Click on the respective links for the latest news on former Connecticut high school wrestlers competing at the collegiate level.
NCAA Division I
Binghamton
Junior Jack McKeever, Brookfield, 174
Cleveland State
Junior R.J. LaBeef, Pomfret, 149
Franklin & Marshall
Senior Robert Ruiz, New Britain, 133
North Carolina State
Freshman Will Crisco, Hand, 133/141
Freshman Kevin Jack, Danbury, 141
Northwestern
Junior Dominick Malone, Granby*, 133
*Grew up in Granby. Went to high school at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania
Old Dominion
Freshman John D'Agostino, Oxford (Nonnewaug), 174
Sacred Heart (Fairfield, CT)
Senior Robert O'Neil, Branford, 133
Soph. Casey Mitchell, South Windsor, 157
Soph. Elliott Antler, Hebron (Xavier), 184
Soph. Duke Sherwood, Guilford, Hwt.
Ursinus College (Collegeville PA)
Soph. Victor Hernandez, Ridgefield, 165
Virginia
Junior Patrick Gillen, Shelton, 197
NCAA Division II
Anderson University (Anderson, S.C.)
Freshman Conor Caffrey, So. Windsor, 141
American International College
Junior Dan Parker, Bristol Eastern, 285
Jr. Sheldon Rhoden, Hartford co-op 184/197
Junior Brandon Walsh, Griswold, 147/157
Sophomore Jonathan Ortiz, Hyde, 165
Freshman Anthony Milano, East Haven, 133
American University (Washington, D.C.)
Junior Matt Crockett, Cheshire, 141
Wrestled at Hamden Hall Country Day
Newbury College (Newbury, S.C.)
Junior Greg Billingham, Stratford, 141
Newbury College wrestling
St. Andrew Presbyterian Coll.
(Lavinburg NC)
Soph. Ryan Bannon, Jonathan Law, 141
NCAA Division III
Bridgewater State (Bridgewater, Mass.)
Jr. Anthony Cote, Danbury, 165
Frank Camissa, Danbury (head coach)
Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT)
Junior Dean Gilbert, Ledyard, 184
Junior Banning Lobmeyer, Windsor, 174
So. Matt McAllister, Bacon Acad., 125/133
Delaware Valley College
(Doylestown, PA)
Jr. Conor Kirkegard, New Milford, 125
Jr. Anthony Terlizzi, New Milford, 174
Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, Pa.)
Junior Tyler Cunningham, Xavier, 165
Freshman Mike Burek, Berlin, 285
Fresh. Nick Tarchis, Avon Old Farms, 285
Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Sophomore Thomas Anania, Fairfield, 184
John Hopkins
Senior Welles Sakmar, Hand, 165/174
King's College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)
Fo. Howie Kilpatrick, Bacon Academy, 149
Fo. Fjoralb Cekici, Nonnewaug, 197
Norwich University (Norwich, Vt.)
Junior Taylor Jacobs, Hand, 165
Sophomore Cody Griswold, New Milford, 174
Sophomore Daniel Lupacchino, Meriden, 125
Plymouth State (Plymouth, N.H.)
Sophomore Clay Callahan, Foran, 157
Roger Williams University (Bristol, R.I.)
Junior Ryan Butler, Xavier, 177
Sophomore Matt Jones, Ledyard, 141
Sophomore Matt Elias, Hand, 125
Sophomore Kyle Foster, Somers, 285
Rhode Island College
Jr. Brohen Krsulic, Woodstock Acad. 174
University of Southern Maine
C.J. Luth, Foran-Milford, 141
Springfield College
Senior James Gendler, Avon, 157
Senior Mark Gonzalez, East Catholic, 165
Senior Ryan Bibisi, Windsor, 125
Senior Kim Pearce, Oxford, 149
Junior Tyler Keane, Glastonbury, 133
Soph. Matt Mahoney, Hand, 149
Soph. Geovanni Medina, New Britain, 141
Frosh Bradley Marston, E.O. Smith, 165
Frosh Dylan Krivickas, New Britain, 174
Frosh David Colvin, OSW, 141
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hobeken, NJ)
Junior Jake Odell, South Windsor, 157
Trinity College (Hartford)
Sr. Kyle Lundberg, Guilford, 165/174
Sr. Scott Gonzalez, East Catholic, 133/141
Jr. Michael Ragazzi, E. Catholic, 165/174
Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)
Soph. Thor Lichtenstein, Hall, HWT
Freshman Isaiah Bellamy, Bozrah, 184/197
Williams College
Sophomore Chris Chorzepa, Newington, 184
Sophomore Austin Wruble, W. Hartford, 149
Sophomore Carl Sangree, Ashford (Taft), 174
Freshman Jake Savoca, Hand, 149
WPI
Senior Tyler Tilbe, Nonnewaug, 141
Senior Teddy Kosopoulos, Law, 197
Sophomore Lucas Muntz, Conard, 165
Sophomore Brian Amato, Hand, 125
Sophomore Dylan Martel, Griswold, 125
Freshman Ryan Rigney, Farmington, 149
Freshman Joe Tomellini, Nonnewaug, 141
Western New England College
(Springfield, MA)
Sr. Dylan Kniska, Bacon Academy, 197
Sr. Sean McAllister, Bacon Acad., 125
Jr. Mike Carrero, Platt High 165
Jr. Mike Friznia, Shelton, 174
Jr. Rob Garlick, Somers 184
Ted Banks, Griswold, head coach
Shirzad Ahmedi, Coventry, assistant coach
New England Division 3 weekly roundup
NEWA roundup, week 5
NEWA roundup, week 6
NEWA roundup, week 7
NEWA roundup, week 8
NEWA roundup, week 9
NEWA roundup, week 10
NEWA roundup, week 11
NEWA roundup, week 12
NEWA roundup, week 13
NEWA roundup, week 14
NEWA week 15
NEWA week 16
NEWA week 17
NEWA week 18
Other schools
Midland University (Fremont, Nebraska)
Senior Taylor Zboray, Manchester, 101
William Baptist College (Walnut Ridge, Arkansas)
Freshman Ryan Whittle, Greenwich, 165
Latest news
Weekly state collegiate updates
Click on a link for our weekly update of collegiate wrestling in Connecticut.
Jack takes 5th to earn
All-American honors
ST. LOUIS, MO., March 21 - He started the 2015 NCAA championships unseeded and a relative unknown in the wrestling community. But after four upsets over seeded wrestlers, N.C. State freshman Kevin Jack of Danbury came away with a fifth place finish at the 2015 NCAA Division I wrestling championships and All-American honors in his first year of collegiate wrestling.
Two other Connecticut wrestlers participated in the tournament. Granby’s Dominick Malone of Northwestern (133) wrestled for the third year. He went 1-2 in the event with an 11-0 win over Ian Nickell of Cal State Bakersfield in the first round of consolations. Brookfield’s Jack McKeever (184) of Binghamton went 0-2 in his NCAA tournament debut.
Jack was outstanding, winning five of seven matches to take fifth. He is the fourth wrestler in state history to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Division I tournament and the first since 2000. He is the only CT freshman to achieve this feat.
Three Connecticut wrestlers earn
All-American honors
HERSHEY, Pa., March 14 -- Three wrestlers with Connecticut ties earned All-American honors at Saturday's NCAA Division III national championships.
Coast Guard senior Nate Giorgio, the top seed at 133 pounds, was upset in the semifinals and ended up fifth. Still, Giorgio (41-2) earned All-American honors for the third time in four years.
Newington’s Chris Chorzepa (184) of Williams College earned All-American honors for the second consecutive year by taking finishing fourth. Chorzepa won four straight consolation round bouts. And Newington’s Brian Amato (125) of WPI finished eighth to earn All-American honors.
Preview coverage of the Division III tournament
Three state wrestlers qualify for NCAA tourney
Three Connecticut wrestlers have qualified to wrestle in the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in St. Louis on March 19-21. Danbury freshman Kevin Jack of North Carolina State (141), Granby junior Dominic Malone of Northwestern (133) and Brookfield junior Jack McKeever (184) of Binghamton University have secured invitations to the national tournament. Click on the following link for the details and our weekly collegiate roundup.
Sunday, March 1
Giorgio wins Northeast title, earns bid to NCAA Div. 3 tournament
BRISTOL, R.I., March 1 – Six wrestlers with Connecticut ties qualified for the NCAA Division III national championship tournament at Sunday’s Northeast Regional at Roger Williams.
Coast Guard senior Nate Giorgio, the No. 1 ranked Division III wrestler at 133 pounds in the nation, won the Northeast Regional title and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. Teammate Mike Shermot qualified for the NCAA tournament by taking second at 174 pounds.
Also qualifying was Newington’s Chris Chorzepa of Williams College, who was third at 184 pounds, Madison’s Jake Savoca of Williams, who took third at 141 pounds, Newington’s Brian Amato of WPI, who was third at 125 pounds, and Somers' Kyle Foster, who was third at 285 for Roger Williams. The top three in each weight class earned an invitation to the national tournament March 13-14 in Hershey, Pa.
WPI opens season with two wins
WORCESTER, Nov. 22 -- Connecticut natives Brian Amato (Newington) and Lucas Muntz (West Hartford) each had two wins as WPI kicked off their dual meet schedule Saturday in Worcester with victories over Southern Maine, 33-13, and Norwich University, 26-12. In a battle of two of the top three ranked wrestlers in New England, top ranked Brian Amato (125) beat No. 3 Michael Arangio of Southern Maine, 12-6. WPI (2-0) picked up wins from Farmington’s Ryan Rigney (149) and Jonathan Law’s Teddy Kostopoulos (197) in the victory over Southern Maine. More results and boxscores here.
Danbury's Jack wins college tournament
CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 1 – North Carolina State’s Kevin Jack, a freshman from Danbury, won the Citadel Open at 149 pounds Saturday winning five matches. Since the Wolfpack’s season doesn’t open until mid-November, Jack wrestled unattached in the tournament. He beat Tyler Marinelli of Garner Webb in the championship match, 4-1.
Jack beat Clemson’s Garrett Gottleif in the second round, 15-3 and pinned Florida’s Trace Thorne in the quarterfinals in 4:35. Jack beat Landon Reed of King University in Pennsylvania in the semifinals, 19-7. For North Carolina State, the collegiate season begins on Nov. 16 when the school hosts the Wolfpack Open.
Bratland is new coach at Coast Guard
NEW LONDON -- For the first time in 48 years, Coast Guard has a new head wrestling coach.
Kevin Bratland, the head coach at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., the past eight years, was named the new coach over the summer. He replaces Steve Eldridge, who stepped down last January, after 47 years leading Coast Guard. Eldridge began coaching at the school in 1966 and won 314 matches.
Bratland’s teams at North Central College finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Division III championships three times and won three conference championships. His teams went 73-47-1. He has been an assistant coach at Ohio Northern University and Wartburg College in Iowa and was on the Wartburg staff when the squad won a Division III national title in 2004.
Cammisa named head coach at Bridgewater
DANBURY, Sept. 30 -- Frank Cammisa, a Danbury High graduate, has been named as the new head wrestling coach at Bridgewater State University. Cammisa, who served as an assistant coach for four seasons, becomes the 12th head coach in team history. He replaces Tim Ferreira, who resigned recently. BSU was 3-12 a year ago.
“I’m confident that Frank will build on the team’s most recent successes and lead them to great achievements, on the mat, in the classroom and in the community," said Dr. Marybeth Lamb, director of athletics at Bridgewater State. “His expertise on the mat is evident, not only in his personal athletic achievements, but also as a coach.”
Cammisa joined the coaching staff in 2010 after an outstanding four-year collegiate career with the Bears. He is the only wrestler in BSU history to compete in the NCAA Division III championships in each of his four seasons with the team. He graduated from BSU in January 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education with a concentration in Recreation.
As a freshman in 2006, Cammisa made an immediate impact, setting school records for most wins (35) and pins (21) by a rookie while winning the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) title at 149 pounds to earn a berth to the NCAA Division III tournament.
In 2008, Cammisa won another NEWA title at 149 to earn another NCAA bid. A year later in 2009, he was second in the NEWA and was awarded a wild card to the NCAA tournament. As a senior in 2010, Cammissa won the NEWA title at 157 pounds. He finished with 110 wins and 46 pins.
In high school, Cammisa won 146 matches at Danbury and was a two-time State Open champion in 2005 and 2006. He finished second in New England both years. In 2006, he was an NHSCA All-American selection at 140 pounds.
