Varsity Wrestling Dominates at Deerfield Tournament

By LOGAN LIU, ADELE MAMEDOVA, and HENRY WISE

During the weekend of Jan. 20, the Exeter wrestling team traveled to Deerfield Academy to compete in a tournament. Along with Exeter, three other schools competed: Choate, Deerfield, and Hotchkiss. The Exeter wrestling team went 3-0 against all three schools. The Deerfield score was 48-27, the Hotchkiss score 55-21, and the exciting score of Choate being 43-33.

  “We are putting in the maximum effort every day no matter what, and we’ve all gotten better for it,” said prep Ikaika Toves. The whole team has been working very hard and their results show this well.

The tournament showcased outstanding individual performance. Upper Sebastian Hiller displayed remarkable resilience in his first match post-injury. Lower Towner Akers recalled the match. “Sebastian’s opponent looked like he was winning for a few seconds. But what Sebastian ended up doing was shoving his opponent’s face straight into the mat for almost a full minute, pinning him. 

He was wrestling at Deerfield, against Deerfield, so obviously the crowd went crazy.” Hiller reflects on his own match, saying, “I had a few good matches [and] got to show the team what their captain could do. I think we won every single one of those duals [at the Deerfield tournament], so I was really proud of the team for that one.”

Upper Matt Grossman had a similar story at the tournament, where he unexpectedly won last-minute. This tournament was his first match back from a concussion. “Matt was down a few points in the third period–– it was looking like he was just going to lose on points. His opponent took him to the mat and Matt rolled him through; he just used his own momentum against him and ended up on top and pinning him. Then everyone erupted, [and] everyone was yelling. We were all very happy for him because that was his first match back, and it looked like he was about to lose. And then he won,” describes Akers, highlighting the excitement and determination at the tournament. 

Toves had some fantastic matches. He was recovering from a tough match at Andover the week prior where he went up against the third-best wrestler in the nation and was pinned in the first round. After this tough loss, Toves accumulated two first-round pins at the Deerfield tournament. Both of these pins were in the first minute, a great accomplishment for him.

The team’s unwavering support is shown through their enthusiastic encouragement and solidarity, especially in challenging environments. 

Upper Bella Bueno described her memorable match from the tournament. “I was taken down a couple times, but I was able to reverse it. I won, and pinned her. It was an away match, and it was against the home team, so everyone was screaming for this other girl, and my team was still supporting me and yelling out. I just think that support is very memorable and helped me pull through, even though I’m a new wrestler.” 

The team’s unity is its strength. Prep Henry Park lauded the captains. “Our captains have shown leadership by encouraging and supporting teammates during their meets whether they’re losing or not.” 

This sentiment was echoed by Toves, who noted, “The captains are probably the people that push us the hardest, other than the coaches of course. They always engage with the team and keep us going no matter what.” The active captains of the team are senior George Varghese, upper Sebastian Hiller, and senior Alex Rosen. 

Hiller told us that “being a captain is fun. It’s just helping others who don’t know as much about wrestling through the moves, making sure they’re in check, [and] that we’re all doing what we’re supposed to be doing. And in tournaments, just being there with them, supporting them every step of the way.”

  Adding to this, Varghese shedded light on the mental strength required in wrestling. “Wrestling is a tough sport, especially when you lose, because you do so much that it feels like all the work you’ve done is for nothing,” he said. 

But he emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and perseverance. “As a captain, you just got to remind everyone that your work is not for nothing. It’ll build up, and as long as you keep on working hard, you’ll soon become a champion.”

The team could not have performed how they did without the help of their coaches. For the team’s future goals coming up, head coach Justin Muchnick said for his less experienced wrestlers, “My goals for this home stretch are based less on result and more on process and effort.” 

  “Of course, for our older and more experienced wrestles, we’d like to extend the season for as long as we can—to New England’s, to Prep Nationals, and all the way to the All-American podium if possible! But, to invoke a favorite cliché of the sport, as long as our wrestlers ‘leave it all on the mat,’ I’ll be proud of the way they compete regardless of outcome. Although one goal is to win it all, the main goal is that the team improves for the many years of Exeter wrestling to come,” he said. 

The wrestling team is looking forward to preparing for New England’s and then Prep Nationals. With several more meets, they will have plenty of time to prepare for these high-level tournaments. With that, here are some final words from Sebastian Hiller: “Join wrestling if you want to have fun and kick someone’s butt.”