Collegeville, PA. - In their first contest of the season the Ephs preformed well. Three Ephs placed and a fourth lost a heart breaker in the consolation finals.
The format of Ursinus Fall Brawl tournament was double elimination. No team score was kept.
Freshman Ryan Malo won his weight class (184), senior captain Ethan Cohen placed second at 125, sophomore Corey Paulish placed third at 141, and junior Carl Breitenstein captured fourth place.
In a promising start to his Williams wrestling career, transfer freshman Ryan Malo stormed through the 184 pound weight class. Malo was able to pin his first two opponents in times of 4:50 and 4:21. In the finals he fought a bitterly contested match eventually defeating Nate Murren (Ursinus) on points (3-2).
Senior Captain Ethan Cohen breezed into the finals of the 125 pound weight class. He defeated his first two opponents by pin fall in times of 5:44 and 2:54, respectively. In his third match he beat Kyle Christensen (NYU) on points 7-1. In the finals, Cohen met Rob Miller (Thiel) who is the pre-season 9th ranked wrestler 125. Cohen fought gallantly but eventually had to settle for second place.
Sophomore Corey Paulish had a difficult opening draw in the 141 pound weight class. In his first match he fell to the eventual champion Anthony Rizzolo (The College of New Jersey) on points. However, from that point on he was as dominate as any wrestler in the tournament. He won five straight matches all on points. To go the distance in six straight matches shows Paulish’s dedication to his off season training regimen, dedication that should pay off the rest of this season.
Junior Carl Breitenstein had a strong performance in the 157 pound weight class. He won his first two matches by pin fall in: 2:45 and a speedy 1:07. His third match was bitterly contested, with Breitenstein coming up on the short end of a 4-3 decision. In the conciliation bracket Breitenstein won his first match by pin fall in 1:39. The third place match was one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament. Breitenstein fought hard and was forced to overtime by Matt Magill (NYU). Unfortunately, Breitenstein had to settle for fourth place after losing in the sudden victory overtime period.
All in all it was a productive first weekend for the Ephs. Many young players got their first taste of collegiate wrestling while the returning veterans were able to finally return to the mats after a long off season.
Look for the Ephs to hit the mats this Saturday at the Doug Parker Tournament at Springfield College (11/22).
Ephs have strong performance at the Ursinus Fall Brawl Tournament
