PROVIDENCE, RI -- At Johnson & Wales University this weekend, Williams wrestling competed in the NEWA dual meet championship and claimed 4th place. Coming in as the #5 seed, the Ephs went 2-2 on the day, defeating Norwich and Roger Williams. The team fell, however, to Wesleyan and Johnson & Wales in later rounds. "In the quarter finals we were underdogs to Roger Williams," head coach Scott Honecker remarked, "we upset them 21-20."
Heavyweight Tom Foote, who was 4-0 on the day and was named to the all-tournament team, made the difference in the upset victory. "Our lighter weights put our upper weights in a situation where if we could win one match, and not give up any bonus points, we were going to win," said Honecker. "We bumped freshman John Berry up from 174 to 197 and he did his job… putting Tom in a position where all he had to do was win the match and we would win the dual."
Coach Honecker called the upset victory the highlight of the season to this point.
Wrestling at 133, Kaison Tanabe went 2-2 on the day, winning his matches with a 2:09 pin and a major decision.
Ces Antista had a great day, going 3-0 in the first three duals. Carson Brooks took over the 141 spot for the Johnson & Wales match, pulling out a 5-3 victory,
Jorge Lopez remained dominant at 149, going 3-1 on the day. "We got big pins from Lopez," added Honecker, referencing Lopez's wins by falls against Norwich and Roger Williams opponents.
Tim Garripoli also performed well, finishing up 3-1 at the 157 weight class. Garripoli took down his Norwich opponent with a 3:22 pin.
Contending at 165, 174, and 184, respectively, Kyle Gaffney, Mir Henglin, and Anthony Brooks battled tough competition and finished 1-3 on the day.
Dan Kurnick and John Berry fought hard at 197, but had a long day, ending up 0-3 and 0-1, respectively.
"4th in New England is not where we want to be," Honecker stated, "but we are obviously moving in the direction of where we want to be." Honecker was extremely pleased with his team's performance and is preparing them to face stiff competition at NE/Metro Duals hosted by Hunter College next weekend.
"All three teams are tough," Honecker noted. "Roger Williams is going to have another shot at us and I know they are hungry, but we are hungry too."
The full results of the tournament can be found here.
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| 2003 NEWA Duals All Tourney Team: Tom Foote standing extreme left |
