Wrestling Competes at NEWA Futures Tournament

By Jim Fenton

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Bridgewater State University freshman Miguel Arcila Londono (Salem, Mass.) reached the championship round at the New England Wrestling Association Futures Tournament Sunday.

Arcila Londono won his first four matches of the day in the 149-pound division at the Dr. Hallie Gregory Fieldhouse in an event hosted by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Facing Coast Guard sophomore Nicholas Sanders (Fredericksburg, Va.) in the final, Arcila Londono lost to the third-seeded wrestler by decision, 5-2.

Arcila Londono began the day with an 11-11 record in his debut collegiate season.

In the opener, Arcila Londono won by technical fall at 6:42 over WPI freshman David Parrish (McDonough, Ga.), then won by a 12-6 decision over Roger Williams University junior Gavin McKenna (Kingston, Mass.).

In the quarterfinal round, Arcila Londono scored a sudden victory by decision, 4-1, over Joseph Kennedy (Plainville, Conn.), a junior at Vermont State Castleton.

Arcila Londono made it four wins in a row by scoring an 8-5 decision victory over freshman Hayden Haber (Forty Fort, Pa.) of Williams College in the semifinal round.

BSU finished with 24 1/2 points and was one of 16 teams in the field.

Bears sophomore Gavin Plourde (Amston, Conn.) won two matches to get to the quarterfinal round before losing twice.

Plourde, at 141 pounds, started with a 9-3 decision win over sophomore Samuel Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) of WPI.

Plourde then won by fall at 1:33 over Rhode Island College freshman Brady Zadora (Dayville, Conn.).

He lost in the quarterfinal round to Johnson & Wales freshman Brandon Beres (Mount Olive, N.J.) by technical fall at 5:10 and was defeated in the consolation round by Vermont Castleton State freshman Hunter Lines (Homer, N.Y.) by fall at 3:40.

Junior Adam Distasio (Hopkinton, Mass.) went 2-2 for the Bears in the 133-pound weight class.

Distasio opened with a win by fall at 4:50 over freshman Jun Beato (San Diego, Calif.) of the Coast Guard, then lost a major decision, 12-2, to sophomore Griffin Norwalt (Concord, N.H.) of Vermont State Castleton.

In the consolation round, Distasio won by technical fall at 5:48 over sophomore Maceo Eramo (Long Beach, N.Y.) of Roger Williams before losing to sophomore Dominic LaConte
(Roanoke, Va.) of Wesleyan by fall at 1:02.

BSU junior Benjamin Hankinson (Braintree, Mass.) won one of his three matches at 149 pounds.

Hankinson prevailed in his first consolation round match over Norwich sophomore Josh Lister (North Andover, Mass.) by fall at 4:22.

Also competing for BSU at the Futures tournament were senior Alex Guaman Castro (Milford, Mass.) at 157, sophomore Christopher Dubey (Lowell, Mass.) at 149, junior Colin Hassett (Plymouth, Mass.) at 157, junior Kaleb Rhoton (Andover, Mass.) at 184 and sophomore Anthony Ashe (Middleboro, Mass.) at 285.

The Bears will be back at the Coast Guard Academy for the Division III Northeast Regional Tournament on Feb. 28 and March 1.