Ephs 2nd in NE/8 Ephs ranked/WATCH Ephs vs. Wesleyan 2/8
Nate Shippee
CLICK HERE to WATCH Ephs vs. Wesleyan at approximtely 3:30 PM 2/8
The Williams wrestling team (17-4-1) has jumped to second in the
New England rankings after an impressive 28-6 win over NYU at last
weekend's Metro/New England Duals at Hunter College in New York
City.
"I think the coaches noticed that we had a big win over NYU and
Rhode Island College [previous #2] only defeated them by one point
earlier," said co-head coach Dan DiCenzo. "James McCarthy, Carl
Breitenstein, Corey Paulish, Ethan Cohen (major decision) and Drew
Gatewood all posted quality wins against NYU."
The Ephs still trail number one ranked Johnson & Wales in the
poll, but they will have this weekend and the NEWA Championships
remaining to try and close that gap.
"Depth has been such an important part of our success this
season," noted DiCenzo. "We already have the most wins in a season
in school history because we have numbers that allow us to practice
competitively and rest some of our competitors in matches, giving
valuable experience to younger members of the team."
The Ephs have again tied a program and season best with eight
ranked wrestlers this week. Four of the eight Eph grapplers
improved on their ranking of a week ago.
The three-week conversion process of moving sophomore Ryan Malo up
to 197 and junior Nathan Shippee and senior captain Kyle Ayer down
to 184 is beginning to bear fruit. Shippee made an appearance in
the rankings at number five, after not being ranked the week
before.
Sophomore Jon Foster moved up two notches at 165 and is now ranked
fourth, while juniors Carl Breitenstein (157) and Dylan Rittenburg
(149) have moved up from third to second in their weight
classes.
Remaining atop their weight classifications are sophomores Corey
Paulish (141) and Ryan Malo (197). Senior captain Ethan Cohen is
still ranked second at 125. Sophomore Josh Mattana is now seventh
at 133.
"There are 4-5 really good teams in New England so it is important
that all of our wrestlers continue to improve, even our best
wrestlers so we can finish out the regular season strong and
prepare for the NEWA Championships," said DiCenzo. "The plus side
for us is that all of these kids are capable of improving and
willing to do the work necessary to improve."
This weekend the Ephs head to Middletown, CT to face Little Three
rival Wesleyan, Oneonta State and WNEC in the final action of the
regular season. February 15th will find the JV members of the Eph
team competing in the NEWA JV Championships to be held at
Springfield College.
On February 21 and 22 the NEWA Championships will be held at
Springfield College and the New England title as well as the
region's representatives in the NCAA Tournament will be determined.
