Wrestling Sends Two to Nationals

AJ Caba ’20 and Christian Crider ’20 both qualified for the National Prep Championship wrestling tournament with their high finishes at this weekend’s New England championships.

Caba finished third at 132 lbs. and Crider finished fourth at 160 lbs. at the event, which also included Nick Adams ’19 (126 lbs.), Ben Johnson ’21 (145 lbs.), Peter Coumantaros ’19 (170 lbs.), Scott Lewis ’19 (182 lbs.), and Ben Meyers ’19 (195 lbs.)

Seeded third in his weight class, Caba earned a comfortable 5-0 decision over a Hamden Hall wrestler and then a tight 5-4 decision over his Andover opponent. In his semifinal match, Caba was pinned by a wrestler from Green Farms Academy who would win the weight class. In the consolation semifinals, Caba jumped out to an early 6-2 lead after two periods over a Choate wrestler, hanging on for a 9-6 decision. He then faced a rematch with his quarterfinal opponent, and again earned the win to finish third overall.

Crider came into his draw seeded fifth and earned a quick pin in his first match before upsetting the #4 wrestler from Nobles in emphatic fashion with an 8-2 decision. That put him into a semifinal match against the top-seeded wrestler from Middlesex, who beat Crider 5-1. In the consolation semifinals, Crider wasted no time against his Landmark opponent, earning a takedown in the first seconds of the match and holding on for a 4-1 decision. Unfortunately, he was not so fortunate in the third-place match, losing to the #3 seed from Belmont Hill 8-2 to take fourth place overall.

Adams had the misfortune of facing the eventual winner in his draw (who came in as the #5 seed) in just the quarterfinals, and was knocked into the consolation bracket early. He rallied with a pin in his next match against a St. Mark’s wrestler before losing his next match 7-3. In his last match of the day, he was pinned by a T-P wrestler to finish eighth overall.

Johnson, Coumantaros, Lewis, and Meyers each won matches in their respective weight classes.

Crider and Caba will travel to Lehigh University next weekend for the National Prep Championship tournament.

 

Hotchkiss Social

Hotchkiss Facebook
    @TheHotchkissSchool
    Hotchkiss Instagram
      @HotchkissSchool
      Hotchkiss Twitter 
        @HotchkissSchool
        Hotchkiss Instagram
          @HotchkissDining