Thursday, October 1, 2026
What Lynbrook wrestling lacks in size, it makes up for in talent.
“I have positive feelings about the group this year,” Owls coach Rich Renz said. “We have some very good wrestlers in the room, very experienced wrestlers. We don't have a huge team. But the wrestlers we have are very, very good.”
An early indication Lynbrook could be ready to make noise this winter came at the Knights Classic at Uniondale where the Owls finished first ahead of Nassau Division 2 powerhouse Cold Spring Harbor as well as Uniondale and Westbury.
Leading the way is Elias Vanegas, a senior captain in his fourth season on varsity. Vanegas finished first at 170 pounds at the Knights Classic a year after a quarterfinal defeat at the Nassau Division I championships at 145 pounds.
“He’s a very technical wrestler. and he has a lot of experience in wrestling,” said Renz, indicating Vanegas will move down in weight class by the end of the season.
Another senior captain is Zackary Tinyes, who has vastly improved from his start on varsity four years ago. He finished first at 138 pounds at the Knights Classic, defeating highly-ranked Devin Pellizzi from Cold Spring Harbor in the final.
“He's a tough, tough kid, hard worker,” Renz said. “It’s fun to watch how he’s improved each year and he just keeps working hard to get better and better.”
Richard Tinyes, Zackary’s younger brother, is a sophomore who was an All-County selection last year. Tinyes beat teammate Fabian Vanegas, Elias’ younger brother, in the 215-pound final at the Knights Classic and took second at the Battle of the Beach Tournament at Long Beach.
Sophomore Grayson Seiderman has also made great strides from wrestling on the junior varsity to now being a starter at 145 pounds, where he placed second at the Knights Classic and fifth at the Battle of the Beach Tournament.
Fabian Vanegas, another sophomore who has good technique, will wrestle lighter than 215 pounds and Elias Vandoros, a freshman at 124 pounds, has a high ceiling.
“He's gonna be really good,” Renz said. “He’s gonna end up being one of our best wrestlers by the time he's a senior. He works very hard. He wrestles all year round. He's a football player, very good football player.”
Senior Ryan Benson, a four-year varsity wrestler and a co-captain, and junior Anthony Caputo both compete at 131 pounds. Caputo, who has been on varsity since ninth grade, was a finalist at the Knights Classic.
Emmet O’Grady is another senior captain who has been on varsity since middle school. The 190-pounder is also on the Lynbrook football team, alongside all three 285-pound super heavyweights. However, sophomore Alex Ioannou had shoulder surgery following the football season and he’s out for the year and Toni Lazri, who finished third at Knights Classic, suffered an ankle injury and will be sidelined for three to four weeks.
That leaves senior Dominic Fasano, in his first season wrestling, as the last man standing.
Last, but certainly not least is Dani Zhanay, who won the girls' division at the Knights Classic.
