Finishing third all-time in career wins and placing seventh at the Prep School National Tournament this weekend, Wrestling Co-Captain Duncan Crystal ’10 is this term’s Athlete of the Term. A four year senior from Melrose, MA, Crystal has been wrestling since he was in sixth grade. Although his prior experience has benefited him, he said that he credits the coaching that he has received at Andover as an integral part of his success. “Our coaches have been important to me in all ways: off and on the mat. They taught me in order to have excellence on the mat you need to lead a successful life as an Andover student. As my house counselor, Mr. Gorham has helped me maintain focus throughout rough winter terms, Mr. Efinger has always inspired me to take care of the things I can control and no one has improved my wrestling more than Coach Dunn, who knows an amazing amount about the sport,” said Crystal. Crystal got his career off to a flying start, posting a 22-11 record as a ninth grader. His victory over a returning New England Champion that year gave him the confidence he needed to be a top contender in New England. “Freshman year, beating Martignetti from the Brooks School was by far my best match of the year. He was a returning New England champion and as a freshman, it was not only my first match beating a quality opponent, but it was also my first time beating a senior, which felt pretty good,” he said. With 94 career victories, Crystal now sits third on the all-time wins list behind Gabe Worgaftik ’06, with 96, and Prep National Champion Dan Shvartsman ’02, with 108. This past weekend, Crystal posted a 3-2 record, just enough to surpass Hector Cintron ’08 on the all-time list, who had 92 career victories. “Hector was a leader in the room since the beginning of my Andover career. The time and effort he put into the program was one of the most amazing examples of how hard work can pay off, especially after watching him win Class A’s and New England’s in amazing matches his senior year. Having my name mentioned on the same list as Hector is a great feeling because he is a guy I will always look up to,” said Crystal. While at Andover, Crystal was a four-time Class A finalist, winning in the tournament twice; last year at 130 lbs, and this year at 135 lbs. He also won the Outstanding Wrestler Award this year for defeating a three-time champion in the finals, 7-3. “Duncan is one of the most mentally tough athletes I have ever coached. The tougher the match, the better he wrestled. This was evident in this year’s Class A finals, where he defeated a three-time champion on skill, grit and determination,” said Coach Rich Gorham. This year, Crystal also added a New England Championship to his list of accomplishments, beating the defending New England Champion in a thrilling 2-1 victory in double overtime. Co-Captain Ryan Gaiss said, “His Upper year, Duncan wrestled the same kid and dominated the match, so going into the finals, I knew that he understood what he needed to do to win and he executed.” Altogether, Crystal had a total of five career tournament victories and three New England finishes. “Being a New England Champ and All-American was always a goal of mine. Losing in the New England finals last year and going 0-2 at Nationals really drove home the fact that this was going to be the last chance for me to reach my goal. After winning those matches, I felt not only happiness, but relief that my four years of hard work had finally been justified,” said Crystal. Crystal’s victories this season put a cap on a remarkable four-year career at Andover. Crystal plans to step onto the mat for Johns Hopkins University next winter.
