Massapequa wrestler Jon Tutku disqualified from state championships after missing weight
Jon Tutku of Massapequa, top, wrestles Finn Long of Long Beach during a Nassau boys wrestling Division I dual team final on Jan. 24, 2026, in Westbury. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
ALBANY — The Nassau sectional wrestling team was dealt a devastating blow when freshman Jon Tutku of Massapequa, the defending state champion at 101 pounds, was disqualified from the tournament for not making weight.
Tutku (34-2), one of Long Island’s five defending state champions, was seeded third at 110 pounds for this weekend’s 63rd edition of the New York State Division I tournament at the MVP Arena.
Tutku is the first defending state champion in Long Island history to be disqualified from the state tournament for failing to make weight, according to Newsday records.
His absence will have sectional scoring implications for the team title. Only wrestlers who win a sectional title can score team points in the state tournament.
“Losing one of your 14 sectional champions, especially a star like Tutku, puts the Section VIII team at a disadvantage,” said Ed Ramirez, the director of athletics at Garden City High School and assistant chairman for Nassau wrestling. “It puts Section VIII at a deficit, and it affects the entire 110-pound bracket.”
The scratch forced state officials to change and reseed the talent-loaded 110-pound bracket. Long Beach sophomore Ethan Andreula jumped from the No. 4 seed to the top seed. North Babylon sophomore Xavier Seabury moved from the top seed to the No. 2 seed. Newburgh Free Academy junior Will Soto, the defending 108-pound state champion, moved from the No. 2 to No. 3 seed.
“Making weight in wrestling is one of the most physically demanding challenges in all of sports,” said Matt McLees, the director of athletics for Massapequa Schools. “It is a deeply personal process, and it looks different for every athlete. There was a historic snowstorm that closed schools and halted training for athletes for days.”
Tutku had avenged an earlier defeat to Andreula with a 1-0 win in the Nassau finals. Tutku was in the same half bracket as Soto and the excitement of a potential semifinal matchup of defending state champs loomed. That is now an impossibility.
“We are devastated for Jon,” McLees said. “He has represented our school and community with extraordinary dedication, discipline, and heart. This moment does not define him. In many ways, it will strengthen him. Adversity has a way of building resilience, and Jon has already shown the character of a true champion.”
Massapequa coach Mike McCann declined to comment.
One of those affected by the disqualification was Seabury, who was moved from the top seed to the No. 2 seed in the other half of the bracket. He will meet Soto in the state semifinal Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the MVP Arena.
“There is nothing to refocus about,” said North Babylon coach Paul Turano. “We knew coming up here he had to beat two out of the three best guys in the state to win this tournament. That remains the goal. The focus is to keep wrestling like the best kid in the weight class because that’s what we think he is.”
Seabury seemed unfazed by the new path to the title.
“I came here to win it, and I don’t care who I wrestle,” Seabury said. “I had to beat one of these kids and now I get to wrestle both. It’s just a better path and I’m ready wrestle.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
