Ephs Impressive in Debut, Finish 4th at Doug Parker Invitational
Springfield, MA - In their season debut, the undermanned Ephs gave an outstanding performance at the Doug Parker Invitational, finishing fourth place overall. This is the first time in over 10 years since they have placed in the top 10.
For their first tournament, the Ephs brought only two thirds of their 21 man lineup, missing 7 wrestlers due to injury and to the recently completed football season. However, the squad still managed to place five wrestlers and accumulate an impressive 109 team points. Head coaches Raphael Vega and Dan DiCenzo were pleased with their teams performance, after only two weeks of practice. "Today's success was a total team effort...Even the matches we lost the guys did a lot of positive things," said DiCenzo.
At 125, Junior Tri-Captain, Ethan Cohen tech-falled each of his first three opponents, before losing a tight 4-3 match in the semifinals to Dan Bloom of Wesleyan. Bloom was ranked second in New England last year. Cohen went on to take third place, winning his next two matches decisively, including a 2:33 pin over Chris Alvanos of Wesleyan in the third place match.
Nic Miragliuolo, the 149 pound senior Tri-Captain, also had a strong showing, reaching the finals in the toughest weight class of the tournament. In the semifinals Miragliuolo defeated Matt Shank of Gettysburg by pin at the 3:41 mark. Shank was ranked #5 in the nation at the time. Miragliuolo went on to lose a close, 8-3 decision to the returning NE champion and the #10 nationally ranked, Frank Cammissa of Bridgewater State.
Sophomore Dylan Rittenburg, also earned a spot in the finals at 141 pounds, defeating highly touted Jamie Sgaglione of Springfield, 6-1. In the finals, Rittenburg faced the #1 nationally ranked, returning All-American Mike Bonora of Rhode Island College (RIC). Rittenburg gave him a close match, bringing it to the final minute down only 7-5, before losing a tough, 10-5 decision. Prior to being defeated in the finals, Rittenburg did not concede a single offensive point.
Junior 197 pounder, Kyle Ayer, also gave a stingy performance, not giving up a single offensive point until the finals. Kyle defeated each of his first three opponents by major decision, before defeating the #1 ranked wrestler in New England, Kevin Davis of RIC, 4-1 in the semifinals. Ayer lost by a close 14-9 decision to highly touted Eric Vincent of USMMA in the finals. Coach Dicenzo said of his performance, "It was the best we have ever seen him wrestle. He has worked hard this offseason and has a lot to be proud of with his start this weekend."
Young talent, Carl Bernstein '10, also had strong day on the mat, reaching the semifinals at an extremely difficult 157 pound weight class. Bernstein came out on top of a hard fought 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals over Wayne Lampi of SUNY Oswego. In the semifinals, Bernstein lost a grueling 3-2 double overtime match to the eventual champion Chuck Favia of Stevens Institute of Technology. Bernstein went on to place 6th overall.
Junior Tri-Captain Mike Penza, managed to rally for three straight victories in an extremely competitive 125 pound weight class, going 3-2 on the day. Senior Doug Washington also went 3-2, accumulating two pins, before losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Cameron Mills of Oswego, 7-5. In their college wrestling debut, freshmen John Foster and Josh Mattana had winning records of 4-2 and 3-2, respectively. After dropping his first match, Foster won four straight before losing, despite being under the weather.
Overall, the Ephs looked strong out of the gate, getting contributions from everyone in the lineup. According to coach DiCenzo, the performance was reflective of the work the team has put in this offseason and in the wrestling room these past two weeks. The team looks to be at full strength this Thanksgiving break and to carry the momentum from this weekend into their next match.
The Ephs will next see action on Saturday, December 1st at the Rochester Institute of Technology Tournament.
