NEW LONDON, Conn. –

Hosting NEWA futures for the first time, Coast Guard proved their future is bright with a commanding 195.5 - 138.5 victory over second place Johnson & Wales. The Bears were first of the 16 teams competing thanks to ten men making the championship round, seven of which won.

125 pounder Kekoa Madayag(Rohnert Park, CA) won his bracket with two early decision wins(9-2, 11-5) followed by pins in both the semifinal and finals. The Bears had two men make the semifinal at 141, Robert Rerras(Herndon, VA) and Nathan Sayers(Dedham, MA) with Rerras moving on to the finals where he defeated the rhyming named Berres from Johnson and Wales in the finals, by 5-1 decision.

In one of the more colorful matchups of the day, Nicholas Sanders(Fredericksburg, VA) won the 149 bracket with a dramatic 5-2 decision win in the finals. Sanders arrived at the finals after winning every way possible in order by pin, tech fall, major decision, and decision. In the finals, a takedown with 1:15 remaining gave him the advantage in a 5-2 decision win, and allowed Sanders to break into a passionate celebration after a chippy battle.

The Bears owned the 157 bracket with Nicholas Marck(Aldie, VA) and Cael Finn(Simsbury, CT) sharing the title by each reaching the finals. 165 Kyle Csikari(Fredericksburg, VA) defeated teammate Ray Gulmatico(Oconomowoc, WI) 3-2 in the semifinal matchup before Csikari won a dominating 18-5 major decision in the finals.

174 pounder Alex Hoffman(Lewisburg, PA) and 184 Chase Mayes(Nolensville, TN) each had stellar performances all tournament long but lost by close two point decisions in their championships.

Heavyweight freshman sensation Lincoln Bibla(Mountain Top, PA) barreled his way through to the finals with two pins and a decision win. In that championship bout, an early takedown gave Bibla the 3-0 advantage. Despite only scoring five in the first, Bibla accrued more than 2:45 of riding time. In the second, the freshman saw his chance and took it with an impressive move from the bottom, pinning his opponent with 1:22 left to bring the Coast Guard faithful to a roar.

Just after Bibla won his bout, 197 Brendan Raley(Annandale, VA) took center stage in the final championship of the tournament. A low scoring bout went down to the final seconds and wound up with a 2-1 decision victory to put a cherry on top for the Bears team win.

The #17 nationally ranked Coast Guard Bears will take next week off from competition before hosting a major tournament yet again in two weeks with the NCAA Division III Northeast Wrestling Championships coming to New London.