WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Remember this date --
March 6, 2009. It is the first time in the history of Williams
wrestling that two Ephs have advanced to the semifinals at NCAA
Championships in the same year thanks to sophomores Ryan Malo (197)
and Corey Paulish (141).
Both Malo and Paulish by virtue of advancing to the semifinals have
assured themselves of finishing no lower than sixth and as a result
have earned All-America honors, which go to the top eight finishers
in each weight class.
Malo, seeded 4th, was losing to unseeded Corbin Semple of
Waynesburg in the first period when he used an escape and a take
down to close out the period with a 3-2 lead.
To start the second period Semple chose down and Malo did not let
Semple out. Malo ended up riding Semple for almost the entire
period and led 3-2 after two periods with just under two minutes of
riding time in the bank.
Malo chose down for the start of the final period and with a quick
reversal he upped his lead to 5-2, but Semple responded with a
reversal of his own to make it 5-4. An escape by Malo made it 6-4
in the Eph's favor.
With about 30 seconds left Malo executed another take down and
doubled up Semple 8-4 and the final margin became 9-4 with the
riding time he had accrued in the second period. The victory
improved Malo's record on the year to 37-1.
In his semifinal bout Malo will be paired against Andy Moore of
Wisconsin-La Crosse the eighth seed. Moore is 23-7 on the year.
Paulish also found himself trailing in his match with sixth-seeded
Chase DeCleene from Wisconsin-Stevens Point. DeCleene, a national
qualifier from last year had a 4-2 advantage over Paulish entering
the third period.
Early in the final period Paulish snapped off a quick single leg
take down and evened the score at 4-4, however DeCleene had the
advantage of having the riding time point in his back pocket. With
just under 20 seconds left in the bout Paulish flashed another
single leg take down and secured the match by a score of 6-5.
"[Co-head coach] Raf [Vega] and I are very proud of the way both of
these guys competed tonight," said Eph co-head coach Dan DiCenzo.
"They earned their spots in the semifinals and the recognition of
being All-Americans with their efforts tonight and all season. Even
when both guys were behind they wrestled their style and they
wrestled with confidence."
The unseeded Paulish will be looking to claim his third seeded
victim tomorrow in the semifinals when he takes on #2 Zach McKray
from perennial powerhouse Wartburg. McKray sports a record of
27-3.
After day one of the two-day event the Ephs have 10 points and are
tied for 14th place in a field of 51 scoring teams with Maranatha
Baptist Bible College (WI). Wartburg leads the competition with
53.5 points.
