Lynbrook begins on high note

Lynbrook Owls wrestling will enter their first conference dual meet of the season on a wave of momentum: on the second weekend of December, they swept a four-team quadrangular, an event they host annually, against Locust Valley, Valley Stream Central and Sewanhaka West.
It was a good early season rebound for the Owls, who hadn’t fared as well in their previous two outings earlier this month.
“It was very exciting,” said coach Rich Renz on the quadrangular. “There were a lot of fans there. It was very good wrestling on Saturday.”
It’s been a very successful decade for the school’s wrestling program, and while Lynbrook’s current class is a bit more youthful than in previous years, Renz said there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
It opened season on a high note, crowning two champions in a tournament at Uniondale on Nov. 30 – freshman Liam Fitzgerald in the 106-lb. weight class and junior David Vivar in the 138 lb. weight class. Freshman Jalen Walker (who was defeated by Fitzgerald), senior Kyle Serro at 182 lbs.. and Jessie Singh at 220-lbs. were all finalists.

A subsequent Long Beach tournament on Dec. 7 produced no champions for the Owls, and that was followed by a defeat in a non-league matchup against Farmingdale.
But the recent quadrangular showed what his team is capable of, said Renz. “We rebounded real well,” he said. “The kids really wrestled tough.”
Renz highlighted a diverse lineup led by his four senior captains, Serro, Singh, Sean Curley (145 lbs.) and Joe Mattia (126.)
Another key wrestler is junior Allie Fitzgerald, who made history as a freshman when she became the first female to win a weight class title at a sanctioned wrestling tournament on Long Island. Since then, her coach said, “She’s gotten stronger and wiser on the mat. Her technique was good back then, but she’s a lot smarter now and her technique is even better. She knows what to do when she’s wrestling.”
Following some graduations last year, Renz expressed hope for some underclassmen to step up and fill the void, including juniors Nate Stewart (160), Liam Clarke (152) and Tom Becker (113), and sophomore Tyler Ippolito (170.)
The Owls open their Conference 4A season at home against Lawrence, a school that Renz said Lynbrook has fared well against in recent years. “If we have everyone healthy, I feel very confident we can do well,” he said.
After a very successful several years, Renz said he’s like to end the decade on a high note, with the goal of getting as many kids into the counties and states as possible.  
“I’d like to see the kids grow and mature and get better with their wrestling skills,” said Renz. “By end of season, I hope that they’ve learned and believe in what I’ve been preaching to them about hard work, determination, positive reinforcement and good sportsmanship.
“And my goal is to prepare them,” he added, “get them ready so they can do the best when it counts the most.