Beckerman, Wrestling Welcome Seven Newcomers for 2015-16
5/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University wrestling will welcome six freshmen and a transfer student-athlete to the team for the 2015-16 season, Brown head coach Todd Beckerman announced on Tuesday.
"I am very excited to introduce our newest class of student-athletes to the Brown Bear family," Beckerman said. "We have a great group of seven wrestlers coming into our program who have experienced success and can help make an impact next season."
Brown's newest class comprises wrestlers who hail from four different states and represent six different weight classes. The group combines for eight state titles, 15 state place winners, six NHSCA finishes, four New England titles, and an NCAA Division III All-American finish.
The cohort includes Charlie Banaszak, a sophomore 141-pound transfer from the University of Chicago in addition to six true freshmen – heavyweight Ian Butterbrodt (North Andover, Mass.), 184-pounder CJ LaFragola (Little Egg Harbor, N.J.), 184-pounder Christian Murabito (Saratoga, Calif.), 149-pounder Travis Vasquez (Fair Lawn. N.J.), 157/165-pounder Jon Viruet (Springfield, Mass.), and 197-pounder Tucker Ziegler (Myersville, Md.).
Charlie Banaszak
Weight Class: 141 lbs.
Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
High School: Bethesda-Chevy Chase
Previous College: University of Chicago
Prep & College Accolades: Wrestled at the University of Chicago during the 2013-14 season, going 29-12 … Earned NCAA Division III All-America honors, finishing in fourth place at 141 lbs. at the 2014 NCAA Division III Championships … Went 142-29 over his high school career … Served team as captain for three seasons … Finished 44-2 as a senior … Won a Maryland 3A/4A state title and a West Region title in 2013 … Came in third place at state finals as a junior … Won Montgomery County titles as a junior and senior … Wrestled for coaches Nick Arnone and Josh Singer at B-CC … Set the B-CC career records for wins (142) and pins (71) … Earned NHSCA Junior All-America honors in 2012 … Gained National AP Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction laurels.
Ian Butterbrodt
Weight Class: 285 lbs.
Hometown: North Andover, Mass.
High School: St. John's Prep
Prep Accolades: Finished his career with a 223-6 record … Ranked 12th by InterMat, 10th by FloWrestling, and 12th by WIN Magazine at 220 lbs. … Won three Division I state titles … Took home three Massachusetts all-state championships … Gained two New England titles … Finished second twice at the prestigious Super 32 tournament … Garnered NHSCA Senior, Junior, and Sophomore All-America honors … Wrestled for head coach Manny Costa … Earned academic excellence in mathematics and overall honors.
CJ LaFragola
Weight Class: 184 lbs.
Hometown: Little Egg Harbor, N.J.
High School: St. Joseph
Prep Accolades: Earned all-state honors as a junior and senior … Came in second at state finals as a senior and seventh as a junior … Gained all-conference accolades … Won Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for the CAL conference … Went 42-2 as a senior … Captured three District 30 titles and one Region 8 title … Garnered All-Press of Atlantic City First Team laurels … Also played football and baseball at St. Joseph … Rushed for close to 2,000 yards in football and tallied a career batting average over .450 in baseball.
Christian Murabito
Weight Class: 184 lbs.
Hometown: Saratoga, Calif.
High School: Saratoga
Prep Accolades: Won the CIF Central Coast Section title as a senior … Took home three Santa Clara Valley Athletic League titles … Qualified twice for the California state tournament … Wrestled for head coach Armando Gonzales.
Travis Vasquez
Weight Class: 149 lbs.
Hometown: Fair Lawn, N.J.
High School: Delbarton School
Prep Accolades: Finished his prep career with a 127-26 overall record … Won three Morris County titles … Claimed two NJSIAA District 9 championships … Won a NJSIAA Region 3 title … Took home a Beast of the East title at 145 lbs. in 2014 … Finished in third at the NJSIAA State Championships at 138 lbs. in 2014 … Came in seventh at Beast of the East at 138 lbs. in 2013 … Achieved highest honors all four years … Wrestled for head coach Brian Stoll.
Jon Viruet
Weight Class: 157/165 lbs.
Hometown: Springfield, Mass.
High School: Springfield Central
Prep Accolades: Chosen as a Top 100 overall recruit according to InterMat … Ranked 18th by InterMat and 17th by WIN Magazine at 160 lbs. … Won three Massachusetts Division I state titles and finished as runner up as a freshman … Captured four Western Massachusetts titles … Gained New England titles as a junior and senior … Claimed NHSCA Junior National Championship as a junior … Garnered NHSCA Senior All-America honors as a senior … Took home Fargo Greco All-America accolades in 2014 … Wrestled for head coach Darby McLaughlin … Competed at the club level for Northeast Elite and Nieves Wrestling Club … Also ran cross country for head coach Joshua Rice … National Honor Society and National Math Honor Society member.
Tucker Ziegler
Weight Class: 197 lbs.
Hometown: Myersville, Md.
High School: Middletown
Prep Accolades: Earned a state title as a senior, totaling a 44-3 record … Went 44-2 as a junior, finishing in third at the state championships … Finished 40-5 as a sophomore and 29-14 as a freshman … Compiled a 157-24 career record … Gained all-area honors three times … Garnered a spot on the all-state academic team twice … Recognized as an AP Scholar with Honors … Wrestled for coaches James Schartner and Yank Strube.
