NYS Wrestling Championships Recap

Nine Section 9 Wrestler Make the Medal Stand
A very nice showing as nine D1 wrestlers from Section 9 placed in the top 6 in the state.  For the first time in recent memory, every Section 9 D1 wrestler won at least one match….nobody went 0-2!!! Our D2 guys did not make out quite as well but we did see two small school wrestlers (Morgans and Suleiman) make it to the blood round which is one match away from placing.  Congratulations to the Section 9 placewinners!
120 – Gerard Daly (MV) 3rd place and Vinny Vespa (MW) 5th place
132 – Da’mani Burns (NFA) 3rd place and Evan Barczak (MW) 6th place
145 – Michael Raccioppi (MV) 2nd place and Ryan Ferro (Warwick) 3rd place
152 – Thomas Wightman (Warwick) 4th place
160 – AJ Aeberli (MV) 5th place
195 – Nick McShea (MW) 2nd place

Sectional Results
Our D1 team had a very solid 5th place showing in the sectional race.  Below are the top 5 sectional teams from each division.

Division 1
1. Section 11 – 312.5 points
2. Section 8 – 178 points
3. Section 5 – 172.5 points
4. Section 1 – 141.5 points
5. Section 9 – 121 points
Division 2
1. Section 3 – 278 points
2. Section 4 – 213 points
3. Section 5 – 175 points
4. Section 6 – 167 points
5. Section 2 – 119.5 points

Team Race
Awesome job by Minisink Valley and Monroe Woodbury for finishing in the top 5 in the team race.  Congrats also to Warwick who came in 15th and NFA for finishing in a tie for 27th!  Below are the top 5 teams from each division.

Division 1
1. Hilton – 71 points
2. Minisink Valley – 52 points
3. Hauppauge – 49.5 points
4. Ward Melville – 48 points
5.  Monroe Woodbury – 46 points
Division 2
1. Mexico – 104 points
2. Locust Valley – 99.5 points
3. Warsaw – 65.5 points
4. Norwich – 54 points
5. Holland Patent – 49.5 points

Individual Honors and Other Tidbits
Division 1 MOW – Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, Section 5) – Yianni is now a 3X NYS champion and he is only a sophomore.  He is currently ranked 3rd in the nation at 120.  He also won this year’s Eastern States Classic.

Division 2 MOW – Jordan Bushey (Peru, Section 7) – Jordan has been absolutely dominating this season!  In the state finals he won via major decision over Trevor Allard – who is a defending state champ!  Bushey also won the Eastern States Classic by pinning Kevin Parker – this year’s D1 state champ!

Piccininni a 4X Champ – Congratulations to Ward Melville senior Nick Piccininni for winning his 4th state title this weekend.  He joins Troy Nickerson (5X), Jesse Jantzen, JP O’Connor, Alex Ekstrom, and Arik Robinson as the only NYS wrestlers to be crowned champion 4 times!

How Tough Is The Eastern States Classic You Ask??? – 11 of the 15 weight classes at the ESC were won by NYS wrestlers who are competing at the same weight for the state tournament.  Of those 11 wrestlers, 10 went on to be crowned NYS champions.  Only Edwin Rubio did not win and he lost in the state finals in the UTB.  In 4 weight classes, the Eastern States Classic finals was contested by two wrestlers who were crowned D1 and D1 state champions this weekend!
145 – Dutton & Rifanburg
152 – Restrepo & Garcia
170 – Parker & Bushey
195 – Araneo & Rose

2 thoughts on “NYS Wrestling Championships Recap”

  1. Mike,
    Great job. Thanks very much for your coverage of Section IX wrestling. It is my ‘go to’ resource for wrestling news. Keep up the good work.
    Regards,
    Terence Hollywood
    MVHS 1985

    1. No problem Buddy! As a former Section 9 champ and a MV alum you must have been happy! Great performance by the Minisink wrestlers and coaches.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *