Two Trojans Earn Titles at 23rd Annual Art Kraft Memorial Open

[Triton College Wrestling]

Two Trojans Earn Titles at 23rd Annual Art Kraft Memorial Open

Largest Tournament Turn Out to Date

 

River Grove, Illinois--This past Saturday, December 8, 2012, nearly 150 wrestlers from 14 different teams descended upon the 23rd Annual Art Kraft Memorial Open, making it the largest the tournament has ever been.

 

?The growth of this tournament is encouraging,? said Triton head coach Harry McGinnis. ?For a tournament that caters to student-wrestlers under the age of 20 years old, this kind of turn out is something we?ve long hoped for and we hope to grow upon in the coming years.?

 

The host Triton College Trojan wrestlers also crowned two champions on the day. Denzel King (Elmhurst, Ill./York) earned the championship at 125 pounds. He was quickly followed by Nikko Liotta (Chicago, Ill./Mather) who was wrestling unattached for the Trojans at 133 pounds.

 

?Seeing Denzel and Nikko win the tournament while beating very tough opponents is motivating not only to them, but to the rest of the team,? McGinnis stated. ?They battle one another in the room and when they?re healthy, they are very, very tough kids to beat and they proved that today.?

 

After the top two seeds missed weight and were bumped up, the 125 pounds bracket was redrawn, resulting in a blind draw. King opened his tournament with a pin at 1:01 over Mercyhurst?s Corey Billingham. He followed up his initial win with an 11-6 victory over Grand Valley State?s Joe Stolp in the quarterfinals.

 

Moving into the semifinals, King would face freshman Eric English of Elmhurst College. English held a 4-3 advantage into the waning seconds of the third period when King used and underhook to an ankle pick to score the deciding takedown of the match with one second left, propelling him into the finals.

 

In the finals, King faced conference foe Brent Walz of Waubonsee for the second week in a row. At the Wisconsin Open, King squeaked past Walz with a 7-6 victory. This weekend wouldn?t be much different. Though a lower scoring affair, the two traded takedowns and escapes. King was able to fend off a late takedown effort by Walls and earn a 4-3 victory on riding time after King rode out Walls for the entire second period.

 

?It?s my first collegiate tournament win, but it?s stepping stone,? said King. ? I?ve been inconsistent coming into this tournament and even today, so I have a lot to work on between now and the national qualifier [tournament]. My goal is to become a national champion this season and I intend on making that a reality.?

 

At 133 pounds, unattached freshman Nikko Liotta opened his tournament with a 15-0 technical fall over 2012 national qualifier Jameel Carter, who transferred from Wright College to Rend Lake this season.

 

Moving into the quarterfinals, Liotta would receive his second win of the day via injury default.

 

In the semifinals, Liotta met with 2012 national qualifier Zack Hummel of Harper. Hummel struck first with an outside single to a well defended high leg finish. Liotta would earn a quick escape to bring the score to 2-1. From there, Liotta would score two takedowns and an escape of his own to notch the victory.

 

In the finals, Liotta scored a 10-0 major decision, including more than 4:30 of riding time, to defeat Jacob Jones of Harper College.

 

?It?s nice to win, but my coaches and I talked about how I missed a lot of opportunities at easy points through out the tournament, so I?ll be working hard on those come Monday,? Liotta said.

 

?Am I happy with [winning] the title? Sure,? Liotta said. ?Where I need to be nine weeks from now [for the national qualifying tournament] is going to take a lot of really hard work. I came to Triton to become a national champion. It?s not going to happen overnight and I am ready to do whatever it takes to meet the goals that I have set for myself.?

 

Sophomore Travis Fuller (Millington, Ill./Sandwich), a National Qualifier last season at 141 pounds, finished sixth on the day in the 149 pounds bracket.

 

Wrestling unattached, Triton alum Jeremy Walters, a 2012 national qualifier at 157 pounds, also came home with a sixth place finish up at 174 pounds.

 

Other Triton wrestlers who picked up victories but missed the medal stand were freshmen Manny Vaquez (Elmhurst, Ill./York), 1-2 at 141; Esteban Gonzalez (Cicero, Ill./Morton), 1-2 at 149; John Marino (Elmhurst, Ill./York), 1-2 at 165; Torrance LaCour (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown), 1-2 at 165; Patrick Jackson (Bellwood, Ill./Walther Lutheran), 2-2 at 174; Chad Kirkhove (Milan, Ill./Sherrard), 1-2 at 184; Tramon Thomas (Melrose Park, Ill./Leyden), 1-2 at heavyweight; and Marq Brumant (Oak Park, Ill./OPRF), 2-2 at heavyweight.

 

Sophomores Don McGregor (Brookfield, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield), 2-2 at 157; Michael Murray (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech), 1-2 at 174; Scott Ammons (Northfield, Ind./Northfield), 1-2 at heavyweight; Jason Dallesandro (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick), 1-2 at heavyweight; and Mike DeLeon (Wood Dale, Ill./Fenton); 3-2 at heavyweight.

 

Also competing for the Trojans were Lamertrios Simmons (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso West), Demond Dubose (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen), Jerry Harris (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso West) and Matthew Parker (Oak Park, Ill./St. Joseph).

 

The Trojans will celebrate the holiday season with three weeks off of competition. Their next tournament will take place January 5, 2013 in Oskaloosa, Iowa at the William Penn Open.

 

Triton College is seeking hard working, disciplined 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 various popular social media websites such as facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TritonCollegeWrestling 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.