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Mount Union Preview

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Mount Union College Purple Raiders
Head Coach: Mark Hawald
Years at School as head coach: 3rd year
Career Record at school: 9-17
Assistant Coaches: Adam Lange, Rich Eslich

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 6-4
2008-2009 All-American: Bill Schindel, Jr. 197 8th
Returning All-American: Schindel
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 9

Top returning starters:
Bill Schindel, Jr – 197 – AA 8th, OAC Champion
Chad Teague, So – 184 – OAC runner-up
Andy Jenkins, So – 174 – OAC Runner-up
Bryan Skoff, So – 157 – OAC 3rd
Josh Malave, So – 141 – OAC 3rd
Derick Hesson, So – 285 OAC 3rd
Mike Manypenny, Sr – 165 OAC 4th

Top incoming wrestlers:
Riki Reynolds – 3x placer
Taylor Yoder – SQ
Erik Canter – State Runner-up
Lambert McElrath – SQ
Travis Seigenthaler – SQ

Head Coach Mark Hawald had his first All-American in his second year at the helm of the Mount Union wrestling team, and Bill Schindel is back to try to again ascend the podium.  Joining him are two OAC runners up in Chad Teague and Andy Jenkins.  Each will look to achieve one place higher in 2010 and make their first trip to the NCAA tournament.  Ohio placewinners Riki Reynolds and Erik Canter come in to solidify the lower weights for the Purple Raiders, though they and the other freshmen will have to work to crack a lineup with nine returning starters.

York College Preview

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York College of Pennsylvania Spartans
Head Coach: Tom Kessler
Years at School as head coach: 18th
Career Record at school: 250-107-2
Assistant Coaches: Duane Bastress, Cory King, Brandon Bailey

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 15-12-1
2008-2009 All-American: Brian Thomason (174 -8th)
Returning All-American: Thomason
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 7

Top returning starters:
125 Jerrid Hartman 21-8  4th Metros
141 Taylor Ulm  15-7  4th Metros
141 Ryan Catton   2nd Metros (2008)
149 Albert Gleichauf  16-18
157 Eric Rush 10-9
165 Matt Heisey 15-8  3rd Metros
174 Brian Thomason 30-7 2nd Metros 8th NCAA
197 James Laughlin  14-12 4th Metros
197 George Saliba  14-6
285 Shane Cooley  19-13

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Will Forero  112-30 (NY)
133 Alex Paladino  2X State Runner-Up (De)
133 Will Pumphrey  4th MD States
149 Evan Ennis 3rd MD States  121-59
165 Zach Downing  State Qualifier
197 John Starcevich  110+ wins top 12 NJ
285 Nick Page  PA State Qualifier

Eight starters return for York, including All-American Brian Thomason.  After a solid third place showing in the Metropolitan Conference tournament, the goal is to move up the standings and get more wrestlers at the NCAA Championships.  With six conference placewinners coming back, they will have a chance.  They will need to replace past NCAA qualifier Jon Niedrich and All-American Kyle Flickinger.  They may be able to get some of those points back with junior captain Eric Rush stepping in at 157 and 2x Delaware finalist Alex Paladino coming in as a freshman at 133.  The schedule is again competitive with duals against Maryland and Drexel to start the year along with the Budd Whitehill and North/South Duals.

Concordia College Preview

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Concordia College-Moorehead Cobbers
Head Coach: Clay Nagel
Years at School as head coach: 5
Assistant Coaches: Matt Nagel, Dennis Kaatz and Greg Schmitz

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 10-1
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Phil Moenkedick (184/2nd), Anthony Neumann (197/NQ)
Returning Qualifier and All-American: Moenkedick (AA), Ben Anderson (NQ/2008)

Top returning starters:
125 Daron Hohbein, 4th Great Lakes
133 Mike Holman, 5th Great Lakes
141 Ben Anderson, 2008 National Qualifier, 2009 4th Great Lakes
149 Justin Berns, 3rd Great Lakes
165 Lane Lunde, 4th @ 157 Great Lakes
174 Ross Dankers, 7th Great Lakes
184 Phil Moenkedick, 1st Great Lakes, National Runner-up.

Top incoming wrestlers:
Josten Coleman Oakes, ND, 126 Career wins, 6th 4th, 4th, and 5th.
Tyler Blauert Frazee, MN, 91 career wins, 5th
Kevin Fynboh Thief River Falls, MN, 167 career wins, State champion 2009
Josh Kelly Oakes, ND, 159 career wins, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 4th
Nathan Schmitz, Perham, MN, 142 career wins, 4th, 2nd
Tom Bouressa, Alexandria MN, 4th,5th, 115 career wins
David Baker Buffalo, MN, 123 career wins, 6th
Eric Leesburg Robbinsdale, MN, 127 career wins, 5th

Last season the Cobbers finished the year ranked eighth nationally, finished second in the Great Lakes Conference and compiled a 10-1 dual record on the season.  National finalist Phil Moenkedick returns at 184 to seek his first title.  Joining the coaching staff this year will be former Minnesota wrestler Matt Nagel.  Nagel was a 3x NCAA qualifier and was an All-American at 165.  With seven returning regional placewinners, the Cobbers will again have a very strong dual meet team and hope to advance some more wrestlers to the NCAA tournament.  The incoming class is highlighted by four time state placewinners (and high school teammates) Josten Coleman and Josh Kelly.

Cortland Preview

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SUNY Cortland Red Dragons
Head Coach: Brad Bruhn
Years at School as head coach: 8th
Career Record at school:  91-44
Assistant Coaches: Jason Reynolds, Paul LeBlanc, Trevor Gale

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 12-7
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: 149 Paul LeBlanc 2nd, HWT Joe Murphy NQ
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Murphy, Dave Colagiovanni (NQ: 125/2007, 133/2008), Stephen Perez (2008 NJCAA 7th), Jared Lemke (2009 NJCAA 4th), Martino Sottile (2007 & 2008 NJCAA NQ)
Number of retuning wrestlers who competed in 2009 National Qualifier: 7

Top returning starters:
133 SR-Dave Colagiovanni 23-8   62-27   2x NQ (2007, 2008)
133 JR-Aljamain Sterling 32-11  67-23  2009 Conference runner-up
141 JR-Joey Widrick  25-8  50-14  2008 Conference 4th place
149 JR-Stephen Perez 25-9    2009 Conference 4th place
157 SR-Kevin Sackett 31-20  72-46  2009 Conference 4th place
165 SR-Will Brodfuehrer 23-21  50-48  2009 Conference 3rd place
174 SR-Mike Ciaburri 35-17  61-38  2009 Conference Runner-up
184 SR-Martino Sottile 29-9    2009 Conference Runner-up
Hwt SR-Joe Murphy  35-14  70-33  2009 Conference Champ

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Jared Lemke  4th @ 2009 NJCAA, 2x NYS runner-up
125 Sean Kempf  NYS Qualifier
133 Mike Walker  6th @ 2009 NYS HS championships
141 Mike D’Amato  3x NYS HS placer (4th, 5th, 6th)
141 Justin Signorelli  NYS Qualifier
149 Troy Sterling  Section 8 county Runner-up
149 Joe Calderone  3x NYS Qualifier
157 Ray Powers  NYS Qualifier
165 Jon conroy  2x NJS Qualifier
174 Ethan Childs  2x section 3 placer
174 Will Parks  2x section 11 placer
184 Jared Myhrberg  6th @ 2008 NYS championships
184 Alex Meyers  5th @ 2009 NYS championships
197 Carl Korpi  Transfer from Binghamton

Seven starters from 2009 and two other 2008 Empire placewinners are back for Cortland in 2009-2010.  The Red Dragons also bring back several wrestlers who have won twenty matches in a season before.  They have a solid recruiting class with good recruits coming in throughout the line-up.  There are a number of weight classes where the competition for starting spots should be fierce, and the lineup should be very experienced.  Heavyweight Joe Murphy is the lone returning 2009 NCAA qualifier, but Dave Colagiovanni is a 2x previous qualifier while Perez, Lemke, and Sottile all have national experience at the junior college level.  Between the experienced returners and incoming talent, Cortland will look the challenge Ithaca for the Empire title in 2010.

UW-Oshkosh Preview

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University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans
Head Coach: Mike DeRoehn
Years at School as head coach: 5
Assistant Coaches: Chris Stratton, Nick Matiash, Joe Terrill, Larry Marchionda

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 8-5
2008-2009 National Qualifier: Sam Engelland-NQ
Returning Qualifiers: Sam Engelland-NQ & Sam Laes-NQ (Transfer-Lawrence)
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 9

Top returning starters:
174-Sam Engelland-2009 NCAA Qualifer; 26-14 as a freshman
165-James Dederich 27-12
HWT-Jason Laplante 18-10

Top incoming wrestlers:
Sam Laes-2009 NCAA Qualifier (Transfer-Lawrence); 2008 WI State Champion Jon Junk; 4x WI State Qualifier Dan Schiferl; 3x WI State Placer Trevor Dyreson (Transfer-Augsburg); WI State Runner-up Aaron Erickson; Florida placer Spencer Van Buskirk

UW-Oshkosh returns nine of ten starters from last year’s squad, but there could be many line up changes.  Sixteen newcomers join 20 returning wrestlers to give the Titans good depth in the room.  Most notably, Sam Laes, a national qualifier for Lawrence last season, has transferred to Oshkosh after Lawrence dropped their wrestling team.  Also back is national qualifier Sam Engelland who qualified for the NCAA tournament as a freshman last year.  He and Laes will be a solid 1-2 punch at 174 and 184.  The team is young with just one senior, and 2009-2010 should be another step toward the goals set out by Head Coach Mike DeRoehn.

Washington & Jefferson Preview

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Washington and Jefferson College Presidents
Head Coach: Jay Robison
Years at School: 3

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 6-5
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 6

Top returning starters:
Zach Cecchetti -So. (125) Ranked Nationally in ’09/3rd at Midwest Regional
Citrus Invitational Champ/PAC Champ/W&Lee Champ/4th at Springfield/Team O.W./Record 29-10
Brandon Sansom -Jr. (133) Record 20-18/5th at Springfield/2nd at W&Lee/7th at Midwest Regional
Dominick Demor -So. (149-157) 20 Wins as Freshman/3rd at W&J Open/4th at Citrus/3rd at W&Lee/Injured for Post -season
Brandon Roshon – So. (149-157)
Alex Cressley – Jr. (184-197) 2 year starter
Taylor Potts – So. (285) 5th at Midwest Region/PAC Champ

Top incoming wrestlers:
Tyler Berger – 133 PA State Qualifier (Burrell)
Nick Sewell – 141 (Blair Academy)
Brady Fyffe – 141 (Grove City-PA)
Brett Jeffries – 149 (Pataskala-OH)
Peter Bowditch – 165 (Mass.)
Eric Kohr – 174 State Qualifier (River Hill-MD)
Robbie Mies – 197 State Champ (Williamsport-MD)
Nathan Miller – 197 (Teays Valley-OH)
Ty Sampsell – 285 (Milton-PA)

Washington and Jefferson continues on its upward trajectory after a winning season in 2008-2009.  A very young team, W&J brings back 20 match winners Zach Cecchetti, Brandon Sansom, and Dominick Demor along with Midwest Region placewinner Taylor Potts.  Head Coach Jay Robison heads into his fourth season with a solid base of talent on which to build.  This year’s recruiting class features multiple state qualifiers along with Maryland state champ Robbie Mies who could be one of a few freshmen stepping into the lineup right away.  They start the season at the Clarion open and hope to have their second consecutive winning season.

Former Waynesburg Coach Files Suit

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Former Waynesburg University coach Charlie Heard has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Waynesburg.  See the article posted below:

Ex-coach files bias suit against Waynesburg U.

The Associated Press

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – A black man fired as wrestling coach at Waynesburg University claims race influenced that decision and that the school also unfairly discriminated against his black recruits.

Charlie Heard, of Morgantown, W.Va., says he was fired after a year-and-a-half with the private university in January 2008 after he hit a 285-pound wrestler who allegedly assaulted him. Heard claims he acted in self-defense but wasn’t given a chance to explain his actions.

Heard says administrators took a dim view of black men he recruited to wrestle at the school, saying they were required to have better grades than other recruits.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Monday. The university 35 miles south of Pittsburgh did not immediately return a call for comment.

Wilkes Preview

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Wilkes University Colonels
Head Coach: Jon Laudenslager
Years at School as head coach: 7th
Career Record at school: 79-46-3
Assistant Coaches: Mitch Marcks, Trevor Hiffa, Al Wilson, Erik Smith, Shaun Farnham, Rubin Prophete

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 17-6-2
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Frank Heffernan (7th@174), Shaun Farnham (NQ@125), Josh Pauling (NQ@133), Erik Smith (NQ@149), Zach Pizarro (NQ@197)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Frank Heffernan (174) and Zach Pizarro (197)

Number of returning wrestlers who competed in your 2009 national qualifier:  7

Top returning starters with accomplishments:
141 Anthony Dattolo 2nd Metro Conference
149 Robert Griffith  Competed in Metro Tournament @157
157 James Histed  Competed in Metro Tournament @165
165 Richard Sparks  Injured before conferences
174 Frank Heffernan NCAA 7th
184 Buddy Gouger 2nd Metro Conference
197 Zach Pizarro NCAA NQ, 1st Metro
285 Andrew Feldman 2nd Metro Conference

Top incoming wrestlers (including transfers) with accomplishments:
AJ Fisher (St. Augustine, NJ) 6th NJ; Kris Krawchuk (Northern Lehigh, PA) 4th PA; Scott Mantua (River Hill, MD) 2x MD Champ; Dustin Stough (Northern Garrett, MD) 2x MD placer; Jesse Villella (chenango Forks, NY) NY Champ; Nathan White (River Hill, MD) 4x MD placer

Wilkes hopes to repeat as Metro Conference Champions.  The team will be younger in the lower weights, as they graduated national qualifiers at 125, 133, and 149.  All-American Heffernan returns at 174 as does national qualifier Pizarro.  Pizarro may drop from 197 to 184 this year.  Wilkes put together an outstanding recruiting class and features good experience in the upper weights.

Johnson & Wales Preview

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Johnson and Wales University WildcatsJWU
Head Coach: Lonnie Morris
Years at School as head coach: 13th
Career Record at school: 158-91-2
Assistant Coaches: Brian Allen (11th), James Gilbert (8th), Chris Wells (3rd), Randall Totten (2nd)

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 18-5 overall / 15-0 in conference
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Nicholas Cucciniello 133 lbs. (NQ), Jerome Owens 174 lbs. (NQ, AA 08 8th), Bryan Lenhardt 184 lbs.(AA 08 6th & 09 6th )
Returning Qualifier: Nicholas Cucciniello (NQ)
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 7

Top returning starters:
125 James Soprano(3rd Conference 09) 27-12
133 Nicholas Cucciniello (1st Conference 09) 22-3
141 John Donaleski 16-16
149 Vincent Egloff 12-14
165 Jordan Corona (6th Conference 09) 9-5
197 Patrick McCrohan (4th Conference 09) 16-13
285 Jon Flegel (6th Conference 09) 18-16

Top incoming wrestlers:
125 Michael Bastante: This Junior returns after one year off. He was 08 conference finalist, 07 Ithaca champ & OW. Career record 46-15

174 Colin Lenhardt: This Freshman is the third Lenhardt to come to JWU. He was a Virginia State Finalist and a round way from AA at Senior Nationals @171. As a sophomore he became an AA as he placed 3rd @ Fargo in freestyle. High School Record: 142-20 with 102 pins

184 Brennan Ward: This transfer by way of Colby CC was a NCAA JUCO National Qualifer

2009-2010 looks to be a reloading year, but with high expectations. Gone from the team are two All-Americans in 174 lbs. Jerome Owens and 184 lbs. Bryan Lenhardt. Freshman Colin Lenhardt 174 lbs. and transfer Brennan Ward 184 lbs. will do their best to replace those athletes and junior Michael Bastante returns at 125 lbs. after a year away.  JWU has been either 1st or 2nd at the Conference Championship each of the last 5 years and hopes to continue that streak in 2010. They wrestle one of the tougher schedules in the New England conference with trips to the Gator Duals in Florida and the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, along with the Ithaca Invitational to start out the year.  With 47 athletes on the team to start the year, there should be good depth and competition for starting spots.

Stevens Preview

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Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks
Head Coach: Mike Clayton
Years at School as head coach: 3rd Year
Career Record at school: 20-12
Assistant Coaches: John Manarte (Hofstra), Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell), CJ Ettelson (Northern Iowa), Ed Willis (Ohio U), Zach Greenberg (RIT), Andrew DeMartino (Virginia)

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 12-8
2008-2009 National Qualifier: 174 Qualifier – Ryan Dormann
Returning Qualifier: Dormann
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 8

Top returning starters:
Ryan Dormann, 174/So, NCAA Qualifier (31 wins), Centennial Champ
Joey Favia,  165/So, 2nd at Centennial Conference, (27 wins)
James Roarty, 285/Sr, 3x Centennial Place-winner, (23 wins)
Charles Favia, 157/Sr, 2x Centennial Finalist (injured last season)
Kyle Brisson, 133/Jr, Centennial Place-winner 2008

Top incoming wrestlers (including transfers) with accomplishments:
141/149 Ryan Bridge, 2x NJ Champ
125 Andrew Vissichelli, 100 wins in NY State
125 Ryan Neugebauer, 2x NY Catholic States Finalist
149/157 Will Sharkey, 4th in MD States
184 Chris Selvoski, NJ Regional Qual
285 Brian Schmalz, 2x NJ Regional Qual

A good core of returners with Stevens best recruiting class ever will certainly help the Ducks. After a tough 1-5 start last year the team went 11-3 in its last 14 duals with a solid line-up. Expectations are high but the schedule continues to get tougher.  Ryan Dormann returns to defend his Centennial championship, and the Favia brothers have each been Centennial finalists in the past.  The top recruit for Stevens this year is 2x New Jersey state champ Ryan Bridge.  Bridge was a 2003 high school graduate and has been wrestling for the Marines the past few years.  This spring, he wrestled in the World Team Trials in Greco-Roman.  If the pieces fall into place, this team could challenge USMMA for the conference championship.

Trine Preview

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Trine University Thunder
Head Coach: Dan Callahan
Years at School as head coach: 5
Career Record at school: 34-31-1
Assistant Coaches: Mike Ester, John Sheets, Nathan Devaux

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 11-5
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 8

Top returning starters:
174/184 Nick Kraus Sr, 29-5, Regional Runner-up 2008, 3rd 2009
141 Thomas Pompei, Sr 12-2, 3rd Regional 2008
184/197 – Alex Fleet Jr 30-9, 3rd Regional 2008
157/165 Kyle Long SO 26-15 Regional Runner-up 2009
125 Brandon Harvey SO 27-14
157/165 George Markou SO 19-15

Top incoming wrestlers:
149 Elias Larsen FR, 2X Illinois State Placer, 2009 Illinois 145lb State Champion, Marion Catholic High School
141/149 Trace Hall FR, 3X IN state placer South Bend Riley High School,
285 Dylan Forbes, SO 2008 IN State qualifier 215# transfer from Defiance College
133 Will Sheets 4th IN 2008, Bellmont High School
174 Caleb Norville 6th IN 2008, transfer from Olivet College
197 Ben Wines FR 3rd in MI Div IV 2009,  Pittsford High School
197 Robert Blake FR 8th in OH 2009 Tinora High School

Trine begins its fifth year of competition, and hopes are high to have their first national qualifier.  Four 25 match winners are back and a solid set of freshmen will join the team.  After finishing third in the regional to nationally ranked Delaware Valley and Olivet, the team is poised to have another successful season.  The team has good upperclass representation with seniors Nick Kraus and Thomas Pompei (both moving up a weight this year) and junior Alex Fleet, but they also have good young wrestlers, as Kyle Long and Brandon Harvey each had outstanding rookie seasons.  The recruiting class features six state placewinners including Illinois state champ Elias Larsen who should challenge for a starting spot right away.

King’s Preview

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King’s College Monarchs
Head Coach: Ned McGinley
Years at School as head coach: 41
Assistant Coaches: Paul Martinez, Pat Heck, and David Morgan

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 13-14
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Michael Reilly (174)
Returning Qualifier:  Reilly
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 8

Top returning starters:
174 Michael Reilly (Metro Champion) (24-6)
285 Chris Rash (Metro Placer) (20-7)
157 Taylor Green (13-3)
141 Tony Miele (16-15),
133 Anthony Dietrick (16-14)

Top incoming wrestlers:
141 Chris Puorro, (NJ ranked 3rd before season ending illness)
149 Noah Blackwell (PA Dist Champ)
149 Justin Kay (NE Region 4th 2006) TR
157 Matt Evangelisti (PA State Qualifier 2006) TR
174 David Foley (NY State 4th)
174 Frank Marinucci (PA NE Region 4th)
184/197 Brendan Dwyer (NY State Qualifier)
197/285 Anthony Corigliano (NJ State Qualifier)

After an up and down year, King’s looks for more consistency in 2009-2010.  Two time national qualifier Mike Reilly leads the way at 174, and a solid set of upperclassmen will cover many of the weight classes.  They will also be counting on some freshmen to take on important roles as they look to replace 20 match winner Zach Wilkinson and improve on some weak spots in the upper weights.  Also, Ned McGinley, who is in his 42nd year at the helm, will get his 400th win at King’s with his first dual meet win in 2009.

Ohio Northern Preview

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Ohio Northern University Polar Bears
Head Coach: Ron Beaschler
Years at School as head coach: 22
Career Record at school:  206-165-4
Assistant Coaches: Jason Brew, Jay Salge, David Penny, Collin Swick and Greg Lalla

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 12-11
2008-2009 All-American:  Luke Miller, 157, 4th
Returning All-American:  Luke Miller, 157, 4th
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 6

Top returning starters:
Jeff Penny (Sr) 3rd OAC 133
Joe Spooner (So) 2nd OAC 141
Mick Letcher (So) 3rd OAC
Luke Miller (Jr) 4th NCAA, 1st OAC, OW OAC 157
Billy Painter (So) 3rd OAC 165
Matt Alexander (So) 3rd OAC 184
Joe Fisher (Jr) Inj at midseason 285

Top incoming wrestlers
Top Freshmen:  Garrett Freeman  (Proj 141) Ohio State Qualifier; Lucian Freeman (proj 149) Ohio State Qualifier; Jeremy Jones (Proj 133) Ohio State Qualifier; Brent Kramp (Proj 149) Ohio State qualifier; Kyle Kwiat (proj. 165-174) 3x state placer OH, 6th, 5th, 3rd ; Bryan Martineck (Proj 174) Ohio State Qualifier;

Transfers: Nathan Jones (197) transfer from Bucknell, 2008 State Champ Ohio (2x placer), 2x AAU All-American, 2007 Junior Olympics Gold Medalist; Kyle Raber (proj 174) 3x Ohio state qualifier, placed 7th 2007.

Unseeded coming in, Luke Miller made it all the way to the 157 semifinal before finishing in 4th place.  Now, he will be one of the top ranked wrestlers at that weight as the 2009-2010 season begins for Ohio Northern.  With six OAC placewinners back, they will again be in the thick of things competing with Heidelberg and John Carroll for the conference title.  Aiding in that effort will be a solid freshman class full of Ohio state qualifiers as well as a couple of transfers including Nathan Jones, who started at 197 for Bucknell last year.  Also of note, Jeff Penny will move down to 125 this year after three years at 133.

WPI Preview

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute Engineers
Co-Head Coaches:Lance Baden, Rob Polin
Years at School as head coach: 3, 1
Career Record at school: 16-25 , 0-0
Assistant Coaches: Garrett Trombi, Colin Pacelli

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 10-8
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 6

Top returning starters:
Carl Anderson, Roger Williams Tournament Champion, Conference Placewinner 13-2 in 2008-09
Tyler Howe, Conference Placewinner, 21-6 in 2008-09

Top incoming wrestlers:
Greg Mollnow, Cohoes, NY Sectional Finalist
Tom Jones, Bridgewater, MA (Preseason Nationals placewinner)
Dan Gilman, Framingham, MA All-State Finalist

With only three seniors leaving a team that finished 2008-2009 with a winning record, WPI is set to improve this season.  Some of the incoming freshmen will be able to fill in where seniors have left as WPI tries to improve on last season’s 12th place NEWA finish. Massachusetts state champ Dan Gilman is the top recruit, while NEWA placers Anderson and Howe are back for another run.  Assistant Rob Polin has been elevated to co-head coach along with the returning Lance Baden.

Dubuque Preview

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University of Dubuque Spartans
Head Coach: Jon McGovern
Years at School as head coach: 8th Season
Career Record at school: 53-40
Assistant Coaches: Robert Larson, Darrin Kaisand, Ricky Samuelson, Eric Daughetee, John Pieritz, Erik Honda

2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Josh Terrell (NCAA 6th, 165) Evan Brown (NCAA Champion, 174)
Returning All-Americans: Terrell and Brown
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in your 2009 national qualifier: 8

Top returning starters: NCAA Champion Evan Brown, 2X NCAA All-American Josh Terrell

Top incoming wrestlers: Logan Einerson (State Champion – Lodi, WI) and Illionis State Placewinners Jeffery Chapai (Canton, IL), Andrew Knoll (Lincoln Way Central, IL), & Ryan Warcynski (Minooka, Illinois)

Dubuque returns two point getters and eight starters from last season’s 11th place NCAA finish.  This will be the most experienced University of Dubuque team in the history of the program.  The Spartans had a good NCAA tournament last year with Brown winning the championship in a surprise and Terrell again defeating the returning champ for his second All-American award.  Seniors for the 2009-2010 season include: NCAA Champion Evan Brown, 2X NCAA All-American Josh Terrell, Mark Schultz (133), Ryan Lessner (125), Anderson Sainci (149), Jacob Durbin (184).

Gettysburg Preview

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Gettysburg College BulletsGettysburg
Head Coach:  Andy Vogel
Years at School as head coach: 3rd Seasoon
Assistant Coaches:  Gino Frank and Wes Brenner

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 1-24
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Andrew Goldstein (NQ/157)
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 7

Top returning starters:
125 – Abe Evans, 16-14, 4th Centennial
157 – Pat Doherty, 21-9
285 – Bobby Christopher, 18-5, 3rd Centennial, 2x placer

Top incoming wrestlers:
Kevin Poplaski, 3rd MA All-State; Joe Fiore, 2nd NY Catholic State; Colin Pryor, 3rd NY Catholic; Branden Strohl, PA State Qualifier

Gettysburg graduates Centennial Wrestler of the Year Andrew Goldstein but returns most of the rest of the team.  Senior Pat Doherty will step into Goldstein’s place while conference placewinners Abe Evans at 125 and Bobby Christopher at 285 return at the top and bottom of the lineup.  The team will be very young with only one senior, and some of the freshman should see significant time in the starting lineup.

Plymouth State Preview

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Plymouth State University Panthers
Head Coach: Tommy Prairie
Years at School as head coach: 3
Career Record at school: 17-20-1
Assistant Coaches: Jim Aguiar 6th Year, Matt Eldredge 1st year

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 10-8

Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 7 (Fred Wilkinson (Quogue, NY) 125 SR, Tom Paolera (Andover, MA) 141 SO, Mike Willey (Tewksbury, MA) 157 SO, Dustin Rudy (Iselin, NJ) 165 JR, Kyle Moseley (Hooksett, NH) 174 JR, Eric Larcomb (White Mountain, NH) 184 JR, Jake Gagnon (Manchester, NH) 285 SO

Top returning starters:
Fred Wilkinson (Quogue, NY) SR 2x NEWA Conference Placer 125
Josh Huber (Winnacunnet, NH) 12-4 at 125
Shawn Moseley (Hooksett, NH) SR 2x NEWA Conference Placer 133
Mike Willey (Tewksbury, MA) SO 1x NEWA Conference Placer 157
Dustin Rudy (Iselin, NJ) JR 1x NEWA Conference Placer 165

Top incoming wrestlers:
Seth Carter (Alvirne, NH) New England High School Finalist 2x State Champion 149/157
Peter Bronder (Noble, ME) 2x State Champ, 4x Finalist 141
Jesse Bilodeau (Otter Valley, VT) 2x State Champion, 3x Finalist, 4x Placer 171
Josh Robbins (Belfast, ME) State Champion, 4x Finalist 133

Plymouth State returns 7 starters from their 2008-09 team where they posted their first winning season in 7 years and first 10 win season in ten years.  Everyone should remain in 2009 weight classes except Eric Larcomb (White Mountain, NH) will move to 197 to compete for the starting spot left open by graduated senior Josh St Ours.  In addition PSU brings back 2x Conference Placer Senior Shawn Moseley (Hooksett, NH) 133, Senior Bobby Murray (Central Catholic, MA), Sophomore Rob Phillips (Brick, NJ) 184, and Senior Dan Burke (Salem, NH) 197 who did not compete last season.

UW-Stevens Point Preview

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University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
Head Coach: Johnny Johnson
Years at School as head coach: 12
Career Record at school: 107-61-3
Assistant Coaches: Yan White, Joel Burdick, Eric Bath, Chris Brown, Jake Wozniak, Josh Ison

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 16-4-1
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Jake Wozniak (NQ/165), Jered Kern (NQ/133), Chase DeCleene (6th/141), Ben Engelland (5th/184)
Returning All-American: Ben Engelland
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in2009 national qualifier: 6

Top returning starters:
Ben Engelland All-American(5th) 2nd at WIAC
Bret Oswald HWT 2nd at WIAC
Kris Magruder 3rd WIAC
Dennis Reckelberg 3rd WIAC
Joe Mileski 3rd WIAC
Andrew Dilworth 3rd WIAC

Top incoming wrestlers: Jordan Poirier (112) State Champion WI, CJ Hale (130) State Champion WI, Jordan Schulte (160) State Runner-up WI, Mark Puckhaber (135) State Runner-up WI, Charlie Wanty State Champion in 2008

After finishing 2nd to La Crosse by just 2 points in the WIAC Championships, the Pointers are looking to claim the top spot in the conference this season. The Pointers lost 3 National qualifiers including All American Chase DeCleene.  However, Ben Engelland is looking to improve on his 5th place finish at Nationals from a year ago.  Also returning for the Pointers is Senior Brett Oswald who placed 2nd in the WIAC at heavy weight and ended the season with a 24-12 record. Kris Magruder had a 25-15 record last season and placed 3rd at the WIAC Championships at 149.  Dennis Reckelberg (174), Joe Mileski (125) and Andrew Dilworth (157) also placed 3rd at the WIAC Championships and returning for the 2009-2010 season.  A great class of incoming freshman will fill out the remainder of the lineup.

Lakeland Preview

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Lakeland College Muskies
Head Coach: Peter Rogers
Years at School as head coach: 8
Assistant Coaches: Courtney Howard, Nate Muckerheidi, Tim Vallier

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 9-7
2008-2009 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Adam Sutter (6th/285), Jonas Flok (NQ/157)
Returning All-American: Adam Sutter – 6th @ 285
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 6

Top returning starters:
Jake Montie – Al Hanke Invite 4th, MSOE Invite 4th, NWA Conference Tournament 3rd
Rob Frias – NWA Conference Champion, NWA Conference Rookie of the year, Al Hanke Invite 4th
Isaac Roberson – NWA Conference Runner up, 6th Place Great Lakes Regional, 2nd MSOE Invite, Al Hanke Invite 5th
Jake Frias – NWA Conference Runner up, Cornell Matman Invite runner up
Ben Chapman – NWA Conference Champion (2X), Wisconsin H.S. state champion
Andrew Aronstam – NWA Conference 3rd place, MSOE Invite 3rd
Adam Sutter – All-American (6th), NWA Conference Champion, Great Lakes Regional 3rd, Wheaton Invite 2nd, MSOE Invite Champion, Al Hanke Invite 2nd

Top incoming wrestlers:
T.J. Kinjerski – Qual, 3rd, 5th
Ryan Renon-6th, Qual, Qual, 2nd
Bruce Romagnoli- 2nd @ State MI
Josh Gauthier, Brad LeClair, Chris Weber who are all state place winners in their respective states
Other Wrestlers to watch: Cory Hildebrandt, Nick Kusta, and Martin Alvarez

Despite the loss of seven seniors, Lakeland could be as good as ever thanks to improvement from the incumbents and a group of talented freshmen.  Adam Sutter will be back after his sixth place finish in 2009 as the first ever returning All-American (and 2nd overall) in program history.  He will be joined by returning Great Lakes Regional placewinner Isaac Roberson and at least six incoming freshmen who placed in their state tournaments.  It’s always to tough to qualify out of the Great Lakes, but Head Coach Pete Rogers has the team on the right track to improve.

Messiah Preview

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Messiah College Falcons
Head Coach: Bryan Brunk
Years at School as head coach: 6
Career Record at school: 56-67
Assistant Coaches: Derek Ricker, Ben Stum, Josh Cragg

2008-2009 Dual Meet Record: 11-12
2008-2009 All-American: Craig Gin (7th-157)
Returning Qualifier: Trent Zempel (2008-165)
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in 2009 national qualifier: 8

Top returning starters:
Domineak Commodore 133-3rd Empire
Mike Bressler 157-3rd, 2nd Empire
Trent Zempel 165-NQ 2008
Dave Jones 174-3rd, 4th Empire
Tim Stewart 184-3rd Empire

Top incoming wrestlers:
Pat Hogan 184/197-D.I Transfer, former NJ State Champ
Russ Jones 184/197- NJ State Q
Josh Bressler 141-2X National Prep AA (8,8)
Spencer Alexander 125- 3rd VA-AAA at 103

This year’s team has a lot of depth and most weights will be up for grabs.  The team will look to gain early experience and then move to solidify the lineup during the second semester.  Returning 8 starters from a team that was in the top 4 at the conference last year and also will welcome back 3 top performers from injury last year.  In addition to the top returning starters several of last year’s second string wrestlers could make big contributions this year in 149/157 Matt Cross (22-11), 141 Ty Kanouff (injured), 149 Logan Putnam (16-9), 174 Arthur Milner, and 184 Mike Hojnacki.

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