The Ward Melville high school gymnasium has seen it all now. It has seen the wrestling powerhouses from all over Section 11 and some of the best All American wrestlers of our time. From Piccininni to Picozzi, young and old, Long Island has bred the best in the world of wrestling. But for the first time in a long time Section 11 got to witness Stony Brook Wrestling.
On Saturday, the Seawolves knew it would not be easy facing a Cortland squad that beat them last year in an exhibition match. “We liked our chances coming in to Saturday, we practice every day and we were hungry,” rookie coach Shaun Lally said after the meet. “Our heavy weights came through for us all starting with Matt Frey, after his pin we had all the momentum we needed.”
Frey’s pin was absolutely critical to the Seawolves. Going into the Ward Melville alumni’s match Stony Brook trailed Cortland 19-3 through 165 lbs. In a third period pin at 4:33, Frey defended his home gym and propelled the Seawolves to their first home victory in over a decade.
With the NCWA regional championships on the horizon the Seawolves hope to place in the top five schools in order to go to nationals. “We’re starting to get the recognition we deserve,” Lally said.
But the win against Cortland wasn’t enough for Lally has he went on to continue recruiting high school wrestlers to come to Stony Brook. His goal: a team twice as big and a brand new facility with new mats in the new Recreation Center.
