NYWAY Teams Meet Top Competition (and College Stars) at NUWAY Nationals

This article is from 02/20/14

Last Sunday and Monday, five NYWAY teams traveled to Columbus for the NUWAY National Duals.  Squads from all over the country took part in the event, which was held alongside the Division I College National Duals on Ohio State’s campus.  The following is a glance at the experiences of each of the NYWAY groups in the Buckeye State.

8 and Under:

The youngest NYWAY team certainly made an impact, winning four of six dual meets, including a opening round 24-13 triumph over MYWA Red & Black (Michigan).

“That was a great way to start,” said coach Dan Gallo. “Every match was close, and we kept winning the close ones.  That was a great dual.”

The squad followed by cruising past OH-WAY Red (Ohio) 44-9 before facing the top team in the event – SCWAY from California.

“Probably the most exciting match was against California,” Gallo said. “They were amazing at every weight class and went undefeated.  But we were right in it, pushing them.  We were tough at every weight – no holes in the lineup.  For our kids, it would have been nice to come out on top [the Golden State team won 28-19, their smallest margin of victory at the event], but at the end of the day, it was a great experience.”

The great experiences kept coming.  The squad also defeated All-American Wrestling Club (PA) and Team New Jersey.  Andrew Filip went 6-0, while Ashton Seymour and Zak Ryder each won five times.  But besides the successes on the mat, Gallo said the team made some other memories, including attending a practice session for the Ohio State wrestlers.

“The kids were climbing the ropes and drilling in the room and taking pictures with the Ohio State guys,” Gallo said. “Then we saw some great college matches, like [Cornell’s] Chris Villalonga beating [Oklahoma’s] Kendric Maple. That was awesome.  It doesn’t get much better than that for young kids – being up close and personal with some of the guys they look up to. That was unique.”

Gallo also emphasized how quickly he felt the team bonded, despite representation from several areas of the state.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said. “It brought the kids, the parents and the communities from different parts of New York together, instead of competing with each other. It put competition in a different light.  New friendships were formed. I think NYWAY has us headed in the right direction as far as bringing the state together and moving us forward.”

Gallo also spoke highly of the atmosphere at the event.

“It put the kids on a bigger stage so that when they get older, they’ll be less intimidated,” he said. “It was cool to see it all come together in a few days. I can’t imagine what would happen if the group stayed together.  To be able to compete at the highest level and be right there says a lot about New York youth wrestling and where we’re headed. It’s exciting.”

Team Members:

Gary McDowell (43), Trevor Thayer (46), Darren Bailey (46), Ashton Seymour (49), Nolan McGregor (52), Max Morris (55), Nicky Callaghan (58), Zak Ryder (61), TJ O’Connor (64), Ryan Burton (67), Noah Morlock (67), Andrew Filip (72), Ethan Gallo (heavyweight).

10 and Under:

The 10 & Under NYWAY squad started strong with a 52-15 victory in the opening dual against All American WC from Pennsylvania, winning 11 of the 15 matches.  The team also defeated an opponent from the host state of Ohio, going 2-3 overall (second in the silver bracket) against foes that certainly impressed coach Craig Remchuk.

“The experience was really, really good,” he said. “It was probably the best competition I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching.  I expected to see some great wrestlers and it was even better than I expected – just crazy good.”

Many of the New Yorkers were ‘crazy good’ as well during the course of the event.  In fact, two of the NYWAY grapplers went undefeated during the tournament (Troy Spratley and Charlie Tibbits) while three others posted 4-1 records (Chase Liardi, Brody Oleksak and Tyler Rice).

“The kids wrestled tough all weekend long – every single one of them,” Remchuk said. “Troy Spratley showed he’s one of the best in the United States in his weight class.  The kid is incredible.  He didn’t just win all his matches – he dominated them.  Honestly, I was impressed with all our kids.”

And in turn, the kids were impressed by the college wrestlers who were just around the corner.  One of the highlights, according to the coach, was interacting with 2013 Illinois National Champion Jesse Delgado.

“That’s pretty much all they talked about – seeing the college wrestlers,” Remchuk said. “They were excited and amazed to see them and talk to them.”

The coach, who was assisted by Steve Spratley, was asked if he’d return to the event.  Before the question was finished, he answered.

“We’re going back next year.  No question about it.”

Team Members:

Mason Franklin (45), Xavier De Jesus (50), Joseph Florance (55), Chase Liardi (60), Carter Schubert (65), Troy Spratley (70), Joseph Marvin (75), Caleb Galloway (80), Jeffrey Jones Jr (80), Tylinn Lukens (85), Brody Oleksak (90), Gunnar Meland (95), Bryce Bracchy (100), Tyler Rice (105), Charlie Tibbits (115), Dylan Burgos (115), Cuinn Burlingham (heavyweight).

12 and Under:

The college teams competing at the Division I National Duals warmed up in the same building that housed the NUWAY Nationals tournament.

“It was funny – the kids were running over and peeking through the curtains where the college guys were warming up,” said coach Gary Redding.  “They were mesmerized by watching them.”

They didn’t just see them prepare.  The kids posed for pictures with Cornell’s Dylan Palacio and talked to Ohio State coach Tom Ryan.  And they took in some matches as well, watching national powers like Minnesota and Cornell compete.

“A lot of younger kids want to do big, funky moves,” Redding said. “But watching that level of wrestling, you see how important the fundamentals are – things like simple leg attacks and cross wrists – and what works for some of the highest level guys like Logan Stieber and Jesse Delgado.”

The squad was able to observe those grapplers and do some wrestling of their own including a victory over All-American Wrestling Club (PA).

“We didn’t win as many matches as we would have liked as a team,” Redding said. “It’s hard to spot the other teams 12 points in every dual and be very competitive.  But it was really awesome. We thought it would be great and it exceeded our expectations.  There was phenomenal competition and it was well run.  The tournaments we usually go to - you don’t get the teams from places like Michigan, California and Iowa. Being exposed to a different group of kids was great.”

That exposure is one of the things Redding said is most valuable about events like the NUWAY Nationals, even if it does result in some setbacks.

“When you’re going for a county or state championship later on, no one remembers how you did in Ohio when you were 11 years old,” he said. “As long as kids are enjoying it and not getting discouraged, losses at this level can be a good learning experience.  A lot of kids came in virtually unbeaten, doing the same tournaments week in and week out in New York, feeling invincible.  Then they see there’s another level out there and it gives new goals to strive for.  I think our kids saw that and more importantly, had a great time in the process.  They made new friends, even in just three days, and felt like they were a part of another team.”

Zachary Redding (70), Elijah Rodriguez (80) and Joe Powers (85) all won three matches and were joined by teammates Dante Geislinger (65), Alijah Seymour (75), Nick Florin (90), Nicolas Albornoz (95), Jace Hirsch (100), Owen House (105), Haakon Meland (125), Camrin Galvin (135) and Henry Grunzweig (heavyweight) on the mat for New York.

14 and Under:

The last dual of the weekend for the 14 & Under NYWAY squad was a nailbiter.  However, in the end, Team New England edged the New Yorkers 29-28 after the Empire State forfeited in the heavyweight class.

“That was a fun dual, but really tough,” said coach Jeff Jones. “We had three forfeits going into every match and that makes things pretty difficult.  It’s hard with high school sectionals going on the same weekend. We look forward to better results in the future with a full lineup.  But the kids we had on the team were awesome and wrestled their hearts out.  The competition was ridiculous. I think they all enjoyed themselves – and the parents did too. The weekend was amazing – our wrestling and the college wrestling.”

Jones said that the team had a chance to catch some of the Division I National Duals, including Cornell’s semifinal matchup with Oklahoma.

“We’re fans of Cornell and Hofstra and got to watch Cornell do really well,” he said. “My son is a big fan of [Big Red 149-pounder] Chris Villalonga after meeting him last year and we got to see [Villalonga] beat [defending national champion] Kendric Maple.  That was a highlight as well.”

Dylan Ryder (80) and Joseph Yanis  (129) led the team with three wins apiece.  Also taking the mat to represent the Empire State and NYWAY were: Anthony Sciotto (85), Dillon Callaghan (90), Zach Burdick (95), Derrick Magsamen (115), Dylan Greer (122), Shaun Burgos (136), Richard Snyder (143) and Zackery Thurston (160).

Girls:

For the first time, the NUWAY Nationals featured a division for girls, with squads from New York, Michigan and Ohio.  Team NYWAY dropped a pair of competitive duals, but the takeaways were all positive.

“It was completely awesome – I still can’t get over it,” Craig Remchuk said. “It was just incredible.  It was a first-ever experience for New York and the girls wrestled really tough.  Those other teams have been going for a while.  It was close. It came down to the end in both duals.”

Four wrestlers recorded perfect records in Columbus - Marissa Tucker (55), Corryn Foster (98), Joye Levendusky (106) and Athalie Fiegle (112).  The quartet had seven pins (and a forfeit) in eight bouts.

Those were some of the many strong showings by the squad, which may have a lot more to look forward to as a group.

“We want to keep the team together and do some duals like the War of the Roses events,” he said. “They didn’t know each other coming in, but came together as a team.  We really want to keep them together and why not? They were good and they’ll get even better.”

Remchuk said he expects more teams to join the NUWAY Nationals female competition in 2015.  And he expects to be there to see it.

“Let’s put it this way – it was an awesome event and we’ll be there next year,” he said. “I’ll coach for NYWAY anytime. Wherever it is next year, I’ll definitely be there.”

Team Members:

Audrey Levendusky (43), Natalie McDowell (49), Marissa Tucker (55), Alexis Thayer (60), Sofia Macaluso (68), Abby Duke (74), Kaylee McDowell (82), Zoe Gress (90), Corryn Foster (98), Joye Levendusky (106),  Athalie Fiegle (112), Morgan Davidson (120), Samantha Ettinger (135) and Natalie Fairbrother (heavyweight).

-------------------

In addition, NYWAY wished to thank all the wrestlers and parents for supporting the event as well as the many coaches, including Shane Davidson, Nicholas Florin, Dan Gallo, Dustin Greer, Jeff Jones, Gary McDowell, Heath Macaluso, Gary Redding, Craig Remchuk, Eric Seymour, Steve Spratley and Joe Yanis.

As NYWAY President Clint Wattenberg said, "It's the parents and coaches that are going to help change the culture of youth wrestling for the better."