Reese York ’26 tackles an opponent on Senior Night match against Choate.
Last Saturday, Andover Wrestling held its first home meet of 2026 against Choate. The matchup carried added significance, as the meet also marked Senior Night, a celebration of the leadership and commitment of the team’s Seniors. With strong competition and an emotional backdrop, the team prevailed, concluding the meet with a commanding 55–24 win.
According to Narek Hambardzumyan ’26, Senior Night always evokes a bittersweet feeling for the team, as it marks both a celebration of the 16 Seniors’ contributions and the reality that it will be their final season with the program. Hambardzumyan reflected on the atmosphere of the meet and his mentality during it.
“I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I saw the Class of ’24 go out on their Senior Night. It was a great atmosphere. When you have your teammates, friends, and the school behind you during a match, it gives you that extra motivation that you need. On top of that, it was my Senior [Night], and as a Senior, you have that extra push to do what you need to do,” said Hambardzumyan.
The meet opened with a strong performance from Brady Haskell ’28, delivering a comeback victory against a challenging opponent that set the tone for the night. Hambardzumyan noted how the opening match established momentum and confidence for the team.
“[Haskell] was facing a tough opponent, and in school dual meets, you don’t always get those high-level matchups as you do at big tournaments, but this was definitely one of them. Brady went up against someone right at his level and wrestled really well. He fell behind early, but he fought back throughout the match and ended up winning by technical fall. Seeing him push through such a tough match showed everyone that we could compete and win, and it gave the team a lot of momentum,” said Hambardzumyan.
Coming off a win on Saturday, the team entered Wednesday’s competition looking to keep the energy in the right direction. The girls’ team faced Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter), Noble & Greenough (Nobles), and Concord, while the boys competed solely against Concord. Devin Akyali ’29 highlighted the key performances that helped set the tone throughout the meet.
“We dominated the meet, and a lot of people went out on the mat and gave everything they had. Christian Robinson [’28] went up a weight class to wrestle at 122, which he had never done before, and he won by pin, which was really impressive. We also had some great performances later on. Shock Ingram [’26] cut down to 190 for the first time and dominated there. Overall, it was a very commanding performance,” said Akyali.
Diving deeper into how success developed, Matthew Lam ’28 identified the opening bouts as a turning point, once again showing the importance of early pins in helping establish momentum.
“From Serra Akyali [’28], Devin Akyali, and Christian Robinson, those first three matches were all won by quick pins, and that really got a lot of momentum going against Concord Academy during the meet,” said Lam.
Moving forward, wrestling will look to build on its 9–1 record. Hambardzumyan pointed to areas of focus that the team has emphasised in practice as it prepares for its next meeting.
“The biggest difference I’ve noticed this year is that we’ve been doing more conditioning, especially after practice. We’ve also been working more on pin defense, which will be really helpful. Overall, we’re always focused on improving. That’s something our coaches emphasize, that every practice is about getting better.”
The team faces Hyde (ME) and Roxbury Latin at home this Saturday.
