FAIRFAX, VA – Williams College Wrestling kicked off their 2023-24 campaign today in Fairfax, VA with the Mason Duals. In an action-packed day on the campus of George Mason, the Ephs faced off against, Millersville University and The Citadel before taking on the hosting George Mason Patriots.
In the opening match, Williams fell 33-10 to the Millersville Marauders. The Marauders, ranked 23
rd nationally in the most recent NWCA Division II Men's Coaches Poll, were able to take each bout besides 174 and 184. At these weights, senior captains
William Smith and
Dante Gutbrod strung together back-to-back wins for the Ephs. Smith was able to pin his opponent in 3:20, earning six team points and recording the only pin of the match. Gutbrod rode this momentum to a convincing 11-1 major decision in the following bout, contributing four team points.
The Ephs returned to action after a short break against another Division II opponent, this time The Citadel Bulldogs of Charleston, SC. In this match, The Citadel prevailed 39-10. The Ephs scored their 10 points through wins at 157 and 174. At 157, sophomore
Peter Kane, who garnered All-America honors in his rookie season, earned a decisive 11-3 major decision victory. Again, at 174, the ever-reliable Smith racked up his second pin of the afternoon, ending affairs in 2:20 this time around and bringing the Ephs' score to 10 points once again.
In the final match of the day, the Ephs put up a strong fight against the Division I George Mason Patriots. Sophomore
Caleb Seyfried kicked off the scoring for Williams at 149 with a quick pin of his opponent in 1:12. First-year
Henry Forte of Cresskill, NJ and the Delbarton School, followed suit at 165 with a pin of his own at the tail end of the match, marking his first collegiate victory. Tommy Goodwin made sure to finish the match on a high note, dispatching his opponent with a cagey 3-2 decision victory, bringing the Ephs' tally to 15 points. Unfortunately, this was not enough to overcome the Patriots' 30 points.
Reflecting on his team's season debut, Eph head coach
Scott Honecker shared, "I'm so proud of our team. All three opponents today were better than us, but anyone who saw the fight in our athletes knows that we belong with these top tier programs. I'm excited to get back in the room and prepare for a stretch of DIII competition prior to the semester break."
Williams returns to action at Springfield College for the Doug Parker Invitational on Saturday, November 18
th in an event which has become a November staple on the Ephs' schedule. There, the Ephs will get their first taste of NEWA competition this season.
The full results from each match are below.
| Weight |
Williams |
Millersville |
Result |
Score |
| 125 |
Lucas Johnson |
Bryce Beaty |
Beatty, TF 19-4 4:39 |
5-0 Millersville |
| 133 |
Jack Napeloni |
Devin Flannery |
Flannery, TF 18-2 4:56 |
10-0 Millersville |
| 141 |
Tylor Stubbs |
Aidan Micheli |
Micheli, TF 16-0 3:26 |
15-0 Millersville |
| 149 |
Caleb Seyfried |
Craig Cook |
Cook, MD 12-4 |
19-0 Millersville |
| 157 |
Peter Kane |
Nicholas Bennet |
Bennet, Dec 6-3 |
22-0 Millersville |
| 165 |
Henry Forte |
Brandon Connor |
Connor, Dec 7-2 |
25-0 Millersville |
| 174 |
William Smith |
Andrew Vogelbacher |
Smith, Fall 3:20 |
25-6 Millersville |
| 184 |
Dante Gutbrod |
Tyler Hurst |
Gutbrod, MD 11-1 |
25-10 Millersville |
| 197 |
Wyatt Moyer |
Riley O'Boyle |
O'Boyle, Dec 2-1 |
28-10 Millersville |
| 285 |
Tim Brown |
Avery Kuhns |
Kuhns, TF 22-6 4:46 |
33-10 Millersville |
| Weight |
Williams |
The Citadel |
Result |
Score |
| 125 |
Lucas Johnson |
Malik Hardy |
Hardy, TF 17-0 2:21 |
5-0 The Citadel |
| 133 |
Jack Napeloni |
George Rosas |
Rosas, Fall 3:32 |
11-0 The Citadel |
| 141 |
Donnie Morton |
Jacob Silka |
Silka, Fall 4:46 |
17-0 The Citadel |
| 149 |
Caleb Seyfried |
Hayden Watson |
Watson, MD 18-8 |
21-0 The Citadel |
| 157 |
Peter Kane |
Thomas Snipes |
Kane, MD 11-3 |
21-4 The Citadel |
| 165 |
Sean Tansey |
Aidan Lenz |
Lenz, Dec 10-4 |
24-4 The Citadel |
| 174 |
William Smith |
Brody Porter |
Smith, Fall 2:00 |
24-10 The Citadel |
| 184 |
Dante Gutbrod |
Adam Ortega |
Ortega, Dec 8-1 |
27-10 The Citadel |
| 197 |
Wyatt Moyer |
Patrick Brophy |
Brophy, Fall 3:42 |
33-10 The Citadel |
| 285 |
Thomas Goodwin |
Ben Stemmet |
Stemmet, Fall 1:15 |
39-10 The Citadel |
| Weight |
Williams |
George Mason |
Result |
Score |
| 125 |
Lucas Johnson |
JB Dragovich |
Dragovich, MD 19-9 |
4-0 George Mason |
| 133 |
Jack Napeloni |
Patrick Schellpfeffer |
Schellpfeffer, Dec 15-14 |
7-0 George Mason |
| 141 |
Tylor Stubbs |
Dominic Hargrove |
Hargrove, MD 14-2 |
11-0 George Mason |
| 149 |
Caleb Seyfried |
Michael Rapuano |
Seyfried, Fall 1:12 |
11-6 George Mason |
| 157 |
N/A |
DJ Mcgee |
Mcgee, Forfeit |
17-6 George Mason |
| 165 |
Henry Forte |
Loranzo Rajaonarivelo |
Forte, Fall 5:00 |
17-12 George Mason |
| 174 |
William Smith |
Sean Coughlin |
Coughlin, Dec 4-1 |
20-12 George Mason |
| 184 |
Dante Gutbrod |
Malachi DuVall |
DuVall, Fall 2:15 |
26-12 George Mason |
| 197 |
Max Hall |
Ruben Karapetyan |
Karapetyan, Dec 10-4 |
30-12 George Mason |
| 285 |
Thomas Goodwin |
Donovan Sprouse |
Goodwin, Dec 3-2 |
30-15 George Mason |
