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Cortland Preview

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Cortland capped an undefeated dual meet season with a tie for the Empire Championship.  Paul LeBlanc made his way onto the podium for the 2nd time, and sophomre Dave Colagiovanni made his second trip to the NCAA championships.  The 2008 season ended with disappointment for two returning Cortland wrestlers.  Peppy Cabrera came in as the Empire’s top seed at 125 but failed to place while Corey Barber was 21-6 at 174 before an injury ended his season.  Both are back this year as part of yet another talented Empire Conference team.  Starters return from 125 up to 157, and Barber joins heavyweight Joe Murphy as upper weight returners.  All in all, Cortland returns six 20 match winners.  Top newcomers include New York state champ Brian Borst, Morrisville transfer (and 35 match winner) Aljamain Sterling, and NJCAA All-American Stephen Perez.  Many of Cortland’s top incoming wrestlers will be at weights with established starters, so there could be some fiery competition to make the starting lineup this year.

Team: SUNY-Cortland
Head Coach: Brad Bruhn (UW-La Crosse ’97)
Years at School as head coach: 7th season
Career Record at school: 79-37
Assistant Coaches: Jason Reynolds, Zach Bogardus

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 11-0
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Dave Colagiovanni (133/NQ), Paul LeBlanc (149/7th), Zach Bogardus (165/NQ), Treavor LeBlanc (184/NQ)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Colagiovanni, P. LeBlanc

Top returning starters: 125 Peppy Cabrera 25-6, 133 Dave Colagiovanni 24-7 1st Emprire National Qualifier, 141 Joey Widrick 25-6 4th Empire, 149 Paul LeBlanc 28-3 1st Empire 7th NCAA, 184 Corey Barber 21-6 before injury

Top incoming wrestlers: 125 Brian Borst NY State Champ, 133 Alamain Sterling transfer from Morrisville, 133 Mark Arcara 3x NY qualifier, 141 Stephen Perez NJCAA All-American, 157 Eric Ekstrom NY placer, 165 Aaron Barber 2x NY placer, 184 Martino Sottile 2x NJCAA qualifier, 197 Ryan Woodward NY placer

TCNJ Preview

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Another year brought another good season for one of the top teams in the East.  After a 19 win regular season and another Metropolitan Conference title, TCNJ went on to produce two All-Americans in 165 lb. Justin Bonitatis and 174 lb. Gregory Osgoodby.  However, 2008 was the first time ever that TCNJ finished outside the top 20 at the NCAA Division III tournament.  They plan to start a new streak this year, as all three NCAA qualifiers return along with 2007 All-American Tyler Branham.  Additionally, Metro placers Dan Hughes, Chris Prihoda, and Dan DiColo are all back for the Lions.  TCNJ boasts great depth at a few weights this year, and the starters will not be able to relax.  Kyle Kinchen at 125 and Al Wonesh at 165 have the ability to step in and win matches this year, and where exactly Branham and Barnett will end up in the lineup will not be finalized until January.  The lineup TCNJ eventually sends to the Metropolitan Championships should be strong and will be favored to take home the team championship for the third year in a row.  A nice group of NJ state placewinners joins the squad and will only add to the team’s depth.  Finally, a good dual meet season could find head coach David Icenhower earning his 500th win at TcNJ, as he sits just 16 wins away from a remarkable milestone.

Team: The College of New Jersey
Head Coach: David Icenhower (Lehigh ’71)
Years at School as head coach: 33 years
Career Record at school: 484-80-3
Assistant Coaches: Joe Pollard, Joe Galante, David Ilaria, Tom Isaac, Sean Flynn, Brian Dempsey, Len Goduto

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 19-3
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Gregory Osgoodby (174/7th), Justin Bonitatis (165/8th), John Barnett (149/NQ)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Osgoodby, Bonitatis, Barnett, Tyler Branham (141/8th/2007)

Top returning starters: 125 Dan Hughes 2nd Metro, 141 Chris Prihoda 3rd Metro, 141/149 Tyler Branham 2007 All-American, 149 John Barnett NCAA Qualifier, 157 Dan DiColo 3rd Metro, 165 Justin Bonitatis 8th NCAA, 174 Gregory Osgoodby 7th NCAA

Top incoming wrestlers: NJ State placewinners Dan Herr, Anthony Rizzolo, Jim Somma, Joe Falco, Rob Garone

Wabash Preview

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A good mix of upperclassmen and new wrestlers will take the mat for Wabash this season.  A quartet of regional placewinners are back and will be joined by three state placers and four other qualifiers.  The returning placewinners from the regional last year are all juniors and seniors, and will put their experience to work on improving their individual placements as well as that of the team.  Rob Arnett led the way with 34 victories between 197 and 285, while Jared Tribbett, Stephen Mosier, and Michael Burke each topped 20 for the year.  They are set with a tough schedule including the Pete Willson Invitational, Ohio Northern Invitational, and they host the Little State Tournament.

Team: Wabash College
Head Coach: Brian Anderson (Manchester ’99)
Years at School as head coach: 5
Career Record at school: 32-24-1
Assistant Coaches: Danny Irwin, Joe Lamplot, Nathan Hills

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 5-6-1

Top returning starters: Jared Tribbett 149 5th Midwest, Stephen Mosier 165 5th Midwest, Michael Burke 184 6th Midwest, Rob Arnett 285 6th Midwest

Top incoming wrestlers: Greg Rhoads OH 4X State Qualifier, 5th place; Grayson Stone ID 3X State Qualifier, 6th and 2nd place; Tony Conway IN 2X State Qualifier, 4th place; Andrew Kepchar IN State Qualifier; Brock Sempsrott IN State Qualifier; Jake Moore IN State Qualifier; Quintin Burkett IN State Qualifier

Oswego Preview

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Oswego will be a very young team in 2008-2009.  Senior and 2x NCAA Qualifier Derrick Smith will lead the way, but he is one of just two seniors on the squad this season.  Sophomore Cameron Mills had a good first year at 165, winning 26 matches and placed highly in several tournaments.  Craig Becker also had a winning season and will be the other senior in the lineup for the Lakers.  Incoming wrestlers have a chance to make an impact on the team this year, and that group is led by New York State Qualifiers Paul Slaver and Matt McGuckin.  Scott McGregor, Ethan Johnson, Andrew Greenlaw, and Matt Holcomb all topped 100 wins in high school and will fight for starting spots as the season gets underway.

Team: Oswego State
Head Coach: Mike Howard (Oswego State `90)
Years at School as head coach: 20 years
Career Record at school: 124-191-6
Assistant Coaches: Tenkoran Agyeman, Chris Cowen, Matt Gough

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 3-10-1
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Jake Taylor (285/NQ), Derrick Smith (141/NQ)
Returning Qualifier: Smith

Top returning starters: 141 Derrick Smith 2x NCAA qualifier, 165 Cameron Mills 26-12, 174 Craig Becker 19-17

Top incoming wrestlers:  Paul Slaver NY State Qualifier, Matt McGuckin NY State Qualifier, Jason ReisGerzog, Scott McGregor, Blake Fisher, Ethan Johnson, Andrew Greenlaw, Matt Holcomb

Season Preview Page Updated

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All season previews published up to this point can be found on the 2008 Season Previews page by following the link in the left sidebar.  That page will continually be updated as season previews go live.

Trine Preview

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Until this summer, Trine University was Tri-State University.  As a private school, the college wanted to remove the word “State” from the name in order to avoid any confusion.  On the mat, Tri-State has four returning Midwest Region runners-up, though none of them garnered a wild card selection to the NCAA tournament.  It was a good finish for a program beginning its fourth year of competition in the NCAA.  Thomas Pompei and Louis Posa both topped 30 wins, while Nick Kraus and Bryan Wight just missed last year.  Two Indiana state placers and two Michigan state placers join the squad at the Trine, which is located near the meeting of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.  With a young, large roster, Trine is poised to take the next step in the Midwest Region.

Team: Trine University
Head Coach: Dan Callahan (Alma)
Years at School as head coach: 5
Career Record at school: 23-27-1
Assistant Coach: Mike Ester

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 11-8-1

Top returning starters: Thomas Pompei 133 30-10 2nd Midwest, Nick Kraus 174 28-10 2nd Midwest, Louis Posa 184 33-7 2nd Midwest, Alex Fleet 197 22-21 2nd Midwest, Bryan Wight 141 29-11

Top incoming wrestlers: Kyle Long 157 – 5th IN, Brandon Harvey – 125 – 7th IN, Jason Alber 165 3rd MI, Matt Skrypzcak 174 3rd MI

Mount St. Joseph Preview

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Mount St. Joseph put a wrestler in the finals at 149 for the 2nd straight year in 2008.  Elliott Spence fell to Jacob Naig in the finals, finishing as a 3x All-American.  Back this year are Eric Meyer, Chad Craft, and Pat Truster.  Midwest runner-up Meyer won 40 matches at 133, and he moves up to 141.  Craft is very good on his feet and is back after a 4th place regional finish at 184.  Pat Truster rounds out the top returners for the Lions.  He was 2nd in the Midwest last year at 197, though he moves up to 285 for 2008-2009.  It will be a young team for MSJ alum and Head Coach Casey Stouffer, but the experience of the top three will help pull the others along.  25 freshman join the roster this season, and 5-6 of them could see time as startes in 2008-2009.

Team: College of Mount St. Joseph
Head Coach: Casey Stouffer (Mount St. Joseph ’01)
Years at School as head coach: 2nd year
Career Record at school: 13-5-1
Assistant Coaches: Steve Iori, Brennan Ryan

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record:  13-5-1
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans:  Elliott Spence (149/2nd)

Top returning starters: 141 Eric Meyer 2nd Midwest 40-7 @133, 184 Chad Craft 4th Midwest, 285 Pat Truster 2nd Midwest @197

Thiel Preview

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Freshman Rob Miller surprised some with his run to the NCAA tournament.  At the Regional, he pinned returning senior All-American Vallejo in the true second match to earn a wildcard selection.  The return of former PA state champion Damian Rose and a year of experience for 22 match winner Andrew Riddle have Thiel looking forward to 2008-2009.  Five starters are back, along with Rose, and a class of 22 freshman will fill in behind them and work to get experience in the early season tournaments.  Miller hopes to make a return trip to the NCAA tournament, though All-American Chris Sheetz may stand in his way.  At 141, the top two finishers are gone, leaving Rose as a possible early favorite at the weight, though fellow PAC wrestler Nick Garber returns.  Thiel has won the last nine PAC titles (PAC is Thiel, W&J, and Waynesburg) and is going for #10 this year.

Team: Thiel College
Head Coach: Craig Thurber (Pitt-Johnstown ’95)
Years at School as head coach: Sixth Season
Career Record at school: 42-26
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Linn, Jared Hirtz

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 9-5
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Rob Miller 125 NQ
Returning Qualifier: Miller

Top returning starters: 125 Rob Miller 26-7 National Qualifier, 133 Jeff Langdon 4th Midwest Region, 184 Andrew Riddle 22-10 5th Midwest Region, also PAC champions Alex Brown and Scott Prinsen

NYU Preview

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NYU comes into 2008-2009 fresh off the best season in team history.  They took three to the NCAA tournament, came home with two All-Americans, and placed 12th in the country.  All three qualifiers graduate, however, so it will be up to the remaining wrestlers to step up this season.  Half of the starters return from a team that finished 16-1 last year including 20 match winners Kyle Christensen (125), Matt Magill (up to 157 from 149), and Naum Shuminov (174). All-Americans Stephen Hult and Nick Coleman join the coaching staff this fall to help keep the team on its upward path of success.  To aid in this goal, Coach Haberli brought in a class including New Hampshire state champ Matt Boyd, New York placewinner David Rice, and other wrestlers who had successful high school careers.  Two transfers, Gavin Carr and Jordon Schimmenti, come to NYU set on beginning their college wrestling careers and making an impact on the wrestling team at one of the largest schools in Division III wrestling.

Team: New York University
Head Coach: Bruce Haberli (Lehman ’90)
Years at School as head coach: 13
Career Record at school: 147-117-3
Assistant Coaches: Corey Luce, Brian Benson, Mark McLean, Nick Coleman, Stephen Hult

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 16-1
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Nick Coleman (184/NQ), Stephen Hult (141/3rd), Takafumi Hashimoto (157/5th)

Top returning starters: 125 Kyle Christensen 26-14, 157 Matt Magill 22-17 2nd Metro @149, 174 Naum Shuminov 21-13 4th Metro

Top incoming wrestlers: 133 Matt Boyd NH State Champ, 157 David Rice 6th NY, Others with senior year records: Gavin Carr (Sacred Heart), Jordon Schimmenti (University of Chicago), Kyle Hopkins 20-6, Andrew Arnell, 37-6, Calvin Hawkes 47-6, Zack Fallah, Stephen Massey 33-5, Jamie Myer 33-6

Ithaca Preview

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Ithaca returns a young, but talented team for 2008-2009.  All five of their national qualifiers are back this year, with four from last season and 2007 All-American Justin sefried returning for a full season at 141.  Jon Gregory was the lone All-American last year at 125, but he is joined by qualifiers Blaine Woszczak at 149, David Priest at 174, and Willie Horwath who moves from 141 up to 157.  This is a talented team with no seniors projected in the starting lineup, so they will be good for a while.  Last year, they tied Cortland for the Empire Conference championship, a deadlock they hope to break this year.  A nice group of state placewinners joins the young team as Coach Marty Nichols aims to contine the proud wrestling tradition at his alma mater.  Pennsylvania placewinner Chris Carabello is the lone projected freshman starter at 197, but other incumbents will be pushed by those on the list below.

Team: Ithaca College
Head Coach: Marty Nichols (Ithaca ’87)
Years at School as head coach: 13th Season
Career Record at school: 117-62
Assistant Coaches: Dave Auble, Marc Israel, Ryan Ciotoli, Jon Jones

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 11-6
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Jon Gregory (8th/125), Justin Seifried (133/7th/2007), Willie Horwath (141/NQ), Blaine Woszczak (149/NQ), David Priest (174/NQ)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Gregory, Seifried, Horwath, Woszczak, Priest

Top returning starters: 125 Jon Gregory 8th NCAA, 133 Chad Winowich 2nd Empire, 141 Justin Seifried 7th NCAA ’07, 149 Blaine Woszczak NCAA Qualifier, 157 Willie Horwath NCAA Qualifier (141), 174 David Priest NCAA Qualifier

Top incoming wrestlers: 125 Seth Ecker 2x PA placer, 133 Chad Condidorio 3rd NY, 141 Jeremy Stierly 7th PA, 141 Todd Patterson 7th National Prep, 197 Chris Carabello 5th PA, 284 Matt Mahon 5th NY

Heidelberg Preview

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Heidelberg has worked its way into national prominence over the past few seasons, including a 5th place finish in the Nationa Duals in 2008, and they now go for their 4th straight OAC title.  Ranked in the top 10 last year, Heidelberg came home with two All-Americans in Ryan Fogliano and Ryan Bowers.  It was the third time in school history that Heidelberg had two All-Americans in the same season.  Though the two placewinners graduate, there is a strong core remaining for the Berg.  National qualifiers Jerrad Hoxie and Zach Mizer are back along with former Division II All-American Boomer Fechko.  Additionally, 285 Bob Brubeck defeated the All-American Bowers in a match in December, though Bowers regained the upper hand later in the year.  A number of other returning OAC placewinners are back and will be joined by the best recruiting class of Coach Miller’s tenure that includes 4x state placewinners Andrew Dinda and Lee Schumaker, Michigan state champ Kyle Hilliard, and other multiple state placewinners.

Team: Heidelberg College
Head Coach: Jason Miller (Heidelberg ’98)
Years at School as head coach: 7th
Career Record at school: 54-34
Assistant Coaches: Brandon Brissette, Joe Hada, Jake Percival, Tony Patrizi

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 12-2
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Jerrad Hoxie (125/NQ), Nick Sanchez (141/NQ), Zach Mizer (149/NQ), Ryan Fogliano (197/7th), Ryan Bowers (285/6th)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Hoxie, Boomer Fechko (133/7th D2/2006), Mizer

Top returning starters: 125 Jerrad Hoxie NQ, 133 Boomer Fechko , 149 Zach Mizer NQ, 165 Aaron JonHenry 165 2nd OAC, 174 Dan Jonhenry 2nd OAC 2006, 184 Ed Bizorik 184 4th OAC, 285 Bob Brubeck 3rd OAC 2006

Top incoming wrestlers: TJ Chappleer 141 (Cleveland St. Transfer), State Finalists and Multiple time placers: Andrew Dinda OH, Stefan Gatt MI, Jacob Johnson MI, Curt Levy OH, Kyler Ritter MI, Lukas Schalk OH, and Lee Schumaker OH.

UW-Whitewater Preview

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An impressive array of returning athletes are back for Whitewater in 2008-2009.  Beyond the returning starters listed below are several other potential starters who have placed in the WIAC in the past.  Two offseason developments should help the team this year.  First, Olympic Training Center resident athlete Russ Davie joins the coaching staff to work with the upper weights.  Davie was the 2007 U.S. Nationals Greco champion and placed third in the recent Olympic Trials.  Also, some of the wrestlers took a trip to Russia this past summer where they were able to train and compete.  Coach Tim Fader came over from rival UW-La Crosse four years ago and has been steadily building the program ever since.  With two returning national qualifiers, including All-American Austin Bautista, and a slew of WIAC placewinners, Whitewater hopes to challenge La Crosse and Stevens Point for the top spot in conference.

Team: University of Wisconsin Whitewater
Head Coach:  Tim Fader (Augustana ’91)
Years at School as head coach: 4
Career Record at school: 43-36

Assistant Coaches: Head Assistant Matt Zwaschka, Pat Marsh, Russ Davie, Grad Assistant Jason Johnson, Student Assistants Jeff Prins, James Gordon

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 11-9
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Austin Bautista (141/8th), Patrick Nagel (165/NQ),
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Nagel and Bautista

Top returning starters: 125  Max Oldenburg 3rd WIAC, 133  Kyle Wachholder 4th WIAC, 141  Austin Bautista All-American & 1st WIAC, 157  Tom Trieloff 3x WIAC placer, 165 Patrick Nagel National Qualifier, 184  David Casper 3rd WIAC, 197 Karl Voeck 3x WIAC placer, 285 Sean Evans 4th WIAC

Programming Note

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There appear to be some technical problems with the Categories on d3wrestle.com.  I’m not sure what the issue is or if they’re gone for good.  Posting will continue as normal, however.

UPDATE:  Looks like they came back on their own

Wilkes Preview

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Wilkes finished third last year in the tough Metropolitan Conference and returns eight starters from a year ago.  Included are five Metro runners-up hoping to take the next step to the top of the podium in 2009.  NCAA wildcard qualifiers Erik Smith and Frank Heffernan are back, and 2x NCAA qualifier and 2006 All-American Felipe Queiroz returns after an abbreviated 2007-2008.  35 match winner Shaun Farnham just missed the NCAA tournament last year after dropping a 3-2 decision to Kyle Flickinger of York to earn the top alternate position for the conference.  The second alternate spot went to Zach Pizarro who also returns at 197.  The team won 19 duals last season, and NJ placewinner Anthony Dattolo, state qualifiers Josh Burman and Buddy Gouger, and the talented Richard Sparks will help reinforce a lineup that only lost two starters to graduation.

Team:  Wilkes University
Head Coach: Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes ’98)
Years at School as head coach: 6th
Career Record at school:  62-40-1
Assistant Coaches: Mitch Marcks, Trevor Hiffa

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 19-7-1
2007-2008 National Qualifiers: Erik Smith 149 and Frank Heffernan 165
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Felipe Queiroz (6th/125/2006, NQ/125/2007), Smith, and Heffernan

Top returning starters: 125 Shaun Farnham 2nd Metro 35-16, 133 Josh Pauling 4th Metro 24-12, 149 Erik Smith 2nd Metro (NQ) 31-13, 165 Frank Heffernan 2nd Metro (NQ) 32-12, 197 Zach Pizarro 2nd Metro 27-9, 285 Andrew Feldman 2nd Metro

Top incoming wrestlers: 133 Josh Burman NJ SQ, 141 Anthony Dattolo 5th NJ, 157 Richard Sparks 21-0 before injury NJ, 174 Buddy Gouger PA SQ

Baldwin-Wallace Preview

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The past few seasons have found Baldwin-Wallace as a fixture at the NCAA tournament, as multiple wrestlers have come home with All-American honors.  Among these are current Yellow Jacket assistants Bryan Kmetz and Gino Russo.  Russo finished 2008 as a 2x All-American while Kmetz made the NCAA final at 285 in 2007.  These coaches hope to help Head Coach Rich Fleming mold the team into a competitive unit to have their best performance at the OAC Championships in February.  Five starters return, including OAC placewinners Brian Bucher (133) and Andrew Scavuzzo (184).  The team has nine juniors and seniors planning to put their college wrestling experience to use in working toward success at the OAC and beyond in 2008-2009.

Team: Baldwin-Wallace College
Head Coach: Rich Fleming (Miami of Ohio ’63)
Years at School as head coach: 21st season
Career Record at schoo: 136-218-5
Assistant Coaches: Bryan Kmetz, Gino Russo

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 7-18-1
2007-2008 All-American: Gino Russo (6th/165)

Top returners:   Brian Bucher, 133, 23-8, 4th OAC;  Andrew Scavuzzo, 184, 21-15, 3rd OAC

Elizabethtown Preview

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In six years at Elizabethtown, Eric walker has taken the Blue Jays on a long road from barely fielding a team to a full roster that is competitive in any dual meet.  All ten starters are back for Elizabethtown, and a strong recruiting class will fill in behind them.  The top two returners are likely the mid-lineup duo of Bud Croswell at 149 and Jereme Heisey at 157.  Both topped 20 wins last year, and Croswell was the top seed heading into the Metropolitan Conference tournament.  Etown’s top finisher at the Metro was rising junior Deron Sharp who finished in 3rd as one of seven Elizabethtown starters to have a winning record.  Pennsylvania AA state champ Tyler Erdman is the prize recruit for 2008-2009 after going 44-1 last year on his way to the title.  Chad Frankhouser is another PA lightweight who was 6th in PA at 125 last year.  State qualifiers Will Bentley and Kyle deeds, along with transfers Mike Eckenroth and Kyle D’Amato also join the squad this year.

Team:  Elizabethtown College
Head Coach: Eric Walker (Lycoming ’00)
Years at School as head coach: 6
Career Record at school: 16-59
Assistant Coaches: Dan Bechtold, Nate Niman

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 6-9

Top returning starters with accomplishments: 125 Marty Harnish – 14-14; 133 Eric Rhoads – 13-8; 149 Bud Croswell – 4th Metro 20-8; 157 Jereme Heisey – 22-12; 184 Billy Meaney – 13-13; 197 Deron Sharp – 3rd Metro 17-10; 285 Tim Katzaman – 4th Metro 17-14

Top incoming wrestlers: Will Bentley – PA state qualifier; Tyler Erdman – PA state champion; Chad Frankhouser – PA 6th; Kyle Deeds – PA state qualifier; Mike Eckenroth – transfer from Pitt; Kyle D’Amato – transfer from Middlesex CC

Simpson Preview

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Clint Manny takes the reigns at his alma mater as he tries to bring Simpson back to the NCAA tournament.  The d3wrestle.com interview with Manny can be found here.  Twins Calvin and Curtis Barber return to lead the Storm, though both are moving up.  2007 national qualifier Curtis Barber moves up to 157 or 165 while brother Calvin Barber will move up to 149.  Also battling for the spot at 157 is senior captain Ben Hektoen.  He will be one of few upperclassmen on a young team.  Caleb Brus rounds out the returners after topping 20 wins in his inaugural season and placing sixth at the IIAC Championships.

Team: Simpson College
Head Coach: Clint Manny (Simpson ’04)
Years at School as head coach: 1st
Assistant Coaches: Bob Dyer, Drew Duff, Jared Creason, Garrett South

2007-2008 Dual Meet record last year:4-10
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Curtis Barber (2007 National Qualifier)

Top returning starters:
Curtis Barber – 2007 National Qualifier, 28-13 last year, 157/165
Calvin Barber – 12-5 last year at 141 before concussions ended season, 149
Caleb Brus – 22-16 last year as a freshman, 6th IIAC, 141
Ben Hektoen – 157 senior captain, 14-12 in 2007-2008

Top incoming wrestlers: John Bunch: HWT, Austin Glick: 125, Levi Vogel: 133, Tommy Mosher: HWT, Casey Miller: 125

Buena Vista Preview

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Sevond Cole returns five of last year’s starters at Buena Vista for his first year as head coach.  Tops among these are 4th place finisher Aaron Cook who may move up from 149 to 157 this season.  Also back is NCAA qualifier Julian Mancha.  Mancha was planning to transfer to Iowa State, but the Minnesota native ultimately decided to return to BV to seek his first All-American award.  Rounding out the returning starters is 125lb. Mike Miille and 197 lb. Brian Stueve.  Both placed in the IIAC last  year and hope to garner one of the automatic qualifying spots in 2008-2009.  They will help to pick up the slack left by graduated 4x All-American Jestin Hulegaarg, who wrapped up an outstanding career with an 8th place finish in 2008.  The recruiting class brought into Buena Vista is diverse with nine different states represented.  Another year of experience for Cook and Mancha along with a strong incoming class has Cole and the Beavers aiming to improve on last season’s fifth place IIAC finish.

Team: Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Sevond Cole (Buena Vista ’01)
Years at School as head coach: 1st
Assistant Coaches: Dana Vote, Jamie Taxted, and Josh Murray (student assistant)

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record: 10-5
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: Aaron Cook (4th/149), Justin Hulegaard (8th/133), Julian Mancha (165)
Returning Qualifiers and All-Americans: Cook and Mancha
Number of returning wrestlers who competed in your 2008 national qualifier: 5

Top returning starters: Aaron Cook – All American, 2nd IIAC; Mike Miille – 5th IIAC Conference Tournament; Julian Mancha – 3rd IIAC; Brian Stueve – 4th IIAC

Top incoming wrestlers: Derek Toney- 2x Washington State Champion, Jacob Ingalls 7th Iowa State Tournament, Brute-Adidas All-American, Jordan Troshynski-2x IA State medalist 5th and 4th, Roman Villegas-6th and 2nd Kansas State Tournament, Josh Wilkins-2x High School Conference Champion, Cadet Greco All-American, Brute-Adidas All-American, Lee Beumer 3x Iowa State Qualifier, 3x High School Conference Champion

Olivet Preview

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Olivet narrowly missed the top ten last year, finishing 11th by 3.5 points, but they return all of their point scorers from the NCAA tournament.  Former runners-up Jason Brew (157) and Kyle Vanderhyde (174) each return for their final seasons of competition.  Joining them will be seven other starters from last year’s Midwest Regional runner-up team.  The top incoming wrestler is likely Central Michigan transfer and former Michigan state champ Blake Birmingham who returns after a year away from the mats.  Sophomore Vince Tucker-Lahar is back after a 28 win freshman campaign at 149, though he will drop to 141 for 2008-2009.  Adding to the excitement for this year is the construction of a new wrestling room, coaches offices, and weight room that will be used by the Olivet team this year.

Team: Olivet College
Head Coach: Todd Hibbs (Mount Union ’89)
Years at School as head coach: 5th
Career Record at school: 46-17-2
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Therrian

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record:  7-7
2007-2008 National Qualifiers and All-Americans: 157, Jason Brew (157/2nd), Kyle Vanderhyde (174/4th)
Returning All-Americans:  Brew and Vanderhyde

Top returning starters:  157 – Jason Brew, NCAA Runner-Up; 174 – Kyle Vanderhyde, 2X All-American, 2nd and 4th; 141 Vince Tucker, 28 wins as a freshman at 149

Top incoming wrestlers:  149/165, Blake Birmingham, Central Michigan transfer, former MHSAA state champion; 165, Caleb Norville, 2X Indiana state placer

Norwich Preview

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Brian Zane was a surprise winner at the 2008 NEWA Championships, finishing above his third seed and earning a trip to the NCAA Championships in his final season.  He, along with two other NEWA placewinners have graduated from Norwich, leaving Head Coach Rich Hasenfus with a young team featuring four returning starters and a single senior.  Joining the returning wrestlers will be a class of 20 freshman hoping to crack the young lineup and build the valuable experience that will serve them well as the team matures and prepares for future success.

Team: Norwich University
Head Coach: Rich Hasenfus
Years at School as head coach: 12
Assistant Coaches: Alex Whitney, Brian Zane

2007-2008 Dual Meet Record:7-9
2007-2008 National Qualifier: Brian Zane (133)

Top returning starters: Clayton Brittingham 12- 15, Jake Ferguson 12-5

Top incoming wrestlers: Josh Bolduc, Todd Arthur, Ray Gauthier, Raistlin Delisle

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