The seven individual titles by Navy are the most won by the Midshipmen in Navy Classic history. In 2005, Navy put six wrestlers atop the podium including three-time Navy Classic title winner Matt Stolpinski at 174 pounds.
“I am really proud of the way our guys competed up and down the lineup today,” said 11th-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who has guided the Mids to the Navy Classic title in six of the last seven years. “We’re still making a few mistakes in some areas, but what I saw from our wrestlers today I really was impressed with. It’s difficult to single any one or two guys out from today’s tournament because there were so many from the young guys like Joe Locksmith and Ray Borja to the more experienced guys like Luke Rebertus and Matt DeMichiel.
“All that said, we’re back at it in the wrestling room on Monday. We’ve got to continue to improve each time we step out onto the mat, but I really am proud of the effort and competition they put out there today.”
While Navy put 11 wrestlers into the finals, two of the 10 championship bouts featured an all-Navy final including the 141-pound match featuring rookies Joe Locksmith (Kissimmee, Fla.) against Raymond Borja (Virginia Beach, Va.). Seeded No. 2, Locksmith had little trouble getting into the finals, winning his opening match against Aaron Velasquez of Franklin & Marshall by way of a 6-0 decision and following up with back-to-back pins. Borja, who was unseeded, earned a 17-9 major decision over fourth-seeded Derek Shingara of Bloomsburg before upsetting top-seeded Zac Hancock of Bucknell in the semis, 6-5, to punch is ticket into the finals. Borja would come up just short of picking off Locksmith, as Locksmith won his first-collegiate title with an 8-7 win.
It’s the third-straight year that Navy has had a freshman win an individual crown at the Navy Classic. In 2008, Luke Rebertus (Gloucester, Va.) scored his first title at 174 pounds, while last season Oscar Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C.) defeated teammate Robby Neill (Brick, N.J.) in sudden victory (2) to take the 165-pound crown.
Scoring a 6-1 win over second-seeded Derek Reber of Bucknell, Navy junior 125-pounder Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.) became one of three Navy wrestlers to win Navy Classic individual titles multiple times. Kalil turned in a 14-4 major decision over Campbell’s Tanner Bidelspach to start the tournament before earning his way into the finals with an 8-3 win over fourth-seeded Sean Boylan of Bloomsburg. Kalil’s win over Reber not only was impressive, as he surrendered just one point, but it is sure to be noticed by the pollsters with Reber coming into the weekend ranked 19th by Amateur Wrestling News.
“Aaron gave a heck of a performance today,” added Burnett. “The win over Reber will go a long way for his confidence and I think others will see the significance of that win. He dominated the entire day”
Also placing in the 125-pound bracket for the Mids were senior Allen Stein (Portland, Maine), who placed third with a 5-2 decision over Boylan, while Jericho Urmenita finished sixth after dropping a 4-0 decision to Bidelspach.
Navy was unable to put a wrestler in the finals of the 133-pound class, but three Midshipmen were placewinners. Junior Pat McCaffrey (Chicago, Ill.), seeing his first action of the year after suffering an eye injury during the preseason, pinned second-seeded Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg at 2:37 to take third. Meanwhile, Ben Levin (Reisterstown, Md.) and Tyler Sackett (Omaha, Neb.), both of Navy, would battle it out in the fifth-sixth place match. Levin, the fourth seed who was sent to the consolations by No. 1 seed Jake Burcha of Franklin & Marshall, took fifth by way of a 4-0 decision over Sackett.
In just his second season on the team, 149-pounder Eric Filipowicz (Elkridge, Md.) pulled the upset to win his first-collegiate individual title. Seeded No. 2, he produced back-to-back technical falls before edging out teammate Collin Leadbeter (Owings, Md.) in the semis, 3-1, to earn his way into the championship bout. Filipowicz went on to take the crown in a 5-2 decision over Bloomsburg’s Josh Roosa, who was the top seed in the weight class.
A talented weight class for the Mids, three other wrestlers placed in the tournament. Sophomore Zach Basich (Wheeling, W.Va.), who narrowly lost to finalist Roosa, 3-2, scored a big 14-4 major decision over Navy freshman Zach Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) to place third, while Leadbeter edged out West Virginia’s Zach Cerrone to finish fifth.
Winning his second tournament this season was Navy senior captain Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.), who took sole possession of fifth on Navy’s all-time wins list. After posting a 4-0 record at 157 pounds in today’s Navy Classic, he now stands 118-32 all-time and trails fourth-place John Reich by just one win. Saddoris needed to put forth little effort in his opening two matches, winning his first by major decision and pinning West Virginia’s Ruben Herrera in less than a minute. Fourth-seeded Frank Hickman pushed Saddoris in the semis, but the All-American from Navy would advance to the finals behind a 6-3 win. Saddoris went on to claim his second Navy Classic title win and first since winning it as a sophomore at 149 pounds, by way of a 7-5 victory over Bucknell’s Brantley Hooks, who was seeded No. 2.
Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Jackson (Rising Sun, Md.) continued to look strong with a fourth-place finish. Jackson, who did not compete in a varsity competition a year ago, placed second at the Clarion Knight Point and finished fourth at the Navy Classic.
Navy placed three at 165 pounds with sophomore Mason Bailey (Fairmont, W.Va.) leading the way with a second-place effort. Seeded fourth, Bailey won his opening match against Bloomsburg’s Sam Shirey via a technical fall and advanced to the finals after dealing top-seeded Josh Veltre of Bloomsburg a 7-2 loss. However, No. 2 seed Corey Lear of Bucknell would prevail in the title match with a 9-2 win over Bailey.
Third-seeded Bobby Barnhisel (River Forest, Ill.), who lost his semifinals match to Lear, 7-2, was forced to settle for third place with a 9-8 victory over West Virginia’s Kevin Eason. Rookie Johnny Watson (Lexington, N.C.) took fifth after Veltre was forced to medically forfeit his final two bouts of the tournament.
Winning his first title at the Navy Classic was senior Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.), whose season ended early a year ago after suffering a broken leg. Seeded No. 2, DeMichiel pinned West Virginia’s Rob Desano at the 1:40 mark in the championship bout to take the crown. Desano, meanwhile, knocked out Bucknell’s David Thompson to earn the right to face DeMichiel in the finals.
Huntley, who won the 165-pound weight class last season, placed fifth at 174 pounds this year. The No. 4 seed, Huntley was bounced in the second round by Desano, but fought his way back and would eventually score a 6-0 decision over West Virginia’s Brandon Lintner to take fifth.
Like Saddoris, Rebertus won his second tournament in as many tries in 2010. Rebertus got by Bucknell’s Rob Waltko in the opener and beat Bucknell’s Joe McMullan in the semis, 5-3. Second-seeded Nate Graham of Bloomsburg, however gave Rebertus fits as the Navy junior needed the tie breaker to earn the 2-1 win at 184 pounds. It’s the second time Rebertus has won a title at the Navy Classic and first since winning the 174-pound class as a rookie in 2008.
Placing fourth at 184 pounds, meanwhile, was junior Mike Brant (Johnstown, Pa.) who had a solid afternoon. Brant narrowly lost a 3-2 decision to third-place Mac Mancuso of West Virginia who was seeded No. 3.
For a second-straight year, Navy’s Andrew Buck (Carson, Wash.) was forced to settle for second. Buck, who was seeded third at 197 pounds in the tournament, dropped a 10-5 decision in the championship bout to George Mason’s Cayle Byers who is ranked sixth nationally. Buck pinned Campbell’s Justin Sparrow in less than 30 seconds to kick off the tournament before just edging out Bucknell’s Jay Hahn, the No. 2 seed in the semis.
In an all-Navy fifth-sixth place match, sophomore Chance Rauscher (Glasgow, Mont.) earned an 11-5 win over sophomore Matt McVay (Shaftsbury, Vt.).
Finally, Navy took 1-2 at heavyweight with second-year standout Dan Miller (Berlin, Md.) earning a 7-4 decision over senior Mike Landis (Hershey, Pa.) in the finals. Miller earned a 12-5 decision over Bucknell’s Connor Sweeney to begin the day, but advanced to the finals after Bloomsburg’s Zac Walsh suffered a knee injury. On the other hand, Landis posted a 7-4 win over Bloomsburg’s Jake Dabashinsky before taking down top-seeded and 2010 NCAA qualifier Parker Burns of Campbell in the semis, 8-5.
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, Navy will be back in action with a split squad heading out West to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4-5, while a second group will travel to State College, Pa. to take part in the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 5.
Final Team Standings
1 - 135.5 Navy
2 - 78.0 Bucknell
3 - 61.0 Bloomsburg
4 - 48.0 West Virginia
5 - 21.0 George Mason
6 - 19.5 Franklin & Marshall
7 - 9.5 Campbell
Championship Finals:
125 - Aaron Kalil, Navy 6-1 Derek Reber, Bucknell
133 - Jake Bucha, Franklin & Marshall 8-4 Alex Pellicotti, Bucknell
141 - Joe Locksmith, Navy 8-7 Raymond Borja, Navy
149 - Eric Filipowicz, Navy 5-2 Josh Roosa, Bloomsburg
157 - #9 Bryce Saddoris, Navy 7-5 Brantley Hooks, Bucknell
165 - Corey Lear, Bucknell 9-2 Mason Bailey, Navy
174 - Matt DeMichiel, Navy F1:40 Rob desano, West Virginia
184 - #13 Luke Rebertus, Navy 2-1;tb Nate Graham, Bloomsburg
197 - Cayle Byers, George Mason 10-5 Andrew Buck, Navy
285 - Dan Miller, Navy 7-4 Mike Landis, Navy
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