Nick Babin (Emerson/Park Ridge) won by 10-0 major decision over Fred Luchs (Middletown North) in a 120-pound quarterfinal bout at the 2020 NJSIAA state wrestling championships on Friday, March 6, 2020.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Nick Babin, Emerson/Park Ridge, 120 pounds, senior
Don’t take Babin’s fifth-place finish at the NJSIAA State Championships as a knock on his status as one of New Jersey’s best pound-for-pound wrestlers. The Columbia-bound senior forfeited his two matches in the consolation bracket with an injury after losing in the semifinals in overtime. In the semifinals, Brick Memorial’s Vincent Santaniello got a reversal in the first rideout for the difference in a 4-3 decision that went against Babin. Regardless of the ending, Babin put the finishing touches on a standout career as a two-time state medalist and a wrestler who that consistently helped his team remain a contender for the state’s Group 1 title. In addition to his career accolades, Babin set a new record at the Bergen County Tournament after pinning all four of his opponents in 48 combined seconds.
TEAM OF THE YEAR: Emerson/Park Ridge
Conference and sectional champions. That’s been the status quo for Emerson/Park Ridge in recent years. Since 2017, the four division champions from the NJIC wrestle down to an overall conference champion. It’s an interesting wrinkle to vamp up competition, and in its first four years, no one has beaten EPR. The Cavos won their fourth consecutive NJIC title with a 39-33 win over Butler in the championship match and parlayed its success in the NJIC to another sectional title. This year, EPR topped Kittatinny to claim its 11th sectional title after losing to the Cougars in last year’s sectional final.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Tom Mulligan, Elmwood Park
It was only two years ago that Elmwood Park was celebrating its first .500 season and return to the postseason. This year, Mulligan led the Crusaders to a 21-7 record, divisional title and the No. 2 seed in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 Tournament. Individually, Elmwood Park senior Zack Martinez qualified for the State Championships in Atlantic City and was one two seniors, along with Eddie Alfieri, to finish with more than 30 wins. Martinez, a second-place finisher at Region 2, finished 37-5.
ON THE PODIUM: Below are the wrestlers from the NJIC who won medals at the NJSIAA State Championships in Atlantic City.
Boys
- 120: Nick Babin, Emerson/Park Ridge, 5th
- 126: Andre Ruiz, Bogota/Ridgefield Park, 8th
- 152: Dylan Weaver, Lyndhurst/North Arlington, 4th
Girls
- 107: Izabella Frezzo, Becton, 3rd
- 135: Natalie Vega, Elmwood Park, 4th
- 135: Brooke Tulloch, Saddle Brook, 6th
- 143: Angela Valle, Lodi, 4th
- 180: Maria Taseva, Elmwood Park, 3rd
Pat Lanni covers wrestling in the northern part of the state. He may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.
