All-Shore Wrestling Final Vote Winners
Following the selection of the first, second and third All-Shore teams, 21 wrestlers were nominated for the All-Shore Final Vote where the readers got to vote on the seven wrestlers they felt were most deserving of an All-Shore spot. After four days of voting the fans have made their selections, who are listed below.
All-Shore Wrestling Final Vote Winners
Listed by weight
Nico Messina, So., 113, Freehold
Messina was fourth in the Final Vote to secure one of the final seven All-Shore spots. He went 34-4 this season, highlighted by winning the Region VI title to become Freehold’s first region champion since 1964. He also won a District 23 title.
Dyon Womack, Sr., 126, Colts Neck
Womack started the season slow with a 5-5 record but took off from there to finish with a 33-11 record. Womack was second at the Shore Conference Tournament, second in District 21, fourth in Region VI and reached the second round of wrestlebacks at the state tournament. He secured the final All-Shore spot by only one vote.
Dan Esposito, Sr., 138, Howell
An integral part of Howell’s undefeated state championship team, Esposito went 36-6 and won a District title, finished second at the Shore Conference Tournament and placed third at the Region VI Tournament.
Paul Jakub, Fr., 145, Howell
Jakub burst onto the scene as one of the Shore’s top freshman to help Howell go 32-0 and win the NJSIAA Group V championship. He went 34-7, finished second in District 22 and Region 6 and placed third at the Shore Conference Tournament. He reached the third round of wrestlebacks at the state tournament, two wins short of a top-eight finish. He also placed fourth at NHSCA freshman nationals.
Anthony Aquilano, Jr., 160, Raritan
Aquilano was the third-highest vote-getter and secures an All-Shore spot after a season in which he went 34-10, won a District 20 championship, finished second in the Shore Conference Tournament and placed fourth in Region 5 while helping the Rockets win the Central Jersey Group II sectional title and reaching the Group II final.
Kyle Hillermeier, Sr., 170, Freehold Township
In any other year, Hillermeier would have been a sure-fire All-Shore selection thanks to his eighth-place finish at the state tournament. But with the Shore Conference being spread across four different regions the Shore had multiple state qualifiers at 170 pounds, four of which placed among the top eight. Hillermeier was seeded 25th but navigated his way to a state medal by pinning Allentown’s Liam McDermott after losing to McDermott in the Region VI consolation final. Hillermeier finished the season with a 37-10 record, won the District 24 title and finished fourth in Region 6.
Justin Acevedo, Jr., 195, Raritan
Acevedo was second in the voting after an improbable run to the state tournament. He finished 32-12, placed third in District 20 and then finished second in Region 5 as the No. 11 seed. His wrestling helped the Rockets win the Central Jersey Group II sectional title and reach the Group II final.
Managing editor Bob Badders can be reached at bob.badders@townsquaremedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bob_Badders. Like Shore Sports Network on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest video highlights.