Army Prep and Shames Dominant at the 2014 Groundhog Invitational
AMHERST, Mass. – Amherst College played host to this year’s long-running Groundhog Day Invitational. This year’s tournament attracted some of the top teams in the Northeast including varsity programs Roger Williams University, NJCAA top-10 ranked Springfield Technical Community College and defending NCWA Division II team champion MIT.
However, it was the Army Prep team that dominated the championship round, with its five finalists coming away with four titles. That still wasn’t enough to overcome the strong team performance by Roger Williams University, who had two champions and a dominate consolation round to help secure its first Groundhog Day team title. Rounding out the top five were Army Prep, Springfield Technical Community College, SUNY Albany and Yale, respectively.
With just over 160 competitors, the 17-team field produced exciting match-ups throughout the day especially in the 21-man 149-pound bracket where Army Prep's, Joey Affonti outworked all his opponents to claim the title. But no one was more dominant than defending NCWA national champion and No.1 ranked 133-pounder Sam Shames of MIT. Shames earned two technical falls and a pin to claim the Groundhog Day title and the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. This is Shames' fifth tournament title of the season and he has an unblemished record of 25-0.
Amherst College wrestlers Sean Gildea ’14, Mark Hawkins ’16 and Isaiah Holloway ’17, secured their first collegiate victories but were unsuccessful in reaching the medal rounds. This was the first collegiate competition for the Amherst College wrestlers, so expect increased confidence and more success at future competitions.