Wrestling | 5/18/2016 11:38:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT wrestling team battled adversity to earn four dual wins during the 2015-16 season and compete against some of the best teams in all of Division III in dual meets and various tournaments.
 
A handful of wrestlers enjoyed excellent campaigns in 2015-16. Sophomore Sam Weinger (Blooming Grove, NY/Washingtonville) led all RIT wrestlers with a 31-10 record, which included a 12-1 record in dual meets, five pins, and four major decisions. He posted a 13-match winning streak early in the season and was the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 15.
 
Junior Jake Sepor (Stafford, NY/Pavilion) also enjoyed plenty of success for the Tigers in 2015-16, with a 24-13 record, having won the 141 lb. weight class at the 50th annual RIT Invitational on Dec. 5. He recorded three wins by pin, four by technical fall, and six major decision victories. His 63 career wins leads all active wrestlers at RIT.
 
Won Kim (Millbrae, CA/Mills) recorded 10 wins during his junior season at 141 lbs., while Joe Cutugno (Ventnor, NJ/Atlantic City), a sophomore, also chipped in with 10 victories in 2015-16.
 
The Tigers received a jolt of energy from its strong freshman class in 2015-16.
 
Dempsey King (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) emerged as RIT's top newcomer, despite battling injuries to record an impressive 22-9 record with nine wins via pin in 2015-16. He was a two-time ECWC Rookie of the Week and won the title at 149 lbs. at the 50th annual RIT Invitational on Dec. 5.
 
John Donohue (Smithtown, NY/Hauppauge) enjoyed a strong first season, showing flashes of brilliance to post 17 wins, including four by pin, and two technical falls at 174/184 lbs. Kirkland Feeney (Lockport, NY/Lockport) won 13 matches at 157 lbs., before suffering a season-ending injury. Isaiah Ocasio (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) recorded seven wins at 133 lbs., while Austin Prince (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) (174 lbs.) and Ezekiel Thomas (Waterford, NY/Albany Academy) (149 lbs.) recorded six victories apiece, and George Bardanis (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) (125 lbs.) and McKenzie Callahan (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis) (174 lbs.) each tallied five wins in 2015-16.
 
RIT is slated to return all but graduating senior Jake Swearingen (Quakertown, PA/Quakertown) in 2016-17. Swearingen missed most of the 2015-16 season due to injury, finishing with 31 wins over his four-year career at the university. He served as a valuable mentor on and off the mats, earning ECWC All-Academic honors three times, while serving as an active duty officer in the United States Army.
 
Swearingen, Cutugno, Coty Lutz (Forestport, NY/Adirondack), Feeney, King, and Prince earned ECWC All-Academic Team honors.