This past weekend we sent some of our students back up to Pennsylvania to compete at a grappling tournament called the “NAGA”.

During this time of the year good tournaments are few and far between. So making sure we got to the NAGA PA was a “must do” on our agenda list.

And like always, Pennsylvania never lacks it’s fair share of tough competitors from many of the best schools on the east coast.

We sent a smaller team than we’d expected but that’s fine because those who competed needed either first time experience or some matches to dust off the cobwebs.

Below you’ll find a list of students who competed and how they placed. 1st place winner are in bold.

Adult Results (1st Place Students are in BOLD):

Joe Coggiano – 1st Place
Luke Simpson – 1st Place
Wayne Morris – 1st Place
Joe Huggins – 3rd Place
Laith Hyali – 3rd Place
AJ Hall – DNP

Kids Results:

Sean Garlington – 1st Place
Dade Gumula – 1st Place
Cara Coggiano – 1st Place
Jacob Miller – 1st Place
Magnus Benz – 1st Place
LA Morris – 2nd Place
Bella Cates – 3rd Place
Michael “Teen Wolf” Garlington – 2nd Place
Logan Gatling – 2nd Place
Zachary “Cutter” Gardner – DNP
CC Fowler – 3rd Place
Wiki Avila – 2nd Place
John Paul Avila – 3rd Place

Keep reading and you’ll see I’ve included a few stories that highlight those students who really had outstanding performances at the NAGA.

**NOTE** If I didn’t write something about your matches please know that you didn’t go unnoticed.

I love all my students, you guys are awesome and If I had the time I’d write something for each and everyone of you. Sadly I don’t have this time.

Luke Simpson AKA Texas…Wow

CAP Member and up and coming MMA fighter Luke “Texas” Simpson was on point in his quest to earn top honors, which he did.

Not only did he display skills far greater than his fellow competitors but he also showed off his ability to perform under pressure and in front of a crowd.

Luke’s only got one speed…and we jokingly refer to it as “murder death kill” haha. That pretty means he goes hard all the time, during class or at the NAGA.

His consistent movement, quick attacking techniques, and god given ability to compete were all played a part in his success on the mats.

Atta boy Texas, atta boy.

At long last…we get to see Dade’s true potential

I’m really happy, and so is everyone else, to finally get to see Dade (we call him Miami) show off his new set of skills and be what he very clearly is, a champion.

This was sort of a comeback tournament for Miami because the first time he competed it ended badly as he was injured in the first match and that ended his debut for IL.

Needless to say he was upset and rightfully so. He couldn’t wait to get back out on the mats and prove he was better than that.

He trained super hard and spent a few weeks training 3x a day with us during the summer at our youth MMA camp.

The time had come to get back out there, and he did so at the NAGA PA. When the day finally came, it started to look like a repeat of his first competition.

He lost a tough first round match to a good kid from Pittsburgh. Not how we wanted to start the day, Miami was upset, I know the feeling, it’s not fun.

However, there’s something to be said for that kind of situation. When a kid loses like that, it’s what he does after that defines a champion.

So Miami dusted himself off, refocused and got back out there. This time he’s be competing in the Nogi division.

With Miss Teresa in his corner coaching, we finally we got to see what this kid could do.

He won all his matches and stormed right into the finals where he won 12-0 and was crowned champion of the division. Cool story right.

I’m good at predicting successful kids and my prediction is that NAGA PA was the first of many more victories to come.

**Bonus**For those wondering about his nickname, I started calling him Miami because whenever I’d say his name I’d think of Miami-Dade airport in south Florida. True story haha.

First Timer Wayne “Captain” Morris Dazzles on the mat

Wayne Morris, or better known as The Captain here at Ivey league, brought his brand of intensity into all his matches and when all was said and done, came away with 1st place.

I’ve gotta give it to the guy, he shows up ready to train and gives his all in the practice room, so it’s no surprise to me that he ended up winning.

Truth be told, this was his first tournament. And he hasn’t even been training that long in BJJ.

But what he lacked in experience he more than made up for in other ways. But I’ve gotta give it to the guy, he shows up ready to train and gives his all in the practice room.

I’m not gonna lie, the style Captain uses isn’t for everyone. It’s fast paced, with lots of scrambles.

When he rolls during the morning classes it’s kind of like watching a cat jumping all over the place.

It’s pretty entertaining to watch, most would agree.

So this scrambling style works well for him, and I’m fine with that. Aside from non-stop movement, Captain used solid takedowns and guard passing to overwhelm his opponents and snag 1st place.

Something else I thought was pretty cool was that his son, LA, was there mat side to cheer dad on in his matches.

Captain gets to not only win his division but at the same time become even more of a hero to his young son.

I don’t have any kids but I can’t help but think that’s gotta be the greatest feeling in the world hands down.

What’s Next For Ivy League?

At this time of the year it’s hard to say. Not a whole lot going on. We’ve got the Ivey League in-house tournament on December 5th but that’s pretty much it.

As things start to pop up i’ll be sure to keep everyone up to date via this blog and with my emails.

Stay classy Annapolis! Oh and have a super fantastic Friday!

–CD