WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- The Williams Invitational
featured eight of the top Division III wrestling teams in the
country. In attendance were wrestlers from Williams College,
Simpson College, the University of Southern Maine, Rodger Williams,
Bridgewater State, Plymouth State, Norwich, and American
International College. The day was marked by fierce competition
with the Ephs of Williams College had five individual champions and
won the overall team title with a score of 144.5.
Williams College senior Carl Breitenstein, wrestling at 157, won
his weight class and was named the meet’s most outstanding
wrestler. Coming into the tournament Breitenstein was in top form,
last night he won both of his matches and was equally dominant. In
Breitenstein’s second match he won a tight decision over
USM’s Cody Byrd, the 3rd ranked wrestler in New England, 6-5.
In the finals Breitenstein faced off against Frank Cammisa of
Birdgewater State. Cammisa is regarded as one of the top wrestlers
in the country. He is a three-time national qualifiter and two-time
conference champ. Brietnenstien put together a strong effort and
beat Cammisa 7-4. Head Coach Dan DiCenzo was pleased with his
senior’s effort saying, “157 was the toughest weight
class today, there were at least eight very talented wrestlers and
for Carl to win is a testiment to talent and work ethic.”
197 pound Ryan Malo continued his strong wrestling. Malo stormed
through his bracket and pinned all three of the wrestlers he went
up against. In the finals Malo pinned Nick Cambi, the 7th-ranked
wrestler in Division III. This performance gave Malo five pins in
two days. “Cambi is a big physical wrestler and gave Ryan a
great test.” Coach DiCenzo who went on to say, “Ryan
really rose to the challenge and did an excellent job controlling
the match.”
The Williams Invitational was a milestone event for 133 pound Ces
Antista and 184 pound Nate Shippee, both of whom won their first
collegiate tournament. Shippee was impressive all tournament, in
his first match he won by pin fall in just 35 seconds. Not to be
outdone, in his second match, Ces Antista pinned Brian Clay of AIC
in just 17 seconds.
Williams’ heavyweights Colin Curzi and Tom Foote both
advanced to the finals of the 285 pound weight class. Instead of
risking injury both decided to forfeit the match. Tom Foote was
named champion. Coach DiCenzo likes the team’s depth in the
285 pound weight class saying, “I really like where we are as
a team at 285. In any given tournament we can enter two of the top
wrestlers in New England.”
149 pound junior Corey Paulish put together another strong
tournament. He won his first match by pin fall and his second by a
major decision. In the finals he faced off against the 5th-ranked
wrestler in the country, Bridgewater State’s John Marsh, and
fell by a single point, 3-2. Coach DiCenzo believes that Paulish
will use this defeat to motivate himself for the rest of the
season. “Corey has had a great season and Marsh is an
excellent competitor," said DiCenzo. "What is exciting about
coaching Corey is the fact that he continues to push himself and is
really looking forward to facing Marsh again.”
Throughout the tournament both Dylan Rittenburg and Kaison Tanabe
exhibited their resilience. After falling early on they stormed
through their respective consolation brackets and earned 3rd place
finishes. Coach DiCenzo lauded both wrestlers’ resilience,
“neither Dylan nor Kaison were sharp early on, however, they
both rebounded and put together good tournaments. Their 3rd place
finishes really helped out our team. “
Overall Coach DiCenzo was pleased with the squad’s
performance in the Invitational saying, “This was the perfect
way for us to start our winter term. Especially with the National
Duals on the horizon it was great for us to compete against some of
the top teams in our region. The field was very strong and for us
to have five individual champions is a phenomenal accomplishment.
We’ve really challenged ourselves by scheduling many strong
teams and I really think it is really starting to pay
off.”
The Ephs have three days off before they travel to the University
of Northern Iowa to compete in the National Duals. The tournament
is slated to begin at 9:00 am on Saturday January 9th.
Complete Brackets (click on weight)
125
133
141
149
157
165
174
184
197
285
Team Scores:
1st: Williams College 144.5
2nd: USM 83
3rd: Rodger Williams 75.5
4th: Bridgewater State 72.5
5th: AIC 68.5
6th: Plymouth State 53.5
7th: Simpson 32
8th: Norwich 31.5
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Carl Breitenstein, Williams College
Fastest Pin: Ces Antista, Williams College 0:17
Most Pins: Malo, Williams College (3)
