BRISTOL, R.I. - The Roger Williams University Wrestling team is currently in the preseason anxious to get the season started on Halloween as they will be traveling to Norwich University. Last season the team went 15-8 and 4-2 in the Pilgrim League in addition to finishing seventh at the New England Division III Championships in Springfield. The team is ranked eighth in the New England Wrestling Association pre-season poll and has high hopes heading into the season.
The Hawks are led by six seniors who are competing in their final season at RWU. Captain Chris Nadeau (Granby, Conn.) is excited for the upcoming season after he went 23-9 last year which was tied for fourth on the team, and became the first RWU wrestler to finish in the top 25 in the nation. He has been named to the Academic All-American team the past two seasons, as well as the Scholar-Athlete All Star team and the Pilgrim League Honorable Mention All Star Team last year. He is joined by classmate Kyle Rodgers (Danbury, Conn.) who went 16-8 last season and had 28 takedowns. He was named to the Pilgrim League All Star First Team the last two years for his efforts, in addition to earning Rookie of the Year honors his freshman year and looks to continue with that success this upcoming season. Those two are joined by classmate Jeremiah Mahoney (Madison Conn.) who went 10-12 last season with 28 takedowns and 11 reversals. His freshman year he recorded 21 reversals which tied him for the second most in school history in a single season, and his sophomore year he was named to the Pilgrim League All Star Second Team. The fourth senior on the team is Robbie Crothers (Medford, N.Y.) who went 16-11 with 33 takedowns last season and 12-13 in 2007-08. Andrew Dahlman (Granby, Conn.) looks to have a strong senior year after going 6-9 last season with 16 takedowns and a 13-11 record in 2007-08 when he was also named to the Pilgrim league All-Scholastic team. Also competing as a senior is Steve Leonetti (Waterbury, Conn.).
The Junior class takes the experience they have gained in the past two years into this season with confidence as they look to continue to improve. They are led by Thomas Tuminelli (Howell, N.J.) who ranked sixth on the team with a record of 22-12. His freshman year he went 18-12 and was one of four Hawks with double digit falls (11). Fellow classmate Nick Cambi (Cohasset, Mass.) went 12-8 last season and was 28-12 his freshman year with 42 takedowns. Also leading the class is Bennett Kissane (Tranquility, N.J.) who went 19-12 last year with 44 takedowns. Dustin Conner (Glen Rock, Penn.) expects to have a strong season with a 15-8 record and 31 takedowns last year. Chris O'Shea (Walpole, Mass.) joins them after an 11-11 record and 28 takedown performance from last season. John Paul Garlasco (Granby, Conn.) is also in his third year with the team with a 4-13 record and 16 escapes last season, and an 8-11 record his freshman year. Anthony Dussault (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) went 6-6 last year with 11 takedowns and 14 escapes, and a 6-10 record his freshman year. Anthony Cirello (Paramus, N.J.) went 6-9 last year and was 4-8 his freshman year. Also in his third season Jonathan Manwaring (Niantic, Conn.) went 5-9 with 11 takedowns and 13 escapes a season ago, and was 8-12 as a freshman. Joining them in their second year are Nicholas Herrick (Paramus, N.J.) who went 10-13 with 31 takedowns and Jonathan Lemoine (Trumbull, Conn.) who was 5-10 last year.
The sophomore class has a year's worth of experience under their belts and is anxious for the season to get started. Last season Kyle D'Urso (Londonderry, N.H.) led the team in escapes and two-point near falls with 38 and 16 respectively, and an overall record of 15-12 as a rookie. Dillon Lawler (Verona, N.J.) joins him after racking up 21 takedowns and 21 escapes with a 15-10 overall record. Kevin Edward (Bayport, N.Y.) had an 11-9 record his first season and recorded 27 takedowns and 13 escapes. Also looking to have an impact this year are Martin Mitchell (Larel Md.), Ryan Lefaivre (Cumberland, R.I.), and John Battista (Brick, N.J.).
The Hawks have a large group of freshman looking to make their mark as a member of the team. The class is made up of Jack Diburro (Haverhill, Mass.), Cody Emond (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), Philip Ernst (Succasunna, N.J.), Matthew Hart (Albany, N.Y.), Joseph Holbeche (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Stephen Kein (Rutherford, N.J.), Ryan Lynch (Concord, Mass.), Robert Markowski (Wayne, N.J.), Michael Monson (Southington, Conn.), Matthew Rinaldi (North Easton, Mass.), and Kaare Stokdal (Olive Bridge, N.Y).
Dave Kemmy returns as Head Coach of the Wrestling team, he has been with the program since the 1994-95 season and has had 13 consecutive winning seasons from 1996 to the present. He has compiled an overall record of 219-146-7 (.598) during his time. Coach Kemmy also serves as the Interim Athletics Director of the RWU Department of Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation. He is joined by RWU alumni Scott Pellerin and CJ McCormack. Pellerin graduated in 2005 and McCormack in 2007, now making contributions on the sidelines as assistant coaches.
Every year Coach Kemmy has the same resolve going into the season. Kemmy said, “Expectations are the same as they are every year, nothing has changed. We are ranked eighth in New England in the pre-season polls and it's been five or six years since that has happened. We've got a good mix of veterans and newcomers, and I wouldn't be surprised if we started a number of the freshmen as they have shown a great deal of talent. We did experience some key losses to graduation but have the potential to perform just as well if not better than last season.”
The Wrestling team opens up the season on Saturday at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. Their first home match is on November 14th for the Roger Williams Invitational, beginning at 10 a.m.
