1980-81 Wrestling Team video presentation
As the friendly debate continues for which wrestling team in program history was the best, one thing that is certain is the 1980-81 team always be in the thick of that discussion.
The magical season began with a 47-3 win over Allegheny College and the included a huge win over the top-ranked SUNY Brockport, a strong showing at the Wilkes Open, a Metropolitan Conference title, a school-record nine champions at the regional qualifier, a second NCAA Championship in three years, and an individual national champion at the NCAA Division I Championships.
Following the early win over Allegheny, the second-ranked Lions were primed for a home showdown with Brockport in December. The College knocked off the Golden Eagles 21-14 and added another chapter to the budding rivalry between the two programs. The Lions edged Brockport for the 1979 national crown, while the Golden Eagles topped the Lions for that honor in 1980. That was also the 50
th career win for head coach David Icenhower.
The Lions showed no signs of slowing down at the Wilkes College Open. They finished fourth in the event behind the University of Nebraska, University of Missouri, and Wilkes, but were the top Division III school in the event.
As the regular season came to a close, the Lions finished with a perfect 17-0 record and won their third straight New Jersey Athletic Conference title.
The post-season began with a flourish as the College boasted seven individual champions en route to the Met Conference title scoring 190.75 points. Taking their spots atop the podium at the tournament were freshman John Mineo at 142 pounds, freshman Bob Glaberman at 150, junior John Misita at 158, senior Britt Mock at 167, senior Kevin Walzak at 177, senior Tom Martucci at 190, and junior Mickey Aikens at heavyweight.
The Northeast Regionals were the next test for the Lions, and the team responded in a big way with nine champions. Â The same seven champs from Mets qualified for the national tournament, while senior Mike Jacoutot and freshman Ron Bussey added their names to the list of champions. Jacoutot won at 126 pounds and Bussey at 134.
The nine national qualifiers is a school record that still stands today.
That meet served as a springboard for the NCAAs where the College put on one of the best finishes the tournament has seen. The Lions trailed heading into the final day of competition, but lost only one match to catapult them into the top spot when the final points were tallied. The College and Brockport once again finished in the top two spots, but this time the Lions were first with 111.75 points, while the Golden Eagles has 100.
On that final day, Jacoutot (118), Walzak (177), and Martucci (190) won individual titles, while Bussey (134) and Mock (167) each battled back to finish third. Aikens (HWT) added to the strong performance by placing fourth. The Lions won every bout except for one on the second day and finished with a team title, three individual champions, and six All-Americans.
The season wasn’t quite over, as the three individual champions earned a spot in the Division I Championships hosted at Princeton University. That tournament had another memorable moment as a large contingent of fans saw Martucci become the program’s only Division I champion, topping his opponent from Temple 4-3 in the finals.
Depth played a key role in the team’s success throughout the season as Joel Branham, Greg Conover, Larry DeSimone, Eric Dugan, Chris Holcombe, Greg Lawson, John Magaraci, John McGreery, Tom Moroz, Brian Mundhenk, Joe Murphy, Pat Murphy, Mike Pilione, Tony Sidley, Terry Skinner, Joe Taranto, Kevin Weidenhof, and Andy Zuckerman, who all contributed.
