On Saturday 4/5/08 Ben Siegel and Dalton Ray took a trip to Syracuse, NY to wrestle in Gene Mill’s Eastern Nationals.
This tournament hosted 850 top quality wrestlers from all over, including Canada. Siegel and Ray punched their ticket to this
event by placing first in a qualifying event back in February.
The day belonged to Siegel by winning 4 straight matches to earn the title of Eastern National Champion. Siegel pinned
his first opponent, then out wrestled the next 3 by a combined score of 13 –
0. Dominating takedowns and a tough riding style was too much for the other wrestlers to overcome. Ray lost his first match
in an overtime ride out before dropping down to the consolation bracket. His next loss ended his day, but gained him some
valuable experience.
Two other TYWC wrestlers were competing in a heavy competition on the same day. Tommy Traver and Chris Packer wrestled
in the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Association’s North Regional championships. Traver pinned his first opponent, then wrestled
to a 6 – 4 victory, earning a trip to the finals. Traver lost an overtime thriller to secure a second place finish.
By finishing in the top 4, Traver will be invited to wrestle in the MAWA Eastern National Championships in Salisbury, Maryland
on May 2nd and 3rd.
Packer won his first round match before seeing
his day come to an end with a hard fought 10 – 8 loss.
