consis

Posted on by
2

 

Cornell will send five semifinalists to the mat on Wednesday at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Nahshon Garrett and Mike Nevinger punched their tickets to the final four at 125 and 141, respectively, with major decisions.  Kyle Dake notched his second pin of the day to move closer to his fourth consecutive Scuffle finals, while Chris Villalonga and Steve Bosak joined him in the semis.

New York native Nick Gwiazdowski of Duanesburg High and North Carolina State will face defending NCAA champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota in the heavyweight semifinals.

A number of wrestlers from the Big Red and from Army remain alive in the consolations brackets and will continue to fight for third place when action resumes in the morning.

Here are the next matches for the New York-based competitors still in the tournament. For full results, see here.

Semifinals Involving NY Wrestlers

125 Pounds: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Nico Megaludis (Penn State)

141 Pounds: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) vs. Nick Dardanes (Minnesota)

149 Pounds: Chris Villalonga (Cornell) vs. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State)

165 Pounds: Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. Nick Sulzer (Virginia)

184 Pounds: Steve Bosak (Cornell) vs. Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)

285 Pounds: Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg, North Carolina State) vs. Tony Nelson (Minnesota)

Wrestlebacks Involving NY Wrestlers

133 Pounds:

Jordan Thome (Army) vs. Joseph Martinez (Virginia)

Mark Grey (Finger Lakes Wrestling Club) vs. Colton Rasche (Navy)

141 Pounds:

Connor Hanafee (Army) vs. Tyler Rauenzahn (Army)

149 Pounds:

Ryan Dunphy (Cornell) vs. James English (Penn State)

John Belanger (Army) vs. Luke Frey (Penn State)

165 Pounds:

Paul Hancock (Army) vs. Harrison Hightower (Ohio)

174 Pounds:

Duke Pickett (Cornell) vs. Todd Porter (Missouri)

Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) vs. Mathew Miller (Navy)

197 Pounds:

Jace Bennett (Cornell) vs. Nik Brown (UTC)

Weekend Recap: From Cornell and Army in Vegas to the Nittany Lion to High School Action, Including the Andersen and the Return of Vespa and Paddock

Posted on by
Reply

For the second consecutive year, Kyle Dake was atop the podium at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas.  The three-time NCAA champion eased his way through the tournament, pinning his first two opponents and then outscoring his foes 32-4 in his remaining three matches.

Kyle Dake, Photo by BV

Dake wasn’t the only finalist for the Big Red, which took third as a team behind Ohio State and Missouri with six total placers.  Also making the finals was freshman Nahshon Garrett, who continued his strong start in a Big Red singlet with a runner up finish to #4 Alan Waters of the Tigers.  The two will meet again in a few weeks in New York City at the “Grapple at the Garden” event.

All-American Mike Nevinger made the medal stand for the second year in a row in Vegas, as he took fourth at 141.  Chris Villalonga and Stryker Lane were both unseeded coming into the event, but both earned sixth place spots (at 149 and 285, respectively), while Jace Bennett took seventh at 197.

Joining the Cornell grapplers on the podium were a pair of Army wrestlers.  Nationally-ranked Daniel Young took eighth at 149 while Paul Hancock was seventh at 165.  The Black Knights stood 24th in the team standings.

Former Suffolk county standout Steven Keith of Harvard was fifth at 141 while Johnson City’s Pete Capone notched fourth at heavyweight for Ohio State.  For full brackets, see here

Cornell, Buffalo Each With Three Placers at the Nittany Lion Open

Photo by BV

The Cliff Keen Invitational wasn’t the only significant college tournament this weekend.  On the East Coast, Penn State hosted the Nittany Lion Open, an event with some brackets of more than 60 entrants.  A number of wrestlers representing Empire State teams impressed, with Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo taking second at 165 pounds behind last year’s NCAA champion, David Taylor.  Lewandowski’s teammates Max Soria (seventh at 125) and Wally Maziarz (eighth at 157) also placed.

For Cornell, Billy George and Joe Stanzione were both fourth, at 197 and 141, respectively while Ryan Dunphy took seventh at 149.

For the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club, Brian Realbuto continued his stellar year on the mat, making the semifinals before being disqualified. Mark Grey took sixth at 133, winning four straight after a second round loss in sudden victory to eventual runner up Jimmy Gulibon.  In the fifth place contest, Nassau’s Anthony Abidin, headed to Nebraska next year, defeated Grey, 9-3.

Former Duanesburg star Nick Gwiazdowski continued his successful redshirt campaign, taking first at heavyweight with a convincing major decision over Penn State’s Jimmy Lawson in the title bout.

For full results from the Nittany Lion Open, see here.

High School Weekend Watch – Andersen Tournament

In the high school ranks, there were a number of quality events throughout the state.  One was up North in Section 3, as the Bill Andersen Tournament was host to squads from Sections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10.  When the brackets were released, fans were intrigued by the possibility of returning state champion Zack Zupan of Canastota meeting Christian Dietrich, an All-State wrestler from Greene who missed all of last season with injury.  The match came to fruition in the 182-pound finals, but there wasn’t much drama. Zupan notched a number of takedowns in a 13-5 victory.

Brandon Lapi, Photo by BV

Two-time state champion Kyle Kelly of Chenango Forks looked strong at his new weight, capturing the title at 113 pounds with two pins, followed by major decision in the finals.  Other New York state tournament veterans such as multi-time placer Brandon Lapi of Amsterdam and four-time qualifier Isaiah Perry of Massena earned gold at 132 and 138, respectively.

Section 4 power Greene showed that it will be very tough in the middle to upperweights with finalists in four straight weights, starting at 152. All-State wrestler Dan Dickman began the run with the title at 152, edging Tommy Quinlan of Fayetteville-Manlius in a 6-5 decision.  Mike Beckwith (160) didn’t have any close matches as he earned two pins and didn’t give up any points in his other contests while Joel Roselle (170) also had a pair of falls (and a technical fall) in addition to a 1-0 title bout victory over Daniel Smith of South Jefferson.

Smith and South Jefferson finished atop the team standings, led by a host of top three placers, including champions Jared Carroll (99) and Caleb Beach (106).  In addition, Jon Crast was second at 132 while Antonio Diaz was the runner up at 220.  In bronze position were Ryan Charlebois (195) and Trevor Cowles (160).

For full results see here.

Returns for Vespa and Paddock

Seeing the names Vinny Vespa and Aaron Paddock in the box scores from events this weekend was a welcome site.  Aaron Paddock recorded a fall at 170 in Warsaw’s meet with Campbell-Savona.

Meanwhile Vespa wrestled at 99 pounds for Monroe Woodbury, taking MOW honors at the Carlucci Duals at SUNY Purchase.  Monroe Woodbury won the title at the event with a finals victory over Section 1 power Fox Lane.  For a detailed account of that event, see here.

Battle at the Beach

In the weekend preview, we spoke about the Battle at the Beach taking place despite severe damage to host Long Beach High School.  (The event was moved to Lynbrook High).

Dan McDevitt, Photo by BV

Wantagh won the event convincingly, with an improved Hewlett squad taking second and Syosset grabbing third.  NHSCA Nationals All-American Kyle Quinn of the Warriors earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors after defeating Long Beach’s Steven Sewkumar in an exciting 113-pound final.  Also capturing titles for the Warriors were Jonathan Loew at 99 pounds, Chris Araoz at 132, Vinny Turano at 138, Nick Vines at 145, returning All-Stater Dan McDevitt at 170 and James Corbett at 182.  Turano and McDevitt beat teammates in the finals –  Matthew Langan and Richard Grillo, respectively.

Several other wrestlers stood out.  Vito Arujau made a successful debut for Syosset at 106, dominating his way to the title.   According to NYWN contributor Irwin Loew, 160-pound winner Tim Davidson of Kellenberg had a stellar day on his way to the top of the podium.  Other champions were: Mike Petrone of South Side (120), Simon Greebel (Hewlett, 126), Konstantin Parfiyev (James Madison, 152), Dan Choi (Syosset, 195), Matt Mott (Lynbrook, 220) and Lester Enriquez (Hewlett, 285).  For more results from this event, see below.

Team Scores

1. Wantagh 357.5

2. Hewlett 210.5

3. Syosset 200

4. Clarke 150.5

5. Long Beach 133.5

Championship Finals

99 – Jonathan Loew (Wan) TF Alex Vargas (Syo) TF 18-2 3:46
106 – Vito Arujau (Syo) pinned Jack Nicholas (Syo) F 1:06
113 – Kyle Quinn (Wan) dec. Steven Sewkumar (LB) 6-4
120 – Michael Petrone (SS) md. Tyler Constantine (Clk) 12-1
126 – Simon Greebel (Hew) dec. Joe Hoffman (Clk) 4-1
132 – Chris Araoz (Wan) TF Charlie Curcio (Lyn) 16-0
138 – Vinny Turano (Wan) dec. Matt Langan (Wan) 7-3
145 – Nick Vines (Wan) dec. Rob Rosenberg (Hew) 3-2
152 – Konstantin Parfiryeva (Mad) def. Michael Tropiano (EM) by dflt
160 – Tim Davison (KM) pinned Joe Truono (Clk) F 0:48
170 – Dan McDevitt (Wan) TF Rich Grillo (Wan) 16-0
182 – James Corbett (Wan) TF Cedrick Stephens (Win) 15-0
195 – Dan Choi (Syo) pinned Zamarr Allen (LB) F 3:19
220 – Matt Mott (Lyn) pinned Enndy Nunez (Clk) F 0:35
285 – Lester Enriquez (Hew) dec. Mark Ifraimov (Mad) 7-0

Most Outstanding Wrestler: Kyle Quinn (Wantagh, 113)

Most Falls, Least Time: Matt Mott (Lynbrook, 220) – 4 in 7:19

 

For details on more of the high school action this weekend, see here.

To report results, please e-mail newyorkwrestlingnews@gmail.com

 

George, Grey, Cisneros and Realbuto Capture Titles at the Mat Town Open

Posted on by
5

Billy George, Photo by BV

There’s no doubt that Cornell had a successful weekend at the Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y., defeating Drexel and a pair of top 12 teams, Central Michigan and Oklahoma.  However, current and future members of the Big Red also racked up wins at another event on Saturday – the Mat Town Open in Pennsylvania.

Four Ithaca residents won championships – Cornell sophomore Billy George at 197 pounds as well as three wrestlers who committed to the Big Red and currently represent the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC) – Mark Grey (133), Alex Cisneros (149) and Brian Realbuto (157).

George, who previously took fourth and third at the Binghamton Open and New York States, respectively, went 4-0 on the day, outscoring his opponents 26-11 along the way.

As for the Finger Lakes trio, all three notched at least two bonus point victories on the way to first place.  For Realbuto, it was the second tournament crown of the season, as he previously captured the Binghamton Open gold.  He recorded two pins and a major, including a fall in the finals against Virginia Tech’s Matt Stephens.  He is now 15-1 overall.

For Grey and Cisneros, the championships were the first of their college careers.  Grey took second at the Binghamton Open and also claimed fifth at the Buffalo Invitational.  He was 4-0 with a pin and a major.

Cisneros, wrestling up several weight classes after finishing his stellar high school career at 132 pounds, also had a fall and a major as he took top billing at 149.

The champions weren’t the only New York representatives on the podium.  For Cornell, Marshall Peppelman grabbed third at 174 pounds while FLWC’s Angelo Silvestro (fifth at 141), Gabe Dean (fourth at 184) and Oney Snyder (fourth at 285) also made the medal stand.

Coverage from the Binghamton Open: Match Video with Champions Vinson and Realbuto (and More) and Update with Steve Bosak

Posted on by
3

Donnie Vinson, Photo by Boris V

Check out some videos from the Binghamton Open, including the 149 and 157 pound champions – Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson and Finger Lakes Wrestling Club’s Brian Realbuto, respectively.  In addition, Cornell NCAA champion Steve Bosak provides an update on when he expects to get back on the mat.

 

 

 

Steve Bosak  – Update on His Return

 

Brian Realbuto  (FLWC) vs. Mike Simmons (Rutgers)

 

Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) vs. Curt Delia (Rider)

 

Mark Grey (FLWC) vs. Dan Riggi (Binghamton)

 

Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) vs. Zac Cibula (Rider)

 

Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) vs. Garrett Frey (Princeton)

 

Mike Nevinger (Cornell) vs. David Batkowski (Penn State)

 

Gabe Dean (FLWC) vs Ophir Bernstein (NCAA qualifier, Brown)

Back on the Mat: Buffalo Invitational Kicks Off the Season for Many NY Wrestlers (And NCAA Champs Stieber and Kilgore)

Posted on by
Reply

On Thursday night, the college season officially started.  But for a number of New York teams and wrestlers, the 2012-13 campaign begins on Sunday at the Buffalo Invitational, which includes competitors from the host school, Army, Ohio State, Kent State, Bloomsburg, Edinboro and the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club, among others.  The following preview takes a look at each weight, both at some of the top wrestlers registered, and a New York storyline or two worth watching.

125 Pounds:

Nikko Triggas, who was an All-American for Ohio State in 2011, makes his return to collegiate wrestling after an Olympic redshirt year in which he focused on Greco Roman.  The wrestler who manned the 125 spot for the Buckeyes in his absence last year, Johnni DiJulius, is also in the field after earning a bid to the NCAA tournament as a true freshman in 2012.  Joining DiJulius in St. Louis last March was Long Island native Max Soria of Buffalo.

Max Soria, Photo by Boris V

New York Story to Watch: Max Soria had a strong run in the MAC tournament to earn his automatic bid to the NCAAs as a freshman. He’ll try to build off that experience for the Bulls, where his competition will not only be from wrestlers like Triggas and DiJulius but also from his twin brother Mike Soria, who is also vying for the starting nod for the Bulls.

133 Pounds:

There are two NCAA champions entered in the Buffalo Invitational and Logan Stieber is one of them.  The Buckeye returns to the mat after his exciting victory over Jordan Oliver a year ago in the NCAA title bout.  On his way to that championship, Stieber defeated Army’s Jordan Thome, who is also scheduled to be in the field on Sunday.

Sam Recco, Photo by Boris V

New York Stories to Watch:  Fans of New York high school wrestling can see the college debut of 2012 New York state champion Sam Recco of Lyndonville, who will hit the mat for Edinboro.

Another heralded newcomer at this weight is Finger Lakes Wrestling Club’s Mark Grey, who piled up accolades at Blair Academy as well as in the international styles.

141 Pounds:

There was a lot of talk in the wrestling world last week about former Warsaw High School standout Ian Paddock‘s 7-2 victory over All-American Hunter Stieber at the Ohio State wrestle-offs.  The Buckeyes could meet again on Sunday.

New York Stories to Watch: Two New York wrestlers will try to disrupt the rematch between Paddock and Stieber.  Former MAC champion Andrew Schutt is back after a redshirt year and looks to move up the national rankings.  In addition, Connor Hanafee will look to make an impact after a convincing win at Army’s Black/Gold Match last week. [NCAA qualifier Tyler Small is also entered].

149 Pounds:

Cam Tessari and David Habat battled as freshmen a year ago, with Habat coming out on top in an overtime affair.  Tessari got the upper hand in March, however, reaching the podium with a fourth place showing. Joining the mix will be Army’s Daniel Young who was off to a hot start in 2011-12 before suffering a season-ending injury.  Black Knights head coach Joe Heskett said he believed Young was on track to make the NCAAs and do some damage.  He’ll likely have a chance to battle some top talent this weekend.  Blake Roulo of Buffalo also looks to be in the running.

New York Stories to Watch: Alex Cisneros won three California state titles and will make his college debut at 149 pounds for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club.  Fellow Intermat Top 100 recruit from the Class of 2012, two-time New York titlewinner Jimmy Kloc (Buffalo), will compete in college for the first time.

157 Pounds:

Josh Demas and Mallie Shuster saw quite a bit of each other a year ago with Shuster winning their first two bouts and Demas taking the third at the NCAAs.  They will be joined by Shuster’s Kent State teammate Ian Miller, who was an impressive 28-5 in his rookie campaign at 149.

Brian Realbuto, Photo by Boris V

New York Story to Watch:  This weight class could provide a great opportunity to see what some of the Empire State’s best look like as they begin their careers on the college level.  Four of last year’s New York state champions are registered at 157 – Brian Realbuto and Dylan Palacio for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club, Chris Nevinger for Buffalo and Tyler Button for Edinboro.  They won titles in 2012 for Somers, Long Beach, Letchworth Central and Phoenix, respectively.

165 Pounds:

Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) and John Greisheimer (Edinboro) were both within one victory of being All-Americans at 157 pounds at the 2011 NCAA tournament.  Greisheimer logged a quality redshirt year with wins over NCAA participants such as Daniel Kolodzik, Joey Napoli, Jake O’Hara and Donnie Corby.  Lewandowski dealt with some injuries in 2011-12, according to his coaches, but head coach Jim Beichner is very optimistic about what a healthy Lewandowski can accomplish on the national stage. Lewandowski and Greisheimer could be on a collision course, with highly touted Ohio State freshman Mark Martin another grappler to keep tabs on.

New York Stories to Watch: Justin Lozano spent most of his first year as an NCAA wrestler at 174 pounds before moving up to 184 for the end of the season.  Now, he’s headed in the opposite direction – moving down to 165. His first matches at the new weight will be a story to watch.  In addition, the second Simaz brother in the Empire State, Taylor, will begin his college career.   One of his coaches is older brother and NCAA champion Cam Simaz.

174 Pounds:

John-Martin Cannon took fourth at the Midlands last year during a redshirt season that Beichner called perhaps the best he’s seen from a Buffalo wrestler.  He’ll have a chance to make another statement with All-American Nick Heflin of Ohio State in the bracket.

New York Story to Watch: Buffalo’s Jake Waste had a strong rookie year, going 24-9 after starting at 184 and moving down to 174.  In fact, he was 17-4 at the lower weight and will look to get ready for a full year at that class.

184 Pounds:

Casey Newburg won 30 matches as the starter for Kent State last year, including a major decision against Vic Avery of Edinboro.  Avery is also taking part in the Buffalo Invitational after winning more than 20 matches in his first season of college wrestling.  Making his return after sustaining a season-ending injury early in the 2011-12 campaign is Army’s Collin Wittmeyer.  Ohio State freshman Kenny Courts was one of the top recruits in the country a few years ago.

Tony Lock, Photo by Boris V

New York Stories to Watch: Tony Lock, an undefeated state and national champ from Pioneer, will get some early tests from the aforementioned wrestlers as will Phoenix graduate Austyn Hayes, who took third at 195 pounds in his final season for the Firebirds in 2011-12. Another first year college wrestler worth following is Michigan state champion Gabe Dean, who will be making his first start for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club.

197 Pounds:

The second NCAA champion signed up to wrestle is Kent State’s Dustin Kilgore. He will have a pair of Buckeyes to contend with in his first action back after an Olympic redshirt year.  Andrew Campolattano made the Round of 12 in his freshman season, while teammate Cody Magrum has represented Ohio State at both 184 and 197 during his career.

New York Stories to Watch:  After two years in the ACC with Virginia Tech, Angelo Malvestuto returned to his home state as a transfer to Buffalo.  He bolsters the Bulls lineup and looks to compile wins right away.  In addition, a wrestler Army head coach Joe Heskett spoke very highly of in the preseason, Bryce Barnes, will get started for the Black Knights.

Ernest James, Photo by Boris V

285 Pounds:

A pair of New York natives head the field at heavyweight, with Peter Capone (Johnson City) coming off a successful campaign for the Buckeyes that included a runner up finish at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas. Edinboro’s Ernest James (Longwood) is looking for a strong follow up to his 30-12 campaign for Edinboro in which he beat NCAA bronze medalist Mike McMullan of Northwestern.  (Capone won an early December one-point match over James in overtime). A darkhorse may be Kent State’s Keith Witt, who picked up more than 25 victories for the Golden Flashes at 197 pounds and has made the move up to the heaviest class.

New York Stories to Watch: Justin Heiserman competed at 197 in his rookie season for the Bulls, but has made the transition up to 285 for his sophomore year.  Meanwhile, Oney Snyder, who was the Cornell starter for a portion of the 2010-11 season, will look to get off to a strong start to his senior campaign.

————————————————

New York Wrestling News plans to post match videos after the event.  Please check back later.

** The article was written according to the event’s registration as of the morning of November 2

Finger Lakes Wrestling Club to Host the FLWC Fall Brawl, Clinic with NCAA Champion Cam Simaz This Weekend

Posted on by
Reply

The Finger Lakes Wrestling Club is hosting the FLWC Fall Brawl this Sunday, October 7th at the Friedman Wrestling Center on the campus of Cornell University.   Get in some preseason wrestling and attend a clinic conducted by NCAA champion and four-time All-American Cam Simaz.

All ages and experience levels are welcome.  Weigh-ins are at 11 a.m. and action is scheduled to begin at 12:30. (The clinic will run from 11:30-12:30).

Please see the flyer for more information: Fall Brawl Flyer

Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Club Cup Championship

Posted on by
Reply

The Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club (MVWC) celebrated its 30th anniversary in style, capturing the Club Cup on Saturday at Chittenango High School with a 34-31 victory over defending champion Finger Lakes Wrestling Club.

As in the 2011 championship match, the title came down to the final bout at heavyweight.  With the score knotted at 31 after the first 14 bouts, Brian Ervin, a senior at Vernon Verona Sherrill High topped Josh Dembell to earn the victory for his club.

“Brian’s match was the deciding factor and he was one of the seniors that stepped up for us,” McGee said. “Another was [Chittenango’s] Cody Carbery who won all of his matches during the tournament.  He’s been competing in this event for so many years and was part of a bunch of teams that took second place.  It was nice for these seniors to finish with the championship.”

Winning the Cup, signifying the top freestyle team in the state, is not uncommon for MVWC, which has captured the title 14 times in the event’s 24 year history.  However, the 2012 crown ended a seven-year drought.

“I was really happy that we were able to win it,” said President Don McGee. “Shamrock dominated and won several times in a row and then Finger Lakes last year.  It was great to have the championship back, especially in our 30th anniversary year.”

In 1982, the club was formed to advance the sport in the smaller schools in the areas around Syracuse.  According to McGee, the original mission of the MVWC hasn’t changed in three decades.

“The goals of the club are the same as they’ve always been,” he said. “We’re strictly involved in the international styles of wrestling because in our theory, summer wrestling should be Freestyle and Greco. We believe that’s the pathway to creating a better wrestler.  We’ve always been open to anyone that wants to come in and learn the international styles and is willing to compete with us, both nationally and internationally.”

The international nature of the club’s activity has set MVWC apart over the years.  Travel, especially outside of the United States, is an integral part of the club’s identity and success, and has brought MVWC wrestlers everywhere from China to Turkey to various countries in Europe.  According to McGee, MVWC targets at least one major trip per year, in addition to typical visits to Puerto Rico and Canada.

“Surprisingly, the most important things the kids get out of our trips don’t have to do with wrestling,” he said.  “Don’t get me wrong, we wrestle national teams, top clubs around the world and get great competition that we learn a lot from.  But in essence, these trips broaden the outlook of our kids on the world and on life.  We don’t take tourist trips or stay in hotels or do bus tours.  We spend 10 days in the homes of wrestlers and other club members. We really see the culture of whatever country we visit and immerse ourselves fully in that culture.”

That was true of the club’s most recent voyage to Germany in April, where the team’s competitions with regional all-star squads and some members of the German National team were mixed in with exploring the area.

“We have a relationship with a small community outside of Stuttgart that has a wrestling club that’s been in existence for over 100 years,” McGee said.  “We developed a relationship in the mid eighties and have been going over there and having them come to visit us since 1985.  It’s like visiting family.  The kids get treated like family and for me it’s like a second home.  I walk into the shops and people know me by name.”

MVWC will spend some time in October in another familiar location – Puerto Rico – for the Copa Sparta.  But before that, there will be some attention on a domestic event – the Freestyle and Greco championships in Fargo.

In early May, MVWC won the New York State team championship in both Freestyle and Greco in the Cadet division.  Dan Smith (170) and Joe Nasoni (195) both earned double titles while Ben Honis (182, Freestyle), David Ciciarelli (88, Greco) and Ryan Snow (126, Greco) stood on the top of podium as well.

“It was encouraging to see our younger group win both styles and now the Club Cup,” McGee said. “A lot of times we don’t send large groups to Fargo.  I believe it is probably the best tournament held in the United States, but there are a lot of opporutunities out there, and when you can go on one of our trips to Europe plus go to Puerto Rico for about the same money as it takes for Fargo, traditionally, a lot of our kids have chosen those other opportunities.  This year we have encouraged Fargo a little more and we have as many kids going to Fargo as we have had in a long time. We’re excited to see what they can do. Their success rejuvenates me after 30 years.”

MVWC has seen a lot of success throughout the years, having trained Olympic team member Jason Gleasman in addition to a large number of college All-Americans in Divisions I, II and III.

“We have produced and worked with a lot of good wrestlers over the years,” McGee said. “It’s amazing that we’ve lasted as long as we have and we’re still relevant.  People just keep stepping up and it’s nice to see that.  We’ve rotated a lot of coaches and the quality of coaching has stayed consistent.  We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished and we’re excited celebrate 30 years.  Winning the Club Cup was a great way to celebrate.”

 

Club Cup Finals (Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club 34, Finger Lakes Wrestling Club 31)*

100 Pounds: Ray Sorenson (MVWC) over Tyler Bronzki (FLWC), 2-0

106: Noah Handy (MVWC) wins by forfeit

113: Lucas Malmberg (FLWC) pin Deandre Norman (MVWC)

120: Cody Carbery (MVWC) over Kyle Kelly (FLWC), 2-0

126: Tyler Heggleke (MVWC) pin Zack Benedict (FLWC)

132: William Koll (FLWC) pin Nick Petroff (MVWC)

138: Barney Prince (MVWC) over Tyler Hall (FLWC), 2-0

145: Aaron Benedict (FLWC) pin Sean McKenna (MVWC)

152: Kevin Thayem (FLWC) over Tial Thang (MVWC), 2-1

160: Matt Fisher (MVWC) over Jordan Torbitt (FLWC), 2-0

170: Dan Smith (MVWC) over Connor Halliday (FLWC), 2-0

182: Mark Fisher (FLWC) pin Spencer Norton (MVWC)

195: Reggie Williams (FLWC) over Joe Nasoni (MVWC), 2-0

220: Josh Langley (MVWC) over Matt Abbott (FLWC), 2-0

285: Brian Ervin (MVWC) over Josh Dembell (FLWC), 2-0

 Team Finishes*

  1. Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club
  2. Finger Lakes Wresting Club
  3. Matt Power
  4. Titan Albany
  5. Worldwide Titan
  6. Genesee Valley

*Information provided by Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club

State Champ Steven Rodrigues Wins FILA Junior Freestyle Title; FLWC Places Four

Posted on by
Reply

By Betsy Veysman

Steven Rodrigues ended his high school career at Fox Lane with a state championship.

This weekend, at the FILA Juniors, he added a national title to his resume.

“Going into any tournament, my expectation is to win,” he said.  “Whether it’s a local tournament back home or a tournament like FILA Juniors, I’m looking to perform my best and win it.”

The University of Illinois freshman did just that at 63 kg (138.75 pounds), going 5-0 on the day.

He began with a 3-2, 3-0 victory over Zach Stepan of the Minnesota Storm before dropping the first period to Badger Wrestling Club’s Tommy Glenn in his next bout.  However, Rodrigues dominated the remainder of the match with the Wisconsin wrestler, winning the final two periods 5-2 and 6-0 to move on to the quarterfinals where he faced Jack Clark of Raw 241.

“I got off to a slow start [against Clark], like I did in a lot of my matches,” he said. “I knew if I just kept my pace going, guys weren’t going to be able to hang around.  I won in the clinch in the second and then got to my offense and got a takedown to win it in the third.”

After that 1-1, 1-0, 1-0 triumph, Rodrigues topped Old Dominion’s Taylor Moeder to earn a berth in the title bout against Northwestern’s Jameson Oster.

The Wildcat grappler took the lead early, but Rodrigues responded, picking up two points for exposure in a scramble to capture the first period.  The second stanza had a similar beginning as Oster grabbed a 1-0 advantage, but the former Section I star took his opponent down with less than 15 seconds remaining to earn the victory, 2-2, 1-1. (The wrestler to score last wins a tied period in freestyle in most cases).

“I knew he was really funky,” Rodrigues said. “I knew he did a lot of crotch lifts and tried to stay away from that as much as possible. I fell behind both times and knew I had to keep attacking.  I didn’t think he could handle my pace.”

The winners of the seven Olympic weight classes earned automatic bids into the best of three finals of the FILA World Team Trails on May 25 in Colorado Springs.   The champions of those seven classes were: Joey Dance (55 kg), Mark Grey (60 kg), Destin McCauley (66 kg), Nazar Kulchytskyy (74 kg), Pat Downey (84 kg), Andrew Campolattano (96 kg) and Austin Marsden (120 kg).

63 kg is not one of those Olympic weights, so Rodrigues did not get an automatic finals berth.  However, he still plans to battle for a spot on the Junior World Team.

“I wanted to see how I would feel at 63 kg first and I felt pretty good,” he said. “I’m definitely going to the World Team Trials, either at 60 or 66 kg. The Trials are about six weeks away, and I will decide with my coaches which weight will be best for me and give me the best chance to make this World Team. Both weights are really tough, so I’ll have to prepare hard for this.  But I love to wrestle and compete and freestyle is really fun for me.  It’s something I’ve worked on the last couple of years, back in New York with Max Askren and Brian Realbuto.”

Rodrigues has continued that training in the Midwest and feels that the environment in the Illini room has already helped him step up his game since transferring in from Rutgers for the second semester.

“It’s been great at Illinois,” he said.  “I idolized [Associate Head Coach] Mark Perry growing up, watching him as a Hawkeye.  Wrestling in the Big 10 at a big time program really caught my eye.  I get along great with the team and the coaches and I’ve gotten a lot better.  But there’s still lots more to go.”

Rodrigues said he will compete at either 133 or 141 pounds as a redshirt freshman for Illinois next season.  But his freestyle goals are most important right now.

“[FILA Juniors] was great competition,” Rodrigues said.  “It was definitely a stepping stone in the right direction for me.  It was great to get my first national title and hopefully there are more to come in the future.”

Empire State Makes Its Presence Felt

Rodrigues wasn’t the only wrestler with Empire State connections to stand on the podium this weekend, as several grapplers who will suit up for New York colleges also had successful tournaments.

Four future Cornell wrestlers, who spent this campaign at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC), earned medals in freestyle.

At 55 kg (121.25 pounds), two candidates to join the Big Red’s lightweight corps in 2012-13, Caleb Richardson and Nahshon Garrett, took fourth and sixth, respectively.  The future teammates met in the consolation semifinals, with Richardson earning the three-period victory.

Also making the trip from Ithaca was Chris Dowdy, who notched fourth at 70 kg (154.25 lbs) with both of his losses coming to Isaac Jordan of Ohio.  His FLWC teammate Duke Pickett went 6-2 on the day and stood fifth at 74 kg (163 pounds) in a bracket with nearly 50 competitors.

While not Empire State residents yet, 2012 high school graduates Mark Grey (Cornell) and Dwight Howes (Hofstra) had impressive showings.

Grey, who was fifth at the Junior World Championships a year ago at 55 kg, earned the championship at 60 kg (132.25 lbs).  The Blair Academy wrestler won all five of his bouts in straight periods.

Howes, a Colorado native, took third at 84 kg (185 pounds) with a 5-1 mark.  Four of his wins were by bonus as he registered a forfeit, a pin and two technical falls.

On Sunday, five current Columbia wrestlers made the podium in the Greco Roman competition while representing the New York Athletic Club.  Eric Fajardo was the highest placer of the Lion wrestlers, taking second at 74 kg/163 pounds.

In addition, multiple New York high school wrestlers placed, including a runner up showing from Jessy Williams (Windsor) at 60 kg (132.25 lbs).

New York Placewinners – FILA Juniors Freestyle

 55kg/121.5 lbs:

Fourth place – Caleb Richardson, Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (Ithaca, NY)

Sixth place – Nahshon Garrett, Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (Ithaca, NY)

60 kg/132.25 lbs:

Champion – Mark Grey, Blair Academy (Cornell recruit)

63 kg/138.75 lbs:

Champion – Steven Rodrigues, Illini Wrestling Club (Fox Lane High School)

70 kg/154.25 lbs:

Fourth place: Chris Dowdy, Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (Ithaca, NY)

74 kg/163 lbs:

Fifth place: Duke Pickett, Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (Ithaca, NY)

84 kg/185 lbs:

Third place – Dwight Howes, Colorado (Hofstra recruit)

New York Placewinners – FILA Juniors Greco Roman

60 kg/132.25 lbs:

Second place – Jessy Williams (USOEC)

Fourth place – Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Buffalo Grapplers)

Seventh place – Jason Chudzinski (ATWA/USOEC)

Eighth place – Jesse Holton (Shamrock)

63 kg/138.75 lbs:

Second place – Tyrel White (Shamrock)

66 kg/145.5 lbs:

Fifth place – Matt Bystol (NYAC) – Columbia

74 kg/163 lbs:

Second place – Eric Fajardo (NYAC) – Columbia

Seventh place – Connor Sutton (Happy Yo)

79 kg/174 lbs:

Fourth place – Drew Rebling (NYAC) – Columbia

96 kg/211.5 lbs:

Sixth place – Matt Idelson (NYAC) – Columbia

120 kg/264.5 lbs:

Third place: Wyatt Baker (NYAC) – Columbia