HARTFORD, CT—The Williams College Ephs (1-0) kicked off their season with a 53-6 victory against Trinity College (0-1). With such high expectations for the season, coach Scott Honecker and his team knew they needed to start the year off strong.
The Ephs' NWCA 10th place ranking put the pressure on the Williams wrestlers. "It was good to finally be underway as the team has been training at a high level, and was anxious to get their first competition under their belts," Honecker noted.
However, the Ephs did not quite get to fully demonstrate their capabilities as Trinity forfeited their first six matches. Senior Kyle Gaffney, sophomore Christopher Chorzepa, junior Anthony Brooks, and senior Dan Kurnick were the only ones to compete.
Kyle Gaffney downed Joseph Gerish for a 7-0 win. Chorzepa also defeated his opponent, pinning Varun Konanki at 3:16 and Brooks pinned Taylor Hennessey at 3:53.
Honecker highlighted Kurnick's performance and leadership on the mats today. Usually competing in the 184-weight class, Kurnick stepped up to fill the team's gap in the 285-weight class. He competed against Luciano Cascino who outweighed him by nearly 80 pounds. "Kurnick showed the kind of leadership and commitment to the team that Eph wrestling is all about," noted Honecker. Although he didn't leave the mat with a win, he did leave to a standing ovation from the fans in attendance," noted Honecker.
Even with the win, Honecker and his team are aware of what work needs to be done for the upcoming matches. As Honecker said, "the best thing about today was we were reminded of how many techniques we haven't covered yet in the practice room. We have a tremendous amount of upside, but are going to have to stay focused to come near our potential."
The Ephs compete next on November 22nd at the Doug Parker Invitational at Springfield College.
MATCH RESULTS
125 - W - Jacob Cytrybaum wins by forfeit
133 - W - Daniel Evangelakos wins by forfeit
141 - W - Gabriel Corrochano wins by forfeit
149 - W - Jake Savoca wins by forfeit
157 - W - Jorge Lopez wins by forfeit
165 - W - Tim Garripoli wins by forfeit
174 - W - Kyle Gaffney d. Joseph Gerish, 7-0
184 - W - Christopher Chorzepa d. Varun Konanki WBF at 3:16
197 - W - Anthony Brooks d. Taylor Hennessy WBF at 3:53
285 - T - Lucian Cascino d. Dan Kurnick WBF at 6:31
