Ephs Finish 3rd at NEWA Championship
PORTLAND, ME - Seven Ephs grabbed All-New England honors at the NEWA Championships, propelling their team to an impressive third place finish. The team also received the Sportsmanship and Highest Team GPA awards. Tri-Captain Ethan Cohen '09 was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler and New England Champion at 125 pounds, pinning Michael Bastante of Johnson & Wales University at 5:23 of tonight's final. Cohen and Sophomore Dylan Rittenburg each earned bids to the national championship tournament.
At 133, Corey Paulish '11 wrestled his way back to the finals by winning six straight matches, before losing a close 5-3 decision to Brian Zane of Norwich University. Paulish's performance was good enough to earn him Rookie Wrestler of the Year honors. At 141, Rittenburg also wrestled his way back into the finals, earning himself second place and an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. Tri-Captain Nic Miragliuolo '08 also finished in second place, falling twice to the first seeded Frank Camissa of Bridgewater College.
The final New England poll just prior to the championships had the Ephs tied for fifth with Springfield, but with solid performances up and down the lineup the Ephs exceeded that ranking and claimed third place.
Sophomore Carl Breitenstein finished his season with a 3-1 victory over Kyle Rodgers of Roger Williams University to finish in fifth place. At 165, Doug Washington '08 battled through injuries to earn All-New England honors for the second year in a row, finishing his career with a pin at 3:25 of the fifth place match. Kyle Ayer '09 finished in fourth place at 197, after falling victim to a questionable defensive pin yesterday and then a tough 3-1 overtime loss to the number one seed and eventual champion, Diego Crespo of JWU.
The NCAA Championships take place on March 7-8 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Final Team Standings
1. Rhode Island College, 121 points
2. Johnson & Wales, 116 points
3. Williams, 105.5 points
4. Springfield, 89 points
5. Bridgewater State, 80 points
6. Roger Williams, 72 points
7. Plymouth State, 61 points
8. Southern Maine, 60.5 points
9. Wesleyan, 40.5 points
10. Coast Guard, 36.5 points
11. Norwich, 35.5 points
12. MIT, 28 points
13. Western New England, 19.5 points
14. Trinity, 12.5 points
15. WPI, 11 points
Notes: In last week's Junior Varsity New England Championship, Tri-Captain Michael Penza '09 was named Most Outstanding Wrestler, defeating teammate Josh Mattana '11 for the championship at 125 pounds. James McCarthy '11 was also named champion at 174 pounds.
