WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Great athletic programs
are built day-by-day and year-by-year — that is what is
happening with the Williams wrestling team under head coach Dan
DiCenzo as the Ephs prepare to send a Williams record three
competitors to the NCAA Championships this weekend in Des Moines,
IA.
In posting its first back-to-back NEWA Championships this year, and winning only its third New England title ever, Williams secured 3 of the 14 spots available in New England. Additionally, first year Ces Antista is the region’s first alternate should one of the 14 selected is unable to compete at 133.
Last winter the Ephs posted their best NCAA finish ever when Ryan Malo and Corey Paulish lifted the Ephs to a 10th place finish. This year’s Ephs are ranked 11th nationally, their highest end of the season ranking ever.
“We need to continue to get better and stronger in the next week to reach our goals at the nationals,” said DiCenzo.
Juniors Malo and Paulish will be joined by senior Carl Breitenstein at the NCAA Championships as the Ephs seek to improve on last year’s 10th place finish.
This season the Ephs posted their first 20-win season recording an overall record of 20-3, including its first ever win over perennial national power The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
The Ephs duplicated last year’s program best with eight All-New England performers and this winter they added another program first with two first years making the NEWA finals -- Antista and Tom Foote.
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| Ryan Malo |
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| Corey Paulish |
Malo, an All-American in 2009, is now 43-4 with an incredible 38 pins this winter and is leading all NCAA divisions in pins. He is ranked second nationally behind Augsburg’s junior Jared Massey, who defeated Malo in last year’s NCAA finals at 197. Malo is seeded 2nd and has the 3rd place finisher from the Iowa conference Brian Broll of Buena Vista in his first match. "Ryan is at the top of his game and is very focused for this weekend,” stated DiCenzo. “He prepares very hard and loves wrestling on the big stage. He is excited for the challenges this weekend."
Paulish is seeking to become a repeat All-American this year after placing fourth last winter at 141. He is competing at 149 this winter and he is ranked 5th nationally. This season Paulish has a 38-7 record and after his 4 wins at the NEWA Championships has a career record of 101-24, becoming the first Eph to break the 100-win plateau as a junior. Paulish, unseeded draws the #1 seed from Ithaca Blaine Wosczak in the first round. Paulish lost to Wasczak back on Dec 5th in the finals of the York Invitational. "Corey gets better as the season continues every year,” noted DiCenzo. “This year it has been the same thing. Corey is looking real strong heading into the tournament. He is going to be a tough match for whomever he wrestles.”
Carl Breitenstein is currently ranked 10th nationally at 157 and
he is coming off a strong second place finish at the NEWA
Championships where he fell in the finals to a four-time NCAA
qualifier. Breitenstein is the current leader in wins at
Williams with an overall record of 125-42 heading to Des Moines.
His NEWA performance lifted him over previous leader Ethan Cohen
’09 (122-26). "Carl has had a great season and is one of the
best wrestlers in the country and he always wrestles his best
against the best competition,” noted DiCenzo. "Both
Corey and Carl were close to getting seeded and were not and now
they need to focus on the draw they have. Corey and Carl can
wrestle with anyone in the country and I am excited about where
they are in the bracket."
Notes on the 8 Eph All-NEWA Wrestlers:
Seniors Carl Breitenstein and Dylan Rittenburg represent the first time the Ephs have had more than one 4-time All-NEWA honoree in the same academic class.
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| Ces Antista |
133 - Ces Antista went 4-2 on his way to taking 2nd. He beat Nick Cuccinello of JWU 6-2 to make it back to the finals. Cuccinello is a returning National qualifier and NEWA champion and was ranked #6 in the country. Antista’s efforts he earned the 1st alternate spot to the NCAA Championships. "Ces is one of the best freshman we have had,” said DiCenzo. “He is an extremely hard worker and had an outstanding freshman year. We wrestled a great schedule — Ces wrestled in every competition we had this year. He took 2nd at a great weight class and I know he is not satisfied. That is what makes him so good."
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| Dylan
Rittenburg |
141 - Dylan Rittenburg finished a great career making All-NEWA for the 4th time and taking
2nd. He beat returning NEWA finalist Jake Gire of Trinity to make the finals. "Dylan made a huge sacrifice for the team going down to 141 from 149 a year ago and he had a great season,” noted DiCenzo. “He is one of the best leaders and wrestlers this program has ever had. He averaged over 30 wins a year in his Williams career."
149 - Corey Paulish wrestled in the NEWAs toughest weight class this year and finished 3rd. "Corey is now 38-7 on the year and has had a great season,” said DiCenzo. “He did not wrestle his best at NEWAs but for a competitor like Corey it will only make him work harder and make some corrections going into the NCAAs. This past weekend is just a qualifier for him to the NCAAs and he has his sights on making All American for the second consecutive year. He knows how tough the competition is at the national level and is excited about the challenge."
157 - Carl Breitenstein had a strong NEWA showing finishing 2nd and making the NCAA Championships. Breitenstein went 6-2 on the weekend becoming the team’s all-time career leader in wins (125-42). In the finals Carl lost to four-time National qualifier Frank Cammisa of Bridgewater State. Breitenstein and Cammisa wrestled four times this year with each wrestler winning two of the matches. "Carl and Frank are two of the best wrestlers in our conference's history and it is great to see these two compete,” said DiCenzo. Breitenstein finished his career with an overall record of 120-53.
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| George Sullivan |
174 - George Sullivan went 4-2 on the day to make All-New England for the first time. George had a huge season for the Ephs after taking 2 years off with an injury. "George was a huge boost to our team this year,” commented DiCenzo. “After being away from the sport for two years, to come back and finish fifth in the conference is a huge accomplishment. George has a ton of talent and can definitely be a top wrestler in the conference next season."
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| Nathan Shippee |
184 - After not wrestling for six weeks after dislocating his elbow, senior Nate Shippee made All-New England capping off a great season. "Nate wrestled three hard matches the first day of the tournament and came up huge for the team placing in the tournament,” stated DiCenzo. “If Nate was healthy he is in the finals of this tournament. After the adversity he faced I could not be prouder of what he accomplished this weekend. Not many wrestlers can come back from that injury in that short amount of time.”
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| Tom Foote |
197 - Ryan Malo wrestled as advertised NEWAs. He pinned all five of his opponents and only one match made it to the third period. "Ryan is very focused and wrestling at a high level,” DiCenzo said. “He is significantly better at every area of his wrestling right now than he was a year ago. It is fun to coach Ryan because he is constantly striving to improve."
285 - Tom Foote was the second of two Williams freshman to make the finals. Tom beat four very good wrestlers at the NEWAs, including last year’s third place finisher twice, Greg Vaughan of Trinity. "Vaughan is a big, strong wrestler and Tom was able to control and dominate both matches against him,” remarked DiCenzo. “Foote's success at NEWAs did not surprise me because I see every day how hard he competes and I know what he is doing in the practice room."
