By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University wrestling team will be taking part in the NCAA Division 3 Northeast Regional this weekend.
The Bears will compete with 19 other colleges, including 15 from New England and four from New York, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Saturday and Sunday.
With 13 freshmen and seven sophomores on the roster, the 2023-24 season has been a rebuilding one for BSU, and going against some nationally ranked teams at the regional will be part of the learning experience.
"It's definitely going to be an eye-opening experience for them because not many of them have ever seen a Northeast Regional," said BSU coach Frank Cammisa. "Over the years, our region has gotten stronger and stronger and is definitely one of the top regions in the country for D-3. They're going to see some of the finest wrestling right in our backyard."
The Bears have had wrestlers place at the Northeast Regional in five straight seasons, including a year ago when Edwin Morales, now an assistant coach at BSU, was second at 184 pounds and Wilson Gomes took fourth at 133 pounds.
Morales qualified for the NCAA Division 3 Championships three straight seasons and went 1-2 while seeded No. 8 in the nation a year ago.
The young Bears will be going against wrestlers from nationally ranked teams like Johnson & Wales, Coast Guard, New York University, Springfield and Castleton.
"It's definitely been a rebuilding year," said Cammisa. "We've had a lot of bumps and bruises and injuries and everything else that goes with a season.
"Wrestling is just one of those sports where you don't have an out. You just have to be resilient and keep pushing forward, and our guys have been able to do that. We haven't obviously gotten the results, but I've never doubted their dedication or effort. There's been dramatic progress."
Sophomore Malcolm Chrispin (Hyde Park, Mass.) leads BSU with a 19-8 record. Seeded seventh at 133 pounds in the New England Wrestling Association, Crispin has recorded 52 takedowns.
A transfer from Northern Illinois, Chrispin finished third at the 52nd annual Messiah Petrofes Invitational in Pennsylvania this season.
"He's come a decent way," said Cammisa. "He was definitely a college wrestler coming into the season. We've had some fine tuning that we've been able to help him with and it's really paid dividends for him this season.
"His future is definitely bright. He's not a captain, but he's definitely a leader on our team.
"He's on the cusp of being ranked throughout the tournament. He's had a couple good wins and a couple bad losses. If he is seeded, then the expectation is to place, and if he's not seeded, then the expectation is to upset someone and place."
Junior James Grover (Wakefield, Mass.), who wrestles at 197 pounds, had 12 victories to follow Chrispin.
Sophomores Vincent Player (Duxbury, Mass.) and Sei Dolomengi (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) have also made progress throughout the season at 175 and 125 pounds, respectively, and could be in contention to place.
"Vincent has ramped it up," said Cammisa, whose roster will not lose anyone to graduation. "Vincent started off a little bit slow and had a couple of minor injuries. Sei is definitely getting bigger and he's battled in the room to win the position. He's stepped up when we've asked him to go up in weight classes.
"They've definitely come a long way, but this is the postseason now. It's definitely a step up."
The other BSU wrestlers slated to compete with Chrispin, Dolomengi, Player and Grover are all freshmen, including Anthony Innello (Duxbury) at 141 pounds; Colin Hassett (Plymouth, Mass.) at 149; Ryan Donovan (Milford, Mass.) at 157; Christian Curley (Bridgewater, Mass.) at 184; and Michael Mastroianni (Milford, Mass.) at 285. They may be joined by 165-pounder Michael Hopkins (Swampscott, Mass.), a junior.
Qualifying wrestlers from the regional (top three in each weight class) will advance to the NCAA Championships at La Crosse, Wisc., March 15-16.
To follow the progress of the BSU wrestler competing this weekend at the Northeast Regionals click on the links below.