Ephs Go 2-2 at Desert Duels
Las Vegas, Nevada- The Ephs grapplers traveled to sunny Las Vegas to take part in the Wartburg College Desert Duals. The Ephs faced an uphill battle against: #1 Wartburg, #23 Olivet (Michigan), University of Chicago, and the #11 team in NAIA, Embry-Riddle (Arizona).
The Ephs first match against #23 Olivet was a hard fought battle with the Ephs coming up on the short end (27-18). Williams had a number of great individual efforts but were unable to overcome Olivet's pressure.
At 125 Ethan Cohen got the Ephs started on the right foot with a crucial pin over Kyle Labrecque, 2:20.
In the 133 weight class Mike Penza battled extremely hard, going the distance to beat Adam Wilson, 3-1.
At 141 Corey Paulish had his work cut out from him going up against Vince Tucker, the 7th ranked wrester in the country. Paulish worked hard and tested Tucker, losing a close match, 8-5.
Dylan Rittenburg had one of the most entertaining matches of the day defeating Nick Leon, 6-3.
Ryan Malo continued his impressive winter pinning yet another opponent, this time his victim was Joe Bargerstock in 6:30.
In the Ephs second match of the day, they overcame a talented Embry-Riddle team who came into the meet ranked 11th in NAIA. The Ephs were able to win a bitterly contested match 25-22.
Ethan Cohen continued his strong day in the 125 pound weight
class, defeating Andrew Ortega, 5-0.
At 149 Dylan Rittenburg had his second straight win, pinning Isai
Gomez in an efficient 2:15.
Jon Foster had the most important win of the match handily dispatching Clark Hensley in a major decision, 18-10.
Ryan Malo moved up a weight class (194 lbs) and continued his domination, moving up in weight class and pinning Ryan Van Doren in 3:57.
The Ephs third match of the day was against the #1 team in DII, Wartburg College. The Ephs came into the match depleted due to injuries and fatigue but battled hard against Wartburg, falling 42-12. Coach DiCenzo summed up the Ephs effort saying, "We were a little disappointed that we were banged up in the first two rounds and were unable to put out our full team. Wartburg is the best team in DIII and showed it in their style. I thought our boys wrestled hard and Coach Vega and I were very proud of the grit demonstrated by our boys throughout the match."
At 125 Ethan Cohen wrestled an impressive match pinning, the 10th ranked wrestler in the country in an incredible 16 seconds.
The Ephs were forced to forfeit both their matches at 141 and 157 due to injuries to Corey Paulish and Carl Breitenstein.
Wartburg decided to conserve their 184 lbs wrestler's energy and forfeited, giving Ryan Malo his 3rd win of the day.
The Ephs had a strong performance in their fourth match of the day. Williams defeated a talented team from the University of Chicago, 36-14.
Ethan Cohen had his fourth win of the day beating Matayshio, 7-1.
At 149lbs Dylan Rittenburg pinned Chris Canty.
In the 157 pound weight class Carl Breitenstein returned from his injury and pinned Spenser Burns.
At 165 John Foster kept the Ephs momentum going and quickly pinned Wesley Rosamilia. These three pins in the middle of the match effectively sealed the Ephs win.
Ryan Malo and Nate Shippee padded the Ephs lead by pinning both of their opponents.
The Ephs had a number of notable performances: Ethan Cohen had four wins including two crucial pins, while Ryan Malo had four wins as well, three of which were by pinfall. Dylan Rittenburg also wrestled well going 3-1; his lone loss came to the defending National Champion from Wartburg.
Coach DiCenzo was satisfied with the team's performance saying, "Overall Coach Vega and I were very pleased with the team's effort. We wrestled against some of the top teams in the country all of whom were loaded with All American caliber wresters. We felt that our boys preformed admirably battling many of the top wresters in the country. We were very pleased to have the opportunity to wrestle against some of the top teams in the country and feel this will give us an advantage in January when we return to our league matches."
The Ephs hit the mats next at the Scott Viera Invitational on January, 4th.
