Williams Wrestling Ranked 1st in New England and 15th Nationally
A year ago the Williams wrestling team finished third at the NEWA Championships and compiled a record of 11-9 in dual matches, but this year a lot more is expected from the Eph grapplers..jpg)
The coaches in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) agree and have voted the Ephs the top team in the region in the pre-season poll. NEWA has ranked the Ephs first in the region, one point ahead of perennial power Roger Williams University and two points ahead of Johnson & Wales University and just five ahead of fourth-ranked Rhode Island College.
The Ephs have also achieved their highest national ranking ever with their placement at #15 in the national pre-season poll.
Co-head wrestling coach Raf Vega is comfortable with the high regard with which the Ephs are held this season noting, "it represents the quality of our wrestlers and it speaks about our capability. Respect is something you earn and our guys have carried themselves with integrity."
Co-head coach Dan DiCenzo added, “I am not surprised. We had a strong season last year and wrestled a highly competitive schedule. We have eight of our ten starters returning from a team that features many strong wrestlers.” DiCenzo also noted the closeness of the voting. “I am also not surprised with how close the voting was because there are at least five top teams in the conference that are going to contend for the title," said DiCenzo. "We're excited about the ranking and know we just have to continue to do the things that have made us successful.” Vega notes that, "last year's finish is behind us. We're focusing on Day 1 and improving every day."
The 2007-08 Ephs did climb as high as 21st nationally and six of the nine weeks they were ranked in the top 30 in the nation.
Williams returns five performers who earned All-New England honors last season and two who competed in the NCAA Championships. Senior Ethan Cohen (125) who was named the outstanding wrestler at the NEWA Championships in winning the 125 title and junior Dylan Rittenburg the runner-up at 141 were both NCAA qualifiers last winter. Cohen was 35-6 as a junior at 125 and had big wins over Peppy Cabrera of Cortland and Mike Bastante of JWU. Both wrestlers were ranked in the country at times last season. Rittenburg finished second at the NEWA tournament to NCAA Champion Mike Bonora of RIC at 141 pounds.
Rittenburg's strong wrestling at the NEWA Championships earned him one of the four NCAA wild card selections from the conference coaches. At the NCAAs, Rittenburg beat the sixth-seeded Nick Sanchez of Heidelberg College in his first bout, he lost in the All-American round to three-time All-American Mike Grawin of Luther College. Rittenburg will move up a weight class this year to 149 pounds where he will open the season ranked sixth nationally. Cohen and Rittenburg, two of the Ephs four captains are poised to have another great season as leaders of the team.
Corey Paulish (141), Junior Carl Breitenstein (157) and senior Kyle Ayer (197) all earned All-NEWA honors last winter. Paulish will be moving up to 141 from 133 last year when he was named the NEWA Rookie Wrestler of the Year. Paulish went 22-5 on the year and finished 2nd at the NEWA Championships. Paulish beat Steve Valastro, ranked seventh nationally, of USM 8-0 at the NEWA Tournament.
Carl Breitenstein is a two-time returning All-NEWA wrestler for the Ephs and is the second highest returning finisher at 157 to Mike Martini of RIC. Breitenstein had an outstanding sophomore year posting a 28-9 record with numerous big wins over tough opponents, including a 10-3 win over Nate Bachmann of RIT a national qualifier in 2008.
Captain Kyle Ayer returns at 197 for the Ephs after a 26-5 junior year. Ayer had a tremendous season with his only losses coming at the hands of nationally ranked opponents, solidifying him as one of the best upper weights in the country. Ayer was second at the Springfield Tournament, 1st at the Williams Invitational, and 4th at the NEWA tournament.
“These five guys have really bought into what coach Vega and I have been teaching them about what we feel it takes to be successful," said DiCenzo. "They believe in the concept of the team and are willing to put in the work to get the results they want. As coaches we could not be more pleased with the effort and work they have put in this off-season.”
The Ephs also return numerous wrestlers that saw quality time last season. Senior captain Mike Penza returns after three seasons of starting for the Ephs. Penza had a great season last winter winning 18 matches and taking 4th at the Williams Invitational. “Mike is huge reason our team has made the commitment it takes to be successful on the mat," said DiCenzo. "He is a tireless worker, who leads by example and he inspires others to follow. Mike had a great junior year and we know he is ready for bigger things this season.”
Joining Penza are fellow returning starters, Drew Gatewood at 174, Nate Shippee at 184, and Tim Kiely at 285. Last year the Ephs were young at the top of their lineup but a year of experience should really make the top part of the line up a strength of this year’s team.
Williams also has rising sophomores Josh Mattana 133 who was 31-7 as a freshman, Zeb Levine at 149, Jon Foster at 165, James McCarthy at 165, and junior Paul Fraulo at 174 who saw a lot of action in matches a year ago.
Williams welcomes seven freshmen to this year’s team. Three of those freshmen are 285-pound wrestlers who also play football, Colin Curzi, Ken Murgo, and Nikola Mirkovic. “Tim Kiely did a great job at 285 for us last season but with the addition of three very talented student-athletes we will have great depth at the position as well as workout partners of the same size for the four of them to get better," commented DiCenzo. "We have never had this luxury and coach Vega and I are hoping it makes us more competitive at 285.” Mike Hanley also a football player will give the team depth at 197 pounds. Hanley comes from a wrestling rich area in Pennsylvania and was a very good wrestler for Neshimany High School. The Class of 2012 also features Brian Kim at 141, Mike Mara at 174 and Nathaniel Kastan at 174. This trio has done a great job getting ready for the season and the coaches are very optimistic about this first year group as a whole.
On top of a strong freshman class the team is excited about a great new addition in Ryan Malo a transfer from Boston University who will make an immediate impact for the Ephs at 184. Malo looked at Williams out of high school but took a full scholarship to compete at Division I Boston University. “Ryan is a great kid, who works extremely hard and is exciting to be around," noted DiCenzo. "He has really fit in with the guys on our team and we're excited to have him at Williams. I think he is going to open a lot of eyes this year.”
“We're excited about our team on the mat this year, none of this would be possible if our team was not doing the work in the classroom though," said DiCenzo. "Coach Vega and I are most proud of how our team has balanced being strong wrestlers and strong students.”
Last year the Ephs had the highest Team GPA of any NEWA team and then went on to win the NWCA Scholar All-American National Championship for Division III wrestling teams. Williams sported a 3.53 Team GPA -- the highest team GPA of any wrestling team in any division. In addition, the Ephs were also awarded the NEWA Sportsmanship Award, which was voted on by the conference officials prior to the NEWA tournament.
New England Division III Preseason Poll (1st place votes)
1. Williams (4) 128
2. Roger Williams U. (3) 127
3. Johnson & Wales (3) 126
4. Rhode Island Coll. (5) 123
5. Springfield 85
6. Wesleyan 71
7. Southern Maine 54
8. Plymouth State 46
9. Bridgewater State 22
10 MIT 10
Others receiving votes: Coast Guard, Norwich, Trinity, WNEC, WPI
