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Mount Union Preview

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University of Mount Union Purple Raiders
Head Coach: Mark Hawald (John Carroll ’05)
Years at School as head coach: 5th Season
Career Record: 32-22
Assistant Coaches: Bill Schindel (Mount Union ’11); Mark Hawald Sr. (John Carroll ’77); Sean Dreger (Mount Union ’09); Rich Eslich (John Carroll ’99)

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 14-0 (1st OAC, 8th NCAA)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Riki Reynolds (6th at 125), Josh Malave (NQ at 141), Andy Jenkins (NQ at 184), Bill Schindel (3rd at 197), Derick Hesson (5th at 285)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Reynolds, Malave, Jenkins, Hesson

Top returning starters:
125 – Riki Reynolds (JR) – 6th at NCAAs
141 – Josh Malave (SR) – National Qualifier
149 – Kevin Shadrach (SR) – 2nd at OACs
157 – Joe Spooner (SR) – 2nd at OACs
184 – Andy Jenkins (SR) – National Qualifier
285 – Derick Hesson (SR) – 5th at NCAAs

Top incoming wrestlers:
Ohio State Placewinners Al Caserta (141), Dom Barlow (149), Jon Garrison (157), Chad Zeigler (165), Joe Monroe (184).
South Carlolina State placewinner Brody Bertolini (125).
Georgia State Placewinner Tim Reynolds (141)
Ohio State Qualifier Ben Kazimer (141)
Illinois State Qualifier Bryant Roby (133)

Season outlook:
With only two seniors lost to graduation, the Purple Raiders are well-situated to defend last year’s OAC title and could even improve on their 8th place finish at the NCAA championships. Replacing All-American Bill Schindel and his team points will be tough, but getting four out of five NCAA qualifiers back in 2011-2012 will surely help. Reynolds and Hesson wrestled great tournaments to place in the top six, while Jenkins and Malave will hope to take that next step and wrestle on the last Saturday of the year. A pair of OAC runners-up in Shadrach and Spooner are aiming one spot higher on the podium to ensure a trip to La Crosse. 2011 d3wrestle.com Coach of the Year Mark Hawald has brought in his usual passel of Ohio state placewinners, and Mount Union looks like a formidable foe in 2012.

St. John’s Preview

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Saint John’s University Johnnies
Head Coach: Brandon Novak
Years at School as head coach: Eighth
Career Record at school: 64-50
Assistant Coaches: Scott Fernholz, Kevin Schiltz, Jacob Malone, Tony Willaert

2010-11 Dual Meet Record: 13-6 (2nd Great Lakes, 6th NCAA)
2010-11 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Matt Baarson (4th, 165), Minga Batsukh (3x NCAA Champion at 141 and 149), Dustin Baxter (3rd, 184), Matt Pfarr (7th, 174), Chad Henle (7th, 133), Chris Sandy (141), Tony Willaert (197)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Baxter (2009, 2011: 184), Henle (2011: 133), Pfarr (2011: 174)

Top returning starters:
Dustin Baxter – 3x National Qualifier, 2x All-American (2009; 2011)
Chad Henle – 1x National Qualifier, 1x All-American (2011)
Matt Pfarr – 1x National Qualifier, 1x All-American (2011)

Season outlook:
With three All-Americans returning from last season’s sixth place team, the Johnnies are well positioned heading into 2011-2012, even if there will be some youth in the lineup. The loss of three time NCAA champion Minga Batsukh will hurt, but having All-Americans Baxter, Henle, and Pfarr around will help set the tone for the rest of the lineup. Now entering his 8th season, head coach Brandon Novak will take another shot at bringing down Augsburg in a very tough Great Lakes Regional, but he will do it with some new faces in the lineup. One of these new faces is Mitch Hagen, a junior who has spent time in the starting lineup, but was behind a pair of NCAA qualifiers in Baxter and Willaert. He had three wins over NCAA qualifiers in 2011. A team cannot really replace wrestler like Batsukh, but St. John’s will be able to rely on good depth and a tough schedule to help them make another run at the top ten in 2012.

Preseason Metro Rankings

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First Metro Rankings of the year. No freshmen are included in the initial rankings.

Metro Rankings #1 October 25, 2011

York Preview

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York College of Pennsylvania Spartans
Head Coach: Tom Kessler
Years at School as head coach: 20th Season
Career Record at school: 279-129-3
Assistant Coaches: Duane Bastress, Cory King, Brandon Bailey, Joe Dominick, Kyle Flickinger

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 21-5-1 (3rd Metro, 15th NCAA)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Chris Albright (5th at 141) and Alex Martocello (4th at 184)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans:Albright and Martocello

Top returning starters:
Chris Albright 34-3 1st Metros and 5th Nationals
Alex Martocello 32-6 1st Metros and 4th Nationals
George Saliba 21-2
Kyle Minogue 16-8 3rd Metros
Chris Gugliotti 24-11 4th Metros
Matt Heisey 23-16
Chuck Glatz 16-14

Top incoming wrestlers:
TJ Demetrio 109-41 6th Pa. States
Pat Cassidy  Delaware State Champion
Mike Monarque 109-20 7th NJ States
Joey Giaccio 129-14   2X NJ Qualifier
Jake Siegfried 95-18   NJ State Qualifier
Nich Rea 129-14   3X Virginia State Placer
Jim Ciampi 99-25    NJ State Qualifier
Justin Lorber 64-39    MD State Qualifier
John Allenson 106-28  8th National Preps

Season outlook:
York put together a nice season last year, coming home from La Crosse with a pair of All-Americans who both return trying to repeat the feat this season. Albright was a transfer from Pitt who stepped right into the York lineup and had a 34 win season while Martocello exceeded his seed to place 4th. The top of the lineup is very strong with Martocello at 184, Kyle Minogue returning at 197 after winning the starting spot lat last season, and George Saliba moving up from 197 to heavyweight after finishing last year 21-2. Chris Gugliotti and Matt Heisey each had over 20 wins last year and should be back in the starting lineup for the Spartans. Leading the way among the newcomers are potential starters Joey Giaccio, a 2x NJ qualifier, at 125 and TJ Demetrio, a PA placewinner, at 157. The Metro conference had four teams in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships last season, so York will be counting on a blend of youth and experience to improve their finish from a year ago in a very tough tournament.

Cortland Preview

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SUNY-Cortland Red Dragons
Head Coach: Brad Bruhn
Years at School as head coach: 10th
Career Record: 121-53-1
Assistant Coaches: Jason Reynolds, Jake Calhoun, Ajamain Sterling, Paul LeBlanc, Treavor Gale

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 14-5-1

2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: All American 2011 Dave Colagiovanni 5th @ 125, All American 2011 Aljamain Sterling 6th @ 141, NQ 2011 Troy Sterling-157, NQ 2011 Jared Myhrberg-197, NQ 2011 Corey James-HWT

Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans (any year): T. Sterling, Myhrberg, James

Top returning starters:
125    (SR) Jared Lemke        JUCO AA(4th) 2009
133    (JR) Sean Kempf(23-12)        3rd in ECWC @ 125 in 2010
133/41    (SO) Brian Bistis(23-7)        3rd in ECWC @ 133 in 2011, d3wrestle.com All-Freshman team
149    (JR) Andre Berry(25-13)        3rd in ECWC @ 149 in 2010
157    (JR) Troy Sterling(29-10)    NQ, ECWC & Oneonta & Cleveland Open Runner-up
165    (JR) Jon Conroy(26-8)        4th in ECWC @ 165, Ithaca & RIT champ, ESU open placer, ranked part of year.
174    (SO) James Ondris(20-16)    3rd in ECWC @ 174
184    (JR) Will Parks(18-7)        4th in ECWC @ 184
184/97    (SR) Carl Korpi(23-6)        Ithaca runner up, RIT champs, NYS Collegiate Placer
197    (JR) Jared Myhrberg(28-4)     NQ,ECWC & Ithaca champ, NYS Collegiate runner-up
HWT    (JR) Corey James(28-3)        NQ, ECWC & Oneonta Champ,

Top incoming wrestlers:
125    Nigel McNeil – 2x state champ, #78 recruit in 2011, Virginia Beach runner-up as a junior.
133    Max Miller – 3rd placer NY, Eastern States Champ
133    Alex Bossert – Section placer
141    Adam Hulett – NCWA All-American 2011 @ 149
141    Edwin Perry – Section 11 runner-up
141    Richie Berkowitz – 2x state runner-up
149    Brian Vutianitis – State Qual.
149    Ben Freeman – State placer (4th)
157    Chris Sarro – Section 8 runner-up
165/74  Louis Puca – State Runner-up
174    Chanse Menendez    Hauppauge HS – State Champ
174    Joe Shell – State Placer (6th)
174/84  Vincent Buttice – State Qualifier
184/97  Joeseph Giaramita – State Placer (3rd), and Qual.
184/97  Mike McGrath – State Placer (4th), Greco A-A (4th)
HWT    Andrew Scopino – 2x State Qual.
HWT    Lucas Meyers – 2x State Qual.

Season outlook:
Eight returning starters highlight the Cortland lineup in 20111-2012 with NCAA qualifiers Troy Sterling, Jared Myhrberg, and Corey James leading the way. Several other wrestlers were knocking on the door and just missed a trip to La Crosse. After cortland won the Empire championship in 2010, Ithaca slipped ahead of the Red Dragons in 2011 to take the top spot. This season should be a good fight between those two for the title. Even with eight starters back, there will be some competition from incumbent backups and another large and talented recruiting class. The headliner is Nigel McNeil, a top 100 recruit who looks likely to be the starter at 125, though there are a number of other New York state placewinners aiming to find their way into the lineup at some point.

Wilmington Drops Wrestling

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Wilmington College announced today that they are dropping three varsity sports, effective immediately. Wrestling and Men’s and Women’s Golf are the three discontinued sports. Cost and declining participation were given as reasons for the cuts. The move drops the OAC to six schools with wrestling. See the release below.

Wilmington to discontinue three varsity sports

October 25, 2011

In the face of declining participation levels, Wilmington College is discontinuing three of its varsity sports programs, effective immediately.

The affected sports are wrestling and men and women’s golf.

“These were extremely difficult decisions that were made after careful consideration of many factors,” said Terry Rupert, Wilmington College’s vice-president for athletics administration/director of athletics. “Our golf and wrestling teams have brought us local, regional and national acclaim, but in recent years we have seen a declining number of participants in these sports. In today’s economic climate it is imperative that we make sound decisions based on the cost effectiveness of our sports programs. Those factors weighed heavily in our decision to discontinue the sports.”

Wilmington College is an NCAA Division III member of the Ohio Athletic Conference.

TNCJ Preview

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The College of New Jersey Lions
Head Coach: R. Joseph Galante
Years at School as head coach: First
Career Record at school: 0-0
Assistant Coaches: Sean Flynn, Dave Ilaria, Brian Dempsey

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 19-2 (2nd Metro, 18th NCAA)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Steve Godine 125, Dan Herr 133, Brian Broderick 174, Justin Bonitatis 5th at 165, Mike Denver 6th at 184
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Godine, Herr, Kyle Packer (2010), and Denver

Top returning starters:
125 Steve Godine, NCAA Qualifier
133 Dan Herr, NCAA Qualifier
157 Kyle Packer, 2010 qualifier
184 Mike Denver, 2x All American

Top incoming wrestlers:
Omar Akel NJ State place winner

Season outlook:
It is the beginning of a new era at TCNJ. Dave Icenhower stepped down after 35 years and five NCAA championships. Taking his place is Joe Galante, a former All-American at TCNJ. He inherits a strong team featuring four returning NCAA qualifiers and led by two-time All-American Mike Denver. The Metro conference will again be tough with six good teams in the mix, but the experience of the Lion lineup will be an asset moving forward. They have also brought in their usual mix of New Jersey wrestlers with state level experience that will be fighting for spots vacated by some graduating seniors like All-American Justin Bonitatis. The Lions have been a consistent presence near the top of the NCAA standings ever since the beginning of Division III, and it will be up to the new coach to do his best to keep them there. The team he has now has a great shot to maintain that tradition.

USMMA Preview

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USMMA Mariners
Head Coach: Greg Ilaria
Years at School as head coach: 4
Career Record at school: 41-11
Assistant Coaches: Beau Bruno

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 14-2 (1st Centennial, 8th NCAA)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: 125 Jordan Alfaro, 149 Martin Bell, 157 Dan Twito (1st), 165 Vincent Renaut (7th), 184 Scott Lowe, 285 Judd Connell (8th)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans (any year): 149 Bell, 141 James Beshada (’08, ’09 qualifier)

Top returning starters:
141 James Beshada – Sr 2x NCAA Qualifier,  2011 Centennial runner up
149 Martin Bell – Sr 2011 NCAA Qualifier
184 Erik Schott – SR  27 – 7 last season, 3rd Centennial at 197

Top incoming wrestlers:
133 – Mike Milanese – FR (Suffolk County NY place winner 150 HS wins)
141 – Buddy Watson – FR 3x CO State finalist, 2010 champ 155-15 HS record
149 – Matt Hiltz – FR 8th place National Prep
157 – Brandon Yeik – FR 3x WA State finalist, 2x Champ, 113–6 HS record
165 – Connar Zimmerman – FR 2x MD State finalist, 2011 Champ, 127–31 HS record
165 – Josh Miller – SO 2x WY State champ
174 – Kyle Diesel – FR – NY State Runner up, 178 -35 HS Record
174 – Ryan Smith – SO – NJ State Place winner (did not wrestle in 2011)

Season outlook:
After a fourth consecutive Centennial championshipt and a second straight year with an NCAA champ (trivia fact: both USMMA champs beat the same wrestler in the finals), the outstanding class that was mainly responsible for that run has now moved on, save for 2x qualifier James Beshada at 141. The 2011-2012 version of the Merchant Marine team is going to put a lot of freshmen and prior year backups on the mat in an attempt to win a fifth conference championship. New York runner up Kyle Diesel will step right into the 174 weight class vacated by his graduated brother, while state champs Brandon Yeik and Connar Zimmerman could also step into the spots formerly held by 2011 champ Twito and 2010 champ Renaut. It will be a young team, but there is enough talent there to make a fifth straight championship a possibility.

Dubuque Preview

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University of Dubuque Spartans
Head Coach: Jon McGovern
Years at School as head coach: 10
Career Record: 73-78
Assistant Coaches: Nickolai Timbs, Robert Larson, Evan Brown, Jon Deneen, Rick Yanke, Josh Terrell, Nic Ketchum

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 9-6 (3rd IIAC, 11th NCAA)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: NCAA CHampion Josh Terrell (165), Sam Johnson (NCAA All-American 197), 2X NCAA Qualifier Ryan Warcysnki (157)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Johnson and Warcynski

Top returning starters:
125 Andre Taylor, 17-8
157 Ryan Warcynski, 2x NCAA Qualifier
174 Derek Minch, 24-14
184 Logan Einerson, 22-9
197 Sam Johnson, NCAA 6th

Top incoming wrestlers:
Siven Furseth (WI State Champ)
Jason Huebbe (IL State Champ)

Season outlook:
Dubuque comes into 2011-2012 after a great year that saw them crown an NCAA champion in Josh Terrell and another All-American in Sam Johnson. Johnson returns along with 2x qualifier Ryan Warcynski to form the backbone of a team that returns a lot of conference placewinners. The team has had at least one All-American for four straight years and will be going for five in 2012. Along with the two wrestlers with NCAA experience, senior Andre Taylor, sophomore Derek Minch, and junior Logan Einerson all had good records last year and will be looking to break through in the IIAC and punch their tickets for La Crosse. Coach McGovern has done an admirable job in his ten years at the helm, building the team up into a nationally competitive program that always has wrestlers in the hunt for a title.

UW-Stevens Point Preview

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UW-Stevens Point Pointers
Head Coach: Johnny Johnson
Years at School as head coach: 14
Career Record at school: 127-82-3
Assistant Coaches: Jake Wozniak, Yan White, Joel Burdick, Chris Brown, Kris Magruder, Coulter Nyenhuis

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 10-9
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Ben Engelland (2nd/184), Kris Magruder (149), Chad Gregory (197), Jordan Schulte (165)

Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Joe Mileski (125, 2010), Schulte

Top returning starters:
133 Joe Mileski-2010 NQ, 3 year starter
141 Jordan Kust-2 year starter, 20+ wins both seasons
157 Ben Strobel-WIAC Runner-Up
165 Jordan Schulte-2 year starter, 2X National Qualifier
174 Ryan Conat-3rd in WIAC

Top incoming wrestlers:
Ryan Osse-4th @ Colorado State Tournament
Mack Glasby-MN State Qualifier
Nick Lecher-WI State Qualifier
Andy Borchardt-3rd @ Wisconsin State Tournament
Andy Coenen-5th @ Wisconsin State Tournament
Bryce Krejcarek-5th @ Wisconsin State Tournament

Season outlook:
Stevens Point brings another solid team into the 2011-2012 season, though the loss of NCAA runner-up Ben Engelland will hurt. They should only have one senior in the lineup, however, so the future also looks good for the Pointers. A pair of NCAA qualifiers lead the team, starting with 2010 qualifier Joe Mileski who will be at 133. Jordan Schulte has qualified for the NCAA tournament in both of his years at Stevens Point and will be looking for his first trip to the podium. Ben Strobel was a WIAC runner-up who just missed making the trip to La Crosse last year. Of the incoming freshman, the most likely to make the lineup seems to be Andy Borchardt, a 3rd place finisher in the Wisconsin state tournament last year. The lineup is rounded out by WIAC 3rd place finisher Ryan Conat at 174 and 20 match winner Jordan Kust at 141. It will be tough to knock off La Crosse in the WIAC tournament, but this team has the experience to put up a good showing.

Trine Preview

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Trine University Thunder
Head Coach: Dan Callahan
Years at School as head coach: 7
Career Record at school: 42-41-1
Assistant Coaches: Tim Bradley, Levi Mundy, Alex Fleet

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 7-7
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Elias Larson 3rd @157, Alex Fleet @197
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Elias Larson @ 157

Top returning starters:
157 Elias Larson AA 3rd 2011
165/174 George Markou 2x Regional Runner-up 2010 and 2011
174/184 Ryan Pieper Regional Runner-up 2010
174/184 Jason Alber
141 Nick Odom
149 Forrest Romer

Top incoming wrestlers:
285 Willie Henson – 5th in Indiana State Tournament 2011 Record (49-1)
133 Taylor Wisler – 8th in Indiana State 2010 @ 125, 6th in Indiana State 2011 @ 130
197 Mackenzie Green – 2nd Michigan State Division 3 2011 @ 215

Season outlook:
Entering his 8th season as the only coach in school history, Dan Callahan finally had the opportunity to coach an All-American, as Elias Larson broke through and finished third at 157 a year ago. Larson returns as one of the favorites at that weight as a junior. While he is the only returning qualifier for Trine, George Markou and Ryan Pieper were both runners-up in the Midwest region in 2011, just missing out on making the trip to La Crosse. The teams strength is through the middle weights up to Pieper at 184. They will be young elsewhere, but have a number of Indiana state placewinners joining the team and perhaps stepping into the lineup right away. With Larson leading the way, the Thunder have high hopes for a solid year as they embark on a tough scheduled that includes tournament stops at Wartburg, Wheaton, and the Budd Whitehill Duals.

Wesleyan Preview

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Wesleyan University Cardinals
Head Coach: Drew Black
Years at School as head coach: 14 years
Career Record at school: 131-105-3
Assistant Coaches: Dan Bloom

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 16-3-1 (3rd NEWA)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Kyle Roosa 174
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Roosa

Top returning starters:
133 Maika Nagata, 23-13 record; Joey Schwartz 9-2 record, injured, beat 2 all Americans last year
141 Nick Scotto, 19-10 record
149 Howard Tobochnik, 29-12 record, 2x Conference placer (5th, 5th)
157 Troy Sampson, 26-14 record, Conference placer (6th)
165 Tom Oddo, 11-9 record
174 Kyle Roosa, 29-11, Conference Champ, NCAA Qualifier
184 Jefferson Ajayi, 30-9 record, Conference Finalist (2nd)
197 Luke Erickson, 18-10 record, 2x Conference placer (3rd, 5th)
285 Dave Amrhein, 9-9

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Ben Schwartz-IL, 100 + wins
149 Mike Baratz- OH state qualifier
149/157 Zach Larabee- MA state qualifier
165 Ryan Sblendorio-NJ State Qualifier, Region Champ
197 Greg Kelley-2nd in New England
285 Austin Frank-top 12 in NJ

Season outlook:
With eight returning starters, Wesleyan is poised to defend their NEWA Dual title and try to improve on their third place finish at the NEWA Championships. Kyle Roosa won the NEWA title and represented Wesleyan at the NCAA Championships, while Jefferson Ajayi finished 2nd. The Cardinals bring back an experienced team with a number of conference placewinners looking for their first NEWA title. 133 should be a good battle between 23 match winner Maika Nagata and Joey Schwartz who started the year hot but sustained an injury that kept him out of the second half. It will be tough to improve on last year’s 16-3-1 record, but if the incoming freshman can fill in as needed in a good lineup, the Cardinals will be poised to take a step forward and perhaps challenge for the NEWA crown.

Messiah Preview

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Messiah College Falcons
Head Coach: Bryan Brunk
Years at School as head coach: 9th
Career Record: 78-84
Assistant Coaches: Derek Ricker, Ben Stum, Mike Bressler, Ron Standridge

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 12-8
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Tim Stewart 184 NQ
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Tim Stewart 184 NQ

Top returning starters:
125 Danny Lethbridge SR – 5th Empire
149 Ty Kanouff SR – 15-7 (injured end of season)
157 Chris Hardenberg SR – 5th Empire
174 Matt Cross SR – 16-1 (injured 2nd semester)
174 Rico Plummer SO – 2nd Empire
184 Tim Stewart SR – National Qualifier
197 Russ Jones JR – 5-1 (injured 2nd semester)

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Kurt Rodriguez – Indiana state Q
133 Kaleb Loht – 6th PA states- 3X State Q
141 Mike Bryan – 3X PA state Q, 1X state place winner
141 Chris Williamson – UNC Pembroke transfer, 2X MD state place winner
149 Steve Cross – MD state runner-up
149 Devin Anderson – 2X 4th in PA D.3AAA (1 win from state Q)
165 Jake English – PA State Q
285 Evan Canady – VA- 2X State placer

Season outlook:
Hopefully, the team can stay healthy this year as season ending injuries really hindered the Falcons in 2011. The squad boasts 38 members and most weight classes will be hotly contested. The team finished 3rd in the Empire conference last year and look to climb the ladder in hopes of winning a conference championship. National Qualifier Tim Steward is back at 184 and Matt Cross returns after an injury shortened 16-1 season a year ago. He will move up to 174 this season. The most intriguing newcomer is freshman Mike Bryan, a 3x PA state qualifier and 1x placer who graduated high school in 2003. He joins fellow PA placewinner Kaleb Loht as contenders to start in the bottom third of the Messiah lineup.

Washington & Lee Preview

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Washington & Lee University Generals
Head Coach: Nathan Shearer
Years at School as head coach: 1st year
Assistant Coaches: Ryan Riggs, Terry Waters

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 1-9

Top returning starters:
David Dennis 165 (SR): 3X Centennial place winner 4th-’09, 2nd–’10, 4th-’11
Samuel Campbell 141 (SR): 4th Centennial ’09
Eric Fessel 141 (SO): Ursinus Fall Brawl Champion 2010, W&L Invitational Champion 2011

Top incoming wrestlers:
Addison Spinner, VA- 2X AA State Qualifier
Alexander Reed, TX
Conor Duffey, MA – 8th Prep National Tournament
Marino Orlandi, NJ – 2X Prep National Qualifier
Matt Howell, FL – State Placer, 2X State Qualifier
Morgan Moskal, VA – 2X Prep State Placer

Season outlook:
After 37 years, Washington and Lee has a new coach. Gary Franke retired from the team at the conclusion of the 2011 season, and Nathan Shearer has moved from Heidelberg to take the reigns. He brought assistant Ryan Riggs from Heidelberg as they work to revive the Generals program. David Dennis is the team’s top wrestler, placing all three years of his career in the Centennial Conference. Sam Campbell and Eric Fessel have each shown flashes in their careers and each hopes to put it all together this season. They will have to sort out who is going which weigh class first, however. This is a young team, so the incoming freshmen will play a major role in the team’s success. Conor Duffey, a National Prep placewinner, and Matt Howell, a Florda state placewinner, are the top incoming wrestlers. 2011-2012 is the start of a new era for Division III’s southern most wrestling team.

Southern Maine Preview

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University of Southern Maine Huskies
Head Coach: Joseph Pistone
Years at School as head coach: 9
Career Record: 62-78
Assistant Coaches: Julio Santiago, Mike Morin, Chris Cobbett

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 5-12
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Billy Cole (133)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Cole

Top returning starters:
133 Billy Cole 1st NEWA, NCAA National Qualifier
141 Cinjin Goeway 3rd NEWA, NCAA Scholar All American
149 Peter Gilman 5th NEWA 10′
197 Travis Spencer 3rd NEWA 11′, 2x NEWA Place winner

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Jake Rasque 3x ME State Champ
Taylor Calley 3x VA State Placer
125 Mike Arangio MA State Champ
141 Andrew Natalizio Section 9 Champion, 6th D1 NYS
133 Zak Dipini 4x NJ QF, 6th NJ States 2010
133/141 Ryan Toussaint BLOOMSBURG U. Transfer-Former ME Champ, 2nd High School New Englands
157 Jake DiPini NJ 3x Region/District Placer
174 Sean Fagan MA State Champion

Season outlook:
Southern Maine hopes to turn things around this year and put together a winning dual meet season in the NEWA. Four New England placewinners will anchor the lineup, led by returning NCAA qualifier and NEWA champ Billy Cole. Additionally, Cinjin Goewey, Peter Gilman, and Travis Spencer all finished in the top six at the NEWA championships. Spencer knocked off 3x All-American Ryan Malo of Williams in the semifinal but ended up third in the odd system used by the NEWA to determine its champions. He will be one of the favorites again at 197. Other lineup spots could be taken by incoming freshman in a recruiting class that includes at least six state placewinners and three state champs. Southern Maine has had at least one NCAA qualifier for each of the past five years, and in 2012, they are hoping to have multiple qualifiers while adding to their All-American total.

Knox Preview

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Knox College Prairie Fire
Head Coach: Tony Islas
Years at School as head coach: 11 years
Assistant Coaches: Frank McAndrew, Jake Kerr

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 2-13

Top returning starters:
149 Eric Steingruber, 24 wins, NWA Conference champion, 6th Great Lakes REgional

Season outlook:
Knox will bring a more experienced lineup into 2011-2012, the 12th season for head coach Tony Islas. Several juniors and seniors will find their way into the starting lineup, though the headliner is a sophomore. Eric Steingruber, a 24 match winner and regional placewinner from a year ago. Also tallying 24 wins was heavyweight James Wager, and the senior returns to man the top of the lineup. Another returning starter of note is Alex Faulkner who moves up from 174 to 184 in 2011-2012. Knox kicks off a tough schedule with their home invitational on November 12th.

Waynesburg Preview

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Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets
Head Coach: Ron Headlee
Years at school as head coach: 4th season
Assistant Coach: John Yates

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 12-2-1 (3rd Midwest)
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Alex Crown, So. 125 (4th place), Nick Garber, Sr. 141 (NQ), Brandon Fedorka, So. 285 (NQ)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Crown (Jr.), Fedorka (So.)

Top returning starters:
125 – Alex Crown, 4th NCAA, Midwest Region champ
149 – Luke Lohr, 34-5
157 – Garrett Johnston – Midwest Regional Runner-up
165 – Sam Lombardo, 25-11
165 – Alex Evanoff, 16-6 before season-ending injury
285 – Brandon Fedorka, 19-6, Midwest Regional Champion, National Qualifier

Top incoming wrestlers :
165 Ian Eckrote – 4th DE, 2x qualifier
165/174 Cameron Fine – Seton Hill transfer, 6th PA in HS
165/174 Sam Guidi – four-time PA state qualifier, two-time state place-winner
149/157 Chris Milligan – Two-time PA section champ
141/149 Stuart Spencer – Two-time Oklahoma 6-A state place-winner
133/141 Jake Vitolo – three-time WPIAL qualifier
157/165 Ryan Walters – transfer from Pitt-Johnstown

Season outlook:
Head Coach Ron Headlee and top assistant John Yates rebuilt the Waynesburg team after taking the job three years ago. The rebuilding job is over, and now the Yellow Jackets are looking to be nationally competitive. The return of suprise 4th place finished Alex Crown will surely help, as will a strong sophomore season at the other end of the lineup from NCAA qualifier Brandon Fedorka. The team brings back six other starters, headlined by 34 match winner LUke Lohr at 149. Sam Lombardo won 25 matches at 165, while Alex Evanoff was 16-6 before an injury ended his year. They will compete for the starting job, though one of them could end up moving up to 174. Among the newcomers are former Seton Hill starter Cameron Fine, also in the 165/174 mix, as well as numerous other state qualifiers and placewinners. Waynesburg has a new wrestling room, a tough schedule, and an experienced lineup. They will definitely be in the hunt for a Midwest region title.

Gettysburg Preview

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Gettysburg College Bullets
Head Coach: Andy Vogel
Years at School as head coach: 5th
Career Record: 12-65
Assistant Coach: Gino Frank

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 6-14

Top returning starters:
125 SR Abe Evans, 14-9, 2nd Centennial, 2x placer
133 SO Matt Spano, 22-21, 3rd Centennial
174 SO Jared Leon, 26-12, 4th Centennial
285 JR Kevin Poplaski, 20-7

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Matt Laux, 3rd MD prep, 2x placer
125 Josh Scharf, VA 7th
157 Max Sataloff, 4x MD prep placer
165 Zach Thomson, 3rd PA AAA, 2x qualifier
285 Drew Winters, 3rd MD 1A/2A

Season outlook:
Gettysburg was much improved last season, equaling its dual meet win total for the three previous years combined. With three of four Centennial placewinners back and 7 returning starters, 2012 should be even better than 2011. Abe Evans is the top returning wrestler in the conference at 125, while Jared Leon and Matt Spano will build on successful freshman campaigns in their sophomore year. Kevin Poplaski put together a 20 win season backing up 3x Centennial placewinner Bobby Christopher and takes over at 285 in 2011. The top incoming wrestler and likely starter at 165 is Zach Thomson who placed 3rd in Pennsylvania a year ago.

Lakeland Preview

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Lakeland College Muskies
Head Coach: Mike DeRoehn
Years at School as head coach: 2nd
Career Record at school: 6-9
Assistant Coaches: Fred Brown, Jim Kudek

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 6-9
2010-2011 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Isaac Roberson, 157 NQ

Top returning starters:
Ryan Renon (Jr-165) 22-9 in 2010-2011; 4th at Great Lakes Regional in 2010 & 2011
Robby Frias (SR-141/149) 18-16 in 2010-2011

Top incoming wrestlers:
DJ Pritchett; VA State Qualifier
Eduardo Orihuela; IL Sectional Qualifier
Jacob Maechtle; WI State Qualifier
Juan Diaz; IL Sectional Qualifier
Vince Cardarelle; 2x WI State Qualifier
David Galarno; 2x WI State Placer (3rd in 2010 & 2011)
Jeremy Kroeger; IL Sectional Qualifier
David Castro; NJ Regional Qualifier

Season outlook:
New coach Mike DeRoehn came over from Oshkosh last season to take over for the departed Pete Rogers, and he was able to get Isaac Roberson through to the NCAA tournament out of the tough Great Lakes Regional. Roberson is gone, but there is some talent left as DeRoehn keeps building the program. Ryan Renon is the top returner after a 4th place regional finish and 22 win season. A good group of incoming freshmen that includes a number with state level experience. Also joining up in the second semester are North Central transfer and Great Lakes placer Andrew Bradley as well as Miguel Luis, a 16 match winner from a year ago. If the young talent can gel, the Muskies will have a good season.

Washington & Jefferson Preview

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Washington and Jefferson College Presidents
Head Coach: Tommy Prairie
Years at School as head coach: 1st Season
Assistant Coache: Ryan Wade

2010-2011 Dual Meet Record: 6-3-1

Top returning starters:
125 – SR – Zach Cecchetti – 2x Placer @ Midwest Regional (65-32 Career)
141 – SO – Josh Etzel – 2nd @ Midwest Regional, d3wrestle.com All-Freshman team (7-1 Career)
165 – SO – Dave DiBenedetto – 3rd @ Midwest Regional (24-14 Career)
197 – JR – Robbie Mies – 3rd @ Midwest Regional (40-15 Career)
285 – SR – Taylor Potts – 5th @ Midwest Regional (47-35 Career)

Top incoming wrestlers:
Chuck Baugher – Eastern Tech HS, MD
Josh Tropp – Upper St Clair HS, PA
Sammy Lapcevic – Bentworth HS, PA
Mike Mahramas – Garden City HS, NY
Matt Barton – Edison HS, OH
Theron Mitchell – Lancaster Catholic HS, PA
Karl Hiss – Copley HS, OH
Steve Thornton – Elizabeth Forward, PA

Season outlook:
Tommy Prairie moved from Plymouth State to Washington and Jefferson this offseason, and he inherits a team with five returning regional placewinners and a decent sized recruiting class. It will take some time to establish the new regime, but seniors at the top and bottom of the lineup will help the transition. Cecchetti has had a good career and just missed getting to the national tournament a few times. He will either stay at 125 or move up to 133 for his final season. Etzel put together a good partial season in which he beat a pair of former NCAA qualifiers before his runner-up finish in the regional. Mies and DiBenedetto both had very good seasons and should be in the running for regional titles in 2012. With as many as 8 returning wrestlers in the starting lineup, the experience of the team should pay off as the Presidents attempt to topple Waynesburg in the PAC and increase their performance in the Midwest Region.

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