Speicher Captains Trinity Wrestling Again In 2010-11, Bantams Open With Doug Parker Invite
Hartford, Conn. - The Trinity College Bantam wrestling team will open the 2010-11 season in the Doug Parker Invitational at Springfield College on Saturday, November 20. Trinity has re-established itself as a legitimate contender in New England in its fourth season under the direction of head coach Steven Makein, and should make some noise when the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championships are held on its campus the last weekend in February. Several young but battle-tested underclassmen and talented but unproven rookies populate the lighter classes for the Bantams, while Trinity should have the upper hand in talent, expereicne, and depth on several opponents in the heavier divisions.
Trinity will feel the loss of one its greatest talents both on and off the mat, as ESPN Academic All-American Jacob Gire'10 has moved on to medical school after a storied Bantam wrestling career. Sophomore Daniel Lofrese (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) is up to the challenge as Gire's replacement at 141 pounds, after showing promise in his rookie season. Freshmen John Williams (Winchester, Mass.) and Evan Robinson (Shrewsbury, Mass.) are the frontrunners in pre-season at 149 pounds, as sophomore Kyle Muir (Barre, Mass.) looks to build on a solid freshman campaign while moving up a class to 157 pounds. In the lightest classes, first-year Scott Gonzalez (Tolland, Conn.) steps in at 125 pounds, and fellow rookie Jesse Schley (Gladwyne, Pa.) does the same at 133 pounds. First-year Jeremy Rees (Framingham, Mass.) will push Lofrese in practice and for playing time.
Senior captain Ben Speicher (Boston, Mass.), in his second year as captain, has been a valued leader throughout his career, and enters his final year as one of the top-ranked wrestlers in his weightg class in the region. Trinity's deepest weight class could be 174 pounds, as sophomore standouts Kyle Lundberg (Guilford, Conn.), William Youngblood (Bernardsville, N.J.), who competed as a very small 197-pounder in 2009-10, and Mason West (Northbrook, Ill.) compete for the spot. Lundberg impressed in 2009-10 with a 19-9 record and six pins and an All-New England (6th) performance to close the year. Senior Emeka Kanu (Bronx, N.Y.) is a constantly-improving and reliable competitor at 184 pounds who has won 22 matches over the last two seasons. Highly-regarded freshman Petros Hologitas (Rockland, Mass.), the New England Prep Champion in 2010, and Youngblood, 12-12 as a rookie last winter at three weight classes, are both more than viable options at 197 pounds.
Junior and two-time All-New England heavyweight Greg Vaughan (Hingham, Mass.) continues to be a legitimate contender for the NCAA Division III Championships in March. Vaughan, in the best pre-season shape of his career, was 19-5 with 14 pins last season and has a 46-9 mark with 33 wins by fall in two seasons.
