Ephs Take 7th at Regionals and Rossetti Qualifies for Nationals

Springfield, MA – The Williams College Ephs traveled to Springfield this weekend to compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional. With tickets to Nationals reserved for the top three finishers in each weight class, the stakes were high and several Ephs delivered top performances.
 
Williams was represented in all but one weight class with David Yeh (125), Joseph Rossetti (141), Jack Murphy (149), Albert Xing (157), Brendan Kiernan (165), Dante Gutbrod (174), William Smith (184), Elias Chen (197), and Thomas Goodwin (285) each vying for a ticket to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in two weeks.
 
On Saturday, the first few rounds took place for each weight class. Yeh, Murphy, and Gutbrod each posted 2-1 records, securing spots in consolation bracket quarterfinals – each only three wins away from third-place finishes. Rossetti and Xing both went 2-0 on the day, earning spots in winners' bracket semi-finals – each one win away from a guaranteed top-two finish. Kiernan, Smith, Chen, and Goodwin each were out of contention by the end of the first day.
 
On Sunday, the five remaining Ephs took to the mats looking to extend their seasons another two weeks. 
 
At 125, Yeh kicked off the day with a huge win over Coast Guard's Allan Beato by 7-6 decision, putting him in the consolation bracket semifinal. Unfortunately, Yeh was unable to best Springfield's Joey Manginelli in this bout, ending his tournament run with a 3-2 record. Head Coach Scott Honecker praised Yeh's determination this weekend: "I think David is a little disappointed in himself. He could have finished higher for sure, but he couldn't have brought any more fight to his matches than he did. Sometimes you throw the kitchen sink and it still doesn't go your way. We have to dig into the film with David. There are skills that he can unlock that I believe will push him over the top."
 
At 141, Rossetti took care of business with a classy 2-1 win by decision in the semifinal, booking his spot in Cedar Rapids. In the championship bout, Rossetti squared off with Hayden Brown of Johnson & Wales. In what was another low scoring affair, Rossetti was unable to get the best of Brown, losing by 4-2 decision, finishing the tournament with a 3-1 record and a ticket to Iowa. Coach Honecker was proud of Rossetti, but knows that there is unfinished business to be tended to in Iowa: "Joey did a nice job today. He had a gritty win in the semi-final to advance to his third consecutive national tournament. His loss in the final will make him better. His goals have always been focused on the nationals and he is on the path."
 
At 149, Jack Murphy lost to Castleton's Nicholas Roeger in a tight match by 7-3 decision, ending his tournament run with a record of 2-2. Honecker praised Murphy's determination this weekend: "Jack Murphy showed that seeds don't matter and at a certain point in the season guts can trump everything, and Jack has guts for days. He is a special kid to work with. He had battled some injury and adversity over the years. Watching him persevere this weekend was an emotional moment for me."
 
At 157, Albert Xing fell in the semifinal to Rhode Island College's Nathan Lackman by 8-1 decision. Luckily for Xing, this was his first loss of the tournament, so he was still in contention but needed to win back-to-back do or die matches in the consolation bracket to qualify for nationals. Unfortunately, he was unable to overcome Wesleyan's Aaron Goldman in the consolation bracket semifinal, losing a close bout by an 11-9 decision. Honecker was impressed by Xing's performance this weekend, sharing: "Albert showed this weekend that he has another level in him. He has become an amazing competitor. Now that he has shown his potential he needs to hold himself accountable to it. If he does the sky is the limit."
 
Finally, at 174, Dante Gutbrod, having gone 2-1 on Saturday, had his back against the wall, but was able to rally. Picking up a critical win in his first bout of the day by 9-6 decision over NYU's Izaake Zuckerman, Gutbrod was able to ride this momentum to a 1:59 win by fall over Merchant Marine's Dominick Esposito, earning himself a spot in the third-place bout with a chance to join Rossetti in Iowa on the line. In his final match of the tournament, Gutbrod showed down with Wesleyan's Marco Gaita. In a back-and-forth contest, Gaita was able to outlast Gutbrod, winning by an 8-5 decision. Honecker had this to say about his standout sophomore: "Dante Gutbrod put a resounding punctuation mark on his breakout season. The last season we wrestled Dante had a 10-10 record and lost in the finals of the Junior Varsity New Englands. Today he wrestled in the match to qualify for the NCAA championships. He is a demonstration of the jumps an athlete can make if they fully invest themselves to being the best they can be."
 
Honecker added that "Every Williams entry in this tournament competed with an intensity and a passion that represents what a Williams Wrestler is and stands for. Lastly, we owe a debt of gratitude to Brendan Kiernan. His NCAA eligibility concluded this weekend and I can't imagine he could have given more to this program. In 97 years of Williams wrestling we have had many great wrestlers and great men come through the program. Brendan is in extremely rare company when it comes to commitment to excellence and heart. He has made a lasting impression that will echo through our wrestling room for years to come."
 
The Ephs, led by Rossetti and Gutbrod, were able to take 7^th place overall in the 19-team field.
 
Rossetti will be traveling to Grand Rapids in two weeks' time to compete on the national stage at the Alliant Energy Power House on March 11^th and 12^th.
 
Williams' full results are as follows:
 
125: David Yeh

• Yeh def. Marselli (Trinity) by 6:54 tech fall (21-5)
• Christopher DeRosa (New England College) def. Yeh by 8-2 decision
• Yeh def. Shailen Savur (Wesleyan) by 15-6 major decision
• Yeh def. Allan Beato (Coast Guard) by 7-6 decision
• Joey Manginelli (Springfield) def. Yeh by 11-2 major decision 

141: Joseph Rossetti

• Rossetti def. Jahongir Davronov (Hunter) by 1:35 fall
• Rossetti def. Peter Tringali (Roger Williams) by 1:34 fall
• Rossetti def. James Rodriguez (Castleton) by 2-1 decision
• Hayden Brown (Johnson & Wales) def. Rossetti by 4-2 decision 

149: Jack Murphy

• Murphy def. Ben Bariso (Roger Williams) by 8-4 decision
• Chase Parrott (Wesleyan) def. Jack Murphy by 4-0 decision
• Murphy def. Dario Molina (Wesleyan) by 4:46 fall
• Nicholas Roeger (Castleton) def. Murphy by 7-3 decision

157: Albert Xing

• Xing def. Logan Dubuque (Castleton) by 3-1 decision
• Xing def. Jake Deguire (Springfield) by 9-8 decision
• Nathan Lackman (Rhode Island College) def. Albert Xing by 8-1 decision
• Aaron Goldman (Wesleyan) def. Albert Xing by 11-9 decision

165: Brendan Kiernan

• Jacob Harry (Springfield) def. Kiernan by 8-4 decision
• David Kurker (Southern Maine) def. Kiernan by 4-3 decision

174: Dante Gutbrod

• Gutbrod def. Adam Marsh (WPI) by 4:57 fall
• Michael Ross (Johnson & Wales) def. Gutbrod by 6-0 decision
• Gutbrod def. Brayden Grim (Springfield) by 2:33 fall
• Gutbrod def. Izaake Zuckerman (NYU) by 9-6 decision
• Gutbrod def. Dominick Esposito (Merchant Marine) by 1:59 fall
• Marco Gaita (Wesleyan) def. Gutbrod by 8-5 decision

184: William Smith 

• Smith def. Chase Anestis (Plymouth State) by 10-7 decision
• Jayson Geyer (NYU) def. Smith by 8-2 decision
• Aidan Whitis (Southern Maine) def. Smith by 9-6 decision

197: Elias Chen

• Tommy Wrzesian (Johnson & Wales) def. Chen by 0:37 fall
• Jett. Tancsik (Rhode Island College) def. Chen by 0:35 fall

285: Thomas Goodwin 

• Chris Gens (WPI) def. Goodwin by 3:40 fall
• Goodwin def. Jacob Raboy (Hunter College) by 8-5 decision
• Goodwin def. Edison Guarcas (Rhode Island College) by 2:11 fall
• Michael Fillieri (Springfield) def. Goodwin by 7-2 decision

Use this link to check out the complete brackets for each weight class.