MC
Michael Curtis
  • mechanical engineering
  • Class of 2019
  • Wells, Maine

Michael Curtis of Wells, Maine, Earns NEWA Wrestling Accolades

2016 Apr 5

Michael Curtis earned academic and/or athletic recognition from the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) following the 2015-16 season.

Eight WPI wrestlers have been selected All-NEWA by the conference coaches while Tony Paoletta was named the association's Assistant Coach of the Year. Additionally, a conference-best 17 Engineer wrestlers earned All-Academic honors from the group.

165-pounder Justin Marsh and heavyweight Austin Shrewsbury drew second team distinction while Pete Nash at 141, Jack Nigro at 149, Graysen DeLuca at 157, Lucas Muntz at 174, Daniel Wensley at 184 and Michael Curtis at 197 all drew honorable mention accolades.

Marsh and Shrewsbury finished just one win away from reaching the NCAA national championships, placing fourth at the Northeast regional meet at Springfield. Marsh, the storied program's all-time leader in dual-meet victories, compiled an 23-9 overall record this winter with five pins, a pair of tech falls and a team-high six major decisions. Shrewsbury capped a good freshman campaign with a great showing at regionals. Five of his 13 victories on the season were by fall.

Paoletta, a WPI alum, returned to Boynton Hill as a major contributor to the success that the Engineers have had over the past two seasons. WPI produced a 15-9 dual record with wins over nationally ranked Ursinus and Williams, placed fifth at the NEWA duals, and sixth at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship. At the regionals, the program produced two fourth place finishers and six additional wrestlers who were in the top eight while leading the tournament in pins.

"Tony has been a great addition to the coaching staff over the past two years and brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the program," remarked head coach Steve Hall. "He has also been a major contributor to our recruiting process with the result being two of the best classes we have had enter WPI in recent memory."

Nash (17-11) and Muntz (14-11) shared team-high honors with nine pins apiece. Curtis was third on the squad with 18 wins, including six by fall while Wensley, Nigro and DeLuca accounted for 17, 15 and 14 wins respectively while combining for 12 pins.

Nash, DeLuca, Wensley, Curtis and Shrewsbury all were also named to the association's All-Rookie team.

Nash, Nigro, DeLuca, Marsh, Muntz and Wensley were also one of the 17 WPI wrestlers recognized on the NEWA All-Academic team. Others include 125-pounders Brian Amato and Ben Zogby, 133-pounders Stephen Jendritz and Andrew Ellis, 141-pounder Benjamin Shaffer, 157 pounders Ryan Rigney and Tyler Wilson, 165 pounder Anton Libsch, 174-pounder Brian Stapleton, 184-pounder Joe Pizzuto and Nick Day.

To earn All-Academic honors, student-athletes must have been a major contributor to the team and have GPA of 3.10 or higher. Earlier this season, the Engineers achieved the second highest team GPA of the 15 teams entered at the conference's dual meet championship.

WPI is slated to being the 2016-17 season on Saturday, November 12th at the Roger Williams Invitational.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. WPI's talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Projects Program. There are more than 45 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.