What a Difference a Year Makes; Triton Qualifies 7 for NJCAA National Tournament

[Triton College Wrestling]

What a Difference a Year Makes

Triton Qualifies 7 for NJCAA National Tournament

Trojans Places Fourth as a Team; All 10 Wrestlers Place in Top 5

 

River Grove--With the National Junior College Athletic Association Central Division Wrestling Tournament now over, the Triton Trojans found themselves in a very different --and better--place than this time last year.

 

At the 2011 Central Division tournament, the Trojans went without a single win and didn?t score a team point to finish tied for last place. It was the first time since 1991 and only the fourth time in team history that Triton College did not qualify a single wrestler for the National Tournament.

 

In 2012, the Trojans qualified seven of 10 student-wrestlers for the NJCAA National Tournament in Rochester, Minn., to be held February 25 through 27. The seven qualifiers are the most for the Trojans since the team qualified eight wrestlers in 2001. Triton also scored 96 team points, up from the zero they scored in 2011.

 

?I?m incredibly proud of our guys today,? said Triton Head Coach Harry McGinnis. ?We?re in one of the top two national qualifying tournaments in the country with four perennial powerhouse programs, including three that offer scholarships. Today we showed that we remain among the best programs in the country and that last year?s results were a fluke.?

 

At 125 pounds, top seeded and #10 nationally ranked Jose Torres (Cicero-Morton) received a bye first round, but was then matched up with 2011 National High School Coaches Association Senior National runner-up Antwon Davis of Rend Lake. Down 4-2 going into the second period, Torres shot in on a single leg and turned it into a Granby roll at the edge of the mat to earn the fall at 3:53. In the finals, the Triton co-captain faced a familiar opponent in Prentice Thomas of Lincoln College. As in times past, Torres came up short against Thomas, dropping a 9-2 decision to become the tournament runner-up.

 

?Prentice has often caused problems for me, but the match score continues to narrow each time we wrestle,? said Torres. ?I feel confident that if I continue to improve the score between the two of us, I?ll make the All-American stand this year.?

 

Triton?s other top seed and #9 nationally ranked Lenny Kuspa (Oak Forest) had a more difficult path towards qualifying for the national tournament. After a first round bye, Kuspa faced Oshea Smith-Traylor in the semifinals. After exchanging a pair of takedowns and escapes, the score was tied 3-3 in the third period when Smith-Traylor hit a high crotch and ended up putting Kuspa on his back for the fall at 6:04. Kuspa bounced right back to score a 8-0 major decision against Jamie Spencer of Muskegon College. In the consolation finals, Kuspa would find himself on the losing end of a 7-4 battle with Lincoln College?s Darnell Thomas after attempting a risky step over maneuver and winding up on his back in a five point move.

 

?I?m pretty unhappy with the way I wrestled today,? Kuspa stated. ?On one hand, I am happy that I qualified for the National Tournament. On the other hand, I have some areas I have been working on to tighten up that I need to do better work on. I made the same mistake twice today and it cost me two matches. These next two weeks will be dedicated to minimizing those mistakes and making it on the awards stand as an All-American.?

 

Freshman Chepe Mariscal (Cicero-Morton) at 149 pounds opened his qualifying tournament with a dominating 13-4 decision over Rend Lake?s Jay Lanning. Moving to the semifinals, Mariscal faced 2011 All-American and fifth ranked Mark Marianovich of Lincoln College. Marianovich pinned Mariscal in 1:29. Falling to the consolation semifinals, Mariscal roared back with a 18-2 technical fall of Khattab Iwainat of Wright College. In the third place bout, Mariscal fell victim to a 23-8 technical fall at the hands of second seed and NJCAA seventh ranked Donny Simpson of Harper.

 

?I?m happy [to have qualified for Nationals],? said Mariscal. ?I know I could have done better against Marianovich and Simpson. I'm not taking anything away from those guys, but I psyched myself out before both matches. I?ll be working hard with my coaches the next two weeks to adjust some things. I want to be a National Champion and I believe that I can do that this year with some small changes.?

 

184 pound sophomore Christian Alcantara (Burbank-Reavis) won two matches on the day to finish in fourth place and earn a bid to the National tournament. After being pinned by Harper?s Brandon Dillenbeck in his first match, Alcantara pinned Wentworth MIlitary Academy?s Justin Newton at 1:04 and followed up that performance with a 5-4 decision over Rend Lake?s Joshua Boots. In the third place bout, Alcantara again faced Dillenbeck and again fell by pin at 5:51 to place fourth.

 

Jeremy Walters (Crete Monee), a sophomore 157 pound wrestler, also earned his way to Rochester by placing fourth at his weight.

 

Receiving one of six ?wild card? bids to the National Tournament for the Trojans were sophomore 133 pounder Devante McCloud (Country Club Hills-Rich Central) and freshman Travis Fuller (Sandwich) at 141 pounds. Each student-athlete placed fifth at his weight class. Wild card selections are chosen by coaches at the completion of the tournament.

 

?We?re right where we need to be,? said McGinnis. ?Our guys have worked hard all season long and our coaching staff is dedicated to turning out National Champions and All-Americans. We don?t have a lot of time, but I am sure that our guys will be prepared for the challenge that lays ahead of them.?

 

Triton College Wrestling is seeking hard working, dedicated student-wrestlers to become part of our historic program and compete against the best teams in the country at every college level. For more information about Triton College Wrestling and Triton College, please visit us on the web at http://www.triton.edu/Content.aspx?id=7156 and fill out our online recruitment form, http://www.triton.edu/Content.aspx?id=6939. You may also find us through facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trito...80827418666095 and twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Triton_Wrestlng. You may also visit us in person on campus by contacting Head Coach Harry McGinnis at (708) 456-0300, extension 3784 or by email at hmcginni@triton.edu.