“With his victory today, this wrestler claims his 3rd consecutive NEI Title.” Such an impressive announcement came from the tournament chair of last Saturday’s New England Invitational Tournament, as he awarded Andover Wrestling Co-Captain Akshay Paintal ’07 his trophies for first place and wrestler of the tournament. Led by Paintal’s dominating performance, Andover placed a solid fourth overall in a highly competitive field. Andover entered a total of fourteen wrestlers in the tournament, nine of whom placed, and four of whom emerged as NEI Champions. Andover arrived at Hyde-Connecticut early Saturday morning, feeling confident despite leaving behind three Varsity starters due to minor injuries. Traditionally, Andover uses the NEI as a tune-up before three major tournaments: the Class A Championship, the National Prep Championship and New England Wrestling Association Tournament. Coach Mark Efinger ’74 said, “This one lets us get some tournament experience for some of the new guys, and also lets us get an idea of the competition for [Class] A’s and New Englands.” The invitational also allows many wrestlers who might be on the border of a seeded position in the major tournaments a chance to prove themselves. Early on Saturday, Andover’s Duncan Crystal ’10 was among the first wrestlers to get on the mat. He left the mat quickly, though, as one the fastest to pin his first opponent with a time just over one minute. Emerson Stoldt ’09 also recorded an early pin in his first match, as did Hector Cintron ’08 and Alex Gottfried ’09. At the end of the first round, Andover held a record of 11-3, and looked for a second consecutive team victory. Andover’s performance remained strong in the following round of wrestling match-ups. Crystal, Co-Captain Paintal, Cintron, Kevin Wood ’07 and Ben Elder ’09 each recorded his second pin of the day, while Chris Latham ’09 and John Yang-Sammataro both bounced back from first round losses to advance in the hunt for 3rd place. By the end of the second round, it became clear that Andover’s mental toughness was beginning to pay off. “The hardest thing about tournaments,” said Coach Rich Gorham ’86, “is keeping focused and ready all day long. You go out and wrestle for at most six or seven minutes, then you sit around for an hour, and then you wrestle again. You’ve got to be mentally ready for every single match.” Keeping composed and mentally tough, Andover bulldozed its way through the third round, landing five wrestlers in the finals and three more in the consolation finals (3rd and 4th place match). After a short intermission to give the wrestlers some well-deserved rest, it was time for the finals. At 112 lbs., Duncan Crystal led off for Andover in the final round. Battling last year’s Class A champion at 103 lbs., Crystal wrestled a smart, methodical match. He repeatedly forced his opponent to change his style, particularly when wrestling from the standing position. After taking an early lead, Crystal never allowed his opponent to get back into the match. As soon as Crystal left the center mat, Andover’s next wrestler, Co-Captain Paintal, took the stage for the 119 lb. final. Throughout the entire match, Paintal displayed lightning quickness and remarkable conditioning that earned him the Outstanding Wrestler Award. “That might’ve been the best match I’ve seen Shay wrestle this year,” said Co-Captain Colin Dunn ’07 of his fellow captain. Though the two combatants appeared at times to be moving at breakneck speed, Paintal remained in control throughout the match, defeating a challenging opponent 12-5. After Paintal’s thrilling match, Andover’s next entries were in the 135 and 140 lb. weight class finals. At 135, Dunn continued the trend of wrestling smart, conservative final matches, defeating a solid opponent 4-1 by tying him up the entire match. At 140, Scott Sanderson ’09 found himself with a rematch against an opponent who had previously beaten him 14-1. Unfazed, he wrestled his opponent through a scoreless first period, and scored a quick reversal at the beginning of the second to put himself up 2-0. However, he could not consolidate his position, and his opponent reversed him onto his back in a pin. Having entered the tournament unseeded and relatively unknown, Kevin Wood ’07 took the mat for the 189 pound final for a surprising performance. Wood had already pinned the third and second seeded wrestlers in his weight class. For his final match he was lined up to wrestle the favorite to win the entire bracket. Though Wood has barely a year of wrestling experience under his belt, he approached the match like a seasoned pro, using his incredible strength to overpower his more technically skilled opponent. Against all odds, Wood dominated the top wrestler in his weight class, pinning his worthy adversary in just over a minute. The Andover cheering section went wild with emotion as the referee smacked the mat to signify a pin for Wood. When asked later about the match, Wood said, “I don’t know what happened. I just went nuts out there.” Wood’s victory capped off an impressive day for Andover, as four on the team were crowned as champions, one second-place victory, two third-places wins and a fourth-place finish. Andover’s traditional meet against arch rival Phillips Exeter was scheduled for the 14th, but has been postponed to next Wednesday due to snow. Andover is now preparing itself for the Class A championship this Saturday, held at Exeter.
