Springfield Wins 2011 NEWA Championship Tournament At Trinity
Hartford, Conn. - Senior Ron Fusco (Billerica, Mass.) earned the heavyweight title with a 4-2 victory in the finals to lead the Springfield College Pride to its 10th team title at the 33rd Annual New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championships this weekend at Trinity College's Ray Oosting Gymnasium. Springfield clinched its first team title since 2006 early in the day, finishing 34 points ahead of second-place Williams with 141 points. Wesleyan was third with 94.5 points, and Plymouth State and Johnson and Wales tied for fourth with 81 points apiece.
The New England Champion in each of the 10 weight classes at the tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships on March 11 and 12 at the University of Wisc.-LaCrosse. Williams and Johnson and Wales each had two New England Champions, including Johnson and Wales senior tri-captain 184-pounder Brennan Ward (Waterford, Conn.) who is the lone repeat NEWA Champion from last winter. Williams senior tri-captain Corey Paulish (Ridgefield, Conn.), who won the 141-pound title in 2009, also returns to the NCAA Championships due to his 149-pound crown earned this weekend.
Two No. 4 seeds and one No. 5 seed beat the odds with New England Championship titles, as Southern Maine senior tri-captain Billy Cole (Madbury, N.H.) zipped through the 133-pound bracket from his No. 4 seed with five wins, No. 5-seeded Wesleyan sophomore Kyle Roosa (Allegany, N.Y.) took two of three bouts from Bridgewater State senior co-captain Zachary Bates (Leyden, Mass.) to earn the 174-pound crown, and Fusco took the heavyweight title out of the No. 4 seed in the bracket. Williams sophomore 141-pounder Cesar Antista (Matawan, N.J.), Plymouth State junior 157-pounder Mike Willey (Tewksbury, Mass.), Bridgewater State senior co-captain 165-pounder Ethan Raymond (Middlebury, Vt.), Ward, and Johnson and Wales sophomore 197-pounder William Mulligan (Towaco, N.J.) each won his bracket without a loss. Rhode Island College junior co-captain Brandon Gauthier (Lowell, Mass.) suffered a 7-4 loss to Wesleyan senior tri-captain Chris Alvanos (Feeding Hills, Mass.) in a match that would have given Gauthier the title but pinned Alvanos in the second-to-last match of the evening to earn the crown. Mulligan was named the 2011 NEWA Wrestler of the Year.
On Saturday, Trinity sophomore 149-pounder Dan Lofrese (Stewart Manor, N.Y.), seeded No. 8, won his first match, 11-5, and dropped a narrow 3-2 decision against top-seeded Kevin Sutherland (Dauphin, Pa.), of Rhode Island College. In the consolations, Lofrese edged No. 7-seeded Bridgewater State sophomore Sean Fields (Norwalk, Conn.), but lost his next match. Freshman 197-pounder Petros Hologitas (Rockland, Mass.) was also 2-2 for the day, including a close 5-3 defeat against Mulligan in the second round. The Bantams finished in 13th place with 10.5 points.
FINALS MATCH RESULTS
125- Brandon Gauthier (Rhode Island College) def. Chris Alvanos (Wesleyan), WBF 5:40
133- Billy Cole (Southern Maine) def. Eddie Giron (Springfield), 16-3
141- Cesare Antista (Williams) def. Joseph Grippi (Springfield), 4-2
149- Corey Paulish (Williams) def. Ryan McGilvray (Springfield), 6-2
157- Mike Willey (Plymouth State) def. Andy Snyder (Coast Guard), 4-3 (2OT)
165- Ethan Raymond (Bridgewater State) def. Michael Monson (Roger Williams), 4-2
174- Kyle Roosa (Wesleyan) d. Zachary Bates (Bridgewater State, 6-1
184- Brennan Ward (Johnson and Wales) def. Jefferson Ajayi (Wesleyan), 4-2
197-William Mulligan (Johnson and Wales) def. Ryan Malo (Williams), 4-3
285- Ron Fusco (Springfield) def. Tom Foote (Williams), 4-2
2011 NEWA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Coach.
Jim Aguiar (Plymouth State).
Wrestlers.
Brian Borkowski (Plymouth State), Calvin Johnson (Springfield), Ray Jones (Trinity College), Craig Sattergren (Coast Guard), Eric Vance (Amherst)
2011 NEWA AWARDS
Administrator-of-the-Year
Erin Sullivan, Director of Athletics, Western New England College
Team Sportsmanship Award (selected by the tournament officiating crews)
Wesleyan
Highest Team GPA
Tie between Wesleyan and Johnson and Wales (3.225 g.p.a)
Coach of the Year
Darryl Arroyo (Williams)
Assistant Coach of the Year
Jay Holder (Springfield)
Man of the Year
Sebastian Amato, retired Trinity College head coach and Western New England wrestler
Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time
4 in 12:57, Brennan Ward (Johnson and Wales)
Fastest Fall
15 seconds, Cinjin Goeway (Southern Maine)
Most Outstanding Wrestlers of the Year
Bill Mulligan (Johnson and Wales)
Co-Rookies of the Year
Mike Lomio (Williams) and Colin Crowell (Roger Williams)
