Wrestling | 6/9/2017 1:00:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT wrestling team enjoyed a resurgence during the 2016-17 season, finishing with nine dual victories, while sending three wrestlers to the NCAA Championship. The nine dual wins were tied for the third most in one season all-time at RIT.
 
Led by first year head coach Jason Bovenzi, the Tigers made tremendous strides as the year progressed, competing against and holding their own against many of the top teams in Division III. RIT won both matches at the NY/PA Duals on Jan. 7, picked up two wins at the prestigious Budd Whitehill National Duals, and earned a pair of victories at the John Reese Duals hosted by Wilkes University. The Tigers earned an impressive sixth place finish at the 2017 NCAA Mideast Regional, widely known as one of the toughest in Division III.
 
Seniors Tory Cain (Ontario, NY/Wayne), Nicholas Greenquist (Spring Lake, NJ/St. Rose), and Jake Sepor (Stafford, NY/Pavilion), along with junior Sam Weinger (Blooming Grove, NY/Washingtonville), and sophomore Dempsey King (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) led the way for the Tigers on and off the mat in 2016-17. Cain, Weinger, and King represented the university at the 2017 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. Cain, Greenquist, Weinger, and King were also 2017 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-Americans.
 
Cain made his second appearance at the NCAA Championship at 174 lbs. this season, finishing 14-4 overall after rejoining the Tigers in January. In 2015, Cain finished fifth at the NCAA Championship to earn All-American honors at 174 lbs. Cain was second in his weight class at the ECWC Championship and NCAA Mideast Regional in 2017. Cain, who won his first-round match at the NCAA Championships, finished 92-43 in his tremendous RIT career.
 
Despite battling injuries through the season, Weinger competed in his first NCAA Championship at 285 lbs., with a 21-9 mark. He was the runner-up at the NCAA Mideast Regional, earning RIT Male Athlete of the Week honors on Feb. 7. He is 77-38 in his three seasons at RIT. King led RIT with 28 wins, while making his first trip to the NCAA Championship this season at 157 lbs. In two seasons, King, who was the ECWC Co-Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 17 and RIT Male Athlete of the Week on Feb. 6, has a tremendous 50-17 career record.

Greenquist, who was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for his tremendous work in the classroom, finished fourth at 184 lbs. at the 2017 NCAA Mideast Regional. Greenquist recorded a 25-14 mark during the 2016-17 season and was 79-43 in his RIT career.
 
Sepor enjoyed an incredible final season for the Tigers, recording a 24-4 overall record at 141 lbs. with a 14-1 mark in dual matches to go along with six pins and five major decision victories. He won his second consecutive RIT Invitational title in December, was a two-time RIT Male Athlete of the Week, and the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 17. Sepor finished his four seasons at RIT with 87 career victories.
 
Junior Andrew Flanagan (Holley, NY/Holley) and sophomore Isaiah Ocasio (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) both enjoyed success for the Tigers in 2016-17. Flanagan, who wrestled at 125 lbs., recorded nine victories this season, including five dual wins. Ocasio, who grappled at 133 lbs., finished with 13 wins, with eight coming in dual matches. He was the RIT Male Athlete of the Week on Jan. 9.
 
Senior tri-captain Evan Vershay (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) battled injuries to compete at 149 lbs. for the Tigers in 2016-17, while providing leadership on and off the mat. Sophomore John Donohue (Smithtown, NY/Hauppauge) recorded four victories via pin and nine overall for RIT at 165 lbs. in 2016-17.  Juniors Dan Lucey (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa), Coty Lutz (Forestport, NY/Adirondack), and Kelsey Patten (Alexander, NY/Alexander), along with sophomores Wyatt Morris (Eaton, NY/Morrisville-Eaton), Cole Murphy (Syracuse, NY/Westhill), Austin Prince (Nunda, NY/Keshequa), and CJ Shade (Whiting, IN/Indiana School for the Deaf) also gained valuable experience and showed marked improvement during the season.
 
First-year wrestlers Colby Hall (Deposit, NY/Deposit), Joe Lupisella (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), Joe Messare (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills), Connor Wilkins (Livonia, NY/Livonia), and Tim Baumer (Avon, NY/Avon) all gained valuable collegiate wrestling experience as the year progressed. Hall finished 12-9 at 149 lbs., while Lupisella and Messare added 11 and eight wins, respectively. Wilkins competed at 125 and 133 lbs., while Baumer represented RIT at the Mideast Regional at 197 lbs. Fellow first-year grapplers Abraham Baker (North Tonawanda, NY/St. Joseph's Institute), Logan Calkins (Alfred, NY/Alfred-Almond), Joe Demuner (Wall Township, NJ/Wall), Tommy Follman (Albion, NY/Albion), Ryan Keefe (Charlotte, NC/Providence), Ian Nagle (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville), and Chris St. Denny (Bridgeport, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) all made their collegiate debuts in 2016-17.
 
RIT excelled in the classroom as well, as they were one of 31 teams to be honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association with a Scholar Team accolade. The Tigers had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.23 during the 2016-17 season, which tied them for 15th in the nation among Division III schools and second among Empire College Wrestling Conference programs.
 
On Feb. 6, the wrestling locker room was dedicated as the "Ronald S. Ricotta Wrestling Locker Room." The expanded and renovated wrestling room includes custom made lockers, new flooring, lighting, furniture, and audio visual equipment made possible due to a generous donation to the program by Ricotta.
 
The Tigers lose Cain, Greenquist, Sepor, and Vershay to graduation.