SC Wrestling News 2008-2009
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry College's 2009 Fall Columbia Wrestling Academy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team Palmetto Inc Annual Meeting Aug 30th Lexington HS 2pm The annual Team Palmetto Inc. meeting will be Aug 30th, 2pm @ Lexington high School. This is an election year so all offices are up. Current Positions: Board of Directors: Ed Coles Russ Howard Michael Sanders Officers: President - Michael Sanders Vice President - John Mitchell Secretary - Bill Patterson Treasurer - Don Ashby Also on the agenda: NUWAY involvement ES Duals Division will now have two divisions (club and All Star) Palmetto Duals Each club (with 10 or more members) gets a vote. Be there to have your vote counted. Be there to voice your opinion. Be there to get involved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick James USA Wrestling All-American Daily Journal/Daily Messenger Seneca SC. By CHAD DORSETT (Special to the Daily Journal / Daily Messenger) July 10, 2009 Patrick James, 14, of Westminster earned All-American honors at the ASIC Kids Nationals wrestling tournament earlier this month in Orem, Utah, with a sixth-place finish in the freestyle competition and an eighth-place finish in Greco. WESTMINSTER — Wikipedia defines All-Americans as honorary members of a sports team composed of outstanding amateur players, those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position. That is a good way to describe 14-year-old Patrick James of Westminster. James competed in the ASIC Kids Nationals wrestling tournament June 28–July 1 in Orem, Utah. In the 128-pound weight class, James took home sixth place in freestyle and eighth place in Greco. To be named All-American, wrestlers had to place in the top eight in their respective weight class. “It was a very tough tournament, there were a lot of kids in it, and it’s a great feeling earning All-American in both divisions,” James said. Youth from across the country competed in the open tournament, which featured some of the best amateur wrestlers in the United States. “I’m just extremely proud of him, I feel like his hard work has paid off,” said a very proud mom, Jenni James. “He works harder than anybody I know. I’m just glad to see it pay off.” Patrick’s three younger brothers are also involved in wrestling. 10-year-old Ian, 8-year-old Clayton and even 4-year-old Caleb attend practice together at the JET Wrestling Club. “I owe a lot to JET,” Patrick said. “I wouldn’t be wrestling without the club program. It’s made me what I am today in wrestling and I’m very thankful to my coaches for all that they have taught me.” Patrick has been wrestling for the last four years and was introduced to the demanding sport by his father, Thomas, who was an accomplished high school wrestler at West-Oak High School. “Patrick earning All-American honors speaks highly of him and his tremendous effort,” said JET head wrestling coach Adam Duncan. “He is totally committed to being the best he can be. He never misses a practice and does extra workouts. He really defines champion.” In just its fourth year of existence, the JET Wrestling Club is already making its presence known in South Carolina. It has produced four individual high school state champions, numerous state placers and qualifiers, and four All-Americans. On March 31, Patrick, along with Cody Eller and Phillip Kern earned All-American honors by finishing in the top eight in their respective weight classes and divisions at the National Amateur Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. “Patrick did awesome and we are so proud of him,” said JET director Jason Tannery. “Our goal for the club has been to produce All-Americans, and this year has been a fortunate one since we had three kids earn four All-American honors.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Annual Wrestling under the lights - July 25 in Greenwood, SC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOODALE NAMED LIMESTONE WRESTLING HEAD COACH GAFFNEY, S.C.—Limestone College Director of Athletics Mike Cerino has announced that Trent Goodale has been named the Head Coach for the Saints wrestling program. Goodale served as the Interim Head Coach for Limestone during the 2008-09 season. “I am very excited about the opportunity to continue to build the wrestling program at Limestone College,” said Goodale. “There is a lot of work yet to be done for this program to be where I want it to be. I very much believe in this program and this school. I look forward to what is yet to come.” Goodale was named Interim Head Coach in the fall of 2008 after former coach Ben Stehura accepted the head coaching job at Cleveland State University The Limestone wrestling program continued to be successful under Goodale’s direction in 2008-09. The team was nationally-ranked for several weeks, and sent two wrestlers to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Goodale also coached Joby Shreckhise to an All-American finish at nationals. Goodale first joined the Saints’ staff as an assistant coach in 2006. A native of Osage, Iowa, he attended the University of Iowa where he earned a bachelor of arts in communication studies. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Hawkeyes and was a 2004 NCAA Division I national qualifier. He was also a two-time Fila Junior All-American in freestyle. Goodale’s prior coaching experience includes volunteering as an assistant coach during college with the Iowa City West High School and working several University of Iowa Athletic Camps. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coach Brad Porter of Cheraw retires ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coach Anthony Martin of Abbeville was named the South Carolina Wrestling Coach of the Year for 2008-2009 by the S.C. Wrestling Coaches Association. Congratulations! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team Palmetto Results at Ohio Tournament of Champions Duals MIDDLE SCHOOL A Division 1. JUNIOR TERPS (MD) 2. WASHINGTON COUNTY (PA) 3. TEAM GEORGIA (GA) MIDDLE SCHOOL B Division 1. TEAM PALMETTO (SC) - went 5-0 beating teams from NY, IN, MI, PA, OH 2. BIG SPRING (PA) 3. TEAM COBRA (NY) HIGH SCHOOL A Division 1. VIKING PHAT BOYZ (MI) 2. MYWAY (MI) 3. PITT BULLS (PA) HIGH SCHOOL B Division 1. CLUB CHIN CUP (NY) 2. TEAM COBRA (NY) 3. TEAM PALMETTO (SC) Team Palmetto MS record over the past month is 10-4, defeating the following out of state teams: Team Palmetto (MS) recent wins over the past month: SC 54, NC 36 SC 63, MO 34 SC 69, WY 24 SC 80, ND 20 SC 55, SD 34 SC 42, PA 33? SC 39, MI 34 SC 57, IN 14 SC 55, OH 19 SC 58, NY 16 Congratualtions to all our Team Palmetto wrestlers and coaches!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry College Wrestling, the 2009 DII National Runner Up and sponsor of 15 sports, is seeking applications for the full-time position of Assistant Wrestling Coach. The Assistant Coach will assist the Head Coach in the administration of all aspects of the Division II wrestling program. Duties include ability to demonstrate wrestling skills and techniques, hands on training with the athletes on a daily basis, practice planning and coaching, recruiting, scheduling and travel management; assisting in the academic progress and retention of student-athletes; engaging in fund raising; assisting with camps and clinics. Candidates must be committed to the academic and athletic success of the student-athlete and have a thorough knowledge and understanding of NCAA rules and regulations. Qualifications: Bachelors degree required at time of position start date. Successful coaching or competing experience at the Division I or Division II collegiate level preferred. Application: Please mail cover letter, resume and references to: Newberry Wrestling, Attn: Jason Valek, 2100 College Street,Newberry SC 29108. Or e-mail to jason.valek@newberry.edu Review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until job is filled. Job Start Date: July 1st, 2009. Jason Valek Director of Wrestling & Head Coach Newberry College 2100 College Street Newberry SC 29108 (803)321-5659 Office (803)944-0599 Cell Phone jason.valek@newberry.edu 2009 NCAA Division II Runner Up 2009 NWCA National Team Championship Runner Up 2008 & 2009 Super Region I Champions 2008 & 2009 Super Region I Dual Champions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have two used mat racks for sale if anyone is interested. They are the MR3-W - Winch Loading Model Retail price for a new one is $6350. We're trying to get rid of them so the price is $1500 apiece. Let me know if you're interested. Thx, Kevin Emily KEmily@lexington1.net Head Wrestling Coach White Knoll High School ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2009 North American Beach Wrestling Championships Laskin Road (31st Street) & Atlantic Ave, Oceanfront, Virginia Beach,VA *June 5 (Pre-registration & Open Workouts) *June 6 (Registration & Individual Championships) *June 7 (“Beach Brawl” – Team Duals) The North American Beach Wrestling Championships will be held during the 16th North American Sand Soccer Championships, www.sandsoccer.com, which is the largest Sand Soccer Championships in the world with over 10,000 competitors. This year’s beach wrestling championships will be held on the “Beach” next to the 30 ton, 60 foot tall “King Neptune” Sculpture at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Each match is 3 periods, win 2 out of 3 periods and you win the match! Two scoring maneuvers win the period. Wrestlers will be paired for maximum matches and challenge circles will be available. Beach Wrestling is a combination of the many wrestling styles (Folkstyle, Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Sumo). Action Packed in a 20 foot circle in the sand! Point of contact – Jim Lambert (757-513-6398 / jlambert@nps.k12.va.us) or Frank Lipoli (757-652-7861 / flipoli@nps.k12.va.us) *USAW cards available at registration or online.* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Registration: (3 methods) 1. Mail forms to SEWC, 841 Artesia Way, Va.Beach, VA 23456 2. Email form to jlambert@nps.k12.va.us 3. Register on Friday, June 5th during open workouts *Satellite Weigh-ins must be received by 7pm, Friday, June 5th* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tournament Schedule: Friday, June 5th *530pm-7pm ~ Registration and Check-in, Open Workouts Saturday, June 6th – “Individual Championships” *9-10am ~ Late Check-in and Walk-up Registrations *1130am ~ Rules Clinic and Demo *1145am ~ Wrestling begins & continues until conclusion (Awards to top 4 presented as a weight class is completed) Sunday, June 7th – “Beach Brawl – Team Duals” *11am ~ Team Duals “Draft” (Wrestlers that are not on teams enter team draft) – 7 wrestlers per team *1130am ~ Team Intros/Team Duals Begin Divisions: Elementary, Middle School, High School, Open/College/Military Weight Classes: **NO Set weight classes – Madison Grouping System** Entry Fee: $30 (Military $25) – Fee good for both days! 2009 North American Beach Wrestling Championships Registration Form *Name____________________________________________________ *Address__________________________________________________ *City____________________ State____ Zip__________ *Division (Elem, MS, HS, Open/College/Military)___________________*Weight Class____________ *Age__________ *Team/Club_____________________________ *Phone #______________________ *Email___________________ *Parent/Guardian (if under 18 yrs of age)________________________ *Emergency Contact (Name and #)______________________________ *Additional Information or Questions: ~Jim Lambert ( 757-513-6398 / jlambert@nps.k12.va.us ) ~Frank Lipoli ( 757-652-7861 / flipoli@nps.k12.va.us ) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gamecock Wrestling Club We have ended our first season in the NCWA and we had two national qualifiers, Solomon Addico at 125, who graduated from Ridgeview High School and Kent Johnson at 174. We are looking for a volunteer coach. We hope to be practicing 3 to four days a week during the season next year and we are were allocated money to get all new singlets. If interested in the volunteer coach position please contact: Brian Wolfe President Gamecock Wrestling Club WOLFEBA@mailbox.sc.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brieana Delgado won the USAW Girls Folkstyle National Championships at 123 lbs. in Oklahoma this weekend ... Congratulations!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-Eastside coach Coles named to National Wrestling Hall of Fame ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironman Warmup April 11 at Cheraw with Travis Drake - updated with PDF file link ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamilton battles back to earn wrestling All-American status ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NC will bring down their MS team that will be competing in Iowa (MS National Championships) to take on your Team Palmetto MS team. These two represented their states last year to finish 17th and 18th at the MS National Championships last year in Indianola Iowa. Both teams will be making a trek back out to Iowa this year. You will get to see a sneak preview of future champions. Last years MS teams had this year's SC and NC State Champions and State qualifiers. Names like Wigger, Chris Caton(NC), Kyle Lowe, Dudley, Pritchett, Licina represented these MS teams last year. This year's teams will be no exception. You will see kids that have a good chance of being HS stars in coming years. Names like Holliday(Abbeville), Hannah(Chesterfield), Sayre(Daniel), Pirkle(Ware Shoals), Connor(Byrnes), Walker(Eastside), Heirs(Bamberg), etc....... According to the NC coaches they think they have even a better team than they last year and expect to finish even higher this year. And Team Palmetto is represented by more MS state Champions than ever before. Should be a CLASSIC CLASH......probably coming down to the last match to win the dual!!! N.C. v Team Palmetto (Middle School) March 29th at 2 pm Admission $5 Lugoff Elgin Middle School 75 Jobe Sherard - BHP (MS State Champ) 75 David Walker - Eastside(AAU State Champ) 80 Cole Anderson - Eastside(AAU State Champ) 85 Daquan Bush - Columbia 85 Cody Pirkle - Ware Shoals(MS State Champ) 90 Nicholas Young - Statford (MS State Champ) 95 Charlie Conner - Byrnes (MS State Champ) 100 Clay Walker - Eastside (MS State Champ) 105 Joey Antoine - Westside (MS State Champ) 110 Brady Whiteside - Palmetto 115 Lan Hiers - Bamberg (MS State Champ) 120 John Van Slooten - North Myrtle Beach (MS State Champ) 125 Patrick James - Jet(Dixie National Placer) 125 Player Long - Bamberg (MS Runner up) 130 Ellison Sanders - Hillcrest (MS State Champ) 130 Harrison Kruger - Lugoff (MS State Champ) 135 Kyle Sayre - Daniel(MS State Champ) 140 Michael Timms - Westside (MS State Placer) 145 Dylan Legette - Stratford (MS State Qualifier) 152 Derrick Miller - Lugoff (MS State Placer) 152 Logan Friddle - Abbeville (MS State Qualifier) 160 Billy Thompson - Cheraw (MS State Qualifier) 171 Jerelle Hannah - Chesterfield (MS State Champ) 171 Allen Jenerette - Lugoff (MS State Runner up) 189 Dillon Holiday - Abbeville (MS State Champ) 189 Quinton Lewis - Cheraw (MS State Qualifier) 285 Tre Long - Eastside (MS State Champ) Coach Dallas Watson - Chesterfield Coach Ted Monroe - Lugoff Elgin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cee-Jay Hamilton, a Jr. from Anderson Univeristy, captured a 5th place finish and NCAA All-American honors Saturday at the 2009 NCAA DII Wrestling Championships in Houston, TX. The former Dorman High School state finalist (2004), defeated Andy Forstner of Minnesota State Mankato by a 9-1 major decision in the 125 lbs. 5th place consolation match. Interestingly, it was Forstner, who sent Hamilton to the consolation brackets with a 4-2 decision in the first round of the championships on Friday, only to be beaten by the Anderson University Trojan on Saturday. Hamilton's achievement makes him the first Dorman wrestler to ever become an NCAA All-American, as well only the 3rd Anderson University wrestler to achieve such an honor. Hamilton transfered to Anderson from Marion Military Institute in the fall, where he won back-to-back NCWA national championships (2007, 2008). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Griffin, Wainwright earn National Championships; Newberry places second at Nationals Pair are Newberry's first and second NCAA National Champions in any sport 3/14/2009 HOUSTON, Texas - Newberry College has placed second in the Division II National Championships and the pair of Keeno Griffin and Cy Wainwright have become Newberry's first and second-ever NCAA National Champions. The scarlet and gray finished behind University of Nebraska-Omaha, who dominated the tournament finishing with 146.5 points as Newberry had 80.5 to finish as the runner-up. Finishing third was Minnesota State-Mankato with 71.5 points and fourth place was Nebraska-Kearney with 65. The runner-up placing was Newberry's first ever NCAA trophy and was the highest finish for the wrestling program in its short existence. The scarlet and gray had six All-Americans in total, a program record, with two national champions, a third place, one fourth place as well as a sixth and eighth. "It is a phenomenal accomplishment for these young men to come away with a national runner-up finish," head coach Jason Valek stated. "We look forward to continue in bettering ourselves so that we can also bring home a national title to Newberry, S.C." In the championship match, Griffin scored a 3-2 decision over No. 5 Jacob Marrs of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Griffin scored a takedown in the opening period to garner the lead. Griffin won the match as he had 1:12 of riding time to give him a bonus point. The victory gave Newberry its first individual national champion in any sport. The 2009 season ended for Griffin, a redshirt-junior with a 33-2 record and 22-straight victories as he became a two-time All-American. "It feels great to become a national champion after four years of hard work at Newberry", Griffin stated. "It has been a great year for our team and for me personally so this validates everything we have so hard worked for." No. 1 Wainwright took on No. 3 Dustin Finn of Central Oklahoma and came away with a 6-4 decision to cap his perfect season. Wainwright scored two takedowns in the opening period to take the lead. Finn tied the match in the third period, but Wainwright scored an escape and then an additional point for riding time. The victory gave Wainwright the national championship and Newberry's second ever individual national championship. "In order for me to win the national championship it took a lot of believing in myself and setting out to accomplish my goals," Wainwright declared. "Like Keeno, I wanted to be a national champ and now that I am it feels great." Wainwright finished the 2009 campaign with a perfect 36-0 record and a 38-match winning streak to go along with his second-straight All-American honor. Newberry finishes the season with a 23-2 record, which includes a 11-0 record against Super Region I opponents. The scarlet and gray racked up hardware from several tournaments, which includes the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals Runner-up, Midwest Classic Champions, Super Region I Champions, East Coast Duals Champions and 2009 NCAA Division II National Runner-ups. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry's Wainwright looks to add a national title to his impressive resume ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Odie Delaney Takes SoCon Title; Bulldogs Place Fourth Charleston, S.C. – True freshman Odie Delaney claimed the Southern Conference Championship title at the 197-pound weight class Saturday night. A total of seven Bulldog grapplers placed in the top four with four making trips to the awards stand. The Citadel wrestling team took fourth place in the conference championships March 7, in McAlister Field House. The Citadel took home a fourth place team finish racking up 55 points in the day of conference action. The Moc grapplers notched an impressive 104 points en route to their fifth straight SoCon Title. Chattanooga claimed the team title with 104 points, UNC Greensboro took the second place spot on the podium with 73 points, while Appalachian State secured third with 63 points. The teams from VMI and Davidson earned fifth and sixth place finishes respectively. The Bulldogs had three grapplers make it to the finals round for their respective weight classes, including Delaney who secured a first place and Tyler Sim and J.C. Oddo who both placed second. Four other wrestlers also placed for The Citadel, heavyweight Aaron Brown took home third and Richard Alarcon, Derek Sickel and Kelby Smith earned fourth place honors. Bonus points were being earned in almost every weight class of the 2009 SoCon Tournament. Fifteen falls, one technical fall and 14 major decisions sprinkled throughout the event’s 81 matches made for an exciting day of wrestling. The extra effort was seen from all of the athletes that took that mat, including the 2009 Freshman of the Year Jason McCroskey who recorded a fall in the third period of his semi-finals match. Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament recipients Cody Cleveland and Chris Bencivenga together amassed 19 points in two matches with two major decisions and one thrilling fall in the 141-pound finals bout. Eleven grapplers earned bids to the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, Mo. with their outstanding performances at the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament. All ten individual weight class champions, 125-pound Demetrius Johnson, 133-pound Frank Celorrio, 141- pound Cleveland, 149-pound Dan Waddell, 157-pound Joseph Knox, 165-pound Seth Garvin, 174-pound McCroskey, 184-pound Mikal McKee, 197-pound Odie Delaney and heavyweight Josh Wine received automatic bids with Bencivenga, the victor of the true second bout at 141 pounds claiming the eleventh. No. 1 seeded 125-pound Sim dominated in the semi-finals match against VMI’s Johnathan Pope marking an 8-3 decision. Sim advanced to the finals where he faced Chattanooga’s Demetrius Johnson for the championship title. Sim and Johnson battled for the advantage and Johnson was able to strike first with a two point takedown in the first period. Sim answered back with an escape, but Johnson eventually took Sim down two more times to finish with a 7-3 decision to grab the championship title. Sim finished out the season with a 20-4 overall record. The fastest fall of the Championships came in the first round of competition as 149-pound Citadel grappler Justin Sparrow stuck Davidson’s David DeCamp in 28 seconds. The young Bulldog was then out maneuvered by the No. 2 seeded Ben Wilmore of UNGG 8-3. The 174-pound grapplers went on a scoring frenzy with only one of the weight’s matches not ending in a shutout or fall. The Citadel’s No. 3 seeded Oddo notched the events one and only technical fall, blanking Logan Parce of Appalachian State 15-0 in just 1:52. The Bulldog redshirt freshman followed his first round show with a second shutout against the No. 2 seeded Byron Sigmon of UNCG with an 8-0 major decision. Oddo faced the newly crowned Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Chattanooga's Jason McCroskey in the finals bout and was unable to continue his offensive strike, falling to the No. 1 seed and picking up the second place finish. Bulldog 197-pound No.1 seed Odie Delaney received a bye and faced VMI’s Ronald Ellsworth in the semi-finals. Delaney had a 5-0 lead heading into the third period of action. The Citadel’s true freshman was able to hold on for the shutout and advanced to the finals with a 6-0 decision over the Keydet’s Ellsworth. The Citadel fans got behind their first national qualifier in three years when true freshman Odie Delaney took the mat for the 197-pound pound championship. The Bulldog grappler entered the event undefeated in the Southern Conference and finished the day maintaining a zero in the conference loss column. Delaney took the title after a 4-2 match with the Mountaineers’ David Pritz. “I am really happy for Delaney," stated head wrestling coach Rob Hjerling. For where we were and how young our guys are I am very pleased with how the season went. It was a productive season and one to build off of. I’m ready to get these guys started for next year.” Heavyweight Bulldog Aaron Brown defeated Appalachian State’s Brandon Brothers in the opening round 8-2 to advance to the semi-finals. Brown then faced the No. 2 seed from UNCG Joseph Sheffield. Brown battled hard but the Spartans' heavyweight would not allow a takedown in the final seconds of the match. Sheffield held on to win the match 3-2 advancing him to the championship round to face the defending champion from VMI Josh Wine. Brown went into the consolation finals to take on Charlie Wolff from Davidson. Brown left no room for question as he finished with a score of 7-3. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lonestar State and National Tournament Awaits No. 3 Newberry The scarlet and gray will be looking for Newberry's first national championship 3/11/2009 HOUSTON, Texas - The No. 3 Newberry College wrestling team is set to compete at the NCAA Division II NCAA Tournament this Friday and Saturday in Houston, Texas. Two weeks ago, the scarlet and gray qualified eight wrestlers for nationals at the Super Region I Tournament. Newberry won the regional tournament for the second straight year beating out other ranked teams; No. 8 Pittsburgh-Johnstown, No. 14 West Liberty State and No. 20 Mercyhurst for the title. At Nationals, the scarlet and gray will be looking to improve upon last year's eighth place finish and potentially win Newberry's first national championship in school history. The first session on Friday is set to begin at 11 a.m. CST with the second session beginning at 6 p.m., which will feature the second round of the championship bracket as well as the first and second round of the consolation bracket. Action will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. with championship bracket semifinals as well as the consolation third round, consolation semifinals and the 3rd, 5th and 7th place matches. Following the third session will be the Parade of All-Americans at 5:30 p.m. with the championship finals beginning at 6 p.m. ~ Newberry First Round Preview - The 2009 Edition of the NCAA D-II Tournament kicks off for Newberry as Super Region I Champion at 125 lbs., Matt Oliver faces Alex Meger from Augustana College. Meger, who is 7-8 on the year, placed fourth in the Super Region III with a 1-2 record, which included a medical forfeit in the third place bout. Third place finisher at Super Region I, Andrew Young faces Marques Bravo of Western State, who finished second in the West Regional. Young (16-7) is ranked No. 5 nationally and is a 2008 All-American at 133 lbs., while Bravo (28-5) is ranked No. 8 nationally. Three-time national qualifier Latra Collick faces Mike Long of Augustana College in the opening round at 149 lbs. Collick, who finished second at the Super Region I, is ranked No. 7 and is 25-8 on the year, while Long is 10-6 and placed third at the West Region going 2-1. Brandon Kelly, who placed third at the Super Region I, battles Justin Shannon of Findlay at 165 lbs. Shannon (24-11) placed second in Super Region II going 2-1 and is also a 2008 NCAA D-II qualifier, while being ranked No. 4 in the nation. For Kelly, this will be his first NCAA appearance as he has gone 28-8 on the year. Super Region I fourth place finisher, Josh Whitelock squares off with Mitch Norton of Upper Iowa at 174 lbs. Norton is ranked No. 7 and placed second at the Super Region III tournament, while finishing the season with a 21-2 record. Whitelock is 24-10 on the year and has won two tournaments; Midwest Classic and the Ed South Invitational. Super Region I fourth place finisher Bryant Blanton encounters No. 5 Kyle Sand in the first round at 184 lbs. Blanton placed fourth at the Super Region I and is currently 27-7 on the year with a team leading 16 pinfalls. Sand won the West Region Championship going 4-0 and improving his season record to 17-10. Super Region I Champion at 197 lbs. and 2008 All-American Keeno Griffin has a first round match with Findlay's Andrejs Zalaiskalns, who is 32-12 on the year. Zalaiskalns placed fourth at the Super Region II and has faced Griffin twice this year losing both times by a decision. No. 4 Griffin is 29-2 on the year and has an 18-match winning streak that dates back to Jan. 4. Super Region I Champion and 2008 All-American at 285 lbs., Cy Wainwright faces Jared Little in the opening round. Little is 11-9 on the year, while placing fourth at the Super Region III. Wainwright is the top ranked wrestler at 285 lbs., with a 32-0 record and a 34-match winning streak. ~ Pursuit of Perfection - Cy Wainwright, the top ranked heavyweight, is 32-0 on the year and is one of four undefeated wrestlers in the national tournament. Wainwright leads the other three unblemished wrestlers in overall victories as his nearest competitor, Craig Becker of Wisconsin Parkside, is 30-0 on the year. Adding to his perfect record, Wainwright has defeated five nationally ranked wrestlers this year and has scored bonus points on every D-II wrestler he has faced thus far, which his something that the other three can not claim. ~ Percentage Lead - Despite being a true sophomore, Matt Oliver became the Super Region I Champion at 125 lbs., and holds the best winning percentage among other regional champions at 125 lbs. Oliver, who is 27-3 on the year, has a winning percentage of 0.900. His nearest competitor, Super Region IV champion Aresnia Barksdale of Adams State holds a 0.807 winning percentage with his 21-5 record. Amongst the four region champions at 125 lbs., Oliver also has the most eligibility remaining as Super Region III champ Andy Forstner of Minnesota State-Mankato is a redshirt-sophomore. ~ Slamming the Door Shut - Keeno Griffin, the Super Region Champ at 197 lbs., came up big for Newberry this year in the team's dual matches. Not only did Griffin win 21 of his 22 dual matches, but he also clinched victories for Newberry in seven of Newberry's 23 victories. Six of those seven victories came against ranked opponents. Griffin , a 2008 All-American at 184 lbs., clinched victories for Newberry over No. 8 Pittsburgh-Johnstown, No. 8 Upper Iowa, No. 15 Limestone, No. 16 Shippensburg, No. 20 West Liberty State as well as two Division I squads No. 22 North Carolina State and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ~ King Pin - Bryant Blanton leads Newberry in pinfalls with 16 on the season, which is also a Newberry record for most falls in a season. Blanton broke the previous mark of 11 at the Ed South Invitational (Feb. 14), where Blanton recorded two pins in his four matches, which brought him to 13 on the year. Blanton, a sophomore, is also third in career pins with 27. Eleven of Blanton's 16 pins have come in the opening period with his quickest pin being 21 seconds on Feb. 28th in the regional tournament. ~ It's Good To Be Young - Andrew Young, Super Region I Third Place Finisher at 133 lbs., will be making his fourth appearance in a national tournament in Houston. Young, a senior, will set a Newberry record for most national appearances. For the last three years, Young has competed in the D-II NCAA Tournament and placed seventh last year making him an All-American. In Young's first year at Newberry, he qualified for the NWCA National Tournament on Newberry's inaugural club team. ~ Tra-Fecta - For the third straight year, Latra Collick finished second at the regional tournament for Newberry at 149 lbs. qualifying him for his third straight NCAA Tournament. This year in the championship match, Collick lost to Kevin McElhaney of Gannon by a 7-3 decision. Collick boasts a 25-8 record on the year and has 65 career victories as a junior. Collick finished the season with five major decisions, eight falls and 12 decisions on his way to a 10-1 region dual record. ~ Mr. Versatility - Throughout the year, Brandon Kelly wrestled at two different weights for Newberry in dual matches (165 and 174) posting a winning record at both weights. Kelly posted a 5-2 record at 174 pounds, which includes one pin and a technical fall. At 165 lbs., Kelly had a 10-3 record and finished third at the Super Region I tournament. Kelly qualified for his first national tournament with his third place finish. ~ Technically Sound - Sophomore Josh Whitelock qualified for his first NCAA Tournament with his fourth place finish at the Super Region I at 174 lbs two weeks ago. This season, Whitelock has led the team in technical falls with six on the year, which is a Newberry record for technicals in a season. Whitelock also has seven technical falls in his career, which ties him for first in Newberry history. Whitelock is able to accumulate a large amount of technical falls because he also leads the team in two-point and three-point nearfalls by a wide margin. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Madrid's state title restored ... somewhat South edges North in North/South match Harper, Burr win championships Wrestling honor: 2 Yellow Jackets and their coach lead All-Star team FANTASTIC FOUR: Fort Mill wrestlers snag S.C. titles Westside's McCormick leads 6 area state champs Fort Mill's Fantastic Four, Rock Hill's Weston Beck bring home gold Lugoff-Elgin senior wrestler converts last chance Morris wins wrestling title in OT Wrestlers Rosenlieb, Duane crowned state champions Eagles' Coles earns fourth state crown Johnson reaches lofty expectations Newton headlines five state champions from the Lakelands Patterson closes senior season with state title Oaks rallies to win medal Newton captures 3rd title Tillman reverses script in besting Loris wrestler Sumter's Sullivan finishes second in 4A 145 class Four area wrestlers win individual state championships Rams send 12, five Braves qualify Focused Rholetter guns for fourth straight title Wrestling honor: 2 Yellow Jackets and their coach lead All-Star team SHS wrestlers head for state tournament today Tillman living his dream at state finals Hellman closing prep career Nunamaker seeks success at state SKYLAR JOHNSON: Wrestler on the rise Riverside wrestlers get final chance at state title Eastside's Poynter eager for state title Wando's James, Rubino eyeing state titles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- College wrestling ROCHESTER, Minn. | Meramec (Mo.) Community College's T.T. Prayther, a North Myrtle Beach High graduate, finished fifth in the 125-pound weight class of the Junior College Wrestling National Championships. The freshman, a two-time Toast of the Coast Wrestler of the Year and three-time Class AAA state champion, earned All-American status with his performance. The top eight finishers in each weight class earned the honor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USC Wrestling Club Championships - Mid-Atlantic Championships Qualifier for Nationals Solomon Addico placed 5th at 125 Kent Johnson placed 3rd ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry College Wrestling wins second straight Super Region I title The scarlet and gray qualified eight wrestlers for national tournament 2/28/2009 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team took home their second straight Super Region I title by mounting 135.5 team points at the tournament. The scarlet and gray had three champions, one runner-up, two third place finishers, two fourth place finishers and one sixth place finisher. Head Coach Jason Valek was also named the Super Region I coach of the year as his team finished the season with a 23-2 record and went undefeated against region teams. Eight Newberry wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament, which is the same amount that qualified last year when Newberry finished eighth. This year the tournament is being held in Houston, Texas. Coming in behind Newberry at second place was Pittsburgh-Johnstown with 108.5 points. West Liberty State took third place with 92 points and was followed by Gannon University (80.5) and Mercyhurst College (71). Claiming the first championship of the day for Newberry was Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.). Oliver won his semifinal match over No. 3 Scott Morgan of Pittsburgh-Johnstown with a 11-3 major decision and then won by medical forfeit over No. 5 Russell Weakley of UNC-Pembroke in the championship match. The championship was Oliver's first as he took second in last years regional. Oliver qualified for the national tournament for the second time in his career. Making his third straight trip to the national tournament at 133 lbs. is Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.). Young went 2-1 on the day, but claimed third place in the tournament. In his semifinal match, Young lost to the eventual champion, Shane Valko of Pittsburgh-Johnstown by a 4-1 decision. However, Young battled back to win his next match over No. 4 Mike Nash of UNC-Pembroke by a 8-3 decision. In the third place match, Young defeated sixth-seeded Nick Wykoff of West Liberty State by a 5-2 decision. Young's season record now stands at 16-7. Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.) went 1-2 on the day to claim sixth place. Washington won his first match with a 8-2 decision over No. 7 Dallas Evans of Seton Hill, but lost in his following match to No. 5 Jeremy Parker of Limestone by a 2-1 decision. In the fifth place match, Washington lost his second straight match by a point to No. 2 AJ Milanak of Gannon by a 1-0 decision. Washington failed to qualify for the national tournament as his finished his season with a 23-10 mark. At 149 lbs., Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) claimed his third-consecutive Super Region I Runner-up as he went 1-1 on the day. Collick defeated No. 5 Kayne Melko of West Liberty State in the semifinals with a 3-1 sudden victory, but then lost in the championship finals to No. 3 Kevin McElhaney of Gannon by a 7-3 decision. By claiming second place, Collick qualified for his third straight national tournament. His season record now stands at 26-8 after a 3-1 showing this weekend. Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) failed to place in the tournament as he lost to No. 2 Mike Rogers of Carson-Newman by a 10-3 decision. Byrnes went 2-2 in his first ever regional tournament as he finished his freshman campaign with a 18-12 record. At 165 lbs., Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) took home third place as he went 2-1 on the day to qualify for his first national tournament. Kelly lost to Pittsburgh-Johnstown's No. 3 Kyle Keane in the semifinals by a 5-3 decision, but won in his next match over Gannon's No. 4 Brett Terry with a 8-3 decision. In the third place match, Kelly defeated No. 6 Seth Phalen of West Liberty State by a 8-4 decision. Kelly's record improved to 28-8 as he held a 4-1 record at the region tournament. Also placing for Newberry was Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) at 174 lbs. Whitelock went 1-2 on the day to qualify for his first national tournament. In the championship semifinals, Whitelock lost by a narrow 5-4 decision to Belmont Abbey's No. 2 Adam Phillips. Whitelock responded with a 7-2 decision over Zach Lundgren of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. In the third place match, Whitelock was unable to defeat Joby Shreckhise of Limestone as he lost by a 5-1 decision. Competing in his first region tournament, Whitelock went 2-2 and improved his season record to 24-10. Top seed at 184 pounds, Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) took fourth place as he went 1-2 on the day. Blanton lost his semifinal match to No. 4 Mitch Knapp of West Liberty State in the second tiebreaker by a 4-2 score. However, Blanton rebounded with a 21-second pin of Shippensburg's Zach Hogentogler in the consolation semifinals. Blanton was unable to defeat Carson-Newman's No. 5 Landon Hall as he fell by a 4-3 decision. Despite the loss, Blanton still qualified for the national tournament, which will be his second appearance. Taking home the 197 pound crown was Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.), who finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. Griffin defeated No. 5 Zach Anderson of Anderson University by a 9-2 decision in the semifinals and then claimed a 6-2 decision over Kutztown's No. 3 Scott Snyder. Griffin's record now stands at 29-2 as the 2008 All-American will travel to nationals for the third straight year. Griffin's winning streak now stretches to 18 matches. In the heavyweight division, No. 1 Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) claimed his second straight region title as he finished the tournament with a 3-0 record. In the semifinals, Wainwright defeated UPJ's No. 5 Chris Dempsey by a pinfall at the 2:14 mark and then beat Gannon's No. 3 Frank McGrath by a 13-3 major decision. The 2008 All-American still holds a perfect record this season at 32-0 and has a winning streak of 34 matches. Wainwright will also make his third appearance at the national tournament. The Newberry College wrestling team will travel to Houston, Texas for the NCAA Division II Tournament, where they will be looking to improve upon last year's eighth place finish. Championship information can be found at the following link. More information about the Super Region I Tournament can be found on Mercyhurst's website. 125 Pound No. 2 Matt Oliver (NC) major decision over Chris Santucci (Gannon), 17-4 No. 2 Matt Oliver (NC) major decision over No. 7 Matt Hall (Limestone), 14-5 No. 2 Matt Oliver (NC) major decision over No. 3 Scott Morgan (Pittsburgh-Johnstown), 11-3 No. 2 Matt Oliver (NC) wins by medical forfeit over No. 5 Russell Weakley (UNC-Pemboke) in Championship Match - Oliver claims Super Region I championship and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 133 Pound No. 3 Andrew Young (NC) pinned John Harper (Limestone), 5:49 No. 3 Andrew Young (NC) decision over No. 6 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty State), 3-2 No. 2 Shane Valko (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) decision over No. 3 Andrew Young (NC), 4-1 No. 3 Andrew Young (NC) decision over No. 4 Mike Nash (UNC-Pembroke), 8-2 No. 3 Andrew Young decision over No. 6 Nick Wykoff (West Liberty State), 5-2 in Third Place Match - Young claims Super Region I Third Place and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 141 Pound No. 3 Tony Washington (NC) decision over Dan Butcher (St. Andrews), 5-0 No. 6 Adam Whetstone (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) decision over No. 3 Tony Washington (NC), 2-0 No. 3 Tony Washington (NC) decision over No. 4 John Paukovits (Kutztown), 5-0 No. 3 Tony Washington decision over No. 7 Dallas Evans (Seton Hill), 8-2 No. 5 Jeremy Parker (Limestone) decision over No. 3 Tony Washington (NC), 2-1 No. 2 AJ Milanek (Gannon) decision over No. 3 Tony Washington (NC), 1-0 in Fifth Place Match - Washington claims Super Region I Sixth Place 149 Pound No. 1 Latra Collick (NC) received a bye No. 1 Latra Collick (NC) won by fall over No. 8 Brett Martinez (Kutztown), 3:19 No. 1 Latra Collick sudden victory over No. 5 Kayne Melko (West Liberty State), 3-1 SV1 No. 3 Kevin McElhaney (Gannon) decision over No. 1 Latra Collick (NC), 7-3 in Championship Finals - Collick claims Super Region I Runner-up and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 157 Pound No. 6 Sean Byrnes (NC) decision over Bryce Sopko (Limestone), 3-2 TB2 No. 3 Andy Lamancusa (Mercyhurst) major decision over No. 6 Sean Byrnes (NC), 20-7 No. 6 Sean Byrnes (NC) pinned Dennis Fix (UNC-Pembroke), 2:03 No. 2 Mike Rogers (Carson-Newman) decision over No. 6 Sean Byrnes (NC), 10-3 -Byrnes eliminated from tournament 165 Pound No. 2 Brandon Kelly (NC) major decision over (Belmont Abbey), 17-3 No. 2 Brandon Kelly pinned David Edward (American International), 5:15 No. 3 Kyle Keane (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) decision over No. 2 Brandon Kelly (NC), 5-3 No. 2 Brandon Kelly (NC) decision over No. 4 Brett Terry (Gannon), 8-3 No. 2 Brandon Kelly decision over No. 6 Seth Phalen (West Liberty State), 8-4 in Third Place Match - Kelly claims Super Region I Third Place and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 174 Pound No. 3 Josh Whitelock (NC) received a bye No. 3 Josh Whitelock (NC) pinned No. 6 Will Campbell (Carson-Newman), 6:37 No. 2 Adam Phillips (Belmont Abbey) decision over No. 3 Josh Whitelock (NC), 5-4 No. 3 Josh Whitelock (NC) decision over Zach Lundgren (Pittsburgh-Johnstown), 7-2 No. 4 Joby Shreckhise (Limestone) decision over No. 3 Josh Whitelock (NC), 5-1 in Third Place Match - Whitelock claims Super Region I Fourth Place and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 184 Pound No. 1 Bryant Blanton (NC) received a bye No. 1 Bryant Blanton (NC) pinned Jerami Bartley (Belmont Abbey), 2:37 No. 4 Mitch Knapp (West Liberty State) decision over No. 1 Bryant Blanton (NC), 4-2 TB2 No. 1 Bryant Blanton (NC) pinned Zach Hogentogler (Shippensburg), 0:21 No. 5 Landon Hall (Carson-Newman) decision over No. 1 Bryant Blanton (NC), 4-3 in Third Place Match - Blanton claims Super Region I Fourth Place and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 197 Pound No. 1 Keeno Griffin (NC) major decision over Ron Oswald (Seton Hill), 19-7 No. 1 Keeno Griffin pinned Morgan Wanzer (American International), 3:50 No. 1 Keeno Griffin (NC) decision over No. 5 Zach Anderson (Anderson), 9-2 No. 1 Keeno Griffin (NC) decision over No. 3 Scott Snyder (Kutztown), 6-2 in Championship Finals - Griffin claims Super Region I Championship and qualifies for NCAA Tournament 285 Pound No. 1 Cy Wainwright (NC) received a bye No. 1 Cy Wainwright (NC) pinned No. 8 Cody Tominack (West Libery State), 2:14 No. 1 Cy Wainwright (NC) pinned No. 5 Chris Dempsey (Pittsburgh-Johnstown), 3:18 No. 1 Cy Wainwright (NC) major decision over No. 3 Frank McGrath (Gannon), 13-3 in Championship Finals - Wainwright claims Super Region I Championship and qualifies for NCAA Tournament ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIMESTONE WRESTLING FINISHES 12th at SUPER REGIONAL ERIE , PA. -- Jeremy Parker ( Winchester , Va. ) and Joby Shreckhise (Grottoes, Va. ) each placed third, while Trey Moss ( Lexington , S.C. ) earned fifth place at the NCAA DII Super Region 1 Championships hosted by Mercyhurst College . Limestone’s squad earned a total of 38 points to finish in 12th place out of 15. Newberry College won the 15-team tournament with 135.5 points, followed by Pitt-Johnstown with 108.5 points, West Liberty St. with 92 points and Gannon with 80.5 points. Parker, wrestling in the 141 lbs division, advanced to the finals over a 2-1 decision over Tony Washington of Newberry. Parker would go on to defeat Bryan Miller of UNC-Pembroke in a 13-2 decision for third place. Shreckhise would earn his 174 lbs finals appearance in a decision over Will Campbell of Carson Newman, 6-3. Josh Whitelock of Newberry would fall to Shreckhise by decision, 5-1, earning Limestone another third place finish. Moss fell in the semifinals to Cody Tominack of West Liberty State by forfeit at 2:22. The senior heavyweight would bounce back in the fifth place finals, narrowly defeating Erik Stancil of UNC-Pembroke by decision, 4-3. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beaufort County teams dominate Class 3-A Lower State wrestling meet 9 from Fort on to state 28 local wrestlers advance to state final tournament Generals' McCollister finds extra, earns berth in state Four Hillcrest wrestlers qualify for state championships Only the strongest, the lucky survive in Class AAAA Upper State individual wrestling championships Valek builds wrestling power at Newberry ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling tops all NCAA teams in victories The scarlet and gray's 21 wins is the most in the NCAA 2/12/2009 NEWBERRY , S.C. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team leads all NCAA Divisions in dual meet victories with 21. The scarlet and gray leads several Division I programs in victories including University of Iowa (20), Lehigh University (20) and Rutgers University (19). The scarlet and gray have defeated 14 national ranked teams this year as well a ranked D-I team, No. 22 North Carolina State (28-13). Newberry has a chance to gain two more dual victories this year as they face Anderson University and D-I squad UNC-Chapel Hill at home on Thursday, Feb. 19 starting at 5 p.m. Head coach Jason Valek and his squad have already set a program record for wins in a season by surpassing the previous mark of 17, which was set in 2006-07 season. Newberry also boasts seven nationally ranked wrestlers and ten wrestlers ranked in the East Region. Following the matches on next Thursday, Newberry will travel to Erie , Pa. on February 27 for the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, where they will qualify wrestlers for the national tournament held in Houston , Texas from March 13-14. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bulldogs Place Seven Grapplers All-Academy Championships Lexington, Va. – The Citadel wrestling team placed third as well as having seven individuals placers at the 15th Annual All-Academy Championships held in Lexington, Va. Feb. 7. The Bulldogs captured third place overall with a total of 69.5 points. The team from Navy took home top honors. Leading the Bulldogs was Tyler Sim who won the 125-pound title this year. Sim went 3-0 in the competition and is only the eighth Bulldog to win in the history of the competition. Fellow Bulldog J.C. Oddo placed second at 174- pounds. The Bulldog wrestlers scored some big wins against many competitive grapplers from the nation’s military academies. 141-pound Derek Royster and heavyweight Aaron Brown, both took home third place honors this year. Other Bulldogs to place were Pierre Frazile at 149 and 157-pound Keith Koziel who each placed fourth. This is the second year in a row that the current Socon wrestler of the week, Keith Koziel placed fourth. Koziel was announced SoCon wrestler of the week Feb. 4. The Citadel grapplers will be back in action on Feb. 15 as they take on two SoCon rival teams on the road. The first meet will be against Appalachian State at 1p.m. followed by another conference match-up against the Wildcats from Davidson at 7p.m. For complete results from the 15th Annual All-Academy Championships and all news on The Citadel wrestling team and Bulldog athletics visit www.CitadelSports.com. Overall Team Results: Navy 105 Army 90 The Citadel 69.5 USMMA 49 Air Force 49 Norwich 16.5 VMI 16 Coast Guard 10.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4A - Bearcats win title in dramatic fashion 4A - Rock Hill takes down Patriots for state title 3A - Eagles win unprecedented 6th straight wrestling title 3A - HHH wrestlers suffer through repeat of last year's final 2A - The third time not a charm for Loris 2A - Abbeville secures state wrestling title 2A - Abbeville hopes state title finishes improbable run ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eric Rholetter of West-Oak breaks career win record in S.C. 4A Upper State - Rock Hill wrestler advances again 4A Lower State - Triumphant Patriots go for state title 3A Upper State - Eastside advances to state final 3A Lower State - Duane's pin locks up Lower State title, another shot at Eastside for Seahawks 2A Upper State - Senior-laden Abbeville advances to state championship 2A Lower State - Lions set up for state three-peat 1A Upper State - Rams advance to state title match Rock Hill High wrestling team set to face Hillcrest with trip to title match on line Wrestling playoffs set up family reunion HHH, Battery Creek wrestlers square off tonight for Lower State title ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abbeville wrestlers advance to Upper State No. 1 Rock Hill sends Dorman home in 4A playoffs Walhalla advances to Upper State final Broome, Woodruff excel at region wrestling meet Walhalla's Hedden leads area wrestlers at Skyline tourney Rock Hill High wrestling team keeps state title quest alive with 46-12 victory over Dorman Wrestling: One is the lonliest number Hogs, Panthers to wrestle for Upper State title Walhalla bounces Crescent from third round Hilton Head High wrestlers overwhelm Camden Patriots muscle way into Lower State championship Hillcrest ousts Stallions in 2nd round Knights' Dbouk wins third wrestling state title Rock Hill sends Boiling Springs home in 4A playoffs Dorman squeaks past Fort Mill to advance Four win Region II-4A wrestling titles for Dorman Crescent defeats Woodruff in wrestling playoff tiebreaker Greer, Chapman, Union Co. do well at III-3A meet Warriors lead the way at Western AAA meet Walhalla wrestlers headed back to third round Fort Mill stunned by Dorman in 2nd round Indian Land edged out for 1A title 8 Falcons vie for Upper State wrestling titles - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emerald's Zane Newton is focused on faith Hawks advance to third round of state duals Cobras win playoff opener Knights, Goose Creek end wrestling season in second round State wrestling duals under way Hanahan wrestling team rounding into form Cobra grapplers earn historic win Hanahan wrestlers soaring to strong finish Riverside's Jamison, Smith stay unbeaten Eight Eagles collect Peach Blossom titles Hillcrest wrestlers claim five titles Bearcats keep state title quest alive Jackets drop late match to fall to Cavaliers Fort Mill wrestlers dominate region; ready for state Warriors hitting stride in wrestling playoffs Rams overcome adversity to reach third round Dorman squeaks past Fort Mill to advance Eagles send Dreher packing in 3A playoffs Demons advance in 3A at Chapin's expense Wando wrestlers know the Fort is formidable foe Lions beat feisty Blue Jackets to advance Hilton Head High wrestlers advance to second round B-HP knocks off West-Oak again Resilient McCall looking for elusive state title White Knoll, Lexington set for mat rematch Camden advances in 3A wrestling Wando guts out costly victory Rams take home Showdown crown Josh Smith, former BHP wrestler, doing well in Illinois ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is now time to get nominations in for the 2009 SC Chapter inductees to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. If someone has a nomination in mind they need to get the form filled out and turned in to Coach Eddie Cook. You can get in touch with Eddie Cook at ECook@rock-hill.k12.sc.us with any questions. HOF state chapter nomination Word document - right click and select Save Target As
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling remains as No. 2 in nation; Wainwright ranked No. 1 Cy Wainwright is ranked as the top wrestler in the nation at 285 pound weight class 2/4/2009 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team remained at No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association Poll, released today. Cy Wainwright became the first Newberry wrestler in school history to be ranked No. 1 in the nation. In total, the scarlet and gray have seven wrestlers nationally ranked in the top eight of their respective weight classes with three ranked in the top three. Newberry has been ranked in all five polls and began the season ranked seventh in the preseason poll. Newberry's highest ranked wrestler is Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.), who is ranked first in the 285 pound weight class. Wainwright is a returning All-American and is undefeated on the season posting a 27-0 record. Wainwright has dominated his competition this year by defeating all of his opponents by a pinfall (9), technical fall (5), major decision (8) or by default/forfeit (5). Wainwright has defeated four nationally-ranked wrestlers this year. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) retained his spot at No. 3 for 125 lbs. with his 22-2 record which includes three victories over ranked opponents. Oliver has nine pinfalls on the season and five major decisions. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) dropped to No. 4 in the nation at 197 lbs., despite not losing since the last releasing of the rankings. Griffin, who has gone 23-2, has six major decisions on the year and has won 12 straight matches dating back to January 4. At 149 lbs., Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) remained as the fifth ranked wrestler. Collick has a season record of 23-5 with seven pins and five major decisions. Collick's winning streak of eight matches dates back to January 15. Freshman Sean Byrnes retained his spot at No. 6 at 157 lbs. Byrnes is 16-8 this season and has defeated three ranked opponents. Two Newberry wrestlers jumped back into the national rankings; Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.). Young, a 2008 All-American, is ranked No. 6 at 125 lbs. with his 9-5 record. Blanton is the eighth ranked wrestler at 184 lbs. with his 19-5 record, which includes a team-high 11 pinfalls. The scarlet and gray have gone 21-2 on the season with twelve wins over nationally-ranked Division II teams, two wins over Division I opponents and placed second at the prestigious NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals. Coach Jason Valek's squad has three home matches remaining on the season before traveling to the East Regional Tournament in Erie, Pa. Newberry faces Belmont Abbey on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. followed by a season-finale doubleheader with Anderson and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Feb. 19 starting at 5 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fort Mill defeats Lancaster in first round of state wrestling duals Rock Hill tops Northwestern in first round of state duals wrestling tournament Sumter grapplers down Irmo 46-24 Boiling Springs wrestling wins playoff opener Rams topple Byrnes in first round Proveaux pin, Gossett's triple overtime decision dooms Summerville Greenwood’s postseason woes continue with first-round loss Greer Yellow Jackets on the rise Four Midlands teams start 2A wrestling playoffs on Wednesday Five area teams set for 3A wrestling playoffs B-HP wrestling opens playoffs vs. West-Oak ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seven Midlands teams open 4A wrestling playoffs on Monday Cardinals path to glory Cardinal Newman caps 5-year journey Stratford rallies past Wando, claims region Meet Hilton Head High's Rocky Williams-McClure Rocky top: Seahawks celebrate title A wrestling county in the making Rams claim first region title since '06 Abbeville’s wrestling rise AHS senior dominating in 2nd year Power showing rapid improvement during senior season Neal makes return to Ninety Six Wrestling feeder system not likely in near future Disciplined Rholetter gunning for fourth state title 17-time region champ Eagles not satisfied yet Rock Hill wrestling team puts lock on region title with victory Intensity, focus drive South Pointe's wrestling team as showdown with Rock Hill looms Patriots too strong for Green Wave Rholetter, West-Oak keep rolling Knights win big at first home match ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two key Newberry reserves claim first at SMC Open Seven Newberry reserves placed at the tournament 1/27/2009 SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Nine key reserves for the second ranked Newberry College wrestling team competed in the Spartanburg Methodist College Open. At the tournament, which was held on January 17, Newberry wrestlers claimed two championships and five others placed in the top five of their respective weight classes. At 141 lbs., Cody Fobes (Howell, N.J.) claimed the championship by going 3-0 with one technical fall, one major decision and a decision. In the first round, Fobes defeated Jacob Earp of Appalachian State by an 8-5 decision and followed that with a 15-2 major over Jordan Cone of King College. In the championship match, Fobes defeated Matthew Callahan of Appalachian State by an impressive 19-4 technical fall. Also claiming a championship was Dave Newman (Toms River, N.J.) at 197 lbs. Newman beat Spartanburg Methodist's Kyle Burke in his first match by a 21-4 technical fall. In the championship match, Newman defeated Cedric Johnson, who competed unattached, by a 4-1 decision. Two Newberry wrestlers placed third at the tournament; Steven McLeod (Gilbert, S.C.) at 125 lbs. and Corey Sullivan (Gainesville, Ga.) at 285 lbs. McLeod went 1-1 at the open, while Sullivan went 1-2 with a pinfall. Raleigh Abbott (Powder Springs, Ga.), Channon Clamp (Gilbert, S.C.) and Karl Reed (Mount Laurel, N.J.) all placed fifth at the tournament. Abbott had a record of 3-1 with two pinfalls and a decision. Reed went 2-1 with a technical fall and a decision, while Clamp went 0-1 to claim fifth place. Bill Glace (Abbeville, S.C.) and Charles McLaughlin (Camden, S.C.) both failed to place at the tournament with both having a 0-2 record. Competing unattached from Newberry, assistant coach Kelly Anundson (Sparks, Nev.) won the heavyweight division by going 3-0 and defeated Sullivan on his path to first place. No. 2 Newberry returns to action this Friday, Jan. 30 in a home doubleheader against Darton at 6:30 p.m. and Spartanburg Methodist at 8 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coach Jason Valek to go 'On the Mat' this Wednesday Valek will talk on 1650 AM, The Fan, a talk radio station in Northeast Iowa 1/26/2009 CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Newberry College head wrestling coach Jason Valek and Delaware Valley College head wrestling coach Brandon Totten will be guests on this week's "On the Mat," which is a weekly wrestling talk radio show. It is aired every Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. EST on AM 1650, The Fan, which is broadcasted throughout Northeast Iowa. Jason Valek has done a terrific job putting his Newberry College wrestling program amongst the elite Division II teams and is currently ranked second in the nation with a dual record of 19-2. Valek has been the head coach at Newberry since its first season of wrestling in 2004-2005 and recently placed second at the National Duals, losing 23-19 to top ranked Nebraska-Omaha. Last season, Newberry qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA tournament, had four All-Americans and finished in eighth place. Valek served as Newberry High School's head coach for two years prior to moving the collegiate level. Coach Valek will be discussing his team's performance thus far this year, which includes the National Duals Runner-up and going 4-0 at the East Coast Duals. Delaware Valley College head coach Brandon Totten currently has his Aggies ranked third in the nation in Division III with a dual meet record of 15-1-1. A national power in Division III, four of Totten's first six teams have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA tournament and he has coached 14 All-Americans, including national champion Jamall Johnson at 197 pounds in 2006. Delaware Valley recently placed third at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA, on January 10-11 with a 22-15 victory over Coe College in the third place match. Totten was a two-time NCAA champion at Delaware Valley at 158 pounds, winning titles in 1995 and 1996. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOSS WINS 100th CAREER MATCH IN EAST COAST DUALS Senior Trey Moss (Lexington, S.C.), the seventh ranked heavyweight in the nation, won his 100th career match on Saturday in the Domino's Pizza East Coast Duals Wrestling Tournament hosted by St. Andrews Presbyterian College. He is the first wrestler in the program's brief history to win 100 matches. Moss' achievement came in dramatic fashion in the final match against 18th ranked Kutztown. Winning in 1:35, Moss pinned opponent Kevin Bolinsky, improving his overall record to 20-3, with eight pins. In the 2008-09 season, Moss has won a title at the UNC-Pembroke Open and has taken second in both the Ohio Northern Tournament and the Midwest Classic. "I am very excited and proud of Trey. He works extremely hard day in and day out to be a force at heavyweight and a leader on our team," commented Head Coach Trent Goodale. "Being a member of the original team here at Limestone, he has played a big part in creating a strong program and setting the standards higher for years to come." Moss qualified for nationals as a redshirt sophomore in 2006-07, but was bested in the All-American round. He would avenge that loss in 2007-08 when he defeated the University of Indianapolis' Lynn Panko 3-2, becoming Limestone's third ever All-American, completing the season ranked of eighth nationally. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Battery Creek upends Wando in Duals final Abbeville finishes third among 20 teams at Lakelands Duals Dorman repeats as county wrestling champions Woodruff's Phillips has sights set on county title Woodruff edges Broome, clinches Region II-2A title Tucker enjoying Wave of success in first season Hilton Head High wrestlers punch playoff ticket Hilton Head High, Bluffton take rivalry to wrestling mat Eastside pins seventh county title in eight years Rams nearly win County Void steals wins from Pickens' wrestling team Fort Mill routs York Simons notches 100th win Lee, Proveaux, Walker excel in WK's busy week on the mats Raiders wrestler hopes to return by region meet Timely loss refocuses Emerald's Newton Sumter wrestlers finish second in Gamecock Duals Eastside takes county wrestling championship Dolphins finish 4th in own dual tournament Hosts have strong first day at Battery Creek Duals Battery Creek Duals features brutal baker's dozen No easy playoff tickets coming out of Region 8-AAA wrestling cauldron Fort Mill's underclassmen are quick studies Indian Land's wrestlers struggle in Rock Hill Dorman's Segarra eyes gold this season Walhalla's Hedden wrestles for final chance at state title Rock Hill dominates on mat Boiling Springs wrestling earns first win against Dorman Dorman captures wrestling title at Wolverine tourney Vikings finish 7th in Greenwood Invitational Ninety Six wrestling rolls past Ware Shoals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry defeated by No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha, 23-19 Three Newberry wrestlers finished the tournament undefeated; Matt Oliver, Keeno Griffin and Cy Wainwright 1/11/2009 CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The No. 2 Newberry College lost to No. 1 University of Nebraska at Omaha, 23-19, in the finals of the NWCA-Cliff Keen National Duals. The scarlet and gray were unable to overcome the nine nationally-ranked wrestlers that the Mavericks boast. Head Coach Jason Valek and his No. 2 Newberry squad capped a historic weekend that included three wins over nationally-ranked programs. In total, Newberry wrestlers defeated seven nationally-ranked competitors. The loss was Newberry's first defeat at the hands of a Division-II program this year. In the opening match of the finals, Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) claimed his second major decision of the tournament as he beat Matt Rein with a 10-0 major. Oliver capped the tournament with two pinfalls and two major decisions, which improved his season record to 19-2. At 133 lbs., Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) was defeated by No. 2 Cody Garcia by a 9-0 major decision to tie the score at 4-4. Moran finished the tournament with a 1-3 record which moves his season record to 17-6. Wrestling up in weight for the second time today, Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) lost to No. 6 Mario Morgan at 141 lbs. by a narrow 5-4 decision. Young finished the tournament with a 1-1 record. In the 149 pound match, No. 7 Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) was unable to ride the success of his previous victory over No. 1 Ryan Etherton of Nebraska-Kearney as he lost to No. 6 Esai Dominquez by a 15-6 major decision. Collick finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, which included three decisions pushing his season record to 15-5. Freshman Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) was unable to defeat his third straight-ranked opponent as he fell to No. 1 Todd Meneely by pinfall at the 4:20 mark. Byrnes had a great tournament as he defeated No. 2 Travis Eggers of Upper Iowa and No. 7 Keenan McCurdy of Nebraska-Kearney. With a 3-1 tournament record, Byrnes' record improved to 13-5 on the season. At 165 lbs., Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) lost his third match of the tournament as he fell to No. 3 Aaron Denson by a 6-0 decision. Despite going 1-3 at the tournament, Kelly had possibly the toughest opponents as he faced three ranked opponents; No. 4 Tyler Tubbs of Minnesota State-Moorhead, No. 5 Taylor May of Nebraska-Kearney and Denson. Kelly faired well against them by only losing by a combined eight points. Facing off against No. 1 Ross Taplin, sophomore Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) lost by a 7-2 decision in the 174 pound match. Taplin's victory sealed the Maverick's victory over the scarlet and gray. Whitelock finished the tournament with a 1-3 record going to 13-5 on the season. Despite being unable to win the match, Newberry continued to battle as Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) scored a pinfall over Brent Pankoke at the 2:35 mark. It was the seventh pin of the season for Blanton, which leads the team. Blanton concluded his performance at the national duals with a 3-1 record, which included two pinfalls. Junior Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) scored his second victory over a ranked opponent this year as he beat No. 3 Jacob Marrs by a 2-1 decision. Griffin, an All-American at 184 lbs., ended the tournament undefeated with a pinfall, one technical fall and two decisions. Griffin also garnered a career milestone with the victory over Marrs as won his 70th career match tying teammate Brandon Kelly for third most wins in Newberry history. At 285 lbs., Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) was up 7-3 when No. 4 Tony Lewis took his second injury timeout and then followed with a injury default as he was no longer able to compete. The victory for Wainwright capped a tournament in which he had two major decisions, one technical fall and the injury default. The four victories pushed Wainwright's record to 19-0 and also extended his winning streak to 21. No. 2 Newberry will now return home as a proven national power after their second place finish at the prestigious NWCA National Duals. The scarlet and gray will host St. Andrews Presbyterian on Thursday, January 15 at 7 p.m., where they will be looking for their ninth straight home victory. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With 22-13 defeat of No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney, No. 2 Newberry advances to finals No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha is final test for No. 2 Newberry 1/11/2009 CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team defeated No. 3 University of Nebraska-Kearney, 22-13, to advance to the championship finals of the NWCA-Cliff Keen National Duals against No. 1 University of Nebraska at Omaha. The scarlet and gray won the finals two matches of the dual to secure the victory over the defending national champion Lopers. For Newberry it was the biggest victory in the program's short-lived history with the previous best being a 22-17 victory over No. 8 University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown on Jan. 26, 2008. No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha defeated No. 4 Minnesota State-Mankato, 29-9, by winning seven of the ten matches. UNO features nine nationally-ranked wrestlers; No. 2 Cody Garcia at 133 lbs., No. 6 Mario Morgan at 141 lbs., No. 6 Esai Dominquez at 149 lbs., No. 1 Todd Meneely at 157 lbs., No. 3 Aaron Denson at 165 lbs., No. 1 Ross Taplin at 174 lbs., No. 2 Austin Boehm at 184 lbs., No. 3 Jacob Marrs at 197 lbs. and No. 4 tony Lewis at 285 lbs. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) started off the dual with his second-straight pin with his fall over Mike Abril at the 2:06 mark. The pin was Oliver's sixth of the season and gave Newberry an early 6-0 lead. At 133 lbs., Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) lost to Joey Morrison by a 10-6 decision. For Moran it was his fifth loss of the season all of which have been by a decision. In the 141 pound match, Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) moved up from his normal weight of 133 lbs. to wrestle Tyler Baker and came away with a 3-2 decision. It was the first action Young has seen since the second annual Newberry Duals, where he went 3-0 in dual competitions. The 149 pound match featured two nationally-ranked wrestlers as No. 7 Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) upset No. 1 Ryan Etherton in another tight match by a 7-6 decsion. Collick extended his winning streak to five with the victory over the third place finisher from last year's national tournament. Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) increased Newberry's lead to 15-3 as he defeated No. 7 Keenan McCurdy by a 3-0 decision in the 157 pound match. The victory gave Byrnes his third victory over a ranked opponent and his thirteenth victory of the year. The 165 pound match was another closely-contested match as Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) lost to No. 5 Taylor May by a 10-9 decision. It was the second time in the tournament that Kelly has lost by a point to a nationally-ranked foe with the previous coming against Minnesota State-Moorhead's No. 4 Tyler Tubbs by a 8-7 decision. The Lopers narrowed Newberry's lead as Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) was defeated by Kamarudeen Usman by a 15-2 decision. The loss was Whitelock's fourth of the season and was the only match in which the Lopers scored bonus points in. Newberry's lead fell to two as Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) lost to No. 8 Paul Sutton by a 7-1 decision. Blanton's record fell to 13-3 on the season and it was his first loss of the tournament. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) ended Newberry's three match losing streak as he defeated Matt Farrell by a 5-2 decision. Griffin moved his winning streak to five with the victory as he notched his 16th win of the season. For the first time this year the decision of a match came down to the final weight class for Newberry. However, it was not to be for the Lopers as Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) recorded his seventh major decision of the season with his 14-6 major decision over Derek Ross. Ross, the seventh-ranked wrestler at 197 lbs., moved up to face Wainwright at 285 lbs. Coach Jason Valek and his No. 2 Newberry squad will face off against No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha at 3 p.m. CST on Mat 3. The match will be webcasted live on http://www.livesportsvideo.com/. In order to view the selected matches a username must first be created. Final - Newberry College (NC) 22, Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) 13 125 - No. 6 Matt Oliver (NC) pinned Mike Abril (UNK), 2:06 133 - Joey Morrison (UNK) dec. Sheridan Moran (NC), 10-6 141 - Andrew Young (NC) dec. Tyler Baker (UNK), 3-2 149 - No. 7 Latra Collick (NC) dec. No. 1 Ryan Etherton (UNK), 7-6 157 - Sean Byrnes (NC) dec. No. 7 Keenan McCurdy (UNK), 3-0 165 - No. 5 Taylor May (UNK) dec. Brandon Kelly (NC), 10-9 174 - Kamarudeen Usman (UNK) maj. dec. Josh Whitelock (NC), 15-2 184 - No. 8 Paul Sutton (UNK) dec. Bryant Blanton (NC), 7-1 197 - No. 6 Keeno Griffin (NC) dec. Matt Farrell (UNK), 5-2 285 - No. 2 Cy Wainwright (NC) maj. dec. Derek Ross (UNK), 14-6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proveaux headlines Midlands story at Rock Hill tournament Rock Hill wrestling comes up short at Bearcat Invitational Chesterfield answers another wrestling challenge Loris wrestles way to title at Hanahan event Fort Dorchester rules Lowcountry Invitational Opening act: Lowcountry Invitational gets under way Meet Bluffton wrestler Phillip Scott Holding the Fort Panthers give up 18-point lead, but beat Crescent Seniors continue Warrior tradition Bluffton wrestlers easily win tri-match Cards humble Hammond in SCISA mat showdown 2 teens charged in hit-and-run incident Teens arrested in relation to assault investigation in Oconee County Never underestimate the power of a 103-pounder Eagles making strides with new lineup Horgan leads Rams wrestlers BHP tops field at Patriot Duals West-Oak inducts first class into Wrestling Hall of Fame Bearcat Invitational wrestling tourney bigger and better this year Boiling Springs wrestling team leaving it all on mat Cardinals host Hammond in SCISA mat showdown tonight Sumter sweeps; Armstrong runs record to 26-0 HE'S BACK, BIG TIME : Indian Land's Dillon Creed Wildcats heading out of state again this weekend Ninety Six wrestling rolls past Ware Shoals Dorman wins Rebel Invitational Chesterfield wins Subway Ram Rumble, Cheraw earns third Former 3x HWT State Champ - Tumor couldn't sideline Quinn's football dreams ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling achieves No. 2 national ranking January 6, 2009 Five Newberry wrestlers ranked in top eight of weight classes EDMOND, Okla. – The Newberry College wrestling team moved up three spots to second in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches’ Association Poll, released today. The scarlet and gray have gone 10-1 on the season with two wins over Division I opponents and recently won the 38th annual Midwest Classic. The scarlet and gray began the season ranked seventh in the preseason poll. The No. 2 ranking is the highest Newberry has been ranked in the program's history and is the highest national ranking by any program at the school since the 1976-77 men’s basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the NAIA. Last year, the squad was ranked sixth in the nation going into the national tournament, where they finished eighth. The scarlet and gray also have five wrestlers nationally ranked in the top eight of their respective weight classes. Two Newberry wrestlers improved their rankings from the last poll as Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) improved one spot to be ranked sixth at 125 lbs. and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) also moved up to sixth from his previous seventh place ranking at 197 lbs. Seventh-ranked Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) finished second at the Midwest Classic suffering his first loss to a Division-II opponent as he fell to No. 2 Arsenia Barksdale of Adams State by a 1-5 decision. Oliver, a returning national qualifier, is 13-2 on the season and also defeated seventh-ranked Cody Zimmerman of Wisconsin-Parkside by a 7-0 decision. Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.), who is ranked eight at 141 lbs, dropped two spots since the last rankings. Washington, a returning national qualifier, is 10-5 on the season and claimed fifth place at the Midwest Classic. At 149 pounds, Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) fell one spot to seventh place. A two-time national qualifier, Collick is 12-4 on the season and finished third at the Midwest Classic with a tournament high four pinfalls. Griffin, who is ranked sixth at 197 lbs., has a season record of 13-2 to go along with a third place finish at the Midwest Classic. His only losses this year have come to ranked opponents; No. 4 Josh Ohl of Ashland (Ohio) and No. 5 Ty Copsey of Augustana (S.D.). Griffin, an All-American at 184 lbs., has also defeated Mercyhurst’s previously seventh-ranked Trevor Gallo by a 10-2 major decision and has three wins over D-I opponents. Newberry’s highest ranked wrestler is Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.), who is ranked second in the 285 pound weight class. Wainwright is a returning All-American and is undefeated on the season posting a 15-0 record. Wainwright has dominated his competition this year by defeating all of his opponents by either a pinfall (5), technical fall (4), major decision (5) or forfeit (1). The only wrestler ranked ahead of Wainwright is Central Oklahoma's Dustin Finn, who is ranked ahead of Wainwright despite a 4-2 sudden-victory decision loss to Nebraska-Omaha’s fifth-ranked Tony Lewis 4-2. Coach Jason Valek's squad will travel to the campus of Northern Iowa this weekend for the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals presented by Hibiclens, where they will face off against the top Division II teams in the nation. The brackets for the team duals tournament will be announced later this week. National Rankings are at: http://upload.athleticsite.com/newberry/0809WR/Division%20II%20Wrestling%20Rankings.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swain County HS from NC has informed Bamberg-Ehrhardt that they will not be able to attend the Red Raider Duals on January 3, 2009 at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School. If any team is looking for an event on that date, please contact cody slaughter ASAP @ 864-650-4468 or e-mail at cjs53@aol.com or cslaughter@bamberg1.net . The following teams are still committed: Bamberg-Ehrhardt HS Edisto HS Gaffney HS Boiling Springs HS Chapin HS Bluffton HS Ashley Ridge HS North Charleston HS Marlboro County HS Thanks, Cody Slaughter Head Wrestling Coach Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fort Mill, Nation Ford developing feeder programs Nation Ford Falcons' wrestling program finally in win column Indian Land wrestlers want it all this year Jackets hosting region's top 10 teams Baylor Captures McCallie Wrestling Title (Hillcrest) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Knights Wrestling Signs Will James Early December 15, 2008 LAURINBURG, N.C.—Third year head coach Joe Baranik has announced the signing of Will James to a Letter of Commitment to wrestling and study at St. Andrews Presbyterian College during the fall early signing period. James is the first grappler committed to the SAPC Class of 2013. “We are excited to get the caliber of young man in Will James,” said Baranik. The Mount Pleasant, S.C., native was a state runner-up last year for Wando High School at 103-pounds. Also, James has attended numerous summer techniques camps throughout the country. He is wrestling at 119-lbs this year and is projected to hit the mat at 125-lbs for the Knights. “James encompasses all the important ingredients to be a successful student-athlete, or what I call the three A's: Attitude, Academics and Athletic ability. He excels in all three of these critical areas,” added Baranik. James is also being recruited to run cross country for SAPC. He currently competes in cross country in high school, which will help keep his conditioning up for wrestling. “James is a class kid and I can't wait to begin to work with him to help him reach his goals in the classroom and on the mats,” concluded Baranik. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry College hosts wrestling duals Wednesday 12/15/2008 NEWBERRY, S.C.-The Newberry College wrestling team will be hosting its second annual Newberry Duals meet this Wednesday, December 17, starting at 9 a.m. Tickets for the full day event are $10 for adults and can be purchased the day of at Eleazer Arena; children 12 and under are free. On Wednesday, Newberry will be a hot bed for talented wrestlers as 29 qualifiers from last years national tournament will compete as well as seven All-Americans. The duals features five nationally-ranked teams from across the nation; No. 19 Ashland (Ohio), NAIA No. 19 Campbellsville (Ky.), No. 20 Central Missouri, No. 13 Findlay (Ohio) and No. 5 Newberry College. Also participating are Anderson, Belmont Abbey, Carson-Newman, Indianapolis and UNC Pembroke Newberry College, which is ranked fifth nationally, is set to face off against three of the ranked teams; No. 19 Ashland, No. 20 Central Missouri and No. 13 Findlay as well as University of Indianapolis, who is a perenial power on the Division II scene. Newberry features six nationally-ranked wrestlers and seven returning NCAA D-II National Qualifiers and three D-II All-Americans. The duals will consist of nineteen highly competitive dual matches among some of the best wrestling programs in the nation. Action will take place simultaneously on four different mats throughout the day, promising non-stop, action packed excitement. Come out and support the Newberry College wrestling team as they look to continue to build on their successes. Newberry Duals Schedule Wednesday, December 17 Round I ~ 9 - 11 a.m. Mat 1 - Newberry vs. Indianapolis Mat 2 - Belmont Abbey vs. Campbellsville Mat 3 - Carson-Newman vs. UNC Pembroke Mat 4 - Central Missouri vs. Findlay Round II ~ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mat 1 - Newberry vs. Ashland Mat 2 - Belmont Abbey vs. Central Missouri Mat 3 - Indianapolis vs. UNC Pembroke Mat 4 - Anderson vs. Findlay Round III ~ 2 - 4 p.m. Mat 1 - Ashland vs. UNC Pembroke Mat 2 - Belmont Abbey vs. Findlay Mat 3 - Indianapolis vs. Carson-Newman Mat 4 - Central Missouri vs. Anderson Round IV ~ 4 - 6 p.m. Mat 1 - Newberry vs. Findlay Mat 2 - UNC Pembroke vs. Campbellsville Mat 3 - Ashland vs. Carson-Newman Mat 4 - Indianapolis vs. Anderson Round V ~ 6 - 8 p.m. Mat 1 - Newberry vs. Central Missouri Mat 2 - Ashland vs. Campbellsville Mat 3 - Belmont Abbey vs. Carson-Newman Mat 4 - Exhibition Matches For additional information on the event, contact Carrie Snyder in the ticket office at (803) 321-5101 or by email at carrie.snyder@newberry.edu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grand Strand Area wrestling teams usher in new era Preview: Columbia wrestling Wrestling is grabbing interest in local schools Midlands Local schools competing in wrestling Preview: Heathwood Hall wrestling Season preview: Dutch Fork wrestling Season preview: Sumter wrestling Cardinal Newman wrestling tourament set for Saturday Second-year Raiders making mat strides RNE wrestlers off to Hillcrest this weekend J.J. Davis (Byrnes) wrestling for UNCP as a redshirt this season – 174 champ at Davidson Open Eastside wrestling mix of vets, newcomers B-HP wins team title at Anderson Invitational More Falcons flock to the wrestling mat this year - Nation Ford wrestling Local wrestling teams relying on young talent - Fort Mill and Nation Ford Knights wrestlers toppled - St. Joseph's wrestling Hillcrest sees progress during Slam Wren team wrestles with fundraising, then its opponents For Seahawks, next step means state title HHH opens wrestling season with wins over Stratford, host Beaufort High school athletes working through winter break Unbeaten Bobcats claw competition Rebuilding year? Bluffton wrestlers say no Bluffton High School wrestling preview capsule BC wrestling revolves around evolution of seniors Battery Creek wrestling preview capsule Beaufort High wrestling preview capsule Greenwood avenges last season’s losses with 42-33 win over ’Cats Abbeville defeats Ware Shoals Youthful Ninety-Six Wildcats fare well in match Competition fierce at JET Wrestling Tournament ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling team signs four wrestlers for 2009-10 season Steven Butler, Randy Moore, Brian Newman and Drew Squires all sign with Newberry 12/13/2008 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team and Head Coach Jason Valek announced the signings of four wrestlers for the 2009-10 season; Steven Butler, Randy Moore, Brian Newman and Drew Squires. Butler, from Port Jervis, N.Y., is currently ranked as the 11th best wrestler regardless of class at 215 lbs., by Wrestling 411. He finished fourth at the New York State Championships and qualified for the tournament in 2007. Butler is a two-time New York Section 9 Champion and also won the Ohio Tournament of Champions as well as the MAWA Eastern Regional. He also holds a second place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals at Virginia Beach, Va. Butler has a career record of 164-19 and is a four-time N.Y. Kids State Championship. Moore spent the last two years at Gloucester Community College in New Jersey where was a two-time Junior College All-American as he finished fourth in 2007 and 2008. A graduate of Camden Catholic HS, Moore is a two-time New Jersey State Runner Up in 2004 and 2005 and also placed fourth in 2003. Newman is the second ranked wrestler at 215 lbs. in the state of New Jersey. Newman had an impressive season for Toms River North HS in 2008 as he was a New Jersey State Qualifier and was a District 18 Champion and a Region 6 Champion. He was also a First Team All-Conference selection. Newman was also a member of the Toms River North HS Football team and has posted 75 wins in his wrestling career. Squires, a native of Stafford, Va., has wrestled his high school career at Christiansburg HS and Colonial Forge HS. During his time at both high schools, Squires helped both teams acquire a first place ranking in the state of Virginia and a top-15 ranking in the nation. Squires finished fourth at the Virginia AAA State Championship in 2008 and was the 2007 AA Virginia State Champion and a runner up in 2006. Squires has also claimed titles as a Virginia State Championship in Cadet Freestyle, Southeast Region Cadet Freestyle Championship and also is a three-time District and Region champion. The fifth ranked Newberry College wrestling team hosts the second annual Newberry Duals on Wednesday. Four nationally ranked teams are set to dual in Newberry as Newberry faces off against Indianapolis at 9 a.m. then faces No. 19 Ashland, No. 13 Findlay and No. 20 Central Missouri. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIMESTONE TAKES 4TH AT OHIO NORTHERN INVITATIONAL ADA, Ohio — Limestone College posted 104.5 points as a team to finish fourth at the Ohio Northern University Invitational on Saturday. Several Limestone wrestlers finished in the top six in their respective weight classes. Olivet won the tournament with a final team score of 128. Ohio Northern was second (111), followed by West Liberty State (108). Trine took fifth place (97). Dan Scanlan ( Leesburg , Va. ) claimed the 184-pound weight class title. It marks his second tournament win this year after taking first at the Braves Classic in November. Scanlan had a convincing 12-2 major decision against Trine’s Louis Posa in today’s championship match. Trey Moss (Red Bank, S.C.) took second in the heavyweight class after he lost to Findlay ’s Matt Clum in the championship contest. Matt Hall ( Hamptonville , N.C. ) finished third in the 125-pound weight class with a 4-0 decision in his final match against David Penny of Ohio Northern. Jeremy Parker ( Winchester , Va. ) finished fifth at 141-pounds after he defeated Olivet’s Rob Yahrmarkt, 2-0. Bryce Sopko ( Riverview , Mich. ) finished sixth in the 157-pound class after he lost to Indianapolis’ Bryce Givens. Limestone travels to Indianapolis , Ind. , to compete in the Midwest Invitational on January 3-4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wrestling jumps two spots to fifth in nation Seven Newberry wrestlers are ranked in top eight nationally 12/4/2008 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team moved up two spots to fifth in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association Poll, released Wednesday. The scarlet and gray have gone 6-1 on the season with two wins over Division I opponents. The scarlet and gray were previously ranked seventh in the preseason poll. The fifth place ranking is the highest Newberry has been ranked in the program's history. Last year the team was ranked sixth in the nation going into the national tournament, where they finished eighth. "We are excited about how far we have come in putting Newberry College on the national radar," said head coach Jason Valek. "Rankings overall are great for recruiting and making you feel good about yourself, but they don't win matches for us. We need to immerse ourselves in the process and move forward towards our goal of finishing number one in March at the national tournament." The scarlet and gray also have seven wrestlers nationally ranked in the top eight of their respective weight classes, which is an improvement from six nationally ranked wrestlers in the preseason poll. Sophomore Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) is ranked seventh at 125 pounds. Oliver, a returning national qualifier, is 6-1 on the season with his only loss to D-I opponent North Carolina State's Taylor Cummings in a close 5-3 decision. Senior Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) is ranked in the 8th spot at 133 pounds. Young, a returning All-American, moved down one spot to eighth as he was ranked seventh in the preseason poll. This year, Young finished second at the Braves Open and has a 4-3 record. Also moving down one spot in the rankings is Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.), who is ranked sixth at 141 lbs. Washington, a returning national qualifier, is 4-2 on the season with two victories over D-I opponents and two major decision victories on the year. Jumping into the polls for the first time this year is Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.), who is ranked sixth at 149 lbs. A two-time national qualifier, Collick is 5-2 on the season with three victories coming over East Region opponents. Freshman Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) also jumped into the national ranking as he ranks at the seventh spot at 157 lbs. Byrnes is 5-2 on the season and defeated Mercyhurst's Andy Lamancusa, who was ranked fourth nationally at the time. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) is ranked seventh in the 197 pound weight class. Griffin started the season off ranked in the sixth spot at 184 lbs., but has competed this year at 197 lbs. Griffin, an All-American at 184 lbs., has already defeated Mercyhurst's previously seventh ranked Trevor Gallo by a 10-2 major decision and is 6-0 on the season with three wins over D-I opponents. Newberry's highest ranked wrestler is Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.), who is ranked second in the 285 pound weight class. Like Griffin, Wainwright is also a returning All-American and is also undefeated on the season posting a 7-0 record with four pins, two technical falls and one major decision. The only wrestler ranked ahead of Wainwright nationally is Central Oklahoma's Dustin Finn, who finished second at last year's national tournament. Coach Jason Valek and Newberry College will host their second annual Newberry Duals on December 17 with matches starting at 9 a.m. The duals boasts ten teams and four nationally ranked teams. Newberry will face off against University of Indianapolis, No. 19 Ashland University, No. 13 University of Findlay and No. 20 Central Missouri. NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Poll Rk School (State) Pts Last 1. University of Nebraska-Omaha 158 1 2. Minnesota State University-Mankato 147 2 3. University of Nebraska at Kearney 145 3 4. Adams State College ( Colo. ) 138 4 5. Newberry College (S.C.) 123 7 6. University of Central Oklahoma 121 6 7. Western State College ( Colo. ) 117 5 8. Upper Iowa University 96 10 9. University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown ( Pa. ) 95 8 10. Mercyhurst College ( Pa. ) 88 13 11. Chadron State College ( Neb. ) 78 9 12. St. Cloud State University ( Minn. ) 72 12 13. University of Findlay ( Ohio ) 63 16 14. West Liberty State College ( W. Va. ) 46 NR 15. Minnesota State University-Moorhead 40 T17 16. Limestone College (S.C.) 31 15 17. University of Wisconsin-Parkside 30 NR 18. Augustana College (S.D.) 29 14 19. Ashland University ( Ohio ) 17 11 20. University of Central Missouri 14 NR Others receiving votes: Fort Hays State University ( Kan. ), Gannon University ( Pa. ), San Francisco State University ( Calif. ), Shippensburg University ( Pa. ), Truman State University ( Mo. ). National/Individual Rankings - http://upload.athleticsite.com/newberry/0809WR/National%20Poll.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry ranked first in the East Region Coaches Poll Four Newberry wrestlers ranked at the top of weight classes 12/1/2008 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team is ranked first in the NCAA Division II East Region Rankings, released Monday. The scarlet and gray have started off the season 6-1 with three wins over East Region opponents; No. 2 Mercyhurst (30-6, 11/15), No. 5 Limestone (29-15, 11/15) and No. 14 Seton Hill (45-0, 11/29). Newberry has ten grapplers represented in the top six of each respective weight class. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) at 125 lbs., Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) at 149 lbs., Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) at 197 lbs. and Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) at 285 lbs. were all ranked at the top of their weight classes. Three other wrestlers were ranked second for their weight class including senior Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.) at 141 lbs., freshman Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) at 157 lbs. and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) at 184 lbs. The three other Newberry wrestlers that are ranked are senior Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.), who is ranked fourth at 133 lbs., sophomore Vin Salek (Toms River, N.J.), who is ranked sixth at 165 lbs., and junior Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.), who is ranked fifth at 175 lbs. Newberry's wrestlers have combined for a 25-5 record against East Region opponents in the team's three duals this season. The scarlet and gray has also outscored their three opponents by a 104-21 advantage. Newberry will hold its second annual Newberry Duals on December 17 as it hosts ten of the top teams from around the nation. The scarlet and gray will face the University of Indianapolis, Ashland University, University of Findlay and Central Missouri University. Rankings - http://upload.athleticsite.com/newberry/0809WR/East%20Region%202008-09%20December% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Red Hawk Invitational with South Pointe Wrestling: Chesnee program now a reality Dorman tops Woodruff Upstate team capsules Southern Slam story Bluffton wrestlers win Mustang Invitational; Hilton Head 2nd Quinn's courage honored ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry Ranked #5 in Nation, 7 Individuals in Top 8 NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings Date Ranked:12/03/2008 Ranked By Rank School (State) Points Preseason Ranking 1. Nebraska-Omaha 158 1st 2. Minnesota State-Mankato 147 2nd 3. Nebraska-Kearney 145 3rd 4. Adams State (Colo.) 138 4th 5. Newberry (S.C.) 123 7th 6. Central Oklahoma 121 6th 7. Western State (Colo.) 117 5th 8. Upper Iowa 96 10th 9. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 95 8th 10. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 88 13th 11. Chadron State (Neb.) 78 9th 12. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 72 12th 13. Findlay (Ohio) 63 16th 14. West Liberty State (W. Va.) 46 NR 15. Minnesota State-Moorhead 40 T17th 16. Limestone (S.C.) 31 15th 17. Wisconsin-Parkside 30 NR 18. Augustana (S.D.) 29 14th 19. Ashland (Ohio) 17 11th 20. Central Missouri 14 NR Others receiving votes: Fort Hays State (Kan.), Gannon (Pa.), San Francisco State (Calif.), Shippensburg (Pa.), Truman State (Mo.). NCAA Division II Individual Rankings 125 Pounds 1. Curtis Schurkamp, San Francisco State 2. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.) 3. Devlon Webb, Chadron State (Neb.) 4. Tyler Mumbalo, Upper Iowa 5. Eddie Lopez, Western State (Colo.) 6. Cody Zimmerman, Wisconsin-Parkside 7. Matt Oliver, Newberry (S.C.) 8. Joe Werner, Minnesota State-Moorhead 133 Pounds 1. Joe Kemmerer, Kutztown (Pa.) 2. Cody Garcia, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Tim Elliott, Central Oklahoma 4. John Putnam, Minnesota State-Mankato 5. Shane Valko, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 6. Michael Baxter, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 7. Marques Bravo, Western State (Colo.) 8. Andrew Young, Newberry (S.C.) 141 Pounds 1. Raymond Dunning, Adams State (Colo.) 2. James Annon, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 3. Colby Robinson, Central Oklahoma 4. Travis Elg, Minnesota State-Mankato 5. Doug Surra, West Liberty State (W. Va.) 6. Tony Washington, Newberry (S.C.) 7. Josh Falk, Findlay (Ohio) 8. Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omaha 149 Pounds 1. Ryan Etherton, Nebraska-Kearney 2. Joey Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.) 3. Tommy Abbott, Minnesota State-Mankato 4. Mike Long, Augustana (S.D.) 5. Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha 6. Latra Collick, Newberry (S.C.) 7. Kayne Melko, West Liberty State (W.Va.) 8. Craig Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside 157 Pounds 1. Travis Eggers, Upper Iowa 2. Noomis Jones, Adams State (Colo.) 3. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 4. Danny Grater, Fort Hay State (Kan.) 5. Keenan McCurdy, Nebraska-Kearney 6. Mitch Smith, West Liberty State (W.Va.) 7. Sean Byrnes, Newberry (S.C.) 8. Andy Lamancusa, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 1. Kyle Keane, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 2. Josh Shields, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 3. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha 4. Tyler Tubbs, Minnesota State-Moorhead 5. Taylor May, Nebraska-Kearney 6. Corey VanGroll, Wisconsin-Parkside 7. Justin Shannon, Findlay (Ohio) 8. Mikey Morgan, Central Oklahoma 174 Pounds 1. Ross Taplin, Nebraska-Omaha 2. Marty Usman, Nebraska-Kearney 3. Justin Ferguson, Ashland (Ohio) 4. Jesse Feinsod, New Mexico Highlands 5. Brett Hunter, Chadron State (Neb.) 6. Larry Wilbanks, Western State (Colo.) 7. Tim Matheson, Minnesota State-Mankato 8. Mitch Norton, Upper Iowa 184 Pounds 1. Dan Scanlan, Limestone (S.C.) 2. Austin Boehm, Nebraska-Omaha 3. Brad Padgett, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 4. Hiram Smith, Findlay (Ohio) 5. Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.) 6. Paul Sutton, Nebraska-Kearney 7. Tyler Gonzales, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 8. Tyler Johnson, Southwest Minnesota 197 Pounds 1. Josh Majerus, Chadron State (Neb.) 2. Kyle Sand, Adams State (Colo.) 3. Donavan McMahill, Western State (Colo.) 4. Jacob Marrs, Nebraska-Omaha 5. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.) 6. Josh Ohl, Ashland (Ohio) 7. Keeno Griffin, Newberry (S.C.) 8. Derek Ross, Nebraska-Kearney 285 Pounds 1. Dustin Finn, Central Oklahoma 2. Cy Wainwright, Newberry (S.C.) 3. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State-Mankato 4. Travis Clark, Findlay (Ohio) 5. Tony Lewis, Nebraska-Omaha 6. Trey Moss, Limestone (S.C.) 7. Lynn Panko, Indianapolis (Ind.) 8. Cody Beck, Central Missouri ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Quinn Nominated For FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award (correction to article - Robert won 3 state titles) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wade Hampton looking for some matches or tournaments at the JV/Middle School level. Please contact Steve McCollister at (864) 420-3399 or baseballstar999@yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Limestone College wrestling OPENS SEASON ON SATURDAY SAINTS SEASON PREVIEW Andrew Delaney Email to a Friend | Print 11/13/2008 1:52:37 PM The Limestone College wrestling team enters its fifth year of competition with high expectations. The squad has continued to get better each season since its inaugural year in 2004-05. In the last four seasons, Limestone has produced fifteen East Region place winners, four national qualifiers, three All-Americans, and one national champion. Last season, Dan Scanlan (Leesburg, Va./184 lbs.) and Trey Moss (Lexington, S.C./285 lbs.) wrestled at the NCAA Division II National Tournament after qualifying at the East Regional. Both athletes went on to become All-Americans after Scanlan took first at the national competition and Moss finished eighth. Scanlan also won the East Regional tournament’s 184-pound weight class and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Trey Moss took third place at heavyweight. Limestone also had three additional place-winners at the East Region tournament. Joby Shreckhise (Grottoes, Va.) placed fourth at 174 lbs., Mikel Bush (Lakewood, N.Y.) placed fifth at 157 lbs., and David Bush (Lakewood, N.Y.) placed fifth at 197 lbs. The Saints return three national qualifiers this season: Brent Clausing (Miamisburg, Ohio/133 lbs.), Moss, and Scanlan. Clausing qualified for nationals at 125 lbs. in 2005-06. Also returning are regional place winners Ian Barker (Summerville, S.C./125 lbs.), Mikel Bush, and Shreckhise. Nine of the ten starters from last season are back. The Saints are looking to combine these veterans with a group of talented freshmen to create a dominating lineup. With four seasons of experience under their belts, a trio of national qualifiers, two All-Americans, and a National Champion, the Saints will look to continue to improve and move up as a force on the national scene. 125 Pounds The 125-pound weight class is highlighted by Barker, who placed fourth in the 125-pound division at the NCAA East Regional two years ago. He will be pushed hard by sophomore Matt Hall (Hamptonville, N.C.), who redshirted last season after seeing some time in the starting lineup as a freshman. Senior John Harper (Walhalla, S.C.) will battle for the starting position. Redshirt freshman J.B. Smith (Elgin, S.C.) will also be gunning for the starting spot. Adding depth to this weight will be a trio of freshmen entering the program Brendon Conti (Smyrna, Ga.), Richie Schneider (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.), and John Jackson, III (Columbia, S.C.). 133 Pounds Clausing will likely earn the starting spot in the 133-pound weight class. Clausing, a senior, started last season at 133 after redshirting the year before. Freshman Mike Magaha (Seaford, Del.) will look to push for the starting spot after a standout prep career. Sophomore Garrett Knapik (West Springfield, Mass.) will look for matches as well. Adding depth to this division are a trio of incoming freshmen: Bryce Stasney (Denver, N.C.), Justin Christopher (Woodruff, S.C.), and John Hensley (Newland, N.C.). 141 Pounds There will be a battle for the starting position in the 141-pound weight class this season. The front runner will be returning starter Joey Federspiel (Greenville, S.C.). Federspiel, a senior, is coming off a successful junior season. He will be challenged by sophomore Jeremy Parker (Winchester, Va.) who had a strong redshirt season last year when he won several open tournament titles. Also vying for the starting spot is redshirt sophomore Nathan Carmack (Miamisburg, Ohio), who is jumping up a weight class this year after he competed at 133 lbs. as a freshman and sophomore. Theran Goodale (Osage, Iowa), a two-time state qualifer in high school, will also challenge at 141 lbs. this year. 149 Pounds The 149 pound weight class will be highlighted by Dustin Baynes (Liberty Twp., Ohio). Baynes, a senior, has been the starter at this weight for the last two seasons. Challenging him will be a group of veterans and some young talent. Junior Riley Pike (Alexander City, Ala.) will compete at 149 lbs. for the first time after sharing the starting spot at 141 lbs. the past two seasons. Veterans Zack McKeone (Marietta, Ga.) and John Bakewell (Adrian, Mich.) will fight to compete. Adding depth at this weight will be freshmen Tyler Stevens (Leesburg, Va.) and Bryant Padilla (Woodruff, S.C.) 157 Pounds The 157-pound weight class will be wide open at the start of this season. Mikel Bush, last year’s starter, is moving up to the 165-pound weight class and will redshirt in 2008-09. The frontrunner in this weight class will be freshman Bryce Sopko (Riverview, Mich.). He had a very successful redshirt season in 2007-08 in which he picked up a couple of open tournament wins. A group of talented veterans will be right on his heels. Senior Greg Satterfield (Williamston, S.C.) will compete for the starting position this year after redshirting in 2007-08. Satterfield was a starter the previous three seasons before redshirting. Jesse Bodo (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) will also look for starting time after moving up to 157-pound division last year. Three redshirt freshmen will battle for mat time. Logan Raabe (Sumter, S.C.), Nick Shappee (Bluffton, S.C.), and Nick Carr (Buffalo, N.Y.). Steve Timoteo (Hinckley, Ohio) and Chris Didyoung (Blythewood, S.C.) will provide valuable support and competition in the practice room. Both of these athletes had strong high school careers. 165 Pounds Redshirt sophomore and returning starter Casey Bradley (Muncie, Ind.) will make a big impact in the 165-pound weight class. Pushing him will be veterans Clint Bodo (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) and Jeremiah Perkins (Douglasville, Ga.). Mikel Bush will provide competition in the practice room as he redshirts this season and makes the transition to a higher weight class. 174 Pounds Shreckhise, a three-time regional place winner, is looking to make waves his senior season after narrowly missing the national tournament last year. Challenging him will be freshmen Aaron Winemiller (Amherst, Ohio) and Justin Withers (Yuba City, Calif.), both of whom were very successful in their prep careers. 184 Pounds Scanlan will look to continue his illustrious college career in 2008-09 and build off his national title last season. Freshman Tyler Martin (Cornelius, N.C.), who will likely redshirt this season, will look to push Scanlan in the practice room. 197 Pounds The 197-pound weight class will be wide open after last year’s starter, David Bush, graduated. There will be some quality competition for the starting nod. Junior Mike Walsh (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) will look to spend another year as a starter after starting as a freshman and sophomore. Junior Waholi Revels (Pembroke, N.C.) will also look to battle at this weight after gaining valuable experience the last two seasons. Freshman Josh Mummert (West Chester, Pa.) will be in the mix at this weight after redshirting last year and having a successful freestyle and Greco wrestling season. 285 Pounds This heavyweight class will be highlighted by Moss, a 2008 All-American. He will build on his national finish a year ago. Sophomore Allen Runyon (Fort Mill, S.C.) will challenge for starting time this year. Adding depth to this weight will be incoming freshman Tarek Alaruri (Indianapolis, Ind.), who will redshirt this season following his successful prep career. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11/07/2008 - Anderson University Wrestling Begins Season At N.C. State Open Anderson University head wrestling coach Dock Kelly and his team are looking to bring back national recognition to the upstate of South Carolina. Kelly has set lofty goals for the team – a high finish at the East Regional qualifying tournament, and a top-15 finish at the 2009 NCAA Division II wrestling championship tournament. Kelly, now in his eighth year at the helm of the Trojan program, has the talent to do it. This year's squad is loaded with key returnees and young talent. "We have a young team, but what's cool about having a young team is they're anxious, and ready to learn,” Kelly said. “They've been paying attention, as we've been working in a lot of technique." Through the first few weeks of practice, Kelly is pleased with what he's seen from the team and several key returnees in particular. "Luis Audelo, Nick and Anthony DiCarlo, Jonathan Jackson, and Trevor Sanford have all been with the program for a few years and are having a good fall," Kelly said. “There are also several newcomers who will make an immediate impact for the Trojans. C.J. Hamilton at 125 is the real deal. C.J. transferred to Anderson University from Marion Military Academy where he was a two-time Club national champion. There is no doubt C.J. has all of the tools to become a national champion -- he’s a special wrestler, so as long as he stays healthy, he has a shot to win it all.” There will certainly be some youth in lineup, but it doesn't faze Kelly as last season the Trojan's lineup saw five true freshmen who were all battled tested during their rookie campaigns. "The key to this season is the experience of our returners and having them step it up and make an impact," Kelly said. "They understand the program and are ready to make their mark as are the newcomers whom all could have immediate success for us." "We have a lot of potential. We have a fairly young team with only three seniors, but we do have experience and I feel that we're on the brink of making a mark. We have won some big matches, and now our sights are set on higher goals and aspirations." Kelly says leadership will be a key element for the young Trojans. "I see our team growing a lot in terms of leadership," he said. "Our leadership has been growing since the summer. We've been working on the details to win the big matches. This team has a tremendous attitude and work ethic." Weight by Weight Preview: 125: C.J. Hamilton will make an immediate impact on the national scene for the Trojans. Jared Williams is a talented state champion from Rock Hill, S.C., who will push C.J. in the room and should see some substantial mat time as a true freshman. 133: Red-shirt sophomore Chris Francis seems to have the edge at 133. He is training harder than ever, and is looking to break into the upper echelon of the East Region. Expect sophomore Bradley Benton, and true freshmen James Long (S.C. state champion from Greenwood), and Trey Alley (four-time S.C. state champion from Chesterfield) to challenge for mat time. 141: Senior Anthony DiCarlo and junior Ron Lofton will battle for the starting spot. Both are veteran wrestlers who are capable of qualifying for the national tournament. 149: Team captain and national qualifier Nick DiCarlo will make a serious challenge for All-American honors. Red-shirt freshman Matthew Postell and newcomer Alex Matthews will provide quality depth. 157: Jonathan Jackson will make his long awaited debut. He is a talented athlete who will make an immediate impact in the middle of the line-up. Transfer James Hoyt will also challenge for the position. 165: Sophomore Trevor Sanford looks to build upon a successful freshman campaign. He is a returning place winner at 165 in the East Region and is looking to catapult into All-American status. Senior Allen Hampton will provide quality depth. 174: Junior John Hamrick looks to have the edge at this weight class. Expectations are high for Hamrick after a disappointing sophomore season. Freshman Vinson Maul will provide quality depth. 184: Senior Luis Audelo is expected to make a tremendous impact in this weight class. He will immediately challenge for All-American honors. Sophomore Jordan Denmark will provide quality depth. 197: Sophomore Zach Anderson will move up to this weight class after drastically increasing his weight and physical strength through the off-season workout program. Freshman Jody Helms will provide quality depth. 285: Highly touted red-shirt freshman Jake Tubbs will move up to the 285 weight class and is expected to be a force to be reckoned with. Sophomore Jonah Adams, and freshmen Tyler Marler and Kelvin Cunningham all will provide quality depth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling team holds annual Scarlet and Gray Scrimmage The Scarlet team wins 31-9 over Gray Team 10/31/2008 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team held their annual Scarlet and Gray in Eleazer Arena tonight as the Scarlet team won, 31-9. The Scarlet team was coached by assistant coach Matt Finley while the Gray team was coached by assistant coach Kelly Revells. In the night's first match, freshman Cody Fobes (Howell, N.J.) defeated redshirt freshman Gerald Jenkins (Lawton, Okla.), 10-5, giving Scarlet an early 3-0 team lead. The second match of night featured redshirt freshman Dave Newman (Toms River, N.J.) and sophomore Karl Reed (Mount Laurel, N.J.). Newman was able to come away with the victory defeating Reed, 2-1. One of the premier matchups of the night pitted returning senior and All-American Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) against returning freshman and National Qualifier Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.). Oliver recorded the 8-6 sudden victory in overtime with a takedown. Virginia Tech transfer Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) and top 100 recruit Aldon Isenberg (Gardner, Kan.) made their Newberry debut in the nights 133 lbs match. Isenberg claimed a decisive13-5 victory over the junior, Moran. The fifth match featured senior and National Qualifier Tony Washington (Charlotte, N.C.) against freshman and three time S.C. State Champion Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) in the 141 lbs. match. Washington defeated Brown with a 3-0 shutout victory. In the 149 lbs. match, two New Jersey natives faced off with freshman Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) going against sophomore Kyle Packer (Marlton, N.J.). Byrnes came away with the 5-3 victory. The 157 lbs. match saw the first pin off the night as sophomore Vincent Salek (Toms River, N.J.) recorded the pin against redshirt freshman Raleigh Abbott (Marietta, Ga.) at the 1:51 mark in the first period. In the 165 lbs. match, junior Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) defeated freshman Brock Budesheim (Ocean City, Del.) 3-2 in a close match that wasn't decided until late in the final period. The 174 lbs. match featured returning National Qualifier Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.), who recorded an injury default victory over junior Dustin Harvey (Marietta, Ga.) in the second period. The penultimate match of the night featured two sophomores against one another with Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) and Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.). Elkins claimed the decisive 7-2 victory. The feature match of the night starred two All-Americans against one another with junior Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) and senior Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Springs, Fla.). They are ranked fifth and second nationally in their respective weight classes. Wainwright recorded a 3-2 sudden victory in double overtime. The wrestling team held the scrimmage in conjunction with the Halloween Kids Carnival, which featured several booths as well as a haunted house. Newberry's first match of the season is on Nov. 8 as the scarlet and gray travels to Chattanooga, Tenn. to wrestle in the UTC Tri-Meet against Davidson and Tennessee-Chattanooga at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling ranked seventh in preseason national poll Six Newberry wrestlers are ranked in the top eight of their respective weight class 10/28/2008 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team is ranked as the seventh team in the nation according to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association Preseason Poll, which was released Monday. Newberry, which finished eighth at last year's national tournament and sixth in the final regular season poll, received 106 points in the current poll. The scarlet and gray are the first rated team from the East Region ahead of eighth ranked University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 13th ranked Mercyhurst College, 15th ranked Limestone College, 17th ranked Gannon and 20th ranked Shippensburg. The scarlet and gray have six dual meets scheduled this season against preseason top 20 teams in eighth ranked Pittsburg-Johnstown (Jan. 23), 11th ranked Ashland University (Dec. 17), 13th ranked Mercyhurst College (Nov. 15), 15th ranked Limestone College (Nov. 15), 16th ranked University of Findlay (Dec. 17) and 20th ranked Shippensburg University (Jan. 24). Other scheduled dual meet opponents that received votes in the national poll are Central Missouri, Indianapolis, Kutztown, UNC-Pembroke and West Liberty State. Newberry has six wrestlers who will begin the season ranked in the top eight of their weight class. This is the most individual wrestlers that have been ranked nationally for Newberry in the preseason poll. Last year, the scarlet and gray had four wrestlers ranked nationally in the preseason poll. Sophomore Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) is ranked seventh at 125 pounds. Oliver finished last year with a 30-13 record, which included qualifying for nationals and a second place finish at the East Region Tournament. Senior Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) is ranked in the 7th spot at 133 pounds. Last year, Young finished with a 15-7 record, which included a second place finish at the East Region Tournament and seventh place at the National Tournament, garnering him All-American honors. At 141 pounds, Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.) is ranked 5th for his weight class. Washington wrapped up last year by qualifying for nationals after a second place finish at the East Region Tournament, finishing the season with a 21-8 record. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) ranks in the 8th spot for the 174 pound weight class. Blanton completed last year's season with a 27-13 record, which included him qualifying for nationals after placing third at the East Region Tournament. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) is ranked 6th in the 184 pound weight class. Griffin gained All-American honors last year after he finished in seventh place at the National Tournament posting a 27-11 record on the year, which included a third place finish at the East Region Tournament. Newberry's highest ranked wrestler is Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.), who is ranked second in the 285 pound weight class. Last year, Wainwright was one of two Newberry wrestlers to capture an East Region championship in their weight class. Wainwright finished the season with a 42-4 record and gained All-American honors when he placed third at the National Tournament. Coach Jason Valek and Newberry College will host their intrasquad match at Eleazer Arena at 7:30 p.m. on October 31 before opening their season on November 8, when they travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., to face off against Davidson College at 4:30 p.m. and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga at 7:30 p.m. The following weekend, Newberry travels to Gaffney, S.C., to battle against two nationally ranked foes; 13th ranked Mercyhurst and 15th ranked Limestone. NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Poll 1. University of Nebraska-Omaha (6) 158 2. Minnesota State University-Mankato (2) 149 3. University of Nebraska at Kearney 144 4. Adams State College (Colo.) 136 5. Western State College (Colo.) 126 6. Central Oklahoma University 121 7. Newberry College (S.C.) 106 8. University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 93 9. Chadron State College (Neb.) 91 10. Upper Iowa University 86 11. Ashland University (Ohio) 71 12. St. Cloud State University (Minn.) 70 13. Mercyhurst College (Pa.) 68 14. Augustana College (S.D.) 46 15. Limestone College(S.C.) 40 16. University of Findlay (Ohio) 22 T17. Gannon University (Pa.) 18 T17. Minnesota State University-Moorhead 18 T17. Truman State University (Mo.) 18 20. Shippensburg University (Pa.) 15 Others receiving votes: Central Missouri State University, Fort Hays State University (Kan.), University of Indianapolis (Ind.), Kutztown University (Pa.), University of North Carolina-Pembroke, San Francisco State University (Calif.), West Liberty State College (W.Va.), University of Wisconsin-Parkside. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry team ranked first in NCAA Division II East Region Preseason Rankings Matt Oliver (125), Bryant Blanton (174) and Cy Wainwright (285) voted top wrestlers in their weight classes 10/13/2008 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team is ranked first in the NCAA Division II East Region Preseason Rankings, released Monday. The scarlet and gray finished first last year at the East Region Tournament and eighth at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Newberry had all ten of their projected starters ranked in the top six for the ten weight classes. The scarlet and gray also had three grapplers voted as the top wrestler in their respective weight class; Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) at 125 lbs., Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) at 174 lbs. and Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) at 285 lbs. Four wrestlers were ranked in the top three for their weight class including senior Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.), who is ranked second at 184 lbs., senior Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.), who is ranked third at 133 lbs., senior Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.), who is ranked third at 141 lbs. and junior Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) who is ranked third at 149 lbs. … Coach Jason Valek's squad returns seven NCAA Qualifiers and three NCAA All-Americans to his team that went 16-7 in dual meets and won its first NCAA East Region Championship last year. Complete pre-season rankings at: http://upload.athleticsite.com/newberry/0809WR/08PreseasonRankings.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Citadel Wrestling Program Welcomes Assistant Coach Billy Linane The Citadel Wrestling team and head coach Rob Hjerling welcomes Billy Linane as a new assistant coach for the Bulldog wrestling program. Coach Linane is a 2005 graduate and former wrestler of The Citadel. While attending The Citadel, Linane majored in criminal justice. He was a four-time letter winner as a heavyweight and has a wide base of experience and knowledge that Coach Hjerling expects he will bring to the wrestling program. "We are excited to have Billy back in our wrestling room,” Hjerling said. ”He has a wealth of knowledge and experience to pass on to our upper weights." Linane was the 17th wrestler in school history to become a member of The Citadel Wrestling Wall of Fame. Among his accomplishments as a Bulldog were 92 career wins, a four-time Southern Conference tournament finalist, two-time conference champion, and two-time NCAA qualifier. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richie Cliff, Green Beret and former Wando wrestler, killed in Afghanistan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry College wrestling team to hold clinic Nationally ranked team and coaches to participate in clinic sessions 9/8/2008 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The No. 6 nationally ranked Newberry College wrestling program is proud to offer the 3rd Annual Fall Clinic Series in preparation for the 2008-09 high school wrestling season. The series will run from Sept. 30, 2008 until Oct. 30, 2008 every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A total of ten individual sessions will be held with the Newberry wrestling staff and current Newberry College wrestlers at the MacLean Gymnasium on Newberry's campus. The cost for the entire series of ten sessions is $200 or any five sessions for $125. Please contact Jason Valek to reserve your spot as space is limited. Valek Mobile: (803) 944-0599 - Valek Office: (803) 321-5659 - Jason.valek@newberry.edu Visit newberryathleticsite.com for the latest news and info on Newberry College Athletics. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STEHURA LEAVING LIMESTONE; GOODALE TO ASSUME HEAD COACHING DUTIES Limestone College Director of Athletics Mike Cerino has announced that Head Wrestling Coach Ben Stehura will be leaving Limestone College and that Assistant Coach Trent Goodale will assume head coaching duties. Stehura recently accepted the head coaching position at NCAA Division I’s Cleveland State University in Ohio. Goodale has been an assistant coach for the Saints since 2006. “We want to thank Coach Stehura for the solid foundation he built for the Saints wrestling program as he moved Limestone into the national picture in college wrestling,” commented Cerino. “The position at Cleveland State was a tremendous opportunity for Coach Stehura and his family and we wish him success at his alma mater.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Smalls Middle School in Beaufort, South Carolina is in need of a used wrestling mat, if someone is willing to donate one. They do not have the funds to purchase mats and will not have a wrestling team because the mat they currently have is unsafe to use. Leilani (Lee) Bessinger bossladybessinger@yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cummings Joins Limestone Saints Wrestling Staff Don Cummings will join the Limestone College wrestling staff as an assistant coach, as announced by Saints Head Coach Ben Stehura. Cummings had a standout career at Mercyhurst College and will assist with all aspects of the Saints wrestling program. Cummings was a 2005 NCAA Division II All-American and a three-time national qualifier. He took home the East Regional championship in 2007, and was a team captain his senior season. Cummings has coached at the Lakers Wrestling Club, the Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club, and the Onondaga Mat Club. He also helped coach the freestyle and Greco Roman wrestlers of the Central New York Empire State Games’ wrestling team. He attended Onondaga High School in New York. He was a New York state place winner in 2004, a Fargo Greco All-American, and a two-time Greco state champion. A native of Marcellus, N.Y., he earned his bachelor’s degree in sports medicine and health and fitness promotion in May of 2008. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wrestling's talented recruiting class reports to Newberry 8/14/2008 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team welcomed twenty-one new student-athletes to campus today. The newcomers will combine with the returning wrestlers, who finished last year's season with six national qualifiers and an eighth place finish at the NCAA Division II tournament. "We are very pleased with the recruiting class," said head coach Jason Valek. "We brought in a good mix of student-athletes. The wrestlers that we signed with college experience like Vincent Salek, Dale Debacco and Sheridan Moore, will not only make us a more talented team, but will also mentor and guide our freshmen throughout the season. The talented freshmen will allow us to continue to build our program at Newberry and bring us continued success." Among these include the four early signees, Deral Brown (141/149 - Lugoff Elgin, S.C.), Brock Budesheim (165/174 - Sussex Central, Del.), Sean Byrnes (149/157 - Jackson Memorial, N.J.) and Cody Fobes (125/133 - Howell, N.J.). Brown won his third AAA S.C. State Championship this season, while Budesheim and Byrnes won their first respective state championships this past season. During this past season, Byrnes (3rd Place) and Budesheim (6th place) both managed a great showing at the nationally recognized Best of the East Tournament. Fobes, a 2007 New Jersey State runner up, missed the state championship series due to illness, but managed to become a USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman All American by claiming fourth place at 130 lbs. in Fargo, N.D., this past July. Here are the other newcomers to the Newberry College Wrestling Team: Sheridan Moran (Virginia Tech / Lafayette, La.), will compete in 133 lbs. weight class for Newberry College. While at Virginia Tech, he placed fourth at the 2007 ACC Championships for the Hokies. Moran finish with a 11-12 record as a sophomore and a career record of 18-33 while at Virginia Tech for two seasons. While in high school, Moran was the Louisiana state runner up as a senior and state champion as a junior in 2004. Christopher Teague (Eastside, S.C.), will wrestle at the 133 lbs. weight class for the scarlet and gray. Teague won the 2007 and 2008 South Carolina AAA State Championship. Kevin Bohlman (Mt. Saint Joe's, Md.), will compete against Newberry's opponents at the 133 lbs. weight class. During high school, Bohlman was the fourth place finisher at the 2008 Maryland Independent State Tournament. Dallas Phillips (Brookland-Cayce, S.C.), will wrestle this season in the 133 lbs. weight class. Phillips was the 2008 South Carolina AAA State Champion. Jesse Huggins (Swansea, S.C.), will enter into the 133 lbs. weight class. Huggins finished fourth in the AAA State Championship and was an AA State Qualifier as a junior. Aldon Isenberg (Gardner-Edgerton, Kan.), will wrestle in the 133 and 141 lbs. weight class. Isenberg finished his high school career with several honors including; 2007 Kansas State Champion, 2008 Kansas State Runner-up, 2006 Kansas State placer and over 2000 career wins. Isenberg was a Top 100 Recruit according to InterMat, as the #63 recruit for the 2007-2008 Season. Isenberg placed second at the prestigious Super32 in October of 2007. He was a finalist at the NHSCA Junior High School Championships finishing second in the nation. In 2006 Isenberg placed fourth at the Super 32 and in 2005 Isenberg finished as a USA Wrestling Cadet All American in Fargo, N.D. finishing fifth overall in Greco-Roman. Jonathan Holloway (Hewitt-Trussville, Ala.), will compete for Newberry in the 141 lbs. weight class. Previously to Newberry, Holloway was the 2008 6A State Runner Up, a State Qualifier as a junior and State Runner up as a sophomore. Dale DeBacco (Niagara Community College / Niagara Falls, N.Y.), wrestling in the 149 lbs. weight class compiled several honors before arriving at Newberry. DeBacco placed fourth at the 2007 and 2008 NJCAA National Championships earning him All American honors both seasons. While at NCC, DeBacco received his associate degree and competed on the golf team for NCC. He holds the Trailblazers' career records for wins (83), riding times (33) and two-point near falls (42). In high school, DeBacco was the 2006 Section VI champion at 145 lbs. and state runner up for Niagara Falls, N.Y. As a junior in 2005, DeBacco won the state championship at 135 lbs. Bill Glace (Abbeville, S.C.), will wrestle at 149 lbs. this season for the scarlet and gray. In Abbeville, Glace finished fourth in South Carolina A/AA in 2007 and was a 2008 State Qualifier. Vincent Salek (Iowa Central / Toms River, N.J.), will participate at the 157 lbs. weight class. Salek has compiled several honors during his wrestling career including; the 2003 New Jersey State Champion at 160 lbs, second in New Jersey as a junior and fifth as a sophomore. As a senior in high school, Salek, a high school All American, was the runner up at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, losing to Mark Perry 13-8 in the national championship match. Salek was also a USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle All American, placing 7th at the 2002 championships held annually in Fargo, N.D. Matthew Cutchineal (Pennsbury, Pa.), will wrestle at the 157 lbs. weight class during the season. Cutchineal was a 2007 Pennsylvania State Qualifier, while finishing high school with over 100 career wins. Dave Newman (Toms River, N.J.), will compete against Newberry's opponents at 197 lbs. During high school, Newman won 96 matches and placed third in districts, fourth in regions as a senior and completed with a 36-6 record. Corey Sullivan (Gainesville, Ga.), will compete in two different weight classes, 197 and 285. In 2006, Sullivan finished in third place in AAA States as a junior. He also placed fifth as a sophomore and qualified for states as a freshman. Thayle Singleton (Swansea, S.C.), will wrestle in the highest weight class, 285, for the scarlet and gray. Singleton won third place in AAA State Championships as a senior and fourth place in the AA/A State Championships as a junior. Finishing out head coach Jason Valek's recruiting class are Jonathan Hancock (174 - Woodmont, S.C.), Rishad Moody (197 - Fairfield Central, S.C.) and Aaron Smith (197 - Pickens, S.C.), a 2007 South Carolina State Qualifier. Visit newberryathleticsite.com for the latest news and info on Newberry College Athletics. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bulldogs Welcome the Class of 2012 Grapplers Charleston, S.C. – Head wrestling coach Rob Hjerling announces the addition of eight athletes to The Citadel’s wrestling team. The new grapplers come to the Bulldog wrestling room with impressive stats and look to make an impact. “I am very excited about this upcoming season. The new guys we have coming in, combined with our current athletes should make up an impressive squad. Like last years class of recruits, the new cadet- student-athletes will have an opportunity to make an impact right away. I am very pleased with the our quality of athletes and the positive attitudes they bring to the team,” stated Hjerling. The new crop of wrestlers consist of seven state placers including three state champions and two High School All-Americans spread out over eight weight classes. These eight athletes include Richard Alarcon, David Ivashchenko, Pierre Frazile, Weston Newton, Alex Croasmum, Kelby Smith, Odie Delaney and Bobby Jones. Alarcon wrestled 119 in high school where he was a three-time California state qualifier. He concluded is high school career with a fourth place finish at the state meet and an eighth place finish at NHSCA Senior National, earning him High School All-American honors. Alarcon is projected to wrestle at the 125-pound weight class for the Bulldogs. Ivanshchenko hails from South Park, Pa. where he wrestled at the 135-pound weight class in high school and look to drop down slightly to be a 133 pounder for the Bulldogs. He earned All-State honors placing seventh at the state meet. Adding depth to the 141-pound weight class for the Bulldogs is Charlotte, Fla. native, Farzile. He was a three-time state placer for the sunshine state. Following Farzile is a projected 149-pound grappler from Eastside, S.C. Newton was a South Carolina high school State Champion. Croasmum with be providing mid-western talent to the roster for the 2008-09 season. He is an Ohio state placer that is transferring in to The Citadel from Edinboro. Croasmum is expected to contribute at the 157-pound weight class. Kelby Smith and Odie Delaney are the second and third high school state champions respectively to join the Bulldogs this season. Smith comes to The Citadel from Wesleyan. Ga. and is projected to wrestle at either 184 or 197 pounds for the Bulldogs. Delaney is slated as a 197 pounder from South Walton, Fla. who earned High School All-American honors. Rounding out the 2008 recruits is The Citadel second grappler from Eastside, S.C., Bobby Jones. He is expected to add solid depth for the Bulldogs at heavyweight. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wrestling Rules Changes Announced for 2008-09 INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee emphasized risk minimization and standardized procedures to assist both coaches and referees through 16 wrestling rules changes for the 2008-09 school year. Rest of Story at: http://www.virginiawrestling.com/Assets/2008WrestlingRulesChangesPressRelease.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even without sight, Jim Mastro is a visionary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russ Howard returns as Byrnes wrestling coach ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Howard Bayer is starting a wrestling program this upcoming year at Orangeburg Prep. They are trying to locate a used mat to buy or borrow for the first year. PLEASE CONTACT HOWIE BAYER OR TODD LAYTON AT 803-682-3555 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The SC Wrestling Pre-season Team Rankings have been released below. The Rankings are from the South Carolina Wrestling Coaches Association as compiled by SCMAT Pre-season Team Rankings are in this Release along with Returning Individual State Qualifiers/Placers The first Individual Rankings will be released in early/mid December after results are sent in with wrestler's weight classes, etc. 4A Wrestling Pre-Season Top 20 Team Rankings and Returning Individual State Qualifiers/Placers 3A Wrestling Pre-Season Top 20 Team Rankings and Returning Individual State Qualifiers/Placers 2A-1A Wrestling Pre-Season Top 20 Team Rankings and Returning Individual State Qualifiers/Placers SCISA Wrestling Pre-Season Team Rankings and Returning Individual State Qualifiers/Placers How are SC Wrestling Rankings done? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- High School Sports - The Rock Hill Herald High School Sports - The Island Packet High School Sports - The Beaufort Gazette High School Sports - The Post and Courier High School Sports - The Greenville News High School Sports - The Sun News (Myrtle Beach) High School Sports - The Spartanburg Herald-Journal High School Sports - The State Newspaper High School Sports - Anderson Independent High School Sports - Fort Mill Times High School Sports - Upstate Today High School Sports - The Cheraw Chronical High School Sports - The Item (Sumter) High School Sports - The Index Journal (Greenwood) High School Sports - Goose Creek Gazette