The wrestling team under eighth-year head coach, John Gordon, won the Pennsylvania Prep State Tournament for the fourth consecutive year on February 20th. Then this past weekend on February 27th, the team finished second in the team standings among the 121 participating schools at the National Prep School Tournament at Lehigh University. Over the past four years the team has finished second three times and third three years ago at the national tournament. Blair finished first but their margin of victory over the Blue Knights was only 34 points - 271 to 237.

Eleven team members earned prep school All-American status as a result of their performance at the national prep championships. Those recognized as Prep All-Americans are:

Mike McMullan ‘10 285 pounds National Champion 4 time Prep All-American
Donald McNeil ’10 215 pounds National Champion 2 time prep All-American
Chris Moon '10 160 pounds National Champion
Dom Malone ’12 112 pounds 2nd Place 2 time prep All-American
Eric Morris '13 130 pounds 2nd Place
Simon Kitzis ’10 135 pounds 3rd Place 3 time Prep All-American
Jay Wieller ’10 171 pounds 4th Place 3 time Prep All-American
Cole Fulk '12 140 pounds 5th Place
Bryce Caiazzo ’10 152 pounds 6th Place 2 time Prep All-American
Evan Botwin '12 103 pounds 6th Place
Garrett Hammond '13 125 pounds 7th Place

Mike McMullan won the 285 pound title for the second consecutive year. Donald McNeil won the Bob Dalling Trophy which is presented to the wrestler with the most falls in the least time. McNeil also was the recipient of the inaugural Ray Mendoza Award which is presented to the wrestler who contributes the most points to his team's total score.

Special kudos to the large crowd of alumni, parents, family friends and school faculty/ staff members who traveled to Bethlehem on Friday and Saturday to support the team! There is no question which team had the largest cheering section!

The Wyoming Seminary wrestling team turned in an outstanding performance this past weekend at the “Escape the Rock” tournament at Council Rock High School South in New Holland, PA, winning the team championship in dominating fashion.

Sem placed 8 wrestlers the finals, and had 4 champions. Most impressive was their 100% winning rate in the semi-final round, placing all semi-finalists into the finals. Led by tournament champions Kyle Johnson (Stewartsville, NJ), Simon Kitzis (Chesnut Hill, MA), Chris Moon (Broad Run, VA) and Dominick Malone (Granby, CT), Sem defeated #8 nationally ranked Central Mountain, PA for the second time this season by 24 points to claim the championship, 243-219. 

Individual Place Finishes

103 Evan Botwin – 4^th place

 112 Dom Malone – Tournament Champion

 119 Kyle Johnson - Tournament Champion

 125 Garett Hammond – 6^th place

 130 Eric Morris – 2^nd place

 135 Simon Kitzis - Tournament Champion

 140 Cohl Fulk – 2^nd place

 145 Adam Morris – 7^th Place

 152 Peter Hubbard – DNP

 160 Chris Moon - Tournament Champion

 171 James Wieller – 2^nd Place

 189 Matthew Bilodeau – 2^nd place

 215 Ben Puza – 7^th place

 285 No Entrant

The Wyoming Seminary wrestling team travelled to the great state of Wisconsin this past weekend, opening up the New Year at the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna High School in Kaukauna, WI. Historically, it has been rare for any team in any sport from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to compete in Wisconsin, but the Sem Wrestling Team braved the 16 hour one-way bus ride to become the first PA team to do so in at least the past two decades, and produced some excellent results.

 

The Cheesehead Invitational showcased some of the best wrestling in the nation, as many wrestling publications have labeled it a top-ten tournament in the country this season. Other out-of-state teams in the 25 team tournament included Brandon, FL, Apple Valley, MN, Simley, MN, Plainville Central, IL, and Lockport, IL. Wyoming Seminary did not disappoint, representing the east coast proudly, and turning in some great individual performances, as well as a strong team performance, placing third behind nationally ranked #2 Apple Valley, MN and #8 Brandon, FL.

 

Sem crowned two champions: 112lb Dom Malone (Granby, CT) and 285lb Mike McMullan (Easton, PA). Malone ended the tournament with a convincing 6-1 decision over Simley, MN Freshman Juan Torres in the 112 final. For Malone, this is his second tournament title this season. McMullan continued his domination of the 285 weight class, pinning every opponent of the tournament, culminating with a fall at the 5:19 mark over nationally ranked (10^th) Henry Chirino of Brandon, FL. McMullan won the “Most Falls Least Time” award for his outstanding efforts. He is undefeated on the season.  Joining them in the finals was 160lb Senior Chris Moon (Broad Run, VA), who lost a tightly contested final bout to Steve Keogh of Apple Valley, MN. Moon knocked off #1 seed and nationally ranked Wally Figaro of Brandon, FL in the semi-finals.

 

Sem also had excellent performances from two key Senior leaders at the event: 119lb Kyle Johnson (Stewartsville, NJ) and 171lb Jay Wieller (Allentown, PA). Both placed third at the event after losing tightly contested bouts in the semi-finals, leading the team throughout the weekend with their in-match energy and toughness. Junior Adam Morris (Mechanicsburg, PA) had a breakthrough weekend, losing in the semi-finals to nationally ranked Clark Glass of Brandon, FL in a close overtime bout, and then wrestling back to win third place.

 

Individual Results:

 

103

Evan Botwin – 9^th Place

 

112

Dom Malone – Tournament Champion

 

119

Kyle Johnson – 3^rd Place

125

Garett Hammond – 5^th Place

 

130

Eric Morris – 8^th Place

 

135

Simon Kitzis – 4^th Place

140

Cohl Fulk – 7^th Place

 

145

Adam Morris – 3^rd Place

 

152

Peter Hubbard - DNP

 

160

Chris Moon – 2^nd Place

 

171

Jay Wieller – 3^rd Place

 

189

Matt Bilodeau – 11^th Place

 

215

Ben Puza – 11^th Place

 

285

Mike McMullan – Tournament Champion

 

 

Team Results

 

1. Apple Valley  710.5

2. Brandon, FL  671.5

3. Wyoming Seminary  585.0

4. Montini, IL  512.5

5. Simley  481.5

6. Plainfield Central  373.0

7. Lockport  318.5

8. Kaukauna  294.0

9. Milton  293.0

10. Wausau West  284.0

11. Walsh Jesuit  269.5

12. Muskego  268.5

13. Yorkville  266.5

14. Kenyon Wanamingo, MN  265.0

15. Hartland Arrowhead  262.0

16. Luxemburg Casco  240.0

17. Stoughton  221.0

18. Pewaukee  194.0

19. Hartford  192.0

20. Port Washington  183.5

21. DeForest  156.5

22. New Trier  132.0

23. Sheboygan Falls  117.5

24. Wrightstown  98.0

25. New Lisbon  88.0

 

 

 

 

Seminary wrestling had another big weekend at the Beast of the East tournament in Newark, DE this past weekend. Sem wrestlers went into the holiday break on a high note, placing six wrestlers, two champions, and placing third overall, missing the second place spot by just three team points.

Affectionately referred to as "The Beast," the annual mega-event is considered by many as the toughest tournament in the nation, a title openly disputed by another event on Seminary's schedule, the Walsh Ironman Tournament.   More than one hundred teams and hundreds of wrestlers competed for one of fourteen highly coveted Beast of the East titles, a feat Sem was able to accomplish twice this weekend. 

For Senior Simon Kitzis (Newton, MA), it was history repeating. Returning to defend his 2008 Beast title, Kitzis performed admirably, dominating nationally ranked Scott Festejo (Long Branch, NJ) in the semi-finals before vanquishing Sussex Tech's Wendell Cannon in overtime to claim his second title, finishing with a 5-0 tournament record. For Kitzis, who has already committed to wrestle at the University of Missouri next season, winning his second beast title was among his top goals for this season; a goal now accomplished. 

For Senior Michael McMullan (Easton, PA), it was a chance to prove himself. McMullan looked to assert himself as the top heavyweight in the nation in a stacked weight class that included nationally ranked #3 Karl Green (Mt. St. Joseph) and #1 Bobby Telford (St. Marks, DE). McMullan was ranked 6th by Amateur Wrestling News. In the semi-finals, McMullan jumped out to an early 5-0 lead over Green, before pinning him in the first period. In the finals, McMullan won a tightly contested contest over Telford, winning his first Beast of the East title, and throwing down the gauntlet to all other heavyweights in the country. For his efforts, McMullan nearly swept all individual awards at the tournament, winning the award for most team points scored and the outstanding wrestler award along with his individual title.

Seminary performed well at the two day tournament not just individually, but on all fronts, winning third place as well as the Team Sportsmanship Award for class on and off the mat. Seminary had four other placers who performed admirably.

Individual Placements
103 Evan Botwin - 8th
*Evan has placed in both the Ironman AND Beast of the East.

112 Dom Malone - 5th
*Dom has placed in both the Ironman AND Beast of the East.

130 Eric Morris - 5th
*Eric is a freshman, and defeated a senior PA state placer twice at the event.

135 Simon Kitzis - Champion 
*Simon has been a finalist both the Ironman AND Beast of the East.

160 Chris Moon - 5th
*Chris has placed in both the Ironman AND Beast of the East.

285 Michael McMullan - Champion
*Michael has won both the Ironman AND Beast of the East.

Team Scores
1 219.5 Blair 0 0 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
2 163.0 Central Dauphin 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 2
3 160.5 Wyoming Seminary 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1
4 156.0 St Marks 0 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 0
5 118.0 Frank W Cox 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0
6 109.0 Eastern Regional 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0
7 98.0 Long Branch 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
8 95.0 Sussex Central 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
9 87.0 Christiansburg 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
10 86.5 Timberlane 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

The Wyoming Seminary wrestling team turned in a strong performance at the prestigious Walsh Ironman Tournament at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio this past weekend.

Sem placed 4th out of 58 teams,  behind nationally ranked Blair Academy (NJ), St. Paris Graham (OH), and St. Edward (OH). Sem had 6 placewinners , 2 finalists, and one champion. Senior Michael McMullan (Easton, PA) turned in an impressive performance, dominating his opponents, culminating with a convincing 5-1 decision in the final bout. Senior Simon Kitzis (Chesnut Hill, MA) lost a tightly contested 4-3 battle with Monroeville, OH 2x state champion Cam Tessari, placing second.  Freshman Garett Hammond (Mechanicsburg, PA) placed 8th, an impressive feat for his age at what many wrestling coaches label as the toughest high school wrestling tournament in the nation.

Team Scores (Top Ten)
Blair Academy (NJ)                            196.5
St. Paris Graham (OH)                      157.5
St. Edward (OH)                                  137
Wyoming Seminary (PA)                   130
Central Mountain (PA)                       121.5
Wadsworth (OH)                                 110
Bishop Lynch (TX)                              104.5
Broken Arrow (OK)                             101.5
Monroeville (OH)                                 95
Montini Catholic (IL)                            84


Seminary Placewinners

1st Place
285 Michael McMullan

2nd Place
135 Simon Kitzis

5th Place
112 Dom Malone

7th Place
160 Chris Moon

8th Place
103 Evan Botwin
125 Garett Hammond

Wyoming Seminary wrestling opened the 2009-2010 with a dominating performance at the Hopewell Classic in Virginia this past weekend, winning the team title over nationally ranked Christiansburg, VA and VA AAA powerhouse Frank W. Cox High School. Sem had 8 finalists, 6 champions, 14 placewinners, and a combined tournament record 78-8. Dominick Malone was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament, defeating #1 nationally ranked Joey Dance of Christiansburg and #17 ranked Caleb Richardson of Cox en-route to the title.

1.Wyoming Seminary   342.5
2.Frank W. Cox High School   241.5
3.Christiansburg High School   218.5
4.Westfield High School   167.0
5.St. Christopher`s School   147.5
6.New Kent High School   108.0
7.Hopewell High School   95.0
8.James River High School   90.0
9.Deep Run High School   85.5
10.Riverbend High School   83.0
11.Lee-Davis High School   79.5
12.Cosby High School   61.5
13.Hampton High School   42.5
14.Hermitage High School   41.5
15.Atlee High School   25.0
16.Mills Godwin High School   16.5
17.Christiansburg B Team   16.0

1st Place
103 Evan Botwin
112 Dom Malone
130 Eric Morris
135 Simon Kitzis
160 Chris Moon
285 Michael McMullan

2nd Place
125 Garett Hammond
140 Cohl Fulk

3rd Place
119 Kyle Johnson
145 Adam Morris
171 James Wieller
189 Matthew Bilodeau
215 Ben Puza

4th Place
125 Sam Schwartzapfel

All seven Wyoming Seminary senior wrestlers have committed to wrestle at NCAA Division I institutions next fall, ending an aggressive college placement campaign for our highly decorated senior class of 2010. Our seniors have committed to the following schools:

Bryce Caiazzo - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kyle Johnson - Rider University
Simon Kitzis - The University of Missouri
Mike McMullan - Northwestern University
Donald McNeil - University of North Carolina Greensboro
Chris Moon - Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Jay Wieller - United States Naval Academy

These student-athletes clearly have high goals and aspire to achieve great things throughout their careers, and are looking forward to having highly successful senior campaigns!

Beast of the East champion Simon Kitzis has verbally committed to the University of Missouri. Listen to his interview on Intermat www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/5693.

Congrats Simon!!!!

Mike McMullan, Wyoming Seminary's returning National Prep heavyweight champion has verbally committed to Northwestern University. Recognized as an InterMat Top 100 recruit, InterMat Wrestling 49 Pennsylvania Top 10 wrestler, and ranked among The Open Mat's top 2010 college prospects, McMullan is one of the most distinguished high school heavyweights in the nation.

In addition to his wrestling accomplishments McMullan is a decorated football player, lacrosse player, and honor roll student. The Wyoming Seminary College Prep senior reports that while the selection process was challenging, visiting Northwestern's Evanston, Illinois campus made the decision easy. The combination of Northwestern's academic profile, campus, coaching staff, and Big Ten affiliation caused him to quickly realize that it was the right place to pursue his goals over the course of the next five years.

"I really connected with Coach Cysewski and Coach Pariano. I am excited about their vision for the Northwestern wrestling and my opportunity to be a part of it. I look forward to working with them."

McMullan enters his senior season intent on defending his National Prep title and establishing himself as a premier heavyweight at the national level. He will have ample opportunity to do just that with a schedule that includes the ASICS Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, Cheesehead Invitational, Blair Super Quad, and the National Prep Championships.

Courtesy of intermatwrestle.com

Kitzis and Malone Earn Freestyle All American Honors
Congratulations to Simon Kitzis and Dominic Malone both of whom earned USA Wrestling All American honors in freestyle competition in Fargo, North Dakota in July.  Simon placed 6th in the very competitive Junior 135 classification and Dom finished 5th in the loaded Cadet 105 category.  Congratulations to these Blue Knight All Americans!

Freshman Eric Morris Recognized as the Nation’s Best!
Seminary freshman wrestler, Eric Morris has been recognized by the national Wrestling Coach’s Association Intermat Wrestling website as the number ranked ranked rising freshman wrestling in the nation.  You can access this website, view a picture of Eric and get inspired by his profile by going to www.intermatwrestle.com  scroll down the page to the Recruiting Central Section and click on freshman. Congratulations to Eric on this extraordinary distinction. He looks great in blue and white!