FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 3, 2008

Five Rhode Island College Wrestlers Named
Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Stars
Bonora Tabbed as Wrestler of the Year

Providence, RI—Five Rhode Island College wrestlers were named Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Stars for their performances this past winter.

Senior Mike Bonora (Nutley, NJ) was named the Pilgrim Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year, a First Team Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Star and was also named to the Scholar-Athlete All-Star Team. Bonora earned All-New England honors for the fourth consecutive season and captured the 141 lbs. title at the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championships on Feb. 24. He is currently 40-2 with 140 takedowns, nine reversals, 34 near-falls and 10 pins on the season. Bonora earned first place finishes at the Roger Williams Invitational on Nov. 10, the Doug Parker Invitational on Nov. 17 and at the R.I.T. Invitational on Dec. 1. He is currently the top seed and will see action at the 2008 NCAA Div. III Wrestling Championships, hosted by Coe and Cornell Colleges in Cedar Rapids, IA on Mar. 7.

 Senior Mike Bonora

Sophomore Mike Martini (Cranston, RI) 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 is currently 34-7 with 56 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. Martini will next see action at the 2008 NCAA Div. III Wrestling Championships, hosted by Coe and Cornell Colleges in Cedar Rapids, IA on Mar. 7.

 Sophomore Mike Martini

Freshman Travis Drappi (West Orange, NJ) was named a Second Team Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Star at 133 lbs. He earned All-New England honors, placing fourth at the NEWA Championships on Feb. 24. Drappi wrapped up his season with a 25-12 record to go along with 40 takedowns, 10 reversals, 18 near-falls and nine pins. Drappi earned a second place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational on Nov. 10, was third at the Doug Parker Invitational on Nov. 17 and sixth at the R.I.T. Invitational on Dec. 1.

 Freshman Travis Drappi

Freshman Kevin Sutherland (Dauphin, PA) was named a Second Team Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Star at 149 lbs. He earned All-New England honors, placing fifth at the NEWA Championships on Feb. 24. Sutherland wrapped up his season with a 30-12 record to go along with 46 takedowns, 11 reversals, 27 near-falls and five pins. Sutherland earned a first place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational on Nov. 10, and was fifth at both the Doug Parker Invitational on Nov. 17 and the R.I.T. Invitational on Dec. 1.

Freshman Kevin Sutherland

Senior Brendan Casey (Lowell, MA) 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.

 Senior Brendan Casey

Head Coach Jay Jones’ team captured the 2008 New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championship on Sunday afternoon at the University of Southern Maine. It is the sixth conference title in program 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 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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