No. 14 Wrestling Wins Fifth Consecutive NECCWA Championship Crown
MIDDLETOWN, Conn., February 19, 2006 - Springfield College junior Mike Gaeta (Manalapan, N.J.), ranked third in all of Division III at 141 pounds, defeated Roger Williams' Andrew Lacroix, 11-6, in the championship match of the 141-pound division as the No. 14 Pride finished first out of 15 competing teams at the New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) Championships, hosted by Wesleyan University.
SC compiled 145 total team points on the way to winning its fifth-straight NECCWA crown. The Pride has also taken the NECCWA Championships nine of the past 10 years. Johnson & Wales finished second with 132 team points over the weekend, as Roger Williams finished third with 107 points.
SC has three NECCWA champions who will represent New England at the NCAA Division III Championships on March 3 and 4, hosted by the College of New Jersey. Junior Mark DeCiccio (Cranston, R.I.) won a 10-8 decision over Coast Guard's Bryan Radik at 149 pounds, and senior Jason Leckey (Guilford, Conn.) won at 197 pounds, 12-5, over Bridgewater State's Anthony D'Amico.
Gaeta, DeCiccio and Leckey will represent the Pride at the NCAA Division III Championships at the College of New Jersey, as DeCiccio was one of just three individuals to win a NECCWA title this season after not being seeded first overall in their division.
In addition to its three individual winners, SC had three other finalists on the weekend, including sophomore Jake Tyler (Gouverneur, N.Y.) at 157 pounds, senior Bill Koch (Hackettstown, N.J.) at 165 pounds, and sophomore Elliot Smith (Richville, N.Y.) in the 184-pound division.
Head Coach Daryl Arroyo was also honored as the NECCWA Coach of the Year at the championship meet.
Final Team Scoring:
1. Springfield - 145
2. Johnson & Wales - 132
3. Roger Williams - 107
4. Norwich - 74.5
5. Williams - 73
6. Wesleyan - 55
7. Bridgewater State - 54
8. Plymouth State - 40.5
9. WNEC - 37
10. Trinity - 33.5
11. Rhode Island College - 30.5
12. Coast Guard - 29
13. Southern Maine - 26.5
14. WPI - 14
15. MIT - 9.5
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Head Coach Daryl Arroyo
Former Springfield College All-American Daryl Arroyo will be entering his 20th season as the head wrestling coach at his alma mater in 2009-10. Under his tutelage, the Springfield College wrestling program has posted a 278-151-6 overall dual-meet record, good for an outstanding .646 winning percentage.
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