We will be doing a live blog of the National Duals on the campus of Cornell. Round 1 (scheduled to start at 1 p.m.) will feature Cornell vs. Hofstra and Virginia vs. Nebraska. In Round 2 (3 p.m.), the winners will face off for the right to go to the championships next weekend at Minnesota while the first round losing teams will also wrestle each other.
To join the live blog, see this link .
On Thursday, the NCAA released updates to two of the key criteria used to select the field for the NCAA tournament – the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and the Coaches’ Panel Rankings. A number of wrestlers who compete for the six Division I schools in New York sit in those rankings. They are:
(RPI ranking, Coaches Ranking) 33 wrestlers make the field at each weight.
125:
Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (RPI 8, Coaches 6)
Steve Bonanno, Hofstra (32, 17)
133:
Jordan Thome, Army (NR, 28)
Jamie Franco, Hofstra (31, 31)
141:
Mike Nevinger, Cornell (8, 13)
Luke Vaith, Hofstra (10, 17)
Connor Hanafee, Army (26, 31)
149:
Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (7, 4)
Steve Santos, Columbia (NR, 6)
Chris Villalonga, Cornell (13, 18)
Daniel Young, Army (NR, 19)
Blake Ruolo, Buffalo (33, NR)
157:
Jake O’Hara, Columbia (21, 21)
Wally Maziarz, Buffalo (22, NR)
Tyler Banks, Hofstra (NR, 33)
165:
Kyle Dake, Cornell (2, 1)
Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo (7, 13)
Paul Hancock, Army (27, 23)
174:
Stephen West, Columbia (18, 21)
Marshall Peppelman, Cornell (16, NR)
John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo (NR, 18)
Jermaine John, Hofstra (25, NR)
Coleman Gracey, Army (NR, 33)
184:
Steve Bosak, Cornell (NR, 4)
Cody Reed, Binghamton (33, NR)
197:
Nate Schiedel, Binghamton (16, 5)
Jace Bennett, Cornell (17, 22)
Bryce Barnes, Army (30, 32)
285:
Stryker Lane, Cornell (18, 27)
Paul Snyder, Hofstra (25, 22)
For the full RPI and Panel Rankings, see this link.
Other New York natives present in one or both of the rankings are: (Feel free to provide feedback if any are missing).
133:
Nick Wilcox, Bloomsburg (13, 14)
Jimmy Morris, Rider (22, 26)
Sam Speno, NC State (26, 24)
141:
Steven Keith, Harvard (15, 11)
149:
Andrew Lenzi, Penn (NR, 33)
165:
Ryan LeBlanc, Indiana (11, 19)
Josh Veltre, Bloomsburg (23, 11)
Johnny Greisheimer, Edinboro (22, 22)
174:
James Brundage, Rider (13, 32)
197:
Christian Boley, Maryland (19, 15)
285:
Peter Capone, Ohio State (11, 12)
Ernest James, Edinboro (23, 20)
It was Senior Day in Section 4 on Sunday as both Cornell and Binghamton honored their graduating wrestlers. While the Big Red crushed Bucknell, 37-3, the Bearcats dropped a CAA dual against a surging Hofstra team, 23-19.
Still, the nationally-ranked seniors who took the mat for Cornell (Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak) and Binghamton (Donnie Vinson and Nate Schiedel) finished in style with pins in front of their home crowds.
Cornell Breezes Past Bucknell; Dake Pins #10 Lear in First Period
Bosak, Photo by BV
The Big Red notched wins in nine of the 10 bouts against fellow EIWA squad Bucknell. In their last appearances at the Friedman Center, defending NCAA champions Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak both earned first period falls. Also collecting bonus points for the Ivy League team were Nahshon Garrett at 125 and Chris Villalonga at 149.
For more, see here.
Hofstra Wins All-New York CAA Battle
The Pride got off to a great start, with victories in six of the first seven bouts, and captured a 23-19 decision against Binghamton. The win was the sixth in the past eight duals for Hofstra, which racked up four bonus points triumphs. Luke Vaith registered a technical fall at 141 while Steve Bonanno (125), Tyler Banks (157) and Nick Terdick (165) all picked up major decisions.
For more on the dual, see here.
Army Tops American
The Black Knights captured eight of 10 matches, including pins by Jordan Thome at 133 and Ryan Tompkins at 184 to defeat American, 34-8 in an EIWA meeting on Sunday. The results of Army’s dual with Boston will be posted when that event ends.
For more on Army’s victory over the Eagles, see here.
Cornell picked up two dual victories on the road on Saturday, including a 29-12 win over Columbia in the evening that sealed the Big Red’s 11th consecutive Ivy League championship.
Midway through the opening match against Hofstra it looked like a weekend sweep might not be in the cards as Cornell faced a 15-3 deficit going into the intermission.
Freshman Nahshon Garrett had given the Big Red a 3-0 lead after defeating returning All-American Steve Bonanno 3-1 to begin the dual, however, Hofstra registered wins in the next four bouts. Jamie Franco edged Bricker Dixon at 133 in the tiebreakers, Luke Vaith dominated in the top position in a 5-0 victory over Mike Nevinger at 141, Cody Ruggirello got the crowd excited with a pin over Ryan Dunphy at 149 and Tyler Banks outlasted Jesse Shanaman in multiple overtimes at 157.
“I’m not going to lie – it was a little nerve-racking,” said Cornell assistant coach Damion Hahn. “We definitely didn’t expect to be down like that. The first five weights, there was a stubbornness in how we wrestled. It was like the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. There were the same mistakes again and again. We went back to the locker room and talked about making changes in the next five matches.”
There was an immediate difference after the break. With his team needing a boost, three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake took the mat and delivered with a first period pin against Nick Terdick.
“Any time you start with Kyle Dake, you’ll get the momentum going,” Hahn said. “He was dominant as usual and got us what we needed.”
Peppelman, Photo by BV
With the deficit now a more manageable six points, the Big Red’s Marshall Peppelman took the mat against Jermaine John at 174 pounds.
The Pride sophomore held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but Peppelman notched a pair of takedowns, including one with less than five seconds to go, to capture the pivotal bout by a 5-3 score.
“We saw 174 as a toss up match going in,” Hahn said. “Marshall fell behind but he wrestled hard and stayed focused for the entire match. People don’t get to see how powerful Marshall is because he usually doesn’t take too many risks. But the people in the arena [at Hofstra] saw how explosive he can be. I mean, he hit a double in the middle of the mat and drove [John] all the way to the edge where he finished. And then with time running out, he hit another strong attack. In the past, he stopped when his shot was defended. In that match, he showed confidence and finished for the win.”
Cornell trailed 15-12 but it was smooth sailing from there, beginning with a quick fall for defending NCAA champion Steve Bosak at 184 against Taras Luzhnyy.
“I told Steve we needed six right before he went out there and he got the job done,” Hahn said. “I couldn’t be happier with what our veterans, Kyle and Steve, have been doing for us.”
And sophomore Jace Bennett followed suit with a pin of his own.
“Jace has been focused on some key aspects of his wrestling, especially not getting sloppy on top,” Hahn said. “We know he has a lot of talent. He can take down anyone in the country. When he gets on top, he has to focus on not rushing the legs. He needs to get to a good ride, in a dominant position and not force the legs. That’s gotten him into trouble. He did a good job staying in control.”
In the final match, Jacob Aiken-Phillips was in a battle with Hofstra senior Paul Snyder when the Pride wrestler injury defaulted.
“The last time [Aiken-Phillips] wrestled Snyder he lost to him at the Binghamton Open last year,” Hahn said. “He’s really good on the mat and when he got on top, he was riding really hard. I felt like he was gaining momentum. Unfortunately, Snyder got hurt.”
So, despite some shaky moments early, the Big Red captured the dual by a seemingly comfortable 30-15 score.
“Those last five guys came out and performed when we needed them to,” Hahn said. “Maybe they were a little angry about the first five and rightfully so. But there are definitely positives we can take away from winning at the end.”
Those positives carried over to the second meet of the day in New York City as the Big Red brought the Ivy title back to Ithaca for the 11th time in a row.
To watch videos of all 10 matches of Cornell vs. Columbia see this link.
Photo by BV
The Big Red never trailed as Garrett opened the event with an 11-1 major decision over Penn Gottfried. Leading the way for Cornell with pins were Dake and Bosak, with Bennett picking up a major at 197. Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149) and Aiken-Phillips all got their hands raised as well.
In the most dramatic bout of the night, Columbia senior Stephen West recorded a third period fall over Duke Pickett at 174. The Big Red freshman led for most of the match, but with little time left in the final stanza, West threw Pickett to his back and grabbed six points for the home team. Also winning for the Lions were Matt Bystol at 133 and Jake O’Hara at 157.
The victory capped off another undefeated conference season for Cornell and 11 straight years at the top of the Ancient Eight.
“We’re a little bit spoiled because we’ve had so many great kids over the past 11 years,” said Cornell head coach Rob Koll. “Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of not appreciating the accomplishments. We’ve had more losses this year, but we need to be thankful for the victories and not focus only on the defeats. We’re happy to be Ivy League champions again but we know that we have a lot of work to do to get our seventh EIWA title in a row, get to the finals weekend of the National Duals and perform the way we want to at NCAAs.”
Army Hosts All-Academy Championships, Navy Takes First
Army took fourth at the 19th Annual All-Academy Championships held in West Point on Saturday. The Black Knights were led by four second place finishers – Jordan Thome (133), Tyler Rauenzahn (141), Paul Hancock (165) and Bryce Barnes (197).
Taking bronze for Army were John Belanger (149) and Patrick Marchetti (157).
Navy finished atop the team standings on the strength of seven individual gold medalists.
For more on the All-Academy Championships, see here.
American Tops Binghamton; Kent State Edges Buffalo
Nationally-ranked 149 pounder Donnie Vinson notched another quick pin and Nate Schiedel picked up a technical fall at 197, but it wasn’t enough as American topped the Bearcats, 26-14 in Washington D.C.. Also getting his hand raised for Binghamton was Cody Reed, who won by decision at 184.
For more on the Binghamton dual, see here.
Meanwhile, Buffalo got off to a strong start against Kent State with five wins in the first six bouts. However, in the 174-pound match, John-Martin Cannon was forced to injury default and the Golden Flashes won the remainder of the contests, including a major decision and a pin to capture a 22-19 triumph.
For more on the Buffalo dual, see here.
Last weekend, two New York teams faced each other in a dual for the first time in 2013, with Hofstra easing past Columbia, 23-9.
On Saturday, a few more Empire State battles will take place as Cornell visits Long Island and New York City for meetings with Hofstra at 1 p.m. and Columbia at 6. The Big Red wrestlers defeated the Pride and Lions by a combined score of 52-21 in 2012 and would clinch their 11th consecutive Ivy League championship with a victory against Columbia.
With the season winding toward March and every match important for postseason seeding and qualification, here are some things we’ll be following throughout the day:
Cornell vs. Hofstra
Ranked Rematches
125: Big Red freshman Nahshon Garrett, now ranked sixth in the country, began to receive national attention back in November after his 13-9 victory over Hofstra All-American Steve Bonanno in the finals of the New York State Intercollegiates.
The Cornell 125-pounder has continued his stellar campaign, with a 29-3 overall mark. Meanwhile, Bonnano has compiled a 13-7 record against a challenging slate in which he’s faced seven of the nation’s top 20. He has been on a recent six-bout winning streak. Both wrestlers are threats to make the podium. How similar will the rematch be to the first meeting?
141: Mike Nevinger and Luke Vaith have both been ranked in the top 10 at times during this campaign. Nevinger still sits at #10 and has looked very sharp at times, including during his run to the Southern Scuffle championship. Last weekend, however, he dropped a pair of matches against ranked opponents. Vaith has won five of his last six. When they met in Ithaca in November, the Cornellian came away with a 1-0 decision. Who will take this one?
Other Postseason Implications
There are a number of weights that feature grapplers fighting for NCAA consideration, with 157, 174 and 285 certainly fitting into that category.
Shanaman, Photo by BV
157: Jesse Shanaman was 30th in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings. (Those rankings, which include the top 33 in the country, are one of the key components of the NCAA tournament selection criteria). The former Blair Academy standout will face the Pride’s Tyler Banks, who has recently returned from an injury. Banks is looking to state his case for postseason consideration, a process he began last Sunday when he earned his third straight win by edging Columbia’s Jake O’Hara, a returning qualifier who has spent some of the campaign in the top 20.
285: Both the Pride’s Paul Snyder and the Big Red’s Stryker Lane made the cut in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings at #25 and #27, respectively. Both have solid records, which would be bolstered with a victory in the dual meet. The two squared off in Hempstead in 2011, with Lane taking a 4-0 decision.
174: Jermaine John has started to turn some heads with his recent performances for Hofstra. He defeated Rider’s James Brundage, who was in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings, in mid January, and proceeded to win his next five contests. That included an 8-1 victory over Columbia’s Stephen West, a wrestler who not only was ranked in the top 20 for a portion of the campaign, but who defeated John 6-0 early in the season. On the Big Red side, the starting nod has gone back and forth between Marshall Peppelman and Duke Pickett. Peppelman manned the weight two weeks ago while Pickett took over last weekend and notched a major decision against Oregon State. With the season winding down, one will look to take control and work his way into the postseason picture. With John trying to do the same, it should be an intriguing match.
Cornell had representatives in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings in all but two weights – the previously discussed 174, and 133. The latter should be of interest in the dual as Hofstra’s Jamie Franco, a 2012 NCAA qualifier, is looking for a return trip. He was 8-11 at the end of December but has begun to pick things up, with three consecutive triumphs. A year ago, he got his hand raised against Cornell and he’ll look to keep his winning streak alive.
Cornell vs. Columbia
Villalonga, Photo by BV
Cornell’s quest for an 11th straight Ivy title is a major story here. But beyond that, we’re looking forward to perhaps the marquee match between Steve Santos and Chris Villalonga at 149. The two split a pair of close bouts last year, with the Columbia wrestler winning 2-0 in the dual meet and Villalonga responding with a 4-3 decision in the third place bout at the EIWAs.
Santos went on to make the Round of 12 at the NCAAs and has continued on a hot streak that has him ranked eighth in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings (Villalonga is 15th). There will also be implications for EIWA seeding, as Santos currently sits first in the conference while Villalonga is third.
Santos is one of the captains of the Lions this year. His fellow team leaders, 157 pounder Jake O’Hara and 174 pounder Stephen West will also wrestle compelling matches on Saturday.
O'Hara, Photo by BV
157: As mentioned above, O’Hara was upset against Hofstra and looks to get back on track against Shanaman, another wrestler coming off a tough loss (against Oregon State’s RJ Pena last Sunday).
174: West’s setback against Hofstra’s Jermaine John snapped a five-match winning streak, but the California native still has a 17-5 record for the year and is on track for his first trip to the NCAAs. Earlier in the year, West topped Peppelman 6-1. How will he fare against Cornell this time around?
197: In the finals of the New York State Intercollegiates, Jace Bennett dominated Nick Mills on the way to an 8-0 victory. In a prior round of that tournament, Mills defeated Cornell’s Billy George, 5-3. It will be interesting to see either of those rematches. Bennett appeared in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings in the 24th spot, but it was George who represented the Big Red at this weight last weekend against Penn and Oregon State. (Bennett did take the mat, but at heavyweight).
And finally . . .
Fans haven’t seen much of Kyle Dake during the conference schedule this year as he has pinned all four opponents with only one match going past the first period. No matter how long he’s on the mat on Saturday, it will be a treat for spectators to watch one of the best ever in the sport compete in his last Ivy League dual before gearing up for his run at a fourth NCAA championship.
CAA teams Hofstra and Binghamton both took the mat on Friday night after winning two of three duals last weekend in Virginia. The Pride defeated American at home, 21-9. After dropping two of the first three matches against the Eagles, Hofstra responded with five consecutive victories, beginning with a decision by Tim Murphy at 197.
Meanwhile, Binghamton lost a 21-18 dual at conference rival Old Dominion. The Bearcats trailed 21-6 after six bouts but mounted a comeback, winning the last four matches.
One of the highlights for the Bearcats came in the 149-pound match when senior Donnie Vinson pinned Brennan Brumley. The victory for Vinson was the 124th of his career, making him Binghamton’s all-time wins leader.
Hofstra 21 American 9
165: Phillip Barreiro (American) dec Nick Terdick (Hofstra), 7-5
174: Jermaine John (Hofstra) dec Keithan Cast (American), 8-3
184: Thomas Barreiro (American) dec Victor Pozsonyi (Hofstra), 4-1
197: Tim Murphy (Hofstra) dec Devon Bradley (American), 6-3
285: Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec Blake Herrin (American), 3-1 SV
125: Steve Bonnano (Hofstra) dec David Terao (American), 13-6
133: Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec Esteban Gomez-Rivera (American), 2-0
141: Luke Vaith (Hofstra) dec John Boyle (American), 6-1
149: Kevin Tao (American) dec Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra), 7-4
157: Tyler Banks (Hofstra) dec Mark Cirello (American), 3-1
Old Dominion 21 Binghamton 18
125: Rob Deutsch (ODU) tech fall Mike Sardo (Binghamton)
133: Scott Festejo (ODU) dec Derek Steeley (Binghamton), 6-4
141: Justin LaValle (ODU) maj Dan Riggi (Binghamton), 10-0
149: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) pin Brennan Brumley (ODU)
157: John Nicholson (ODU) pin Jack McKeever (Binghamton)
165: Brett Miller (ODU) dec Vincent Grella (Binghamton), 4-3
174: John Paris (Binghamton) dec Marcus Johnson (ODU), 4-2
184: Cody Reed (Binghamton) dec Austin Coburn (ODU), 5-3 SV
197: Nate Schiedel (Binghamton) dec Jacob Henderson (ODU), 4-1
285: Tyler Deuel (Binghamton) dec Matt Tourdot (ODU), 11-5
The NCAA revealed the first Coaches Panel Rankings for the 2012-13 campaign on Thursday. 25 wrestlers from the six Division I programs in New York were included.
There will be two more sets of these rankings this season and the final version will be used as one of the key components of the selection process for the NCAA tournament, along with winning percentage and rating percentage index (RPI).
Here are the wrestlers currently included:
125:
Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (6th)
Steve Bonanno, Hofstra (19th)
133:
Jamie Franco, Hofstra (Tie 27th)
Derek Steeley, Binghamton (Tie 27th)
Jordan Thome, Army (33rd)
141:
Photo by BV
Mike Nevinger, Cornell (6th)
Luke Vaith, Hofstra (17th)
Connor Hanafee, Army (30th)
149:
Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (3rd)
Steve Santos, Columbia (8th)
Chris Villalonga, Cornell (15th)
Daniel Young, Army (18th)
157:
Jake O’Hara, Columbia (17th)
Jesse Shanaman, Cornell (30th)
165:
Kyle Dake, Cornell (1st)
Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo (17th)
Paul Hancock, Army (22nd)
174:
John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo (16th)
Stephen West, Columbia (22nd)
Coleman Gracey, Army (33rd)
184:
Steve Bosak, Cornell (4th)
197:
Nate Schiedel, Binghamton (5th)
Jace Bennett, Cornell (24th)
285:
Paul Snyder, Hofstra (25th)
Stryker Lane, Cornell (27th)
For the full rankings, see here.
Cornell moved to 3-0 in the Ivy League with a pair of road victories on Saturday in New England. The Big Red began the day with a 35-6 win at Brown before traveling to Cambridge for a 24-15 triumph over the Crimson.
Leading the way for Cornell were five wrestlers who went 2-0 on the day, including four grapplers who registered a pair of bonus victories. Kyle Dake didn’t spent too much time on the mat as he recorded two first period pins. Fellow returning NCAA champion Steve Bosak earned a fall against Harvard’s Josh Popple after majoring Ophir Bernstein of Brown a few hours earlier. Meanwhile, 125-pounder Nahshon Garrett picked up two major decisions while 149-pounder Chris Villalonga had a successful return from injury, pinning Grant Overcashier of Brown before notching a technical fall against Todd Preston of the Crimson. Stryker Lane ended both duals with decisions for the Big Red at 285.
Cornell will return home for two meets next weekend, hosting Penn and Oregon State. For more on Cornell’s wins, see here.
Binghamton and Hofstra Each Take Two of Three at CAA Duals
Undefeated performances by Donnie Vinson (149), Nate Schiedel (184), Derek Steeley (133), Tyler Deuel (285) and Mike Sardo (125) spurred the Bearcats to wins in two of their three matches on Saturday in Virginia. Binghamton defeated Drexel (29-14) and George Mason (29-13) while falling against Rider (19-15).
With his third triumph of the day, Vinson moved into a first place tie with Josh Patterson for the most all-time wins in Binghamton history. The Marathon native will attempt to become the sole record holder when the Bearcats take the mat next weekend.
For more on Binghamton at the CAA duals see here.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Hofstra also went 2-1, topping George Mason and Boston while dropping a dual to Old Dominion.
Leading the way for the Pride were Steve Bonanno (125), Jermaine John (174) and Paul Snyder (285). All three were undefeated and each picked up crucial bonus points for the team during the course of the day.
Army Wins Big Over Bucknell
Bucknell got out to a 6-0 lead at home early in Saturday’s dual with Army, but the Black Knights took over from there, winning eight of the nine remaining bouts in a 28-9 victory. Putting up bonus points for the squad from West Point were Paul Hancock (major decision at 165) and Cole Gracey (injury default at 174).
For more on the dominant win, see here.
From Friday Night . . . To find out more about Buffalo’s first dual win of the season on Friday night against Eastern Michigan or Columbia’s loss against Bucknell, see Friday’s College Roundup here.
Hofstra won its first dual meet of the season on Wednesday night as the Pride topped Rider 17-15 in Hempstead. Both squads captured five victories, but bonus points earned by Hofstra’s 125-pounder Steve Bonnano and 141-pounder Luke Vaith were the difference in the meet.
The Pride will look to build on the momentum as they travel to Virginia for the CAA Duals this weekend.
Results
174: Jermaine John (Hofstra) dec James Brundage (Rider), 3-2
184: Taras Luzhnyy (Hofstra) dec Ryan Wolfe (Rider), 6-4
197: Donald McNeil (Rider) dec Tim Murphy (Hofstra), 10-6
285: Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec Greg Velasco (Rider), 5-1
125: Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) maj Patrick Skinner (Rider), 20-8
133: Jimmy Morris (Rider) dec Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 8-2
141: Luke Vaith (Hofstra) maj Vinny Fava (Rider), 17-9
149: Curt Delia (Rider) dec Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra), 7-2
157: Zac Cibula (Rider) dec Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 3-2
165: Ramon Santiago (Rider) dec Nick Terdick (Hofstra), 8-6
Courtesy of gohofstra.com
Hempstead, NY – 2012 NCAA All-American Justin Accordino‘s Hofstra wrestling career has come to an end due to knee injuries, Pride Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach announced Thursday.
Accordino, Photo by BV
Accordino, who had been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the National Collegiate Athletic Association last June, did not get to wrestle in any competitions this season and reinjured his knee last fall. He will have his third knee surgery since 2009 this week. He ends his career with a 76-42 overall record including a 27-10 mark in dual matches and a 10-2 record in the Colonial Athletic Association.
A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Accordino placed sixth at 149 pounds to earn his first All-American honor at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis last March. It was the second NCAA Championship appearance of his Hofstra career.
Accordino, who posted a career-best 26-14 record in 2011-12 including a 12-3 mark in duals and a 5-1 slate in the Colonial Athletic Association, placed second in the CAA last season after bouncing back from season-ending knee injuries the previous two seasons. He was granted medical hardship waivers for both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
After red-shirting as a true freshman in 2007-08, Accordino tallied a 25-13 record, was ranked as high as 16th, and placed third at 141 pounds in the CAA to earn his first bid to the NCAA Championships in 2008-09. He was 2-2 and advanced to the fifth round of the wrestlebacks at the national championships in St. Louis.
In 2009-10, Accordino was 3-1 in the second competition of the year at the North Carolina State Open when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He underwent surgery and returned for the 2010-11 season. Accordino posted a 9-6 mark before suffering a second knee injury at the Southern Scuffle. In 2011-12, he opened the year 7-7 before winning 19 of the next 26 matches after the new year for a 26-14 record.
Accordino, who earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts last May, is working toward a master’s degree in fine arts education.
New York Wrestling News 2012-2013 Archive 