KINGS POINT, N.Y. (February 9, 2019)  – Juniors Troy Stanich and Dylan Van Sickell joined sophomore Brett Kaliner in earning individual championships in their respective weight classes as the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team won its fifth straight Centennial Conference Championship Saturday at Liebertz Gymnasium. 

Freshmen Akhil Vega and Robert Gennat and senior Joey Borai were also medal winners for the Ducks, who totaled 83 points to become just the second program in conference history to win five consecutive conference crowns. Ursinus also captured five straight team titles from 2003-07. Washington and Lee finished second with 61.5 points, while hosting Merchant Marine Academy came in third with 59. Muhlenberg (58) and Gettysburg (51) rounded out the top five.

"Watching these guys get better each week has been something special," said head coach Joe Favia. "We work hard to perform our best in February and March, while understanding that everything prior is just part of the process. I am proud of the performance these guys put on this weekend. They got stronger at each position, each period and each match. Can't ask for more than that. We will take these next two weeks to refine our technique and peak for regionals. We still have work left to do."

The nation's number top-ranked wrestler at 141, Stanich totaled a pair of pins and a major decision in the championship bout to capture the 141-pound title. The Roxbury, New Jersey native became a three-time conference champion after winning consecutive titles at 133 pounds. Stanich has yet to lose to a Division III opponent this season. Stanich blanked Gettysburg's Sean Thompson 9-0 in the finals. Ranked as the third-most dominant wrestler in Division III earlier in the week, Stanich posted his first win of the tournament in just 67 seconds.

Kaliner, who won the title at 141 one season ago and is ranked sixth in the country at 149, also moved up in weight, but produced a similar performance in 2019 to secure his second straight conference title with a 12-3 major over Gettysburg's Colin Devlin in the championship bout. The West Chester, Pennsylvania native matched Stanich with falls in each of his first two matches, with his semifinal pin over Ursinus' Patrick Rowe coming in just 73 seconds.

Van Sickell also repeated as an individual champion, rallying for a 10-8 sudden-victory decision over Johns Hopkins' Dominick Reyes. The Little Silver, New Jersey native trailed Reyes in the final 90 seconds before turning the tables to force the extra period. Van Sickell opened his tournament with a second-period pin of Washington and Lee's Joe Salerno before topping Merchant Marine's Kieran Duggan by technical fall. Van Sickell was leading 18-2 at the time of the stoppage in the final period.

In his first conference championship, Vega gave a strong accounting of himself, earning his third and fourth pins of the year to reach the final bout. Matched against the top seed in the division, Ursinus' Collin Wickramaratna, Vega dropped a tough 9-1 major, but earned a silver medal for his efforts.

Seeded second at 133, Borai opened his tournament with a technical fall, leading Ursinus' Brandon Miller 17-0 at the time of the stoppage. The Toms River, New Jersey native reached the championship with a 6-3 decision over McDaniel's Ryker Eckenbarger. The victory set up a rematch with Hopkins' Ricky Cavallo. A defensive-style dominated the bout, with Cavallo taking the match 5-3.

Gennat reached the finals at 174 pounds in his first conference tournament. The Sparta, New Jersey native opened with a 10-2 major over Gary Nagle and reached the championship match with a close 6-4 victory over Merchant Marine's Max Sims, who upset the division's top seed earlier in the bracket. Pair against Muhlenberg's Jimmy Fratantoni, who upended Gennat via an 8-3 decision.

Freshman Michael Dooley also won one bout at 184 in his first conference tournament.

The Ducks wrap up their time in the Centennial with five straight team championships and four consecutive dual titles. Stevens posted 29 dual victories in a row and will leave the conference with the second-most team championships in league history. The three individual conference titles increased the team's historical total to 35, including 22 since 2015.

After capturing the 133-pound title, Cavallo was named the championship's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Gettysburg's Paul Triandafilou, who captured his third straight 285-pound title received the Chris Clifford Award as the wrestler with the most career points in the championship.

Up Next: Wrestling competes in the Southeast/Mideast Futures Tournament on Feb. 17, hosted by Muhlenberg. 

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