EWING TOWNSHIP, NJ — In a grueling three-round day, the Williams College wrestling team went 3-0 at the Metro/New England Duals, which as Eph head coach Scott Honecker puts it, "is a tall order."
Williams knew today would be a battle from the start, as they were ranked 27th and TCNJ was 25th. Today's three wins required solid performances from every wrestler, and that is just what they delivered. The result: three decisive wins for the Ephs.
"Today was a great team effort. Everybody pitched in and got a win in a big spot today," said Honecker.
The Ephs first defeated Centenary College with a large twenty-point margin, 29-9. They followed that with a win over Hunter College by a score of 26-19. The Ephs finished the day with a win over the host, The College of New Jersey, by a score of 21-15.
Although today's wins were a team effort, two wrestlers really stood out for the Ephs. junior Anthony Brooks faced a nationally ranked opponent in the 197-weight class. Going into the match, he knew a win would clinch the dual. Knowing he had to do his part to secure the victory, "He slapped on his signature cradle, and his fall was huge—not only to have a big individual win, but to ice the dual for the team," boasted Honecker.
Sophomore Ben Wertz, though, championed the win for the Ephs. Not only were the Ephs determined to go 3-0 in today's matches, but they had not beaten TCNJ since 2008. Honecker and his team knew that "the best we could do was have it 15-15 all going into the heavyweight bout." Almost out of nowhere, Wertz threw a headlock to get the fall and the win.
Honecker was extremely pleased with the team's victories and the overall progress they have made since the season's start.With the three wins today the Ephs extended their currennt win streak to five and improved their overall record to 13-2.
The Ephs still have their sights set on the future. As Honecker said, "We have two more competition dates before the regional, and we need a better performance each time." He believes that if they do this, they will be a force to be reckoned in the regional tournament.
Next Saturday the Ephs will travel to Middletown, CT, where they will face Little Three rival Wesleyan, Southern Maine University and SUNY Oneonta.
Round 1
#27 Williams College 29, Centenary College 9
125 Matt Morris (WC) by forfeit (WC, 6-0)
133 Alex Reeves (CC) dec. Daniel Evangelakos (WC) 8-3 (WC, 6-3)
141 Adam Swift (CC) dec. Gabriel Corrochano (WC) 7-2 (Tied, 6-6)
149 Jake Savoca (WC) by tech. fall Collin Farley (CC) 18-2 (WC, 11-6)
157 Jorge Lopez (WC) dec. Joe Bartolini (CC) 6-5 (WC, 14-6)
165 Tim Garripoli (WC) dec. D.J. Wagner (CC) 4-0 (WC, 17-6)
174 Josh Sibblies (CC) dec. Kyle Gaffney (WC) 8-3 (WC, 17-9)
184 Christopher Chorzepa (WC) by forfeit (WC, 23-9)
197 Anthony Brooks (WC) dec. Joey Ragsdale (CC) 9-4 (WC, 26-6)
285 Ben Wertz (WC) dec. Josh Caven (CC) 2-1 (WC, 29,6)
Round 2
#27 Williams College 26, Hunter College 19
125 Kenny Albert (HC) dec. Matt Morris (WC) 7-5 (HC, 3-0)
133 Stephen Drew (HC) dec. Daniel Evangelakos (WC) 8-5 (HC, 6-0)
141 Cary Palmer (HC) maj. dec. Gabriel Corrochano (WC) 10-0 (HC, 10-0)
149 Jake Savoca (WC) pinned Narankuu Ganbaatar (HC) 1:17 (HC, 10-6)
157 Jorge Lopez (WC) maj. dec. Nick Wilkie (HC) 10-2 (Tied, 10-10)
165 Jesse Bader (HC) dec. Tim Garripoli (WC) 3-2 (HC, 13-10)
174 Kyle Gaffney (WC) maj. dec. Nick Brutus (HC) 11-1 (WC, 14-13)
184 Christopher Chorzepa (WC) pinned Maksimilian Garkusha (HC) 1:48 (WC, 20-13)
197 Anthony Brooks (WC) pinned Dennis Melendez (HC) 3:19 (WC, 26-13)
285 Patryk Kopczynski (HC) pinned Ben Wertz (WC) 4:50 (WC, 26-19)
Round 3
#27 Williams College 21, #25 The College of New Jersey 15
125 Kevin Corrigan (TCNJ) dec. Matt Morris (WC) 8-1 (TCNJ,3-0)
133 Daniel Evangelakos (WC) dec. James Goldschmidt (TCNJ) 6-1 (Tied, 3-3)
141 Ryan Budzek (TCNJ) dec. Gabriel Corrochano (WC) 6-2 (TCNJ, 6-3)
149 Dylan Thorsen (TCNJ) dec. Jake Savoca (WC) 6-4 (TCNJ, 9-3)
157 Jorge Lopez (WC) maj. dec. Luke Balina (TCNJ) 12-3 (TCNJ, 9-7)
165 Tim Garripoli (WC) dec. Antonio Mancella (TCNJ) 7-6 (WC, 10-9)
174 Kellen Whitney (TCNJ) dec. Kyle Gaffney (WC) 7-2 (TCNJ, 12-10)
184 Christopher Chorzepa (WC) by tech. fall Brandon Simon (TCNJ) 19-4 (WC, 15-12)
197 Dan Wojtaszek (TCNJ) dec. Anthony Brooks (WC) 8-7 (Tied, 15-15)
285 Ben Wertz (WC) pinned Evans Saso (TCNJ) 2:13 (WC, 21-15)
