Click on the respective links for the latest news on former Connecticut high school wrestlers competing at the collegiate level.
NCAA Division I
Army
Junior Charlie Costanzo, Danbury, 133
Binghamton
Freshman Jack McKeever, Brookfield, 157
Bloomsburg University
Junior Rich Perry, Middletown HS, 197 lbs.
Cleveland State
Junior Mike Monson, Southington, 165
Freshman R.J. LaBeef, Pomfret, 141
Hofstra
Senior Tyler Banks, Griswold, 157
Freshman Dalton Ahern, Old Saybrook, 149
Millersville University (Millersville, Pa.)
Junior Dan Calzarette, Simsbury, 149
Northwestern
Dominick Malone, Granby*, 125
*Grew up in Granby. Went to high school at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania
Sacred Heart (Fairfield, Conn.)
Senior Zachary Moran, East Catholic, 184
Sophomore Robert O'Neil, Branford, 125
Sophomore David Barber, Trumbull, 141
Sophomore Tom Burke, Bethel, 141
Stanford
Freshman Colton Dempsey, Greenwich, 149
Virginia
Freshman Patrick Gillen, Shelton, 197/Hwt.
NCAA Division II
Anderson University (Anderson, S.C.)
Sophomore Brian Onofrio, Hand, 157
Junior Nick Giuelleti, Sheehan, 157
American International College
Junior Andrew Lischke, Bethel, 141
Fo. Andrew Chase, Bristol Eastern, 125
Fo. Michael Burgos, Masuk, 125
Fo. Will Honer, Old Saybrook, 141
Fo. Dan Parker, Bristol Eastern, 285
Fo. Sheldon Rhoden, Hartford co-op, 184
Fo. Brandon Walsh, Griswold, 147
Newbury College (Newbury, S.C.)
Freshman Greg Billingham, Stratford, 141
University of Nebraska-Kearney
Junior Brock Coutu, Griswold, 141
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
Soph. Sean O'Connell, Farmington, 184
Tiffin University (Tiffin, Ohio)
Soph. Aren Norman, Bacon Academy, 184 (redshirt)
St. Andrew Presbyterian Coll.
(Lavinburg NC)
Soph. Danny Iovino Ortiz, Jonathan Law
NCAA Division III
Bridgewater State (Bridgewater, Mass.)
Sr. Sean Fields, Norwalk (McMahon), 157
Frank Camissa, Danbury (assistant coach)
Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT)
Freshman Dean Gilbert, Ledyard, 184
Delaware Valley College
(Doylestown, PA)
Freshman Conor Kirkegard, New Milford, 125
Fo. Brett Akerley, Bristol Eastern, 285
Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, Pa.)
Junior Mike Sheehan, Fairfield Ludlowe, 184
Freshman Eddie Carroll, Hand, 141
Freshman Tyler Cunningham, Xavier, 157
Freshman Cody Keane, Glastonbury, 141
Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Junior Joseph Löbb, Oxford (Gunnery), 165
Freshman Johnny Bello, Conard, 165
Johnson & Wales
Senior Humphrey Swift, Danbury, 285
Soph. Evan Fraser, Fairfield Warde, 133
John Hopkins
Sophomore Welles Sakmar, Hand, 149
Luther College (Decorah, Iowa)
Fo. Anthony Terlizzi, New Milford, 157
Norwich University (Norwich, Vt.)
Junior Alex Lawrence, Ledyard, 285
Soph. Malik McGarrah, Wethersfield, 157
Soph. Wayne McGuire, East Catholic, 174
Freshman Taylor Jacobs, Hand, 185
Plymouth State (Plymouth, N.H.)
Junior Fred Reisch, Norwalk, 133
Roger Williams University (Bristol, R.I.)
Sophomore Ryan Ing, Bunnell, 133
Freshman Drew Pinnarcik, Cheshire, 197
Freshman Ryan Butler, Xavier, 149
Freshman Ben Anderson, Trumbull, 141
Rhode Island College
Senior Alex Labeef, Pomfret, 141
Junior Adam Lynch, New Milford, 184
Jr. Brohen Krsulic, Woodstock Acad. 184
Fo. Joshua Lawrence, Ledyard, 197
Springfield College
Graduate John Garbordi, Ledyard, 197
Junior Victor Ekpenyong, Middletown, 133
Junior Kim Pearce, Oxford, 149
Junior Mohammad Carter, Xavier, 285
Sophomore James Gendler, Avon, 157
Soph. Mark Gonzalez, East Catholic, 149
Freshman Max Flanagan, Hand, 133
Freshman Tyler Keane, Glastonbury, 125
Freshman Dylan Bryrant, Danbury, 135
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hobeken, NJ)
Sophomore Jake Odell, South Windsor, 174
Trinity College (Hartford)
Jr. Scott Gonzalez, East Catholic, 133/141
Fo. Michael Ragazzi, E. Catholic, 165/174
Ursinus College (Lancaster, Pa.)
Senior Curtis Watkins, Fairfield Warde, 149
Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)
WPI
Junior Brian Jennings, Danbury, 133
Sophomore Brian Barnash, Trumbull, 197
Soph. Ted Kostopoulos, Jonathan Law, 184
So. Duncan MacKinnon, Bacon Acad., 174
Sophomore Tyler Tilbe, Nonnewaug, 149
Western New England College
(Springfield, MA)
Senior Robby Ferrante, Shelton, 133
Senior Nik Moreschi, Meriden (Platt), 160
Soph. Dylan Kniska, Bacon Academy, 197
Soph. Sean McAllister, Bacon Acad., 125
Fo. Mike Carrero, Platt High 165
Fo. Mike Friznia, Shelton, 174
Fo. Rob Garlick, Somers 184
Ted Banks, Griswold, head coach
Shirzad Ahmedi, Coventry, assistant coach
Other schools
Itasca Community College
(Grand Rapids, Minnesota)
Ben Pierre Saint, Stamford
Latest news
Perry wins 2 matches at NCAA Div. I tourney
DES MOINES, IA, March 23 – The only Connecticut wrestler in the 2013 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament won two matches before getting eliminated. Middletown High graduate Richard Perry wrestled at 197 pounds for Bloomsburg University and went 2-2. Perry (30-6) opened his tournament with a 7-5 win in OT over Army’s Bryce Barnes. Trailing by one in the third period. Barnes got a takedown to take a 1-point lead but Perry was awarded a point for riding time to send the bout into OT.
In the second round, Perry faced No. 3 seed Matthew Wilps of Pittsburgh in a rematch of the Eastern Wrestling League final won by Wilps. The match was scoreless in the second period when Wilps escaped. Perry went for a leg but Wilps countered and turned it into a takedown for a 3-0 lead. Another three back points gave Wilps a 6-0 lead and he went onto a 9-1 decision.
In the consolation round, Perry beat Caleb Kolb of Nebraska, 7-3 with a takedown in each of the three periods and a point for riding. But Perry’s tournament ended with a tough 4-3 loss to No. 6 seed Kyven Gadson of Iowa State. Gadson took a 2-0 lead with a first period takedown and extended his lead to 3-1 with a second period escape. Perry’s takedown late in the second period tied the bout at 3-3. But Gadson received a bonus point for more than one minute of riding time to get the win.
Perry lost to a pair of All-Americans. Wilps finished third while Gadson finished sixth.
Connecticut shutout
at Div. III nationals
LA CROSSE, Wis. , March 16 -- Wartburg College won its 10th NCAA DIvision III national championship in the final season for long-time coach Jim Miller. Wartburg had four individual champions and five finalists. No Connecticut wrestlers qualified for the tournament.
Coutu finishes third at NCAA Div. II meet
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 9 – Former Griswold High wrestler Brock Coutu, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, earned All-American honors by finishing third at the NCAA Division II national championship tournament Saturday.
Coutu (23-10) beat No. 5 ranked Maurice Miller of Notre Dame-Ohio twice to finish third at 141 pounds. Coutu advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 win over Dave Cawley of Pitt-Johnston and a 7-6 decision over Miller in the quarterfinals. Ryan Fillingham of Adams State beat Coutu, 6-4 to go to the championship match.
But Coutu remained strong with an 8-0 win over Michael Hamel of Grand Canyon and rallying for a big 8-6 win over Miller in the consolation final. Trailing 4-1 early, Coutu dominated the rest of the way with nearly three minutes of riding time to earn the victory.
No 3 Nebraska-Kearney had a one point lead over St. Cloud State going into Saturday night’s finals with four wrestlers in the finals.
Perry qualifies for NCAA Division I tournament
EDINBORO, Pa., March 9 – Former Middletown High wrestler Richard Perry of Bloomsburg State qualified for the NCAA Division I championships by finishing second at the 38th annual Eastern Wrestling League tournament at 197 pounds. Perry fell to three-time EWL champion Matt Wilps of Pittsburgh, 5-4, who was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. The top two wrestlers from 197 pounds qualified for the NCAA Division I championship meet on March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Perry (28-4) beat Justin Oretega of Clarion in the semifinals, 13-5. In the final against Wilps, he gave up a takedown and escape in the second period to fall behind 3-0. A reversal cut the Wilps lead to one. In the third period, a Perry reversal gave him a 4-3 lead but he couldn’t prevent a Wilps escape that tied the match at 4-4. Wilps, who is ranked No. 1 in the country in the NCAA tournament seedings, picked up a point for riding time and earned the 5-4 win.
Pitt won the EWL title for the third straight year, beating host Edinboro by 8½ points with Bloomsburg taking third, three points behind Edinboro.
Malone wrestles tough
at Big 10 tournament
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., March 9 -- At the Big 10 tournament, Granby native Dom Malone (125) of Northwestern University won his first round match over Wisconsin’s Matt Cavallaris with his team-leading eighth pin of the year in 2:35 but fell in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Matt McDonough of Iowa, 5-4 in a hard-fought battle.
Malone (17-12) was the aggressor from the start against McDonough and scored the first takedown of the match and had the 4-1 lead after a second first-period takedown. McDonough evened things up at 4-4 by the time the first period expired but Malone had racked up riding time. In the second, McDonough recorded an escape at 1:13 to take the 5-4 lead but Malone still had 1:05 of riding time. Neither wrestler scored the remainder of the period and Malone started the third period down. Malone was unable to escape as McDonough, who is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist, erased Malone's riding time to take the narrow 5-4 victory.
Malone dropped his first consolation round match to Joe Duca of Indiana, 6-2, and was eliminated.
CT wrestlers may complete at Grapple at the Garden
NEW YORK, Dec. 2 -- Three Connecticut wrestlers could be on the mat at the Grapple at the Garden on Sunday, Dec. 16 when 14 top collegiate wrestling teams compete at Madison Square Garden in New York for the first time with dual meets at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Former Middletown High star Richard Perry (197) is 11-1 this season and ranked No. 19 in the nation for Bloomsburg University, which faces Missouri at 12:30 p.m. Tyler Banks (Griswold, 1-1) and Dalton Ahern (Old Saybrook, 2-6) are each wrestling at 157 for Hoftstra, which faces Iowa at 10:30 a.m. and Ohio State at 12:30 p.m. Watch the video.
Malone wins Keystone Classic
CHICAGO, Nov. 30 -- Granby native Dom Malone (125) wins Keystone Classic in Philadelphia for No. 13 Northwestern University. Malone is 4-1 so far and ranked No. 19 in the country.
Tugman to coach at Wesleyan
MADISON, April 27 -- Hand co-coach Blair Tugman has taken a position as assistant coach at Wesleyan University, according to Hand wrestling's Facebook page. Tugman and Erik Delehanty have coached the Tigers for the past two seasons as co-coaches. This season, they led Hand to its first state title since 1995 when the Tigers won the Class L championship. In two seasons, Hand has gone 47-2, finished 2nd in the State Open twice and second and third in New England. The Tigers were second in Class L in 2011. Tugman and Delehanty led Hand to two SCC Division A titles and a pair of second place finishes in the SCC Tournament.
