NEW LONDON, Conn. - Four Williams wrestlers competed at Sunday's NEWA Futures event hosted by the Coast Guard Academy, with Hayden Haber finishing in third place at the 149 weight class and David LaPrade finishing fourth at 197.
The Ephs earned 11th place despite having fewer competitors than all the other schools in attendance, as the team was coming off Friday night's emotional Senior Night victory over Castleton.
First-year Haber opened his day with a fall against an opponent from Western New England University in the round of 32, and followed it up with another pin, this one after just 1:07 against a competitor from Wesleyan. He won his third match, the quarterfinal, with a narrow 5-2 decision over a wrestler from the host Coast Guard, but was barely unable to get past Bridgewater's Miguel Arcila Lodono in the semifinal, dropping an 8-6 decision. In his last match of the day, Haber pinned a wrestler from Johnson and Wales to earn third place.
LaPrade had a bye in the round of 32 and started with quick pins in both the round of 16 and the quarterfinal, both within two minutes, first against Wesleyan and then against Johnson and Wales. A wrestler from Coast Guard managed a late pin over LaPrade in the semifinal, and then another competitor from Johnson and Wales earned the win in the third place match as LaPrade finished fourth at 197.
The other two wrestlers competing were John Schneider at 141 and Isaac Judson at 149. Schneider won his opening match with a pin in 48 seconds against a wrestler from WNEU, but lost in the round of 16 by a 9-5 decision against a competitor from Castleton. Judson also earned a victory by fall in his first match, over a wrestler from Roger Williams, before dropping his round of 16 match.
The Ephs will return to New London for the NCAA Regionals on February 28 and March 1 with many Williams wrestlers seeking a spot in the NCAA Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 13-14.
