Wrestling Returns Successful from Tournament

Last Saturday, the Exeter boys’ varsity wrestling team was away at the Tabor Academy Duals. Unlike conventional tournaments, this dual-style format pits entire teams against one another in separate rounds.The team fought valiantly, beating Long Island Lutheran, Avon Hills Farm and Tabor Academy, but fell short in a tough match against Belmont Hill School. The team’s success, representative in its 3-1 record, is an indication of their continued dominance as a team, and its significant depth.The tough loss against Belmont Hill was a result of a lack of mental preparation. Co-captain and upper Quinn Abrams explained, “Going into our second competition of the day, we wrestled more ‘flat’ rather than energized, and we allowed our opponents to take control of the energy of the room, which drastically affected the pace of every single match during the dual.” However, Exeter was able to bounce back from this loss, beating both Avon and Tabor.

“The team has been working extremely hard and the coaches have been doing a great job motivating and pushing us to the max.”

Furthermore, many members of the team felt that the loss to Belmont Hill got them mentally prepared for the next two matches, and for the remainder of the season. Lower Kevin Lyskawa said, “the loss to Belmont Hill was a blessing in disguise, we needed to lose. I don’t want anyone having the feeling that we are definitely going to win New England Championships.”However, the team’s success against Tabor and Lutheran can ultimately be attributed to their intense work at practice.Lyskawa explained, “The team has been working extremely hard and the coaches have been doing a great job motivating and pushing us to the max. Our team has high expectations, being the current New England champs, and our goal this season is to be champs two years in a row.” These high aspirations are what drives the team towards its great success.The team is getting ready for their next matchup away against the Hyde School. This team, located in Connecticut, boasts a 5-3 record, but the Exeter boys’ varsity wrestling team has good hopes for this match.However, Lyskawa wants to remind the team to stay focused and not get comfortable during these next few weeks so that they enter New England Championships with the most mental and physical strength possible.“In less than a month, we will be battling for the New England title. I’m not going to lie, we have a very good team, a team capable of winning, but we’re going to have to prove that we want to win more than anyone else, and that’s going to come from working hard in and outside of the wrestling room over the course of these next four weeks,” Lyskawa said.