FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 1, 2008

Bonora, Casey & Martini Named NWCA
Scholar All-Americans

Providence, RI—The National Wrestling Coaches of America (NWCA) have named Rhode Island College senior Mike Bonora (Nutley, NJ) and Brendan Casey (Lowell, MA), along with sophomore Mike Martini (Cranston, RI), as Scholar All-Americans.

Bonora, who owns a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major, receives this honor for the third time in his career. He went 44-2 en route to capturing the NCAA Div. III National Championship at 141 lbs. this past winter. He became just the second RIC grappler to win a national title (Billy Cotter, 1994) and finished the season undefeated against Div. III opposition, the first wrestler to do so in program history.

 Mike Bonora

With the win at the National Championships, he attained All-American status for the second straight season. He totaled 150 takedowns, 10 reversals, 36 near-falls and 10 pins on the campaign. Once in control of a match, Bonora was dominant and keeping his opponent within his control, earning a riding time point in 24 of his 46 bouts.

Bonora was the New England Champion at 141 lbs. for the second straight season, helping Rhode Island College capture its first conference title in 16 years, and the program’s sixth overall. He earned first place finishes the Doug Parker Invitational (Nov. 10), the Roger Williams Invitational (Nov. 17) and the R.I.T. Invitational (Dec. 1). Bonora was also named the Pilgrim Wrestling League’s Most Outstanding Wrestler and a First Team All-Star. He was also named to the league’s Scholar-Athlete All-Star team and selected as team MVP.

Speaker William J. Murphy and the R.I. House of Representatives as a Scholar-Athlete honored Bonora as a Scholar-Athlete twice (2007, ’08).

Casey owns a 3.76 GPA as a physical education/health major. He was an Honorable Mention to the Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Star Team at 174 lbs. and was selected as a Scholar-Athlete. He earned All-New England honors, placing third at the NEWA Championships on Feb. 24. Casey wrapped up his season with a 22-9 record to go along with 69 takedowns, five reversals, three near-falls and two pins.  Casey earned a fourth place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational on Nov. 10 and was third at the Doug Parker Invitational on Nov. 17. Speaker William J. Murphy and the R.I. House of Representatives as a Scholar-Athlete honored Bonora as a Scholar-Athlete twice (2007, ’08).

Brendan Casey

Martini owns a 3.26 GPA as a mathematics/economics major. He was named a Second Team Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Star. Martini earned All-New England honors for the second consecutive season and captured the 157 lbs. title at the NEWA Championships on Feb. 24. He finished the season with a 34-9 record with 57 takedowns, 15 reversals, 19 near-falls and eight pins on the season.  Martini earned a fourth place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational on Nov. 10, was fourth at the Doug Parker Invitational on Nov. 17 and first at the R.I.T. Invitational on Dec. 1.

Mike Martini

Head Coach Jay Jones’ team captured the 2008 New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championship, earning sixth conference title in RIC history and the first for the program since the Anchormen won five straight league titles from 1988-92.

RIC finished the two-day tourney with 121.0 points, outdistancing Pilgrim League rivals Johnson & Wales by five. Williams (105.5), Springfield (89.0) and Bridgewater State (80.0) rounded out the top five institutions. The Anchormen were ranked No. 3 in New England behind Johnson & Wales and Roger Williams heading into the tournament.

The Anchormen finished the regular season ranked No. 14 in the nation with a 16-4 overall record, an 11-3 mark against NEWA opposition and a 4-2 record in the Pilgrim Wrestling League.

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