Ithaca, NY – This Saturday, the Williams College Wrestling team participated in the Ithaca Quad, a round-robin style competition, where the Ephs went head-to-head against Wesleyan University, Oneonta State University, and Ithaca College. These four teams provided an action-packed day, highlighted by an impressive Williams victory over a strong Oneonta team. On top of the victory, there was a series of standout performances within the Williams roster, which continue to build excitement as we inch closer to the postseason.
The first dual for the Ephs in the Ithaca Quad was against a familiar rival, Wesleyan University. While the Ephs fell to the Cardinals, William Smith, Henry Forte, Caleb Seyfried, and Thomas Goodwin showed well as they bested their opponents in their respective bouts. With the quick turnaround in this competition, the Ephs wasted no time after their loss and regrouped to face Oneonta State.
Against Oneonta, the Williams wrestlers put on one of the most dominant displays of the season, cruising to a 29-18 victory. The Ephs started the dual down nine points due to their vacant weight class at 125 and a narrow defeat for Enzo Bell at 133. At 141, Tylor Stubbs swung the momentum back to the Ephs. Stubbs' incredible performance in the third period, including two take downs and four near-fall points, led him to seize a much-deserved 19-3 tech fall victory.
After Stubbs' victory, the Ephs won the next five bouts in a row. At 149, Caleb Seyfried impressed with a victory by fall just 1:13 into the match. Seyfried has been one of the Ephs' most consistent performers this season as he added yet another dominant showing to his 2023-24 campaign.
Next, at 157, Sean Tansey earned a controlled victory by a 12-2 major decision. Tansey demonstrated composure and attention to detail as he held his opponent to a mere 2 points.
Henry Forte scored the Ephs' second pin of the dual as he put on another dominant performance. He took a 3-0 advantage with a take down halfway through the first period, and after that, he never looked back. Forte racked up a considerable advantage on the score board, which he eventually did not need as he pinned his opponent 4:09 into the bout.
Senior captains William Smith and Dante Gutbrod were responsible for the Ephs' last two wins against Oneonta. With just seconds left in the first period, Smith scored a critical take down, extending his lead to 9-1. Fom there, Smith maintained his advantage, earning a 19-9 victory. Gutbrod earned a comfortable victory as well, stunting his opponent to just three escape points and securing 12 points of his own.
After Oneonta, the Ephs fell to an impressive Ithaca College team in their last dual of the day. Before heading back to Williamstown, here is what Eph head coach Scott Honecker had to say about the results from the Ithaca Quad: "It was good to take a win over a good team in Oneonta, but we are going to take positives always from all three duals today. We competed well and saw a lot of things we can grow from. We are four weeks out from the postseason now. We knew when the lineup suffered a rash of injuries that we were going to focus on individual growth. These guys have stayed the course and will be ready to show that at the regional. Right now, it's time to take what we can from the remainder of the regular season and shift our focus to sharpening the knife."
The Williams wrestlers' next outing will be against Vermont State Castleton University at home in Lasell Gymnasium on Friday February 16 at 7 PM. As Coach Honecker said, the Ephs will use this dual as one of their final opportunities to fine-tune the squad ahead of the much-anticipated NCAA Northeast Regionals.
Results from the Ithaca Quad:
Williams vs. Wesleyan
Williams Forfeited their match at 125.
Donnie Morton (133) lost by 6:44 fall to Max Martinez
Tylor Stubbs (141) lost by an 18-3 tech fall to Hayden Myers
Caleb Seyfried (149) won by 7-0 decision over Shailen Savur
Sean Tansey (157) lost by 7-3 decision to CJ Christopher Shea
Henry Forte (165) won by 15-5 major decision over Dario Molina
William Smith (174) won by 15-2 major decision over Lucas Hughes
Dante Gutbrod (184) lost by SV-1 11-8 to Aris Dashiell
Max Hall (197) lost by 2-0 decision to Lennon Soaper
Thomas Goodwin (285) won by 7-2 decision over Kolton Gagnon
Dual meet score: Wesleyan won 26-14
Williams vs. Oneonta
Williams Forfeited their match at 125.
Enzo Bell (133) lost by 7-4 decision to Danny Poggi
Tylor Stubbs (141) won by 19-3 tech fall over Peter Saco
Caleb Seyfried (149) won by 1:13 fall over Nicholas Borges
Sean Tansey (157) won by 12-2 major decision over Max Yahre
Henry Forte (165) won by 4:09 fall over Ayden DeForest
William Smith (174) won by 19-9 major decision over Kenny Sauer
Dante Gutbrod (184) won by 12-3 major decision over James DeLucia
Wyatt Moyer (197) lost by 3:57 fall to Carson Licastri
Thomas Goodwin (285) lost by 13-6 decision to Jhordyn Innocent
Dual meet score: Williams won 29-18
Williams vs. Ithaca
Williams Forfeited their match at 125.
Donnie Morton (133) lost by 21-5 tech fall to Isaias Torres
Tylor Stubbs (141) lost by 2:05 fall to Matt Haycook
Caleb Seyfried (149) lost by 2:02 fall to Mathew Beyer
Sean Tansey (157) lost by 12-11 decision to Brenden Edwards
Henry Forte (165) lost by 11-6 decision to Konrad Parker
William Smith (174) lost by 19-4 tech fall to Jackson Grey
Zach Borzio (184) lost by 1:03 fall to Jake Jones
Wyatt Moyer (197) lost by 1:13 fall to Trey Darmody-Latham
Tim Brown (285) lost by 1:14 fall to Jeremy Mazzella
Dual meet score: Ithaca won 52-0
