Backed by the support (and brief coaching) of former mixed martial artist and RIT wrestling star Matt Hamill and the introduction of the Tony Wallace Memorial Award, the RIT wrestling team made the best of all the positive circumstances that came into play at the 46th annual RIT Invitational to finish third overall with 114.5 points and three second place wrestlers. John Carroll University was the top finisher with 159.5 points, while Wesleyan University came in second with 137.5 points. The Tony Wallace Memorial Award went to Ben Mikac of Oneonta State as Most Outstanding Wrestler. The award is named in honor of the RIT Athletics Hall of Famer and three-time All-American wrestler.
First year Applied Networking and Systems Administration major Rory Bruce, first year Criminal Justice major Tory Cain, and third year Software Engineering major Nick Fuschino were the second place finishers for the Tigers. Bruce, a 125 lb category wrestler, won his first two matches before losing to Jeff Holy of John Carroll in the championship. Cain won his first three matches in the 165 lb category (one by fall) until opponent Sean Gill of John Carroll handed him a defeat in the championship round. Fuschino won his first two contests, one by fall and the other by technical fall before losing a 4-3 decision to Todd Gaydosh of John Carroll in the championship match.
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| RIT paramedics rush to stabilize an injured wrestler. Several paramedics were on duty for the duration of the tournament. |
| Jeff McKinzie |
Other notable performers were second year Physics major Greg Jones, fourth year Mechanical Engineering major Adam Hugunine, fourth year Information Technology major Tom Armentano, and third year Industrial Engineering major Tyler Brent, who also won key matches for RIT.
RIT’s third place finish was a major improvement from last year, when the team finished last. Back then, the Tigers recorded a score of 17, sorely missing the contributions of top wrestler Mike McInally, who was absent due to injuries. This year, the Tigers have a fresh batch of new wrestlers — ten freshmen, to be exact — that have been contributing their talent to the team’s winning season. The squad also welcomed the addition of former RIT head coach Ron Gross at the start of the season, who now serves as an assistant to head coach Scott Stever.
Gross, who was the head coach during Hamill’s division III championship runs at RIT from 1996-1999, invited Hamill to come watch and sit in with the coaches. Hamill said it was his first time attending an RIT match since his wrestling days. Even so, he still maintains a close friendship with Gross and has also come to an RIT practice to help out and give advice.
When asked about how the team performed, Stever said, “I thought they all did well. We have a young team that’s going to improve.”
Gross agreed, and stated that the wrestlers in all the different weight classes have plenty of time to improve as the season goes on (the team has only competed in two matches aside from invitationals). The tournament was the third of the year for RIT, who have enjoyed a successful start to the season, finishing in the top three in two out of their three tournaments thus far.
The Tigers travel to Cortland, NY on December 10 to take on a thus-far undefeated SUNY Cortland at 12 pm.
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The best of the best. |
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A space-themed percussion show. |
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Football comes to the Brick City. |
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Lady Tigers pull ahead in second half. |
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