This weekend, 20 Andover wrestlers, six in the Prep Division and 14 in the Girls Division, competed at the New England Prep Championships. In the Prep Division, Julian Rios ’26 led the way with four victories to become a two-time New England Champion; he will compete at the Prep Nationals next weekend. In the Girl Division, there were four champions, with Dani Nugent ’25 claiming her third consecutive New England championship. Team Abbot claimed the team title for the third consecutive year now, earning 202 team points.
Leading up to the competition, the team focused on live competition and staying sharp and quick on their feet. Ophelia Lee ’26, who placed fourth in her weight class, commented on the team’s work on stamina and scrimmages.
Lee said, “We stopped working on a lot of new techniques and mostly just drilled what we knew… We practice having full matches going over time and just preparing for situations that we might encounter in a real match.”
The Championship hosted strong competition across both divisions. Tasha Bohorad ’26 noted that only four Prep Division wrestlers competed on Friday, one of whom, Ethan Principal ’24 qualified to compete at Prep Nationals.
Bohorad said “There are a lot of teams there that we don’t see regularly such as Green Farms, the New York Military School. So there’s a lot of good competition… [Friday night,] the matches are double elimination and Bodhi [Beroukhim ’25] I remember his last match, he needed to win and he got a really close win, so that was great.”
Toni Elliot ’27 earned three pins, persevering through her finals matches and ultimately becoming a champion. Suhaila Cotton ’24, who placed second at New Englands, highlighted Elliot’s strong performance.
Cotton said, “She had an incredible upset… In the finals, she was going up against a two-time New England champ and her match went into overtime. So imagine like six minutes overtime, the score is tied, so whoever shoots first gets the first point in the next minute will win the match. She ended up getting the first takedown and pinning her opponent, so that was the biggest upset. She’s now New England champ as a freshman, which is incredible.”
Bohorad recalled the supportive environment that Andover wrestlers and families created at the championship.
Bohoad said, “A lot of people’s parents came, and it was just like everyone was cheering everyone on. I think a lot of people were very nervous about their matches because it is a big event, and there were always matches going on, so it was very stressful… But I think overall it was just really good to get out there and get experience.”
Looking ahead to the National Championship, the team intends to continue working on its foundational skills. Lee talked about the team’s preparations, both physical and mental.
Lee said, “I think drilling the fundamentals, like our number one takedowns, breakdowns, and stand ups are the moves that we’re most comfortable with, just getting those solid and getting in the mindset of competing and doing our best in our matches.”
This weekend, Andover will compete at the National Prep Championships.
