Wrestling: Norwich Finishes 11th At New England Championships

GORHAM, Maine -

Brian Zane won the individual championship at 133 pounds, and two other Cadets placed within the Top 6 to lead the Norwich University wrestling team to an 11th-place finish at the New England Championships this past weekend.

Zane began his run through the competition in the 133-pound weight class by defeating Plymouth State's Shawn Moseley, 13-6, in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, Zane dispatched Andrew Armstrong of Coast Guard, 10-3. Then, in the semifinals, Zane took down WNEC's Scott Rowen, 8-1. Zane capped his weekend by defeating Corey Paulish of Williams, 5-3, in the championship bout.

Zane, a senior from Franklinville, N.J., caps his Norwich career with an overall record of 99-24. By winning the individual title, Zane is automatically qualified to participate in the NCAA Championships, March 7-8.

"Brian had an outstanding weekend," said NU head coach Rich Hasenfus. "I am extremely proud of the way he battled through injuries and was able to win the school's first New England championship in some time."

Connor Keating put forth a strong performance in the 157-pound bracket, placing fourth. He opened competition with a 7-2 victory over Tyler Howe of WPI. Then, after dropping into the consolation bracket, Keating reeled off three straight wins before bowing out. His victories were against Nick Newell of WNEC (9-2), Andy Snyder of Coast Guard (6-3) and Carl Breitstien of Williams (7-4). Keating's run finally came to an end with a loss to Mark Moyer of Southern Maine, but after an impressive weekend, during which he authored a 4-2 overall record, he stood in fourth place.

"Connor wrestled the best tournament of his career," added Hasenfus. "He had to knock off the third and fourth seeds en route to placing fourth. I am very pleased with how he's wrestled all season, and this was a great way for him to end the year."

Alex Whitney had a solid weekend of his own, placing sixth in the 184-pound bracket after compiling a steady mark of 3-2.

"I was very pleased with the team's effort throughout the weekend," commented Hasenfus. "Each one of our guys worked hard and to come away with one champion and two other place-winners is a testament to this group of young men."

The Cadets racked up 35.5 points, and finished ahead of four other schools. Rhode Island College won the team championship with 121 points. Johnson & Wales came in a close second with 116 points.

Team Standings

1. Rhode Island College, 121 points

2. Johnson & Wales, 116 points

3. Williams, 105.5 points

4. Springfield, 89 points

5. Bridgewater State, 80 points

6. Roger Williams, 72 points

7. Plymouth State, 61 points

8. Southern Maine, 60.5 points

9. Wesleyan, 40.5 points

10. Coast Guard, 36.5 points

11. Norwich, 35.5 points