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A LOOK BACK
- A look back in New York State Wrestling over the years -
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 (90-14-2) 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.
* Jon Cardi - (Burnt Hills-2) - (144-6) - North Carolina - ACC champion.
* 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.
- NEW YORK STATE NCAA CHAMPIONS THAT "NEVER" WON STATE TITLES -
* Wayne Catan - (Bellport-11) - Syracuse
* Mitch Clark - (Canton -10) - Ohio State
* Chris Edmond - (Freeeport-8) - Tennessee
* Nick Gallo - (Deer Park-11) - Hofstra - MOW Award in 1977 -
* Noel Loban - (Copiague-11) - Clemson
- LOOKING BACK TO SOME OF THE TOP 25 NYS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS MATCHES -
#25. Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton-5) nipped Dylan Ryder (Hills West-11), 3-2 OT, in the 113-pound championship bout in 2018. Diakomihalis (217-2 career) claimed his fifth state title along with the MOW Award. At Hofstra, Ryder was a 2020 EIWA place-winner. Diakomihalis (125) placed fourth at the 2026 Ivy League Championships for team champion Cornell University.
#24. Al Palacio (Long Beach-8) shutout Brian Keyes (Port Jervis-9), 6-0, for the 105-pound title in 1981. Palacio (133-4-1) was a four-time state placer (3-1-1-1) and a three-time champ, he won the MOW Award in 1981. Palacio was a NCAA finalist for North Carolina at 118 pounds in 1986.
#23. Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield-5) edged Kiernan Shanahan (Shenendehowa-2), 7-6, with a late slick duck-under in the 145-pound final in 2018. Gissendanner (267-11 career) was a four-time state champion. At Niagara CC, he finished fourth at the NJCAA Championships in the 149-pound class.
#22. Brandon Lehman (Ithaca-4) pinned Otto House (Hornell-5) at the 4:26 mark of their back-and-forth 105-pound final in 1996. Lehman (223-11-1) defeated SWR's Jesse Jantzen,9-3, in the semifinals and went onto becoming a four-time finalist and three-time state champion.
#21. Paul Widerman (Huntington-11) edged Lindsay Biagini (Massapequa-8), 3-2, for the 105-pound title in 1977. Biagini (83-3) was a two-time state finalist, and Widerman would finish as a two-time state king. Widerman was a standout wrestler at Harvard University and a two-time Maccabiah Games champion.
#20. Bob Bury (Calhoun-8) decisioned Don St. James (Rush-Henrietta-5), 8-2, in 1978. Bury (32-0, 115-3) was a four-time state placer (4-1-1-1) and a three-time champion. St. James was national Greco-Roman champion and Bury would take his mat skills to Penn State University where he compiled a 57-28-1 mark with 25 falls.
#19. Steve Hunte (Bellmore-Kennedy-8) defeated John Janiak (North Syracuse-3),10-5, at 138 pounds at the Utica Memorial Auditorium in 1973. Hunte (32-0, 101-4-1) upended Frank DAngelis (102-1 career), 16-9, of Spencerport- 5 in the semifinals, and was a two-time state king. Janiak (158) was a NCAA runner-up at Syracuse in 1975. Hunte (100 wins) would later star at Iowa and won two Big Ten titles. He was later commissioned as an Army officer in 1979.
#18. Mike Giustizia (Walt Whitman-11) decisioned Ed Pidgeon (Locust Valley-8), 6-3, in the 126-pound final in 1978. Giustizia (Tennessee) finished in 6th place at 126 pounds in the 1980 NCAA Championships. Pidgeon was a two-time state finalist losing to Ithaca's three-time winner Mark Iacovelli (135-1-1) in 1977. At Hofstra, he became a two-time NCAA All-American.
#17. J.P. O'Connor (Oxford Academy-4) defeated Phil Lombardi (Greece-Olympia-5), 11-4, for the 145-pound title in 2006. O'Connor (238-12 career) was a four-time state champion and won his first crown as a freshman in the 96-pound class. O'Connor became Harvard's first freshman All-American and third NCAA champion when he won the 157-pound title in 2010. In his senior campaign O'Connor had a perfect 35-0 mark and finished with an impressive 132-16 collegiate ledger.
#16. Carl Adams (Brentwood-11) decisioned Gary Ventimiglia (Island Trees-8), 5-1, for the 154-pound gold medal in 1968. Adams (68-3) was a three-time Suffolk champ and won the Lonnie Kittle MOW Award in his junior and senior season. Ventimiglia was a NJCAA finalist at Orange CC and an assistant coach at Island Trees HS with legendary coach Ted Petersen. Adams (77-9-4) was the first freshman ever to place at the NCAA Championships. He would go onto win two NCAA titles at Iowa State and had coaching stints at Rhode Island and Boston University. Adams was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019.
#15. Troy Bouzakis (Pine Bush-9) defeated defending state champ Lou Roselli (Royalton-Hartland-6), 9-5, in the 105-pound championship bout in 1987, and was voted the MOW Award. Bouzakis (175-2) would win three state titles and become a five-time state medalist with placings of 1-1-3-2-1. Bouzakis attended Clemson University and a neck injury ended his wrestling career. Roselli (156-8) was a two-time All-American at Edinboro and had coaching stints at Ohio State, Oklahoma and is currently at Pittsburgh.
#14. Kyle Grunwald (Pioneer-6) decisioned Rich Cavayero (27-1-1) of Bellmore-Kennedy-8, 12-8, in the 138-pound final. Grunwald was injured in an accident and had to wear a protective hockey mask in the 1977 final bout. The unbeaten Grunwald (34-0, 104-4) was a two-time state king who defeated Cavayero's older brother Steve in the 1976 state final. Steve was a two-time NCAA Div. III champion at Binghamton and Grunwald was a NCAA qualifier at LSU.
#13. Dan Hunt (West Genesee-3) edged Bob Sloand (Niagara-Wheatfield-6), 9-8, on an illegal clasp in a battle of reigning state kings for the 119-pound crown at the Utica Memorial Auditorium in 1973 and capped a perfect season at 29-0. As a freshman, Hunt lost to Ivan Gonzalez (Brentwood-11), 5-2, at 112 pounds in 1974. Hunt actually started his wrestling career at 0-3 and then compiled an impressive 107-4-1 career mark and became the first three-time champ in the Empire State.
#12. Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville-11) major decisioned Kyle Kelly (Chenango Forks-4), 14-4, in the most anticipated 113-pound final among defending state champions in 2013 and was voted the MOW Award. Piccininni (43-0, 226-5) would become a four-time Big 12 champion at Oklahoma State and a three-time All-American. He finished with a 110-27 career mark as a Cowboy.
#11. Clar Anderson (Olean-6) decisioned Mark Shortsleeve (Fulton-3), 7-6, at 126 pounds in 1980. Anderson (158-7-1) was a three-time state place-winner and a two-time state king. At Oklahoma State (99-24-4), he was a three-time All-American and claimed the NCAA title at 134 pounds in the 1983 NCAA meet.
#10. Dan Mayo (Sachem-11) pinned Chris Schojan (East Rochester-5) in 39 seconds with a stunning hip toss in the 177-pound final. Mayo (32-0, 90-3) was a state runner-up in 1982 and was voted the MOW Award in 1983. Mayo was a two-time All-American at Penn State and a NCAA finalist to Iowa's rugged Royce Alger at 177 pounds in 1988.
#9. Jeff Prescott (Olean-6) posted a 15-0 tech fall against Shannon Derouchie (Massena-10) at 105 pounds in 1986. Prescott (36-0, 162-1) was a four-time state placer (3-1-1-1) and a three-time state king, along with winning the MOW Award in 1986. He later became a two-time All-American at Penn State and enroute to the 118-pound national title defeated Section Six rival Lou Rosselli (Edinboro), 5-0, in the quarterfinals. He was voted the OSW Award at the NCAA Championships in 1991.
#8. Jesse Jantzen (Shoreham-Wading River-11) won his first state title as a freshman over Packy Burke (Cooperstown-3) with an exciting 3-2 overtime victory at 119 pounds in 1997.
Jantzen (38-0, 221-3) was a six-time state placer (3-3-1-1-1-1) and a four-time state champion. He ended his career with 157consecutive victories and the MOW Award at the 2000 NYS Championships. At Harvard University, he won three EIWA titles and was a three-time All-American (3-3-1) and a NCAA champion. Jantzen finished with an impressive collegiate ledger with a career mark of 131-13, 50 falls, and won the OSW Award at the 2004 NCAA meet in St. Louis.
#7. Jacori Teemer (Long Beach-8) pinned Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor-11) with a scramble cross-face cradle at the 4:36 mark in the 99-pound final in 2014. Both Teemer (210-5) and Busiello (280-8) would garner five state titles and earn state MOW Awards during their illustrious high school careers. At Arizona State, Teemer was a two-time All-American and an NCAA finalist in 2024.
#6. Ian Paddock (Warsaw-5) defeated Kyle Dake (Lansing-4), 9-4, in the Division II championship final at 130 pounds. Paddock (268 wins) won the MOW Award in 2008 and both he and Dake (224-14) would finish as two-time state champions. Paddock wrestled at Ohio State and Dake (Cornell University) became the only wrestler to win four NCAA titles in four different weight classes. Dake won the OSW Award at the 2013 NCAA meet and compiled a stellar 137-4 collegiate record. He also won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in 2020 and 2024.
#5. Robin Parker (Caledonia-Mumford-5) pinned Mike Picozzi (Huntington-11) at 4:29 in the 119-pound final in 1976. Parker was trailing 18-13, in one of the most exciting back-and-forth matches in state history and was nearly pinned on two separate occasions. Parker (30-1) avenged his only loss that season, as Picozzi defeated him in the Spencerport Holiday Tournament final, 16-3. Parker used his flying cradle for the stunning fall and was voted the MOW Award. Picozzi (Iowa State) earned All-American accolades and finished 5th at 118 pounds in the 1980 NCAAs.
#4. Troy Nickerson (Chenango Forks-4) defeated Sean Bauer (Valley Central-9), 20-5, for the 125-pound title in 2005. Nickerson (213-6 career) was a five-time state champion and was voted the MOW Award for the third time. In his senior campaign won the NHSCA title and led the Empire State to the national team title in Cleveland, OH. Nickerson would become a four-time All-American and won the NCAA title in 2010, he finished with a 97-8 career record for the Big Red at Cornell. Nickerson was the head coach at Northern Colorado for 11 seasons and is currently the head coach at Army West Point.
#3. Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton-5) edged Vito Arujau (Syosset-8), 3-2 OT, in the 99-pound final in 2013. Diakomihalis rode out Arujau in the overtime stanza and handed him only high school defeat. Both Arujau (216-1) and Diakomihalis (243-3) would go on to win four state titles. They were Cornell teammates where Arujau won two NCAA titles and Diakomihalis was a four-time NCAA champion.
#2. Sirrell Gissendanner (Spencerport-5) defeated Mitch Clark (Canton-10), 12-10 OT, on a blast double-leg takedown 30 seconds into the overtime period to win the 167-pound crown before an overflow crowd at the Syracuse Onondaga Convention Center in 1993. Gissendanner (40-0) was voted the MOW Award and would later wrestle at Iowa State. Clark (36-1), a two-time state finalist, would star at Ohio State. As a Buckeye he captured the NCAA title after posting a 17-0 tech fall in the 177-pound final in 1998.
#1. Dominick Macchia (Island Trees-8) decisioned Ed Banach (Port Jervis-9), 8-4, in 1977. Macchia (30-1, 98-6) scored with a third period reversal and near fall to upset the previously unbeaten Banach (33-1, 97-8) in the epic 155-pound championship bout. Macchia, a two-time state placer, recalled that dramatic match: "My whole life was centered about being a state champion and in the final, I was in another zone - it felt like an outer-body experience." Macchia added: "Losing was not an option and I expected to win." Macchia took his mat skills and wrestled for Carl Adams (Brentwood-11 and Iowa State) at Rhode Island where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier. Banach would win his state crown in 1978 and later capture three NCAA titles under the tutelage of Dan Gable at Iowa. He is the Hawkeye's all-time pins leader with 73 falls and won the Olympic gold medal in 1984.
