Varsity Wrestling sent four athletes to compete in the NEPSWA Prep tournament at Greens Farm Academy on Saturday, February 14. The wrestlers qualified after their amazing performance at Western New Englands, the second largest tournament among New England prep schools, on February 7.
Hotchkiss hosted five meets in late December and January, beginning with a scrimmage against Salisbury and an iconic Bearcat Brawl against neighboring schools.
With many different opponents, the team had numerous opportunities to wrestle new schools and improve throughout the season. Some of their closest competitors were Taft and Salisbury. “Salisbury is always a fun match; they are usually our first meet of the season, and almost always a home meet,” said Jack Lykouretzos ’27.
The Prep School Wrestling Association organizes a tournament every year for the Western portion of New England boarding schools, which allows Hotchkiss wrestlers to compete against Taft, Salisbury, Canterbury, and other regional schools. Among those competing for the school this year were Cayden Kim ’26, Anya Reppa ’26, Geraldo Moran ’27, Yusuf Ahmed ’27, Bonham O’Marra ’27, Lykouretzos, Shaan Patel ’27, Ryan Lee ’28, Luis Guerra ’28, and Andrew Wistar ’29.
“New Englands gives the wrestlers a chance to see how they can do against the best,” said Head Coach Cooper Puls ’11.
At Western New Englands, teams wrestled off in a bracket to decide one winner in each weight class, with the seating decided beforehand by a group of officials. Wrestlers competed until their second elimination, giving each wrestler multiple chances to move ahead in the ladder.
In the girl’s division, Reppa earned three swift pins, winning her bracket against NYMA and Marvelwood opponents and earning first place. Reppa recorded pins in times of 0:09 seconds, 0:17 seconds, and 0:27 seconds, setting a new season’s record and scoring the team nine points (three per pin).
Shortly thereafter, Patel set a record for the fastest pin in his second match against Woodhall, taking his opponent down in only seven seconds, breaking a record held since 1968.
The team made the podium four more times, thanks to Ahmed, Lykouretzos, Kim, and O’Marra’s hard-earned wins. Combined, they pinned eight different opponents, moving through the ladder and claiming their medals while contributing to the team’s score.
Following their success at Westerns, these four wrestlers attended the NEPSWA New England tournament at Greens Farm Academy in Westport, CT. The NEPSWA tournament pitted over 35 regional teams against each other. Head Coach Cooper Puls said, “New Englands gives the wrestlers a great chance to see just how well they can do against the best wrestlers in this part of the country.” The team faced off against some of the most experienced regional contenders, learning more about the sport and their own abilities.
The team ended the season with a record of 4-14. Ten Seniors from the team will graduate this year.
