Last Friday and Saturday, the wrestling team proved it can compete with any other team, regardless of its division.

The No. 7 nationally ranked Blue and Gold finished in fourth place in the 17-team New York State Collegiate Championship this past weekend in Oswego, N.Y. It was a mixed competition, with teams ranging from junior college to Division I.

Out of the five Division I teams in the field, the South Hill squad finished ahead of Cornell University and Wagner College. Out of all the Division III and junior college teams, Ithaca finished the highest.

“We all wrestled pretty well, and I think that really was the most important thing that we got of the weekend,” junior heavyweight Joe Goetz said.

This is the best the squad has finished in this tournament since 1990, which is the last time it won the national championship. That year it also finished fourth.

In more recent history, this is the second time in four years that the Blue and Gold have finished as the top Division III team.

“It’s just a great improvement from what we’ve been doing for the past couple of seasons,” Goetz said. “This was one of the best turnouts that we’ve had in a couple of years, and it’s great to look back on how well we did.”

Goetz finished third among the heavyweights, which was the best placement of anyone on the team.

However, there were other impressive performances that led to the fourth place finish. Out of the 10 Bombers who wrestled, nine received all-state honors, which means they finished within the top eight of their weight class, including Goetz.

Senior John Paxos (141 pounds), juniors Willie Horwath (157 pounds) and co-captain Chad Winowich (133 pounds), sophomore Blaine Woszczak (149 pounds) and freshman Chris Carabello (197 pounds) all finished fourth in their weight classes.

Junior Justin Seifried, who was an All-American two years ago, placed sixth at 141 pounds, while senior co-captain Scott Edwards (157 pounds) and freshman Tom Heckman (184 pounds) both placed eighth.

Horwath said the Bombers should be satisfied with their performance because it proved that they can have a strong showing against teams of all calibers.

“When you show [Division I teams] that even though we’re not getting athletic scholarships and all this other stuff, and we can compete with them at a higher level of competition, it shows that we’re not slouches and that we shouldn’t be overlooked,” he said.

As far as the rest of the year goes, the Blue and Gold only have four remaining dual meets, an area in which they have thrived, posting a record of 10–1.

The South Hill squad will square off against Lycoming College on Jan. 29. in Williamsport, Pa. On Feb. 4 the team faces SUNY-Oneonta and on Feb. 7 it will meet up with Wilkes University in Ben Light Gymnasium. On Feb. 11, Ithaca will face rival SUNY-Cortland in Cortland, N.Y.

With their strong outing at the state championships, Head Coach Marty Nichols said the one thing he hopes his wrestlers will take from this past weekend is that they need to be at their best by the time the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference championship on Feb. 21 rolls around.

The Bombers will be in familiar territory at the conference championship, which will be held in Oswego, the same place the state tournament was held.

Nichols said in order to finish on top again, they will need to make some improvements.

“We told the guys we need to get 20 percent better by the time the conference [tournament] comes around,” he said. “[The state tournament] was a good opportunity where the guys could show how good they’ve gotten so far during the year, and also with the competition they could see the places where they need to improve.”