192???
*The Stony Brook School forms the first high school wrestling team in Suffolk County.
1931
*Oceanside became the first public school on Long Island with a wrestling team.
1932
*Bay Shore had the first public school wrestling team in Suffolk County with Clifton LaPlatney as its first coach.
1933
*The first “Great Neck Tournament” is held (at what is now Great Neck North High School).
The tournament was an invitational open to all teams from Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn. The host school won the tournament in a field of 13 teams. Eight weight classes were contested starting at 115 pounds and ending at 185 with increments every 10 pounds.
*This was the first high school wrestling tournament ever held on Long Island.
*The Nassau South Shore League held its first championship tournament. There were 10 weight classes ranging from 95-185 with 10-pound increments. Eight teams competed in the tournament. Oceanside won the tournament.
*Henry “Lonnie” Kittle started the wrestling program at Amityville.
1934
*The first Suffolk County Championship Tournament is held. It was at the old Patchogue High School. Seven teams competed. The Stony Brook School won the tournament. This was the first ever high school wrestling tournament in Suffolk. There were nine weight classes: 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175 and heavyweight (unlimited.)
1935
*The Great Neck Tournament was not held this year. Only nine weights were contested in the Suffolk Tournament. There was no heavyweight class due to a lack of entries.
1936
*The Great Neck Tournament was held after a one-year hiatus. There were 10 weight classes: 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, and 185.
*Nassau formed the South Shore League which had a dual meet schedule and a formal League Tournament at the end of the season. This lasted for three years.
*Suffolk also had 10 weight classes including 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, and heavyweight.
1937
*The Great Neck Invitational was held for the fourth and final time. Sprig Gardner started a JV wrestling team at Mepham High School.
*The Suffolk Tournament had only nine weight classes including 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, and 185.
*From 1937-1941 the first two rounds of the Suffolk tournament were held at regional sites, in what was known as the Eastern and Western preliminaries of the Suffolk County Tournament. The semifinals and finals were then held the following weekend.
1938
*Mepham became a full-fledged varsity team. In its first dual meet, Mepham tied Amityville.
*The Pirates hosted the first Mepham Invitational at the end of the season which was considered the unofficial Long Island championships. Mepham won five of the 10 weight classes to win the tournament. *Westhampton Beach captured its only Suffolk title with Carl A. Hansen as its coach.
1939
*A total of 14 teams competed in the Suffolk Tournaments in the 1930’s, but not more than 11 in any one year. Some schools had teams for only several years before disbanding.
1941
*Again the upper weights were changed slightly in the Suffolk Tournament. The weight classes included 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 165, 175, and heavyweight.
1942
*Because of the influence of Sprig Gardner, the weights in Nassau were changed to the following: 104, 113, 121, 128, 134, 139, 146, 155, 166, and heavyweight.
*The weights in Suffolk were slightly different: 103, 112, 120, 127, 133, 138, 145, 154, 165, and heavyweight.
*In August, Sprig Gardner was inducted into the US Navy as a Lieutenant.
*A near-fall in an individual match went from 4 points to 2 points.
*Periods went from 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 2 minutes to 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 3 minutes.
*There will be no overtime in individual matches in tournaments. Referee’s decisions will be used instead.
1943
*The Suffolk Tournament wasn’t held due to gas rationing during World War II. The coaches were given a choice to either hold the Suffolk Championships or attend the Mepham Invitational. The Suffolk coaches voted to compete in the Mepham Invitational.
1944
*The weights in Suffolk changed slightly again, this time to exactly match Nassau.
1945
*The Mepham Invitational officially became the Section VIII championship Tournament
1946
*Sprig Gardner returned as the coach of Mepham after three years as a commander in the US Navy.
*Mepham saw its undefeated streak of 98-0-2 (81-0-1 in dual meets and 17-0-1 tournaments) end at 100 in the last match of the season against Baldwin, 21-15, on January 30, 1946. The Pirates would, however, win both the South Shore League Tournament and the Mepham Invitational for the ninth consecutive year.
1949
*The Suffolk Tournament was restarted by Bay Shore coach Cliff Clark and new Amityville coach Joe Valla after a six-year stoppage. The tournament was called the “Eastern Long Island Championships”. *Suffolk had only three public school teams left at that point: Amityville, Bay Shore, and Riverhead. Farmingdale competed in the “Easterns” for the first of six straight years.
1950
*Suffolk had only five schools with wrestling teams.
1953
*Suffolk awarded an MOW trophy at its championships for the first time. The award was named after former Amityville coach Lonnie Kittle. The first recipient was Bay Shore’s Jumper Leggio.
1955
*Nassau started the North League Tournament.
*Amityville ended Mepham’s winning streak of 130 consecutive contests (112 dual meets and 18 tournaments) in a thrilling 17-16 dual meet on January 14, 1955.
*Later that season Amityville also ended Mepham’s streak of 17 consecutive Section VIII titles by finishing five points ahead of the Pirates (43-38) at the Mepham Invitational.
1957
*Suffolk held Class tournaments, Class “A” (large schools) and Class “B” (small schools) as a way of qualifying for the Suffolk Championships. This lasted for two years.
*The last Mepham Invitational was held with the Pirates capturing their 18th title in 20 years. (1938-1957).
1958
*Long Island split into two sections as Suffolk became “Section XI” of the NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High School Athletic Association).
*Nassau held its first Nassau Tournament and Mepham won a record nine of the 12 individual weight classes.
*Both Nassau and Suffolk expanded from 10 to 12 weight classes including 106, 112, 119, 126, 131, 136, 141, 148, 157, 168, 178, and heavyweight.
*Sprig Gardner retired as the Mepham coach at season’s end after 21 years with an astonishing record of 254-5-1 in dual meets and a tournament record of 41 titles, one co-title, and three runner-up finishes in 44 tournaments.
*The Mepham Invitational was replaced by the Long Island Intersectional Tournament. It was held at Clarke High School. Mepham won the tournament.
1959
*Suffolk started formal leagues with a full dual meet schedule and league tournaments as the qualifier to the Suffolk Tournament.
*Both Nassau and Suffolk dropped a weight class to now have only 11: 104, 110, 116, 122, 128, 134, 140, 148, 158, 168, and heavyweight.
1960
*Nassau had about 40 schools with wrestling teams and Suffolk had 21.
*Bay Shore won the last Long Island Intersectional Tournament and crowned six individual champions in the Suffolk Tournament.
1961
*Suffolk again added a 12th weight class with the addition of the 178-pound class. Nassau remained at 11 weights.
1963
*The first New York State Intersectional Tournament was held at Cornell University in Ithaca. Nassau dominated the competition and won five individual titles. Suffolk won two titles.
*Pete Henning of Wantagh became the first state champion in New York by winning the 95-pound title.
*Again the weights were changed throughout New York State to include the following weight classes: 95, 103, 112, 120, 127, 133, 138, 145, 154, 165, 180, and heavyweight.
*Bay Shore KID Wrestling became the first of its kind in the Eastern United States of America.
Jumper Leggio and Bill Knapp founded the program and ran it at the Fifth Avenue School in Bay Shore.
1964
*Suffolk again added another weight class to bring it its total to 13: 98, 106, 115, 123, 130, 136, 141, 148, 157, 168183, 235, and Unlimited.
*Mepham had four state finalists including three state champions.
*The state tournament was held at Walt Whitman High School in Suffolk County on Long Island.
*450-pound Frank Patterson of Niagara-Wheatfield won the state unlimited weight class, 2-1, over Brian Lucas of Scarsdale (315 pounds). Patterson is the heaviest wrestler to ever win a New York State title.
1965
*Sidney-IV had five state place-winners including four finalists (two champions) and one third-place finisher.
1966
*Joe Campo Sr. Became the head coach at Brentwood.
*The state tournament was again held at Walt Whitman High School on Long Island. It was the last time the state tournament would be held in a high school.
1967
*Lindenhurst crowned a record seven champions as the Bulldogs won their fourth straight Suffolk title.
1969
*Bill Proios of Port Jefferson was the Section XI runner-up at 154 pounds. He got a chance to go to the state tournament when the Section XI champion, Jim Cisek of Sayville, opted to go to his sister’s wedding instead. Proios made the most of his opportunity by winning the state tournament.
1970
*Almost every school on Long Island had a wrestling program.
*The MOW trophy was given at the state tournament for the first time. Cooperstown’s Mike Phillips (215 pounds) received the inaugural award.
1971
*Brentwood crowned six Suffolk Champions and all of them earned all-state status. The Indians had three state champions, one runner-up, one third place finisher, and one fourth place finisher.
*Lou Giani became the head coach at Huntington.
*The weights again were changed throughout the state: 98, 105, 112, 119, 126, 132, 138, 145, 155, 167, 177, 215, and 250.
*Dan Hunt of West Genesee-3 became the first freshman to reach the state finals.
*Wrestle-backs were first used at the state tournament. This led to an odd situation: a wrestler could reach the state semifinals and not be all-state because a semifinal loser would have to win in the consolation semifinals to attain all-state status because no there were still only four places awarded in the state tournament.
1973
*Jack Mahoney became the head coach at Sachem.
*Lou Giani Jr. of Huntington-11 became the first wrestler to win a state title without having won league title.
*The “superior” decision was instituted. A wrestler had to win a decision by 10 or more points.
It was worth ½ point in a tournament and 4 points in a dual meet.
*Wrestle-backs were used in the Suffolk Tournament for the first time, but only four places were awarded.
1974
*Dan Hunt of West Genesee became the first wrestler in state history to win three state titles. Hunt is still the only wrestler in state history to win three state titles at the same weight class (119 pounds).
*The state tournament added consolation bouts for fifth and sixth places.
*The Suffolk Tournament again used wrestle-backs, but still only four places were still awarded.
1975
*Brentwood Ross had its Suffolk record 79 dual meet winning streak snapped by Half Hollow Hills “Black”, 22-18, on February 14, but still won its record seventh straight Suffolk title.
*The 91-pound weight class was used in Nassau only.
*Wrestle-backs were eliminated from the Suffolk tournament.
1976
*The Year of the “Huntington Blitz” as the Blue Devils had 12 Suffolk place-winners and crowned a record eight champions. Huntington scored a record 195 points. The Blue Devils had six all-state wrestlers including one champion en route to winning the state title.
*The 91-pound weight class was added throughout the state, giving New York 14 weight classes.
*Suffolk began using conference tournaments instead of league tournaments as the qualifying process for the county tournament. Four conferences, comprised of two leagues each, qualified the 16 entrants into each weight for the county tournament. Conference tournaments were held for five years, from 1976-1980.
1977
*The “major” decision was instituted. A wrestler had to win a decision by 8-11 points.
It was worth ½ point in a tournament and 4 points in a dual meet.
*The “superior” decision was changed from 10 or more points to 12 or more points.
It was worth one point in a tournament and 5 five points in a dual meet.
1978
*Bob Bury of Calhoun-8 became Long Island’s first three-time state champion. He was also the first wrestler from Long Island to place in the state tournament four times. (Bury took third as a freshman.)
*Mike Thomas of Huntington won both the Suffolk and state titles at 138 pounds after recovering from serious burn injuries he suffered in fire just a year and a half ago.
1979
*Locust Valley (14-1) defeated Farmingdale (13-1), 27-24, in the first-ever sectional dual meet final of the Nassau County Dual Meet playoffs.
This was the first tournament of its kind in New York State.
Long Beach (13-2) defeated Island Trees, 33-12 in the consolation match.
*The DeStefanis brothers of Locust Valley-8, Carl (98) and Al (105), became the first set of brothers to win state titles in the same year.
1980
*Huntington had four state finalists, with one of them winning a state title.
*This was the last year conference tournaments were used in the qualifying process for the Suffolk Tournament.
*Nassau used wrestle-backs and awarded six places in Section VIII Tournament for the first time.
1981
*Sachem defeated Bay Shore, 26-25, in the finals of the first ever New York State Cup dual meet team championships at the US Military Academy at West Point.
*Bay Shore won the Suffolk Tournament, setting three records: Most points scored (247½), most place-winners (13), and largest margin of victory (107 points).
*For the first time the CHSAA and the PSAL competed in the NYSPHSAA state tournament.
*League tournaments were again used in Suffolk as the qualifying tournaments for the county tournament.
*Wrestle-backs were again used in the Suffolk tournament.
*Six places were now awarded in the Suffolk tournament.
*The UE Duals started at Union-Endicott High School in Section IV.
*Jim Carerra of Port Jefferson lost in the Section XI finals for a state record fifth consecutive year.
1982
*Brentwood defeated Bay Shore, 23-18, in the second New York State Cup dual meet championships, but the Marauders won the Suffolk title by 68½ points over Brentwood.
*A record crowd of over 6,000 fans jammed Manley Field House at Syracuse University to see Fulton end Baldwinsville’s 78 dual meet winning streak with a 38-20 victory.
*Long Beach had four state finalists, but only one of them won a state title.
*Al Palacio of Long Beach-8 wins his third state title.
1983
*Fulton defeated Sachem, 37-15, in the finals of the third New York State Cup dual meet championships.
*Sachem’s Dan Mayo stunned the crowd at the state finals with his pin in just 39 seconds, the fastest in state finals history.
1984
*Baldwin defeated Port Jefferson, 26-21, in the finals of the fourth New York State Cup dual meet championships at West Point.
*Canadaigua-5 had five state place-winners including a champion, two runner-ups, and two fifth-place finishers.
1985
*In the Suffolk finals at 105 pounds, West Islip’s Rick Brzozinski used a late 5-point move (reversal and back-points) to edge Huntington’s Gene McNeil, 5-4 in a battle of defending state champions. It was the first time in state history that two defending state champions met in a sectional final the next season.
*Port Jefferson defeated Whitehall (Section II), 27-22, in the finals to win the fifth and final New York State Cup dual meet championships at West Point.
*Brentwood coach Joe Campo retired with 17 team championship teams in 20 years, 37 individual Section XI champions, 27 state place-winners, and seven individual state champions.
1986
*Troy Bouzakis of Pine Bush (Section IX) became the first eighth-grader to win a state title.
*Robert Murphy of Chaminade becomes the first CHSAA wrestler to win a state title at the NYSPHSAA Tournament.
*The technical fall was first used in New York. It was worth six points in a dual meet and 2 points in a tournament.
1987
*Rob Bashaw of Peru (Section VII) became the first seventh-grader to qualify for the state tournament.
*Troy Bouzakis of Pine Bush-9 becomes the first wrestler to win two MOW Awards at the state tournament.
1988
*Ethan Bosch of Iroquois-6 pinned all four of his opponents in the state tournament to win MOW honors.
1991
* Matt Sorochinsky of Johnson City-4 won the state title at 145 pounds. His father, John, won two state crowns for Union-Endicott-4 in 1965 and 1966 (at 145 and 154 pounds.) They were the first father-son combination in state history to win state titles.
1992
*Longwood crowned three state champs. Sachem had two state champs and a third place finisher.
*Longwood defeated Sachem in a dual meet, 35-28 to claim the #1 ranking on Long Island. But Sachem won the Section XI tournament by scoring 225.5 points to defeat Longwood by 82.5 points. Sachem had 10 place-winners, seven finalists, and four champions.
Both Sachem and Longwood were ranked in the TOP 12 wrestling Teams in the U.S.A. by USA Today.
1994
*John Lange of Longwood became Section XI’s first three-time state champion.
1995
*Jesse Jantzen of Shoreham-Wading River took third place at 91 pounds becoming the first seventh-grader to place in the state tournament. Jantzen is also the first seventh-grader to win both a place in the Section XI tournament and win a Section XI title.
1997
*New York State went to the National Federation weights and included to more to bring the total to 15:
96, 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 220, 275.
1998
*After only one year New York State changed the weight from 220 pounds to 215.
*The Lou Giani Award is established by the Suffolk County Wrestling Coaches Association. The award is given to the Most Outstanding Wrestler in Section XI for the season, and presented at the SCWCA’s annual awards banquet.
1999
*In the 96 pound state final eighth-grader Ryan Needle of Newfane-6 defeated seventh-grader Trevor Chinn of Canadaigua-5. It was the first time that two wrestlers, both not yet in high school, ever wrestled in the state finals against each other.
*Trevor Chinn of Canandaigua-5 became the first seventh-grader to reach the state finals.
2000
*Jesse Jantzen of Shoreham-Wading River-11 became the first wrestler to win four New York State titles.
Jantzen finishes his high school career with a record of 221-3, 169 consecutive wins, 6 Suffolk titles, 4 state titles, and a senior national title.
*Rocky Point’s Mike Torriero breaks the record for the fastest pin time in the state finals as he decked his opponent in just 37 seconds.
2002
*Huntington crowned three state champions.
*Section XI had 14 of its 15 wrestlers reach the state semifinals and all 15 of them placed in the state tournament. That feat has not been accomplished by another team since.
*William Floyd’s Justin Crisci pinned his opponent in 5:19 to give his team a 1.5 point win over Longwood, 114.5-113. It remains Floyd’s only team title in the Suffolk County tournament.
2003
*The state tournament was held in Syracuse for the last time after 31 years.
*Governeur-10 had five state place-winners including two runner-ups, a third, a fifth, and a sixth place finisher to win the state team title.
*Amityville won the Suffolk County Tournament team title for the first time since 1963 (40 years). It is the longest stretch between titles in Long Island history.
2004
*New York State split the sectional and Intersectional tournaments in to two divisions, large schools (600 or more enrollment) and small schools (less than 600 enrollment.)
*Huntington coach Lou Giani crowned his state record 23rd state champion.
*Governeur-10 had a record seven state place-winners in the Division II state meet to win its second straight state team title. Governeur had one champion, three thirds, a fourth, and two sixth-place finishers.
*Lou Ruggirello III of Valley Central (Section IX) won the Division I title at 96 pounds to join his dad as only the second father-son combination to win state titles. His Dad, Lou Jr., won the state title at 138 pounds for Valley Central in 1988.
2005
*Troy Nickerson of Chenango Forks-4 won his fifth state title becoming the only wrestler in the history of the United States of America to win five state wrestling titles.
*Islip won the Suffolk Tournament with a record 275½ points.
*Islip and Valley Central (Section IX) each had three state champions. VC had six state place-winners including four finalists, three champions, one third-place finisher, and one fourth-place finisher.
*Sachem Coach Jack Mahoney retired after 33 years with a record of 338-99-5 with five Suffolk team titles and 4 state team titles, 37 Section XI individual champions, and eight individual state champions.
*A technical fall became worth five points in a dual meet (instead of six) and 1.5 points in a tournament (instead of two).
*The superior decision (a victory of 12-14 points) was eliminated.
2006
*Tony Mellino retired after 40 years as a coach (32 as the head coach) at West Islip with a record of
312-113-4.
*J.P. O’Connor of Oxford-4 wins his fourth state title, only the third wrestler in state history to accomplish this feat.
*Mt. Sinai-11 had a record tying seven all-state place-finishers including a runner-up, a fourth, a fifth, and 4 sixths in the state Division II tournament.
The state tournament was held on Long Island for the first time in 40 years. It was at the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. A record crowd of over 17,000 fans watched the three sessions including a record of over 9,200 for the finals.
*Amy Whitbeck of Duanesburg (Section II) became the first girl to ever qualify for the New York State boys wrestling championships. She was also the first girl to ever win a match in the New York State boys wrestling championships. Whitbeck qualified for the Division II Tournament at 96 pounds. She went 1-2, losing in the placement round.
2007
*The At-large or “wildcard” system was first used in the state tournament. This gave wrestlers who finished either second or third in their sectional tournament a chance to compete in the state tournament. Four entries in each weight class in both divisions were selected to fill out the state brackets to 16 wrestlers in each. Lance Wade of Islip-11 (152 pounds, Division I) and Devon Brown of Marathon-4 (119 pounds, Division I) were the first “wildcard” entries to win state titles.
*Islip became the first school from Long Island to have four state place-winners in three consecutive years.
*Warsaw (Section V) had three state champions.
2008
*Lou Giani retired as the Huntington coach with a dual meet record of 416-32 with 31 league titles, nine team Suffolk County titles, and 2 record 23 state individual champions.
*The heaviest weight in New York State was changed from 275 pounds to 285.
*PJ Gillespie of Long Beach finished his career with the Nassau record of 214 wins.
*Hunter Meys of Shendenhowa-2 finishes his career with a new national record of ??? pins.
2009
*Austin Meys of Shenendehowa-2 won the 189-pound Division I state title by pinning all four of opponents in the first period including times of: 0:25, 0:20; 0:52; and 1:59 for a total of four pins in only 3:15. Meys was the Division I MOW.
*Carlene Sluberski of Fredonia (Section VI) became the first girl to ever place in the state wrestling tournament. She was the state Division II runner-up at 96 pounds. Sluberski was the #5 seed. She defeated the #4 seed in the quarterfinals. She then knocked off the #1 seed in the semifinals, 6-5.
2010
*Three Rocky Point wrestlers all surpassed Jesse Jantzen’s all-time Long Island career wins record of 221. Stephen Dutton (227), Anthony Volpe, (222) and Billy Coggins (222) all achieved the feat and were state champions. Suffolk crowned a record-tying (along with Nassau, 1963) eight state champions. Suffolk also set the record for most state place-winners with 20. There are now seven Long Islanders with more than 200 career wins: Dutton (227), Volpe (226), Coggins (222), Jantzen (221), Ryan Patrovich (215), Paul Liguori (216), and P.J. Gillespie (214).
*John Glenn wins the Union-Endicott Duals, defeating four opponents by a combined 128 points. The Knights finished the season at 21-0 and won their second straight Section XI Tournament title.
2011
*Both the 96-pounds and 285-pounds weight classes became mandatory for all types of competitions.
*For the first time a wrestler was now certified to a weight instead of a weight class.
2012
*The National Federation and New York State adopted new weight classes: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132,138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285. New York State also adopted the 99-pound weight class.
2013
*Long Island crowned 10 state champions in the Division I Tournament. (7 from Suffolk, 3 from Nassau.)
*Wantagh won the UE Duals, defeating Islip in the semifinals and Sachem East in the final. Wantagh has now won all 40 of its dual meets over the last two seasons and was ranked #1 in New York State’s large schools.
*For the first time since 1974 Suffolk allowed all four league place-winners in each weight to qualify for the Suffolk Tournament making it a 24-man bracket in each weight class at the county championships.
*In the 2013 Suffolk Division I tournament Michael Hughes of Smithtown West, wrestling at 285 pounds, became the only wrestler in history to pin all of his opponents in less than one minute each. Hughes decked his four opponents in times of 49, 42, 18, and 34 seconds for a total of four pins in 2:23.
2014
*Matteo DiVincenzo of Port Jefferson became the first Long Islander to win a state Division II crown as won the 106-pound tile. A few minutes later, Locust Valley’s Hunter Dusold became the first Nassau wrestler to win a state Division II title when he won the 113-pound title.
*Shakur (Corey) Rasheed of Longwood became just the second wrestler to pin all four of his opponents in less than one minute each in the Suffolk County Division I Championships.
Rasheed dominated his opponents in times of
0:29, 0:19, 0:43, and 0:41 for a total of four pins in just 2:12.
2015
*John Glenn captured the first ever Suffolk dual meet title. The Knights defeated Rocky Point, 39-32, in the final.
*Nick Piccininni of Ward Melville become only the second Long Island wrestler to win four state titles. He also became only the second wrestler to win five Suffolk Division I titles.
2016
*Long Beach won the UE Duals, defeating Hilton, 34-31, in the final.
2017
*Jacori Teemer of Long Beach won his fourth state title.
*This was the last year of the UE duals. Long Beach beat Rocky Point, 36-30. All four teams in the semifinals were from Long Island.
2018
*Ally Fitzgerald of Lynbrook became the first girl in Long Island History to win a high school boys wrestling tournament. The freshman won the 99 pound weight class in the Cyclones Tournament at South Side High School.
*Wantagh won the first ever state Division I dual meet tile.
*Mt. Sinai won the first ever state Division II dual meet title.
*Long Beach’s Jacori Teemer became just the second wrestler ever, and the first in Long Island history to win 5 state titles. He won this season’s 152-pound state title.
*Adam Busiello of Eastport-South Manor won his fourth state title. He is just the fourth wrestler from Long Islander to accomplish the feat.
* Section XI won it record 11th consecutive state Division I title.
2019
*Massapequa won the state Division I dual meet title.
*Mt Sinai won the state Division II dual meet title for the second straight year.
*Adam Busiello of Eastport-South Manor became the first wrestler in history to reach the state finals six times.
*Busiello became just the third wrestler (the first from Suffolk) to win five state titles. He won this year’s 138-pound state title.
Danny Mauriello of Hauppauge won the Division I state title at 152 pounds. He won all four his matches in the state tournament in overtime. He became the first wrestler to accomplish that feat.
*Hilton High School had the best performance of any single school in the state intersectional tournament. Hilton had four champions and two third place winners. They scored a record 134 points.
2020
*The NYSPHSAA championships expanded to eight place winners in both divisions.
*For the first time in its three-year history, no Long Island teams won state dual meet finals.
Minisink Valley won Division I and Falconer/Cassadaga took the Division II title.
*Section VIII-Nassau County won the sectional team scoring in the NYSPHAA Intersectional Division I for the first time since 1987.
*Hilton won its record sixth team title at the state Division I Intersectional tournament.
*Peter Duke of Carmel became the first seventh grader to win a New York State High School wrestling title. Duke won the 99 pound title in dominating style as he had two first period pins and two technical falls.
*Bay Shore High School became the first school in New York State to have a NYSPHSAA-sanctioned all-girls wrestling team. The team was comprised of 23 girls from various high schools in Suffolk County.
The team competed in several tournament in Long Island and Queens including the first un-official Suffolk County Championships.
*On February 9, 2020 Rocky Point hosted the first unofficial Suffolk County High School girls wrestling championships. Girls from 10 high school competed in the event. There were ten weight classes contested. Bay Shore crowned four individual titles and captured the team title.
*5th & 6th Place finishes were added to the Division II Sectional tournament in Nassau.
*Ally Fitzgerald of Lynbrook became the first girl in Long Island history to place in a qualifying tournament and to wrestle in a sectional tournament. The Lynbrook junior took third place in the qualifier at Long Beach in the 99 pound weight class.
2021
*New York changed its weight for the first time since 1997. The number of weight classes was cut from 15 to 13. This is the first year since 1975 there are less than 14 weights contested in the state.
The new weights are 102, 110, 118, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 172, 189, 215, 285.
*In the middle of a World wide Corona Virus pandemic no individual post-season tournaments were held including League, Qualifying, County (Sectional), and state tournaments were not held.
.Suffolk held dual meet championship tournaments. Nassau did not. Shoreham-Wading River won the Suffolk dual meet title. (There was only one division this season.)
2022
*Dunia Sibomna of Long Beach became just the third eighth-grader from Long Island to win a New York State title. He won the 102-pound title. Sibomana overcame more than a dozen surgeries for facial reconstruction after being mauled by wild chimpanzees when he was six years old in his native Congo in Central Africa.
*Wantagh won a Long Island record 32 dual meets this season and captured the Nassau Division I dual meet title. The Warriors reached the New York State finals where they lost to Minisink Valley, 49-13. Wantagh defeated Suffolk champion Brentwood in the semifinals, 37-21.
*Ashley Diaz of Seaford became the girl in Long Island history to place in a boys sectional wrestling tournament as she took fifth in the Nassau Division II championships at 118 pounds.
2023
*7th-grader Juliana Hernandez of Newfield won the 110-pound title at the Kujan Brothers Tournament at William Floyd High School to become the first girl in Suffolk County history to win a boys varsity wrestling tournament.
*7th-grader Juliana Hernandez of Newfield won the 110-pound title at the League III Tournament at Smithtown East High School to become the first girl in Suffolk County history to win a League Tournament.
*7th-grader Juliana Hernandez of Newfield won the 110-pound title at the League III Tournament andjunior Mora Peterson of Islip took fourth place in the League VI Tournament. Those two became the first girls to ever place in a League Tournament.
*Ethan Andreula of Long Beach became the first seventh grader to win or place in the Nassau County-Section VIII Division I tournament as he won the 102 pound title.
*Wantagh coach Paul Gillespie had four state place-winners to pass Lou Giani (retired Huntington coach) as Long Island’s all-time leader with 57 place-winners in the New York State tournaments.
2024
*North Babylon won both the Suffolk County dual meet championship and Suffolk County-Section XI tournament for the first time. The Bulldogs had nine place winners, but no individual champions. N.B. was only the third team to win the Section XI Division I tournament without crowning an individual champion.
*Plainedge won both the New York State Division I dual meet championship and the Nassau-Section VIII tournament title for the first time in school history. The Red Devils finished the season with a record of 24-2.
*New York changed its weight classes again choosing from one of the NFHS suggested weight classes and adding one lower weight for both boys and girls. The number of weight classes remains at 13.
*New York State adopted new weight classes for the boys. They are 101, 108, 116, 124, 131, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 190, 215, 285.
*New York State adopted new weight classes for the girls. They are 94, 100, 107, 114, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 165, 185, 235.
*Honor weigh-ins were eliminated.
*The 50% rule was eliminated
*A weight loss rule of 1.5% per week was implemented.
*5th & 6th Place finishes were added to the Division II Sectional tournament in Suffolk.
*New York State changed the minimum rest between matches from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.
*Six individual bouts per day were now allowed in all events instead of five. (Two-day events remained limited to 10 bouts total).
