New England Women’s and Youth Championships
March 18 – 19, 2023 – Team Tugman had a tournament for the ages this past weekend. With 28 competitors on the mats, TTWC had 23 place-winners, including 8 champions. TTWC also won the inaugural Girl’s New England Club Championship, and finished 4th out of 44 Clubs in the boys division.
Men’s Division
TTWC had five New England Champions: Chris Weiner, Jaxson Konopka, Cameron Veneziano, Dawson McGrath and Antonio Arguello. Additional place winners included: Sam Forman (2nd), Arjan Singh (3rd), Joey Cotter (2nd), Tristan Rosenschein (2nd), Jake Fattibene (3rd), Logan Bailey (3rd), Zephyr Musshorn (4th), and Jackson Robles (5th). A special shout-out to Dawson McGrath, who also took home the Outstanding Wrestler trophy for the 12U Co-Ed Division.
Based on the strong performance of these wrestlers, TTWC finished 4th in the team race. Coach Tugman commented on the boys squad’s performance: “I was was very proud of the way our boys finished their seasons. Everyone competed hard in a very deep tournament. While we always want to finish on top of the podium, I am okay with where we ended up. The best part is almost everyone of these young men will be back next year. That is a very exciting way to end the year”
Women’s Division
TTWC once again proved it has a second to none women’s wrestling program. Of the 11 wrestlers competing, 10 placed and four were champions: Maddie Cooper, Calli Gilchrist, Esther Ribeiro, and Camryn Brown. Additional place winners include: Ella Henckel (2nd), Jasmin Weiner (2nd), Cecilia Verrilli (2nd), Samantha Yap (2nd), Rylee Donohue (3rd), and Sophie Brault (5th). Calli Gilchrist, a two time CT State Champion and Fargo All-American, also won the Outstanding Wrestler award for the Girls 18U Division.
The combined efforts of these athletes led to TTWC winning the Girls’ Team Title. Coach Tugman offered his congratulations to the Girls’ Squad “I am so proud of these kids. All the work and sacrifice they put in led to their success today. I am thrilled for them!”
Coach Tugman looking pretty happy for the Girls’ Champions . . .
2023 CT Youth State Open Championships – Tournament Recap
February 27, 2023 – TTWC had an outstanding showing at the 2023 CT Youth State Open yesterday. The prior week, TTWC qualified 26 wrestlers for the State Open. Yesterday, an incredible 20 of the 26 TTWC competitors placed. Even more impressively, TTWC had 12 Finalists across the three age divisions, coming away with 9 champions, the most of any Club in the State. It was, in the words of Head Coach Blair Tugman, a “good day.”
10U Division
The Club qualified five wrestlers for this division. Three – Sam Forman, Chris Weiner, and Arjan Singh – took home championships. Keegan Rosenschein wrestled back to 6th place. Coach Tugman was impressed with these young athletes. “The future is bright with these kids coming on like they did. Four total place winners and three grabbing the top of the podium. Imagine where they’ll be in five years. It’ll be awesome to watch.”
Top – Sam Forman is all smiles with Coach Tugman after his first State Championship.
Left – Chris Weiner atop the podium after his victory in the finals.
Bottom – Arjan Singh
12U Division
TTWC qualified ten wrestlers for the 12U Division and had 8 of its 10 athletes reach the podium, including a perfect 4 for 4 in the finals. TTWC’s 12U Division champions include Joey Cotter, Logan Bailey, Dawson McGrath, and Jaxson Konopka. The Club’s additional place winners in this division included AJ Stefano (3rd Place), Blake Vieira (4th Place), Jackson Robles (5th Place), and Noah Oliveira (6th Place).
Coach Tugman commented that this was, “a particularly tough Division. To have 80% of our athletes reach the podium is incredible. But to go 4 for 4 in the finals? That’s kind of crazy.”
Far Left – Jaxson Konopka
Left – Logan Bailey & Joey Cotter enjoying their victories.
Right – Dawson McGrath
Joey Cotter moments after winning his State Title.
Middle School Division
Team Tugman qualified 11 wrestlers for this Division and had 8 reach the podium. TTWC had five wrestlers reach the finals, with two – Antonio Arguello and Jaxsen Bailey – grabbing championships. Chase Kastner, Jake Fattibene and Chad Reed all finished second after wrestling terrific tournaments. Coach Tugman was pleased to have five finalists in the Middle School Division. “Five is an impressive number. I wish we went 5 for 5 but I’m still please with our results overall.”
Other place winners in the Middle School Division include Max Malitsky (3rd Place), Tristan Rosenschein (4th Place), and Cooper Myers (6th Place).
Tournament Recap: 2023 CT State Open Tournament – Boys 8U and Girls Youth
Group shot of Girls State Open participants at Stratford High School. Great showing for Girls wrestling!
February 12, 2023 – Yesterday, some of our youth wrestlers kicked off the post season in style with a strong showing at the CT Open Championship tournament for Girls’ Youth (6U through Middle School) and boys 6U and 8U. TTWC had 7 wrestlers compete in various divisions and came home with five state championships!
Girls Division
TTWC had five athletes compete in the Girls’ divisions. Three of our five wrestlers reached the top of the podium. Of the many highlights, Cecilia Verrilli won her 4th Girls State Championship pinning all of her opponents along the way. Her younger sister Fiona finished third at her weight.
Mia Henckel and Jasmin Weiner also reached the top of the podium pinning each of their opponents on the way to their titles. Ella Henckel wrestled tough and took 4th place.
Boys 8U Division
In the boys 8U Division, Ty Silverstrim and Luca Amato dominated their way to state titles.
Luca scored an amazing 44 points over his three matches while giving up only ten points.
Ty had a close 4-2 victory in his first match and then two falls to take his state championship.
Please join us in congratulating our newly crowned Champions!
Next up for TTWC is the State Qualifying Tournament on Sunday, February 19th at Trumbull High School. At stake are bids to the State Open Tournament the following weekend where the Youth State Campions will be crowned.
Tournament Recap: Trojan Style Youth Tournament
Simsbury High School, January 22, 2023
January 24, 2023 – This past weekend, Team Tugman competed in two tournaments. Some of our athletes traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete at the W.O.W. Tulsa Nationals, while 13 of our wrestlers competed at the Simsbury Trojan Style Youth Tournament. TTWC showed its grit and talent by finishing second or third in each of the 3 divisions in which it had competitors. The Club also had 7 individual champions to go long with its top 3 finishes as a Team.
Coach Tugman will provide a recap of the Club’s results from the Tulsa tournament soon. For now, here are a few highlights from the Simsbury Tournament:
Keegan Rosenschein, wrestling in both the 10U and 12U divisions, finished second in both brackets. Noah Oliveira won his third tournament of the year, while Sam Forman continues to dominate his brackets. Cecilia Verrilli, wrestling in the Middle School Co-Ed division, took second place, dropping a close match to the eventual champion. All of our entrants were competitive and wrestled hard. Coach CJ Luth, helming the Club this weekend while Coach Tugman was in Tulsa, commented that, “It was great to see the kids out there wrestling hard and trying the things we teach in practice. While I saw some things we still need to work on, overall I was quite happy with the level of skill I saw. We are starting to peak at just the right time.”
<–Coach Luth and Cecilia Verrilli after her 2nd Place showing.
Next up for TTWC: the Wildwood National Duals the weekend of February 3rd.
Results
- Arjan Singh – 1st Place (10U)
- Luca Amato – 1st Place (10U)
- Ty Silverstrim – 1st Place (10U)
- Sam Forman – 1st Place (10U)
- Jaxson Konopka – 1st Place (12U)
- Noah Oliveira – 1st Place (12U)
- Jax Opotzner – 1st Place (MS)
- Keegan Rosenschein – 2nd Place (10U and 12U)
- Cecilia Verrilli – 2nd Place (MS)
- Jake Fattibene – 2nd Place (MS)
- Tristan Rosenschein – 2nd Place (MS)
- Blake Veira – 3rd Place (12U)
- Leo Toman – 5th Place (12U)
Tournament Recap: Ram Tough Tournament
Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin, New Jersey
January 17, 2023 – On Sunday, January 15th, TTWC attended the Ram Tough Tournament hosted by Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey. As the Club heads into the heart of its season, Coach Tugman was anxious to get his athletes some different competition and different wrestling styles. Having grown up in New Jersey, and having wrestled himself many times at Southern Regional, Coach Tugman decided it was the perfect opportunity to see where the team’s intensity and skill level stood. Our wrestlers did not disappoint!
TTWC entered 16 wrestlers in the event, with 14 coming home after having stood on the podium, including 8 gold medals. Coach Tugman was pleased with the Team’s showing.
“New Jersey is a different level of competition. I really didn’t know how we would do but I knew we would compete hard. Not only did we compete hard, but we won a lot of matches. We wrestled well, with intelligence and attitude. I am very excited to see that effort translate to Tulsa Nationals and Wildwood National Duals. Our ceiling is unlimited.”
Up Next. TTWC’s next competes at two events the weekend of January 21st.
- Tulsa Nationals, January 20 – 22, 2023 – The Club is sending 7 wrestlers to the Tulsa Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. TTWC wrestlers competing in Tulsa include: Chase Kastner, Logan Bailey, Jaxsen Bailey, Chris Weiner, Joey Cotter, Jackson Robles, and Dawson McGrath. Tulsa, one of the toughest youth tournaments in the U.S., will present a big challenge for this group. Coach Tugman, however, is confident that they can compete and thrive. “This group of kids is special. They want to compete with the best to see where they stack up. I have complete confidence that not only will they meet the challenge but will have success.” We wish all of them the best of luck!!
- Trojan Style Classic, January 22, 2023 – Those wrestlers not competing at Tulsa will wrestle in the Trojan Style Classic at Simsbury High School.
Our “happy” crew after taking 8 of 16 possible 1st Place Medals. Cheer up guys! You did great!
Ram Tough
Tournament Results
- Max Konopka – Gold
- Jaxson Konopka – Gold
- Tristan Rosenschein – Gold
- Chad Reed – Gold
- Dawson McGrath – Gold (3x)
- Chase Kastner – Gold
- Chris Weiner – Gold
- Jasmin Weiner – Gold
- Jackson Robles – Silver
- Robert Sommers – Silver
- Joey Cotter – Silver
- Cecilia Verrilli – Silver
- Keegan Rosenschein – Silver
- Max Malitsky – Bronze
Tournament Recap: Southington Sepko Memorial Tournament
Coach Tugman, Ethan Rothman, and Tristan Rosenschein watching Tristan’s brother Keegan in action.
January 9, 2022 – Team Tugman Wresting Club attended the Southington Sepko Memorial Tournament yesterday at Southington High School. Of the 24 athletes competing across 27 brackets, TTWC earned 15 Championships, 9 2nd-place and 2 3rd-place finishes. Results are posted below. TTWC also won team titles in both the 12U Co-Ed and Middle School Co-Ed Divisions.
Of the many highlights from yesterday’s competition, Joey Cotter, double-bracketed in the 12U and Middle School divisions, went undefeated and scored two 1st place finishes. Said Coach Tugman, “Joey is a focused and dedicated athlete. He’s out there beating kids who have several years of experience on him. Not a surprise given how hard he works. What can you say? We love having him in the room.”
Similarly, Chris Weiner, also double-bracketed in the 10U and 12U divisions, captured two 1st place finishes as well. Coach Tugman commented that, “It is no small achievement to win two different brackets at a tournament. Chris has been putting in the work and it is really beginning to show.”
Another highlight from yesterday was seeing all three of TTWC’s female wrestlers reach the podium in their respective brackets. Coach Tugman noted that, “I continued to be impressed with our girls. They are tough, smart, work really hard, and win a lot of matches. We’re very excited to see them progress in their wrestling careers.”
Mia Henckel after earning two medals.
Generally, Coach Tugman was pleased with his team’s performance. “Even though we had some time off from competition for the holidays, the kids looked pretty dialed-in. We competed hard and had a really good vibe and attitude throughout the day. We are definitely headed in the right direction.”
TTWC’s next competition is January 15th in New Jersey at the Ram Tough Tournament held at Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey.
TTWC Champions and Place Winners – Southington Sepko Memorial Tournament
Division: 8U
- Luca Amato – 1st Place
- Ty Silverstrim – 1st Place
- Mia Henckel – 2nd Place
Division: 10U Co-Ed
- Jasmin Weiner – 1st Place
- Chris Weiner – 1st Place
- Arjan Singh – 1st Place
- Sam Forman – 2nd Place
- Keegan Rosenschein – 2nd Place
Division: Girls 12U
- Mia Henckel – 3rd Place
- Ella Henckel – 4th Place
Division: 12U Co-Ed
- Joey Cotter – 1st Place
- Jackson Robles – 1st Place
- Blake Vieira – 1st Place
- Noah Oliveira – 1st Place
- Chris Weiner – 1st Place
- A.J. Stefano – 1st Place
- Leo Toman – 2nd Place
- Ella Henckel – 3rd Place
- Keegan Rosenschein – 4th Place
Division: Middle School Co-Ed
- Joey Cotter – 1st Place
- Antonio Arguello – 1st Place
- Jax Opotzner – 1st Place
- Chase Kastner – 1st Place
- Robert Sommers – 2nd Place
- Jake Fattibene – 2nd Place
- Max Malitsky – 2nd Place
- Chad Reed – 2nd Place
- Cecilia Verrilli – 2nd Place
- Tristan Rosenschein – 3rd Place
