HS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: DUNIA SIBOMANA and matt peterson
New York Crowns 6 High School National Champs
Virginia Beach, VA - Long Islanders Dunia Sibomana (209-17 career) of Long Beach won the senior 120- pound division and Matt Peterson of Islip won the freshman 132-pound division at the National High School Coaches Association Wrestling Championships held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Dunia is an NC State commit and projects as a top 125-pound collegiate wrestler. Other New York State NHSCA champions were freshman Vincenzo Mannello (120) from Braircliff/Byram Hills/VW, sophomore Kymah Gummow (120) from Indian River, junior Landyn Shaffer (138) from Deposit and senior Chris Noto (132) of Honeoye Falls-Lima, who will attend Lock Haven in the fall. The Empire State had a strong showing as 37 mat men earned NHSCA All-American accolades.
A Look Back at some New York State legendary wrestlers who ALMOST went unbeaten:
* Vito Arujau (Syosset-8) - (216-1 career) - lost to Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton-5), 3-2 OT, in the 2013 NYS finals.
* Frank DeAngelis (Spencerport-5) - (102-1) - lost to Steve Hunte (BJFK-8), 16-9, in the 1973 NYS semifinals.
* PJ Duke (Minisink Valley -9) - (152-1) - lost to Tyler Kasak (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), in the 2013 Ironman finals by injury default.
* Mark Iacovelli (Ithaca-4) - (135-1-1) - lost to Jeff Thomas (Huntington-11), 7-3, in the 1974 NYS semifinals, had a draw with Randy Reed (Oneonta-4), 4-4, in a dual meet.
* Randy Payne (Sidney-4) - (107-1) - lost to Steve Weiss (Lindenhurst-11), 8-6, in the 1967
NYS semifinals.
* Jeff Prescott (Olean-6) - (162-1) - lost to JP Epifano (Whitehall-2), 9-8, in the preliminaries of the NYS Championships in 1984.
- A look at many of the other Empire State standouts -
* Carl Adams- (Brentwood-11) - (68-3) - Iowa State - two-time NCAA champion.
* Clar Anderson - (Olean-6) - (154-7-1) - Oklahoma State - two-time All-American and NCAA champion
* Ed and Lou Banach (Port Jervis-9) - Ed (97-8) and Lou (65-2) won NCAA titles at Iowa. Ed - three-time NCAA champ and Lou- two-time NCAA champ. They were the first American twins to win Olympic gold medals at the same time in the 1984 Olympics.
* Troy Bouzakis - (Pine Bush-9) - (175-2) - Clemson - neck injury ended his career.
* Bob Bury - (Calhoun-8) - (115-3) - Penn State - NCAA qualifier.
* Wayne Catan - (Bellport-11) - (58-14) - Syracuse -three-time All-American and two-time finalist.
* Mitch Clark - (Canton-10) - (172-6) - Ohio State - NCAA champion.
* Kyle Dake (Lansing-4) - (224-14) - Cornell- four-time NCAA champion in four different weight classes.
* Carl DeStefanis - (Locust Valley-8) - (86-2) - Penn State - NCAA champion.
* Yianni Diakomihalis - (Hilton-5) - (243-3) - Cornell- four-time NCAA champion.
* Chris Edmond - (Freeport-8) - (58-14) - Tennessee - two-time All- American and NCAA champion.
* Nick Gallo - (Deer Park-11) - (31-8-10 - Hofstra - two-time All-American and NCAA champion and MOW in 1977.
* Nick Gwiazdowski - (Duanesburg-2) - (199-24) - NC State - three-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion.
* Steve Hunte - (Bellmore-Kennedy-8) - (101-4-1) - Iowa - two-time Big Ten champion.
* Jesse Jantzen - (Shoreham-Wading River-11) - (221-3) - Harvard - three-time All-American and NCAA champion and MOW in 2004.
* Pete Galea - (Brentwood-11) - (72-8) - Iowa State - four-time Big 8 champion - two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up
* Gregor Gillespie - (Webster-Schroeder-5) - (238-11) - Edinboro - four-time All-American and NCAA champion.
* Noel Loban (Copiague-11) - (56-8) - Farmingdale State - NJCAA champion and Clemson - NCAA champion.
* Dan Mayo (Sachem-11) - (90-3) - Penn State - two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up.
* Kerry McCoy - (Longwood-11) - (89-7) - Penn State -two-time NCAA champion - won Dan Hodge Trophy in 1997 - two-time Olympian.
* Ken Melchoir - (Lindenhurst-11) - (95-4) - three-time NAIA champ and NCAA champion.
* Troy Nickerson - (Chenango Forks-4) - (217-6) - Cornell -four time All-American and NCAA champion.
* JP O'Connor - (Oxford Academy-4) - (238-12) -Harvard -three-time All-American and NCAA champion.
* Al Palacio (Long Beach-8) - (133-4-1) - North Carolina - two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up.
* Nick Piccininni - (Ward Melville-11) - (226-3) - Oklahoma State - four-time Big 12 champion and three-time All-American.
* Keith Stearns - (Pioneeer-6) - (108-11) - Oklahoma -two-time All-American and NCAA champion.
* Jacori Teemer - (Long Beach-8) - (210-5) - Arizona State - three-time All-American and NCAA runner-up.
* Jeff Thomas - (Huntington-11) - (123-5-3) - Michigan State - Big Ten champion and All-American.
* Peter Yozzo - (100-14) - (Sayville-11) - Lehigh - three-time All-American and NCAA champion.
In NCAA competition:
* Vito Arujau (Cornell) - two-time NCAA champion, four-time All-American.
* Frank DeAngelis (Oklahoma) - NCAA runner-up 1973.
* PJ Duke (Penn State) - 3rd place at the 2026 NCAA Championships, only a freshman.
* Mark Iacovelli (Syracuse) - EIWA bronze medalist in 1981, lost to Darryl Burley (Lehigh), 12-6, in the semifinals.
*Randy Payne (Pittsburgh) - NCAA runner-up in 1970 NCAA finals, lost to Dwayne Keller (Oklahoma State) and was the first freshman to reach the NCAA finals.
* Jeff Prescott (Penn State) - three-time All-American, two-time NCAA champion and won the MOW at the 1991 NCAA meet.
NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Penn State wins NCAAs over Oklahoma State. Mitchell Mesenbrink (82-1) wins Dan Hodge Trophy.
Cleveland, Ohio - Penn State won their fifth consecutive NCAA team title at the 95th edition of the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lions scored a record 181.5 points and crowned four champions in Saturday night's finals. Oklahoma State secured second with 131 points and 3 champs. Nebraska finished third with 90.5 points, Iowa in fourth and Ohio State in fifth.
NEW YORK ALL-AMERICANS:
157 - PJ Duke (3rd from Penn State) - Minisink Valley HS
157 - Cameron Catrabone (7th from Michigan) - Williamsville North HS
184 - Zack Ryder (8th from Oklahoma State) - Minisink Valley HS
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CORNELL WINS THE IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS OVER COLUMBIA AND PENN
Cornell's Tyler Ferrara (23-7) works for his takedown against Evan Mougalian from Penn. The second seeded Ferrara scored a 12-2 major decision against the top seeded Mougalian (20-5) to win the 133-pound title at the Ivy League Championships held at Columbia University. Cornell scored 132.5 points and won the championship over Columbia (118) and Penn (116.5).
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Cesar Alvan (27-8) from Columbia University takes down Ty Whalen of Princeton. The top seeded Alvan needed this takedown and near fall points to win the 165-pound title in overtime.
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University of Penn's Jude Swisher (20-3) scores his second takedown of the match to upset the top seed and number one ranked Meyer Shapiro (15-1). Swisher won this 157-pound Ivy League final 8-3.
NYS INTERSECTIONALS -SECTION XI (248.5 POINTS) EDGES CHSAA (240.5) & Section VIII (191.5) - LONG ISLAND CROWNS 6 CHampions - GO TO HS NEWS -
New York State High School Intersectional Boys Tournament - Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for RESULTS and MORE.
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Camryn Howard (48-0, 190-17 career) of Bellport won his second New York State title. Howard, only a sophomore, has state placings of 7-8-1-1 and helped pace the Suffolk County squad to the sectional team title. Howard is the top-ranked 157-pound wrestler in the nation.
Dunia Sibomana (46-3, 203-17 career) from Long Beach won his third New York State title at 118 pounds. The UNC commit finished his stellar career as a five-time state placer (1-3-2-1-1) and won the MOW Award. He became head coach Ray Adams and assistant coach Leo Palacio's 19th state champion.
Devin Downes (43-4, 212-6 career) from Plainedge has won state titles at 170, 190 and 215 pounds. He became the Red Devils first three-time champion and will take his mat skills to the University of Maryland next season.
Gavin Mangano (47-2, 216-5 career) from Shoreham-Wading River won his third New York State title at 144 pounds in the Division Two Tournament. Mangano, a junior, is an early commit to Penn State.
Xavier Seabury (47-1, 135-9 career), a sophomore from North Babylon, won the 110-pound New York State title.
GIRLS STATES - LONG ISLAND CHAMPS: GABRIELLE SEVERIN (BeTHPAGE), HALEY GONZALES (HICKSVILLE), AALIYAH MORROW (BELLPORT), NAOMI GONZALEZ (VALL STREAM)
Shenendehowa (102 points) wins team scoring title over runnerup Bellport (81 points).
MASSAPEQUA (242 PTS.) crowns five and wins nassau county championships over MANHASSET(172), Farmingdale (144.5), Long beach (143) and bellmore (138)
Joseph Brooks (30-4) of Massapequa avenged a late season loss to Clarke's Sebastian Mejia. Brooks held Mejia scoreless in this 157 pound semifinal with a 14-0 win. Brooks scored a technical fall in the 157 pound final to lead the Massapequa Chiefs to a first place finish n the Nassau County Championships at Hofstra University. Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more. Go to 2025-26 PHOTOS for more pictures.
Manhasset's Will Russell (21-5, 166- 25 career) lifts MacArthur's Vincent Orandello. The top seeded Russell won this 118 pound semifinal but finished as runner-up as Manhasset held on to second place in the team scoring.
Farmingdale's Josh Kama (23-2) upset second seeded Marcus Rosario of Clarke in this 190 pound semifinal. Kama secured the win with a 15-0 technical fall but dropped a decision in the final as Farmingdale finished third in the team scoring.
Defending New York State champion Dunia Sibomana (36-3, 193-17 career) of Long Beach (fourth in team scoring) won his 118 pound semifinal match over Roslyn's Christian Morris with a 12-2 major decision. Sibomana, an UNC commit, edged tough Will Russell, 1-0, in the finals and became a rare five-time Nassau County champion.
Peter Mikedis (41-2, 142-24 career) from Bellmore JFK secures his fall to and went on to win the 165 pound final. BJFK finished in fifth place in the team scoring.
Nassau County Champion Jason Martin (190) helped to pace Mepham to an 8th place team finish and was voted the Outstanding Wrestler Award.
sachem north (148.5 pts) edges sayville (147) to win the SUFFOLK county CHAMPIONSHIPS as bellport, east islip and ward melville round out the top five
Thomas Vecchio (42-0) from Sachem North is in on his double leg. Vecchio, the number one ranked seed and top ranked 175-pounder on LI, picked up the fall in this quarterfinal bout. Vecchio went on to win the crown with a major decision in the finals helping the Arrows outscore Sayville for the team title. Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more. Go to 2025-26 PHOTOS for more pictures.
Javen Taff (33-3) leads Sayville to a second place in the team scoring at the Suffolk County Championships at Stony Brook University. Taff, a junior, won this early round match over Arjahn William of Bellport with a 16-1 tech fall and was runner-up at 215 pounds. Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more.
Camryn Howard (46-0) of Bellport is on the attack at 157 pounds. Howard, a sophomore, is the number one ranked wrestler in NYS and in the nation, he secured the tech fall with a 21-6 win. He scored another technical fall in the finals and paced the Clippers to a third place finish in the Suffolk team race. Howard was voted the tournament's OSW.
East Islip's Rocco DeStefano (42-3) works this takedown to an overhead cradle and a first period fall at 132 pounds. For DeStefano it was his 100th career pin and now has a stellar 172-32 overall ledger. He went on to capture the 132 Suffolk crown as East Islip finished fourth in the team scoring.
Hunter Phillips, the #2 seed of Ward Melville, works for a first period fall in this 103-pound quarterfinal. He dropped a decision to Benjamin Marino (Bay Shore) in the semifinals as Ward Melville finished in the top five.
William Floyd's Josiah Lors (38-3) is in deep on a single leg. Lors won this 215 pound quarterfinal bout with a 7-3 victory over Longwood's Dylan Kent. Lors won the Suffolk crown over Sayville's Javen Taff 4-2.
MASSAPEQUA ROLLS THROUGH NASSAU QUALIFIER WITH FIVE CHAMPIONS EN ROUTE TO THE TEAM TITLE
Number one ranked Kai Tiringer (34-4) of Massapequa is on the attack at 150 pounds. Tiringer won this semifinal with a 17-2 technical fall.
Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more.
Clarke's Sebastian Mejias (40-4) works for his fall in the 157 semifinal bout. Mejia beat top ranked Joe Brooks of Massapequa in the finals and was voted the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler Award. Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more. Go to 2025-26 PHOTOS for more pictures.
NYS DUAL MEET CHAMPIONSHIPS: Massapequa wins 9 bouts over shenendehowa to win the d-i title 42-21; miller place defeats swr 45-24 to win d-ii title
Click this link NYSPHSAA for schedule.
Division One Results:
#2-Webster-Schroeder-5 def. LBeach-8, 41-24
Sachem North-11 def. Chatauqua Lake-6, 39-32
#5-Massapequa-8 def. Sach North, 40-19
Semifinals:
Massapequa-8 def. Minisink Valley-9, 31-30
Shenendehowa-2 def. Web-Schroeder-5, 41-26
Division Two Semifinal Results:
Miller Place-11 def. Marcellus-3, 39-31
SWRiver-11 def. Port Jervis-9, 55-24
suffolk county dual meet championships: i-sachem north over east islip 34-29, ii- miller place over shoreham wading river 43-30
Top ranked Thomas Vecchio (37-0 ) from Sachem North scores a takedown and a first period pin at 175 pounds. Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more.
Andrew Bennett-Guma (36-4) from Miller Place works for a takedown at 215 pounds against James Como of Shoreham Wading River. The top ranked Bennett-Guma picked up the fall and sealed the win for Miller Place. Go to HIGH SCHOOL NEWS for more.
in memoriam
George "Doppy" Doherty and Dick Doherty
- New York State Hall of Fame members
- National Hall of Fame Members
- Berner HS was the first high school to have multiple state champions with Hector Rivera (120) and Elliot Tepper (127) at the 2nd annual NYS Intersectionals in 1964.
Joe Ferrugia
FDNY - Berner HS Coach
Jack Fiorvanti
New York State Wrestling Official
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Former Amityville High School alumni Tony Nordland and Jim Nordland were inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April 2017.