SC Wrestling News 2009-2010



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COLUMBIA - Tom Bates passed away peacefully in Columbia, South Carolina, on the afternoon of 
September 12, 2010, at the age of 71. He will be missed greatly by all who knew him. 
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, to Thomas Isaac Bates Jr. and Jean Gorman Bates, Tom was reared 
in Mansfield, Ohio, and then Lakeland, Florida. After high school, Tom returned to Ohio, 
where he graduated from the University of Toledo - Toledo, Ohio. There he met his wife, Jean, 
to whom he remained married for the next 40 years. Tom and Jean settled in Dearborn, Michigan, 
where he worked for the Ford Motor Company and had their only son, Ward, in 1973. 
In 1975, Tom and his family moved to South Carolina where he spent the last 36 years of his life, 
first on Hilton Head Island and then in Columbia, from 1976 until his death. 

Whether it was sports when he was younger, or working endlessly in the yard in recent years, 
Tom led an active life. A Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic since 7 years old, he did not 
let that stop him from being very active in business, sports, or his family life. He was a 
collegiate wrestler who had a huge passion for the sport. He spent many years volunteering at 
Spring Valley High School as 'Coach Bates,' one of the assistant wrestling coaches, and probably 
would have made that his career if given a second chance. In addition to wrestling, Tom was an 
avid tennis player, snow skier, junior champion water skier and absolutely loved working in his 
yard - where his grandchildren struggled to keep up with him even as his health declined. 

Tom truly loved to share, whether it was through charitable donations or simply telling you about 
'the greatest movie' he had just found - he 'just wanted others to know.' He was a proud supporter 
of several local organizations, most notably the Palmetto Health Children's Hospital, where the 
Tom Bates Day Hospital is named in his honor. Tom was also an active Rotarian (Spring Valley Chapter) 
for over two decades and a member of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church for over 30 years. 
Tom truly will be missed by his family and friends. 

Tom is survived by his only son, Ward, his daughter-in-law, Jennifer, and his three grandchildren, 
Madeline, Amelia and Elizabeth. 

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, September 24, 2010, at Spring Valley Presbyterian 
Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory be made to the 
Palmetto Health Children's Hospital - Department 274, P.O. Box 100199, Columbia, SC 29202.


2009 National Wrestling Hall of Fame SC Chapter Banquet/Inductees - with Tom Bates


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Summer updates ...

Jordan Wigger – 3rd in Fargo USAW Junior Nationals- Freestyle 105 pounds
Qualifies him as a Junior US National Team Member (ck themat- national teams)

Brianna Delgado – 1st- National Champion Fargo- Women’s Junior Nationals Freestyle.
Qualifies her as a National Team Member

Citadel Old Timer’s Club- 14th in the country- Disney Duals AAU National Dual Championships
14th of 43 teams in the Championship Bracket


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September 16, 2010                                                                                                  
Bulldog Wrestling Releases 2010-2011 Schedule


Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Wrestling team and Head Coach Rob Hjerling announced their
2010-2011 schedule on Thursday.

Highlighting the home schedule is the annual Citadel Open to begin the season and the 17th
annual All-Academy Championships at McAlister Field House in February. The Bulldogs will also
host dual matches against Davidson, Campbell, UNC Greensboro and Gardner-Webb.

"Hosting the defending SoCon Tournament Champions UNC Greensboro is important for us,"
said Hjerling. "Obviously that dual will be one that we focus on."

"The All-Academy Championships is an outstanding tournament at an important moment of the
season.  It is the last tournament that we wrestle in before the Southern Conference
Championships.  We are very excited to be hosting the All-Academy Championships this year."

The Citadel will face off in 20 duals in the upcoming season, the most since the 2000-2001
season when they also took part in 20 duals. After opening the season at home with The Citadel
Open, the Bulldogs will head to the Hershey Duals to face perennial ACC powers Virginia and
Virginia Tech, along with Drexel and Georgia Mason out of the CAA. UVA finished 15th last
season and won the ACC Championships.

"This is a strong set of duals to open the season against two tough ACC teams and two tough
CAA teams."

The following week the Bulldogs will face Indiana, who finished 24th at the NCAA Championships,
and Columbia in the Disney Duals. The grapplers will then trek to the Penn State Open in State
College, Penn. in early December.

"Indiana and Columbia are two teams that I do not believe that we have ever wrestled before.
Again, we are competing against two tough conferences in the Big Ten and the EIWA. The Penn
State Open is another tough tournament with the opportunity to see wrestlers that will prepare us
for the Southern Conference Championships and the NCAA Championships."

After the conference-opening dual in Charleston against Davidson in mid-December, the Cadets
will take part in the annual Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. to wrap up the 2010 year. Last
season, the event featured six teams that finished the season ranked in the Top 25.

"There will be several Top 15 and Top 25 teams at the Southern Scuffle.  Our guys will have
multiple opportunities to compete against nationally ranked wrestlers.  We should have a lot of
experience under our belt before we head into January."

To open 2011, the grapplers will hit the road for a pair of duals with Appalachian State and Duke
before heading to the Lone Star Duals in Arlington, Texas to face Pac-10 foe Stanford along with


Northern Colorado and Utah Valley out of the Western Wrestling Conference and conclude with
national power Nebraska out of the Big XII, who finished 13th at the NCAA Championships a year
ago.

"This is an opportunity to wrestle against four teams that we do not normally see.  All four are
returning some high quality wrestlers.  The opportunity to wrestle Nebraska in a dual will be a
great experience."

The Bulldogs will return to Charleston for a pair of duals with Campbell and UNCG before ending
January with a couple of road SoCon duals at VMI and defending regular-season champions
Chattanooga. The Citadel will then host the 17th annual All-Academy Championships in early
February, marking the first time the event has come to Charleston since 2005.

Ending the regular season schedule for the Bulldogs is a pair of road duals at ACC opponents,
NC State and North Carolina, and completing the season by hosting Gardner-Webb at McAlister
Field House.

In total, the Bulldogs will face opponents from seven different major Division I conferences in the
ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, CAA, EIWA, Pac-10 and WWC in addition to their normal SoCon slate.

"I am very pleased with how this schedule turned out.  We are giving our wrestlers every
opportunity to put themselves in position to qualify for a spot in the SoCon Tournament and for
the NCAA Championships. "

The 2011 SoCon Championships will take part in Boone, N.C. on March 5 and the NCAA
Championships will be in Philadelphia from March 17-20, 2011.

For more information on Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at
www.CitadelSports.com.


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Brittany Delgado (USA) results from Budapest, Junior World Championships:

http://www.fila-wrestling.com/budapest10/index.php


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The Citadel Bulldogs Welcome 11 Grapplers to Wrestling Squad:

http://www.sportssystems.com/novell/efx/email/filehost/TF592.pdf


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Keegan Mueller Joins Bulldog Wrestling Staff

Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Wrestling program welcomes Keegan Mueller as a graduate
assistant to the coaching staff for the 2010-2011 season.

"We are very pleased to welcome Keegan to our staff," said Head Coach Rob Hjerling. "He is
going to be working with our middle and heavy weight guys. He will also be a big boost for
recruiting. At North Carolina, he had a very good career and brings a lot of great experience as
he comes into pursue his master's degree here at The Citadel."

Mueller was a two-time all-conference selection at North Carolina, where graduated in 2009. He
won the ACC title in 2009 and served as the team captain for the Tar Heels in both his junior and
senior seasons. In addition, he received the 2007-2008 Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award
at UNC.

The Dallas, Texas native has also spent time working at Fortune Magazine and working as a
District Sales Manager for Automatic Data Processing Magazine.

Keegan is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration in The Citadel Graduate
College and resides in West Ashley.


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Columbia Wrestling Academy schedule announced
Classes to take place from September through October

NEWBERRY - Newberry College head wrestling coach Jason Valek is proud to announce the schedule for 
the Columbia Wrestling Academy. Headed by Valek and assistant coaches Matt Finley, Kelly Revells and 
Sheridan Moran, the Academy will host classes at four different area locations throughout September 
and October. The classes are open to wrestlers of all ages and skill levels, and will give wrestlers 
the opportunity to continue their development in preparation for fall tournaments and the upcoming season. 

Newberry wrestlers past and present will be on hand to provide demonstrations, conduct drills and teach 
proper wrestling technique among other things. 

For more information, please view the information page here: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/10CWAF.pdf 


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Scarlet and Gray 5K has good turnout

NEWBERRY - Over 70 people turned out to participate in the Scarlet and Gray 5K Run/Walk put on 
by the Newberry College wrestling squad on August 28. Community members and college students 
alike showed up to take part in the event, which was designed to help raise funds for the 
wrestling program. 

Full results can be found here: http://newberryathleticsite.net/10S&G5K.pdf 


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Copied below is the Golf tournament flier for this summer. We will be playing at the very
nice River Falls country Club on July 25th. We will have food and beverages provided and would 
love to have a great turn-out. Please try to get a team of coaches together from your school who will 
be coming up for the clinic meeting on Monday and Tuesday possibly.  Rob Koll from Cornell University 
(NCAA Runner-up this year) will be our guest this year. He will be playing golf on one of the teams 
and be our featured speaker for the dinner that will follow the golf.  Please make plans to attend.  



NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME	
SPRING GOLF TOURNAMENT	
ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE WRESTLING HALL OF FAME	
					
WHERE:	River Falls Golf Course, Duncan, SC
WHEN:	SUNDAY, JULY 25TH 
TIME:	SHOTGUN START AT 2:30 PM
COST:	$50.00 PER GOLFER
MATCH:	4-MAN CAPTAINS CHOICE
	YOU MAY REGISTER AS A TEAM OR AN INDIVIDUAL
					
Special Guest: ROB KOLL OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY	
DINNER, DRINKS AND A TALK FROM ROB KOLL WILL FOLLOW GOLF	
					
Prizes for: Top 3 teams, Longest drive, Clostest to pin, door prizes
					
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT	
TROY BOWE AT 305-849-0204 OR TBOWE@GREENVILLE.K12.SC.US	


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Randy "Anthony" Truesdale

Anthony Truesdale, a former two-year starter for Spring Valley lost his life in a car accident 
on May 17th.  

http://www.thestate.com/2010/05/18/1291864/columbia-man-18-dies-in-wreck.html 
 
 
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Brittany Delgado @ 72kg from Fountain Inn, SC makes her 1st Junior World team and will wrestle in July in Budapest Hungary. Also she will be competing in the Senior Womens World Team trials in June and the Canada Cup in July. Brittany is a rising Junior at Oklahoma City University and is Coached by Archie Randall and Link Davis.
Maroulis, Anthony, Carlson repeat as Body Bar FILA Junior National Champions 
   
This is a link of Brittany's Championship bout against Anneliese DaAargon, find Anneliese #7. Brittany is the Red wrestler Anneliese is the Blue. Anneliese wrestles for the US Olympic Educational Center.
                                                
http://youtube.com/coachshannyn

  
By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
05/15/2010

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Three members of the 2009 U.S. FILA Junior World Team earned the right to return to the FILA Junior World Championships with victories at the Body Bar Women’s FILA Junior National Championships on Saturday.

Winners qualified for the FILA Junior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in July 20-25.

Named the Outstanding Wrestler in the tournament was the 55 kg/121 lbs. champion Helen Maroulis of the New York AC, one of the 2009 Junior World Team members. 

Maroulis scored a 2-2, 2-1 win over Shauna Isbell of Lindenwood in the finals. Maroulis will compete in the FILA Junior World Championships for the third time in her career. She was a Junior World bronze medalist in 2008, but did not medal in 2009.

2009 FILA Junior World champion Victoria Anthony of the New York AC qualified to return for another chance at a gold medal by winning the 48 kg/105.5 lbs. division. Anthony won a five athlete pool, including a 3-0, 3-1 win over runner-up Carlene Sluberski of the USOEC. Anthony won her Junior World title last year at 44 kg/97 lbs/

2009 FILA Junior World bronze medalist Veronica Carlson of the New York AC earned another trip to the FILA Junior World Championships with a victory at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Carlson defeated Amanda Hendey of the SD Hot Beaches, 7-1, 2-0.

Two other winners were also members of past FILA Junior World Teams, Amy Whitbeck of the New York AC at 51 kg/112 lbs., Tatiana Padilla of the Sunkist Kids at 59 kg/130 lbs. and Erin Clodgo of the Sunkist Kids at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. 

Padilla defeated 2009 FILA Junior World Team member Schuyler Brown of the Gator WC, 6-1, 3-1 in the finals. Padilla was a Junior World silver medalist in 2007 and a Junior World bronze medalist in 2008. She did not make the 2009 Junior World team. She was also a 2008 Senior World bronze medalist.

Whitbeck defeated Sarah Hildebrandt of Team Indiana-PWC, 1-0, 4-0 in the finals. Clodgo beat Brittany Roberts of the Gator WC/OCU, 1-0, 1-0, Whitbeck and Clodgo competed in the 2007 FILA Junior World Championships.

Also qualifying for the FILA Junior World Team with victories today were 
Erin Golston of USOEC at 44 kg / 97 lbs. and Brittany Delgado (Gator WC/OCU) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.

“I am very excited about the level of ability on this Junior World Team,” said Alex Conte, one of the U.S. Junior World Team coaches. “They have both physical abilities and maturity. Our athletes in every weight class can win a medal. Hopefully, everything goes our way in Budapest.”

Winning the 79.5 kg/175 lbs. division, which is not a FILA Junior World weight class, was Paloma Basulto of the Missouri Valley WC

BODY BAR FILA JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Kissimmee, Fla., May 15

44 kg / 97 lbs.
1st Place - Erin Golston of USOEC
2nd Place - Taylor Busboom of Gator Wrestling Club/OCU
3rd Place - Emily Webster of Mules
4th Place - Allene Somera of Hawaii
Round Robin Matches
Erin Golston (USOEC) over Emily Webster (Mules) Dec 3-0,2-0
Taylor Busboom (Gator Wrestling Club/OCU) over Emily Webster (Mules) Dec 2-3,4-1,4-5
Erin Golston (USOEC) over Taylor Busboom (Gator Wrestling Club/OCU) TF 6-0,7-0

48 kg/105.75 lbs.
1st Place - Victoria Anthony of NYAC
2nd Place - Carlene Sluberski of USOEC
3rd Place - Patricia Hill of USOEC
4th Place - Alex Gomez of Elite Force
5th Place - Jasmine Yanez of Gilroy Hawks
Round Robin Matches
Victoria Anthony (NYAC) over Patricia Hill (USOEC) Fall 7-0,1:37
Carlene Sluberski (USOEC) over Patricia Hill (USOEC) Dec 3-0,4-0
Victoria Anthony (NYAC) over Carlene Sluberski (USOEC) Dec 3-0,3-1

51 kg / 112.25 lbs.
1st - Amy Whitbeck (NYAC) over Sarah Hildebrandt (Team Indiana-PWC) Dec 1-0,4-0
3rd - Kayla Brendlinger (Pennsylvania) over Kalin Knight-Alvarez (No Mercy) Fall 5-1,0:43
5th - Candace Workman (Unatached) over Logan Rich (Gator Wrestling Club/OCU) Fall 5-1,0:45

55 kg / 121 lbs.
1st - Helen Maroulis (NYAC) over Shauna Isbell (Lindenwood) Dec 2-2,2-1
3rd - Tanya Kusse (Team Worldwide Titan Wrestling) over Kirsten Strickler (Gator WC/OCU) Dec 2-1,3-1
5th - Felicia Cruz (Tucson Wrestling Academy) over Taylor Young (Missouri Valley Wrestling Club) Fall 1:06

59 kg/130 lbs.
1st - Tatiana Padilla (Unatached) over Schuyler Brown (Gator WC) Dec 6-1,3-1
3rd - Randi Betlz (Team St Louis) over Cianah Hee (Univ. of the Cumberlands) Fall 0:39
5th - Audrey Morehouse (Gator Wrestling Club/OCU) over Tiffany Sluik (Jamestown WC) Dec 4-0,2-0

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
1st - Veronica Carlson (NYAC) over Amanda Hendey (SD Hot Beaches) Dec 7-1,2-0
3rd - Lauren Louvie (Univ. of the Cumberlands) over Piikea Kalalau (Rough House Wrestling) Dec 1-0,2-0
5th - Tessa Plana (Gator WC/OCU) over Kayla Chappell (Gator WC/OCU) Fall 7-0,1-5,0:56

67 kg / 147.5 lbs. 
1st - Erin Clodgo (Sunkist Kids) over Brittany Roberts (Gator WC/OCU) Dec 1-0,1-0
3rd - Michelle Quiles (Jamestown Wrestling Club) over Ahnjahlee Akuna (USOEC) Fall 0-1,1:57
5th - Moriah Fernandez (USOEC/SD Hot Beaches) over Jennifer Spitza (Team Michigan) Fall 6-0,1:30

72 kg/158.5 lbs. 
1st - Brittany Delgado (Gator WC/OCU) over Anneliese DeAragon (USOEC) Fall 1:18
3rd - Jordan Hajerman (Draw Team) over Morgan Pittsford (King College) Dec 4-0,0-7,1-1
5th - Amanda Prough (Team Michigan) over Kim Spiegel (Draw Team) Dec 3-0,8-1

79.5 kg/175 lbs. 
1st - Paloma Basulto of Missouri Valley WC

True Second Place matches 

55 kg/121 lbs.
Shauna Isbell of Lindenwood dec. Tanya Kusse of Team Worldwide Titan, 0-4, 4-3, 2-2

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Lauren Louvie of Univ of the Cumberlands dec. Amanda Hendey of SD Hot Beaches, 1-0, 3-6, 5-1

72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Jordan Hajerman of Draw Team pin Anneliese DeAragon (USOTC). 0-6, 0:33 


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Team Palmetto Presents 
Bip Style Wrestling 
Practices
Tuesday and Thursday 6-7 Start date will April 27th – June 8th
There will be no practice May 20th 
Cost will be $ 100 per member
Team Palmetto Members $50 per member 
Cost include T-Shirt
Membership is recommended for Middle and High School Students.  
Current members of Team Palmetto receive a price break. 
Members must have a valid Nuway Wrestling card 
Practices will be held at Olympic Gym in Newberry SC
To register Contact: Matt Finley at 803-944-0168 or Kelly Revells 803-944-1898

The Purpose of BIP Freestyle Wrestling Club is to create an Exciting atmosphere for young wrestlers 
during the off season.  Wrestlers will be able to learn from college coaches, athletes, and special guests.  
Bip Style Wrestling will pair up with other clubs to create matches during the season to gain 
experience on the mat.  Members are expected to compete in tournaments around the Southeast.
    

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Newberry caps year, honors wrestlers with banquet

4/28/2010

NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team gathered on Monday evening for its annual banquet 
to honor and recognize team and individual accomplishments from one of the program's most successful seasons.

Head coach Jason Valek and assistant coaches Matt Finley, Kelly Revells and Eric Pack prepared food and 
handed out awards to celebrate the squad that went 18-4 and captured its third straight Super Region I 
Tournament championship before finishing eighth at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. 
Three Newberry grapplers earned All-American honors at the championships and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) 
took home the program's third-ever NCAA individual title with a championship at 184 lbs.

Shortly after a sizeable feast, head coach Jason Valek began recognizing the contributions of every member 
of Newberry's squad with plaques to honor the wrestlers' hard work.

Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) took home the Coaches' Award, which is given to the student-athlete that 
exemplifies all facets of being a Newberry wrestler. Moran went 30-12 this year at 133 lbs. and finished 
fourth at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, earning All-American status.

Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) won the Most Improved Award after improving on a 2008-2009 campaign where 
he went 3-1 with an 18-12 season this year. Elkins missed qualifying for the national tournament by just 
one spot as he finished fifth at the Super Region I Tournament.

The Top Wrestler Award went to Bryant Blanton, who took first at the Midwest Classic and UNC Pembroke 
Wrestling Classic in addition to the NCAA championship at 184 lbs. Blanton ended the year with a record 
of 41-8, a win total that falls only one win shy of Cy Wainwright's single-season best mark of 42 in 2008-2009. 
Blanton also set the single season record for falls (17) and the career fall mark (44) this season.

The squad also honored Steven McLeod, who earned Honorable Mention on the NCAA Division II All-Academic 
Wrestling Team. McLeod finished the year with a 3.23 grade point average while majoring in Mathematics 
and compiled a 14-11 record at 125 lbs. in 2009-2010.

Coach Valek recognized the team's three All-Americans with plaques as well. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.), 
who won finished fourth, joined Sheridan Moran and Bryant Blanton as those receiving the honor. The banquet 
also featured recognition of Newberry's senior class, one of the most accomplished in school history. 
The group included Griffin and Moran, with Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.), Ernie Young (Baker County, Fla.) 
and Mike Rogers (Easton, Pa.) rounding out the class of 2010. The group combined for 10 trips to the 
national championship and an individual national championship.


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http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/statechapter.php?state=SC
 
2010 National Wrestling Hall of Fame - SOUTH CAROLINA HONORS BANQUET 
Location:
The Medallion Center
7309 Garner's Ferry Rd. 
Columbia , SC 23209
Meet & Greet: 4:30 - 5:00pm
Dinner: 5:15pm
Awards: 6:00pm
 
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Nathan Day
Sonny Justice
Dr. Xan Smythe

Outstanding American
CAPT Chris Sinnett

Medal of Courage
Capt. Dan McCollum (Deceased)



Press Release on The Medallion Center (facility for this year's NWHOF Banquet in SC)

January 2009

Medallion Center opens

Columbia's newest full- service contemporary banquet facility, the Medallion Center, located at 
7309 Garners Ferry Road, held a ribbon- cutting ceremony December 22 attended by community leaders 
and elected officials.
 
The 43,000 square- foot, state- of- the- art facility has flexible meeting and function space 
that can accommodate up to 2,900 people featuring a grand ballroom with seating for 900, salons 
and board rooms, spacious entrance foyer and outdoor courtyard.
 
Conveniently located just off I- 77, the Medallion Center boasts an architectural style that 
complements the contemporary décor. Guests will enjoy a luxurious open atrium with a beautiful 
outdoor courtyard and water feature, Martin said.

The Medallion Center will welcome guests with a combination of warm hospitality, gourmet cuisine, 
and state- of- the art capabilities to make each event uniquely spectacular.
 
Created by Tronco's Special Events, an award- winning, family- owned business that has been serving 
Columbia for 17 years, this high- end, unique event facility is centrally located in Columbia.

The facility features rich upholstery, all- recessed lighting, warm butter- colored walls, and upscale 
architecture. The interior consists of a 13,500 square- foot grand ballroom, five board rooms, a spacious 
entrance foyer and walkways, and a salon that opens to an outdoor courtyard.

The Medallion Center's event designers have a wide range of event experience and can assist in developing 
everything from the most elegant weddings, receptions and rehearsal dinners to corporate business meetings, 
seminars and conferences. The location features complimentary parking and easy access to eight hotels 
(and two more under construction), with a combined total of more than 1,000 guest rooms.
 
http://www.troncos.com/themedallioncenter


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USA Wrestling has updated the U.S. Future Olympian Rankings through the popular 
Middle and Elementary Folkstyle Nationals held at Walt Disney World® Resort.

The U.S. Future Olympian Ranking program is designed to recognize the performance of 
America’s most talented wrestlers, based upon actual results in major USA Wrestling events.

To view current U.S. Future Olympian Rankings and find more information, 
visit http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=4&page=kidrankings

Current Future Olympian Leaders (as of 3/8/10)

Intermediate
50 – Joshua Saunders (MO), 610 pts
55 – Dylan VanNoy (FL), 505 pts
60 – Peyton Hughes (FL), 560 pts
65 – Dylan Taylor (FL), 650 pts
70 – William Formato (GA), 225 pts
75 – Trevor Mansfield (SC), 430 pts
80 – Jalen Soto (FL), 320 pts 
87 – Ian Blankenship (GA), 220 pts
95 – Camden Johnson (GA), 205 pts
120 – Timmy Snopl (AL), 610 pts

Novice
60 – Chris Hullender (FL), 230 pts
65 – Dalton Wright (FL), 555 pts 
70 – Will Moss (GA), 645 pts 
75 – Anthony Artalona (FL), 640 pts
80 – Billy Higgins (IA), 440 pts 
85 – Noah Thomas (GA), 615 pts 
90 – Hunter Queen (NC), 420 pts 
95 – Thomas Brackett (TN), 530 pts
100 – Kyle Seifert (MT), 215 pts 
105 – Quinn Miller (GA), 215 pts
112 – Gabriel Bourn (FL), 420 pts
120 – Martin Turner (AL), 220 pts 
130 – Nicolas Mosco (FL), 215 pts
140 – Jacob Lill (GA), 210 pts

Schoolboy/Schoolgirl
70 – Marina Doi (CA), 400 pts
77 – TyPelot (WI), 745 pts
84 – Dillon Koenigs (WI), 645 pts
91 – Dewey Krueger (WI), 600 pts
98 – Jake Adcock (GA), 555 pts
105 – Tyler Janes (MO), 400 pts 
112 – Mr. Johnie Flakes lii (GA), 655 pts
120 – Matthew Mire (LA), 400 pts
128 – Dontae McGee (FL), 430 pts 
136 – Matthew Moody (GA), 605 pts 
144 – Robert Enmon (FL), 515 pts 
152 – Kristian Suarez (FL), 260 pts 
160 – Daniel Bannister (SC), 430 pts
175 – Jacob Hillman (FL), 320 pts 
190 – Alec Shriner (FL), 380 pts
210 – Johnathan Parris (GA), 610 pts

Middle School
70 – Marina Doi (CA), 400 pts
77 – Ty Pelot (WI), 745 pts 
84 – Dillon Koenigs (WI), 645 pts
91 – Dewey Krueger (WI), 600 pts
98 – Sean Russell (GA), 660 pts 
105 – Andres Gonzalez (IA), 440 pts
112 – Mr. Johnie Flake lii (GA), 655 pts
120 – Payton Shuford (NC), 440 pts 
128 – Dontae McGee (FL), 430 pts
136 – Matthew Moody (GA), 605 pts
144 – Robert Enmon (FL), 515 pts
152 – James Douin (FL), 430 pts
160 – Daniel Bannister (SC), 430 pts
175 – David Rudd (FL), 440 pts 
190 – Jerry Willis (FL), 430 pts 
210 – Johnathan Parris (GA), 610 pts
265 – Daniel Morton (NC), 400 pts
 

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Steven McLeod earns Honorable Mention recognition on All-Academic team
Honor marks the second straight for McLeod
3/19/2010

NEWBERRY, S.C. - The accolades for the Newberry College wrestling team continued with Steven McLeod 
(Gilbert, S.C.) earning Honorable Mention recognition on the NCAA Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team.

The Honorable Mention marks the second straight for McLeod, who was named an Honorable Mention selection 
to the All-Academic Wrestling Team last year. McLeod, a redshirt sophomore majoring in Mathematics, 
accumulated a 3.23 grade point average and finished the year with a 14-11 record in 2009-2010 at 125 lbs.

The 2009-2010 Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team consists of 133 students from 32 universities and 
colleges. The All-Academic Wrestling Team is voted on by a committee appointed by the Division II head coaches.

In order for a student-athlete to be nominated for the Division II All-Academic Team, he needed to have 
a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. He must also be in at least his second full year at his 
school, be a varsity member on his team or a key reserve, demonstrating a degree of skill and have a 
minimum of two letters of recommendation submitted on his behalf.


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Newberry Wrestling wraps up 2009-2010 season

3/26/2010

NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team capped one of the most successful campaigns in its history, with Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) winning a national championship at 184 lbs. and the squad finishing in the top 10 for the third straight year. Newberry finished with an 18-4 record and a host of accomplishments throughout a season punctuated with milestones, adding to the program's budding tradition.

Newberry began the season with several open tournaments, building experience for members of the scarlet and gray early in the year. The squad offered a glimpse of what was to come in 2009-2010 from the start, as Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.), Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.), Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Bryant Blanton placed at the Hokie Open. Newberry wrestlers then headed to the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic to make another impressive showing, placing 10 while Matt Oliver and Bryant Blanton won individual championships.

Newberry wrestlers traveled to one last tournament before the beginning the dual portion of their schedule, the Wolfpack Open at NC State. Bryant Blanton and Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) both placed at the Open for the scarlet and gray, marking five starters that placed in tournaments before the team headed back to Virginia for duals against Division I opponents Campbell and Virginia Tech. Newberry faced Campbell in the squad's first dual of the season. The scarlet and gray romped over the Camels, 37-7, before falling to then-No. 23 Virginia Tech, 27-9. Matt Oliver, Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin went 2-0 on the day against Campbell and a Hokies team that boasted four wrestlers ranked in the Intermat top 20 individual rankings.

The scarlet and gray returned to Newberry to host the third-annual Newberry Duals, where five teams descended on Newberry for an afternoon of duals on December 5. The scarlet and gray faced three foes on the day, including two ranked in the nation's top 20 in No. 3 Adams State and No. 19 Findlay. Newberry faced little difficulty in dispatching its opponents, knocking off Findlay, 36-7, dominating Adams State, 42-7, and topping Grand Canyon, 33-15.

The Newberry Duals gave the team some dual experience before the team traveled to Kent, Ohio, for a pair of contests against two strong Division I teams. Newberry first took on No. 15 Kent State, falling short, 32-9. Newberry did take two wins against the Golden Flashes with Matt Oliver coming out on top and Keeno Griffin winning with a 43-second pinfall. The squad next took on Michigan, finding more success with four wins and battling hard but ultimately coming up short, 22-13.

The Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind., loomed for the scarlet and gray as their next test of the season. The scarlet and gray passed with flying colors, placing six wrestlers and winning two championships from Keeno Griffin and Bryant Blanton to secure second place. 

One week later, Newberry set out for Cedar Falls, Iowa, to defend its NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Runner-up finish from the 2009-2010 season. The road wouldn't be easy, as the scarlet and gray faced four teams ranked in the top 20. Newberry first faced No. 19 Central Missouri and the squad dispatched the Mules with ease, advancing with a 43-3 pasting for the right to battle No. 8 Augustana. 

Newberry would find itself in one of its toughest contests of the season against the Vikings. The score swung back and forth from the first match but Newberry would take advantage of late-match heroics in the upper weights and held on for a win, 18-15. The win would go down as the second-slimmest margin of victory in 2009-2010 and set up Newberry for a clash against No. 16 Gannon in the semifinals.

Again, Newberry battled with its opponent for most of the dual before taking control of the score for the win, 25-16. Wins from Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.), Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin captured the victory for Newberry.

Newberry squared off against the No. 1 team in the country and eventual national champions University of Nebraska Omaha in the National Duals finals. Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, the day would not belong to Newberry as the squad fell short, 25-6. Despite the loss, Newberry finished with its second straight runner-up finish.

The scarlet and gray traveled to St. Andrews Presbyterian College for a tune-up on Jan. 15, 2010, before hosting the Super Region I Duals the following week. Newberry ran into no trouble at St. Andrews, blowing past the Knights for the team's first shutout of the season, a 46-0 blanking that included three falls and a technical fall.

Newberry returned home to host the Super Region I Duals for the first time in its history, inviting 11 schools from the Region for a weekend of duals. The squad opened its five-dual schedule with a 35-3 win over Shippensburg before facing rival and the nation's third-ranked team in the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. UPJ took a one-point lead after the 165 lbs. match, but a fall from Curtis Chenoweth gave Newberry three bonus points that the squad would use to keep the Mountain Cats at bay for an 18-16 win.

The morning of the second day saw Newberry knock off No. 15 Kutztown, 21-15, before powering past No. 12 West Liberty by a score of 25-9. Only Seton Hill stood in the way of an unbeaten weekend and a 5-0 Super Region I Duals record. The scarlet and gray had little trouble achieving the feat of a perfect weekend, dispatching the Griffins, 36-3. 

Two canceled duals against Gannon and Mercyhurst after a snowstorm gave the scarlet and gray a week off from competition before the squad headed to UNC Pembroke for a dual against the Braves. Six Newberry wins including falls from Ernie Young (Baker County, Fla.) and Bryant Blanton powered Newberry to victory, 25-12.

Newberry reserves made an impressive showing on Feb. 6, at the Spartanburg Methodist Open. Five grapplers won titles and 25 Newberry wrestlers placed at the Open, with many wrestlers advancing or earning titles by toppling other members of the scarlet and gray.

Two home duals marked Newberry's next contests. The scarlet and gray faced Belmont Abbey and Limestone on February 9, giving Newberry a chance to strengthen its starting lineup with a little over two weeks before the Super Region I Tournament. The team had little trouble with either opponent, rolling past Belmont Abbey, 41-9, before knocking off Limestone, 25-10.
Newberry hosted the first-ever Newberry Open on Valentine's Day, giving fans an opportunity to see Newberry reserves in action and talent from 12 schools battle in an all-day tournament. Clint Spencer (Carthage, Mo.), Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.), Josh Tuck (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) powered their way through the field for individual championships and 19 wrestlers placed for the scarlet and gray.

A road dual against Gardner-Webb and a home contest against Anderson stood as the rest of Newberry's dual schedule. The scarlet and gray erased the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, 46-0, for Newberry's second shutout of the season. The team followed the win up with another, a 31-12 victory over Anderson to cap a perfect 11-0 run through Super Region I competition for the second straight year. The last time Newberry lost to a Super Region I opponent was a 23-15 loss to West Liberty on Jan. 26, 2008.

Newberry then headed to Johnstown, Pa., looking for its third straight Super Region I Tournament title. The goal looked well within reach after the first day of the tournament, as all wrestlers advanced to the second day. The team took advantage of a championship from Keeno Griffin at 197 lbs., and six other placewinners to win its third-straight Super Region I Tournament championship by 16.5 points over second-place Gannon. Griffin qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships for the fourth straight time, along with Latra Collick, who finished as runner-up at 149 lbs. Other qualifiers included Matt Oliver, who finished third at 125 lbs., Sheridan Moran, who finished third at 133 lbs., Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.), who finished as runner-up at 157 lbs., Curtis Chenonweth, who finished fourth at 174 lbs., and Bryant Blanton, who finished third at 184 lbs. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) and Jake Elkins also placed in the top six but did not qualify.

Two weeks later, the seven Newberry qualifiers boarded a plane bound for Omaha, Neb., for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on March 12 and 13. The tournament began with Newberry advancing four to the national quarterfinals and claiming three All-Americans on the first day, with Sheridan Moran, Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin earning All-American honors.

After Sheridan Moran and Keeno Griffin both finished fourth place in the third session of the tournament, Bryant Blanton booked a trip to the championship finals with a match against Shane Mallory of East Stroudsburg. A 1-1 tie through regulation sent the two grapplers to overtime, but a Bryant Blanton escape in the first tiebreaker gave the Newberry junior a 2-1 and the program its third-ever NCAA national championship.

The win put Newberry in a finishing position of a tie for eighth place with Gannon with 46 team points, marking the third straight year Newberry has finished in the top 10 at the national tournament.
Blanton ended the year with a record of 41-8, a win total that falls only one win shy of Cy Wainwright's single-season best mark of 42 in 2008-2009. Blanton also set the single season record for falls (17) and the career fall mark (44) this season.

Griffin leaves Newberry as one of the school's most accomplished athletes. Second all-time in wins with 120, Griffin ended the year as Newberry's first three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier. Griffin also holds the Newberry records for fifth-most wins in a season (33, set this year and last year), fourth-most major decisions in a season (eight, set in 2008-2009), fifth-most career falls (17), and seventh-most career major decisions (12).

Latra Collick ended the season with a 32-13 record, marking the sixth-best win total in a single season in Newberry history. The program's second four-time national qualifier also ended his Newberry career with the fourth-most career falls, with 22, and the fourth-most career wins, with 97.

Matt Oliver finished the season with a record of 27-8 and will have a chance to improve on his sixth-place standing in career wins, with 88.

Sheridan Moran tied the tenth-best single-season win total in Newberry history with 30 in 2009-2010. Moran will also leave Newberry tied for third in career major decisions, with 14, and fourth-most major decisions in a season, with eight.

Curtis Chenoweth ended the season at 30-15, tying him for the eighth-best single-season win total in Newberry history.


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Grapplers Host Third Annual Bulldog Wrestling Club Golf Tournament on April 17

Charleston, S.C. - The Bulldog Wrestling Club would like to invite alumni, fans and friends of the
program out to their third annual golf tournament. All proceeds benefit The Citadel Wrestling
Program. The captain's choice tournament utilizes a handicap system and will take place at Miler
Country Club in Summerville on Saturday, April 17, 2010, with a 1:00 p.m. shot gun start.

Join The Citadel wrestling team for an afternoon of golf, prizes, food and fun!  Prizes will be
awarded to the top three teams as well as to the participants with the longest drive and closest to
the hole on several of the holes.  Mulligans will be sold Saturday morning at registration.  Dinner
will be available in the Club House at 5:30 pm followed with awards. If you are not a golfer and
would still like to attend the event and dinner you can do so for only $25. The Citadel coaches will
be providing the group with an update on the program and what is coming next for the Bulldog
grapplers, following their second place finish at the SoCon Championships in 2010.

All fans are reminded that this is a fundraising event for the Bulldog wrestling program.
Sponsorships and donations are both needed and greatly appreciated. Unable to play, become a
hole, t-shirt or cart sponsor.

Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010

Time: 1:00 p.m. shotgun start (golfers must arrive no later than 12:30 p.m.)

Place: Miler Country Club
400 Country Club Boulevard
Summerville, SC 29483

Price: Golf and Dinner - $75; Dinner only - $25

Sponsorship: Hole, registration for a four-player team, cart and t-shirts - $500; T-shirt and Cart -
$200; Cart only - $25

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Groups: If you have a four-man group that you wish to compete with please make note of it when
registering. The price for a team registration is $280.

For more information and to register for The Bulldog Wrestling Club's third annual golf
tournament contact Jim Oddo at 843-654-6093 or 864-420-7054 or send an email to
joddo1@gmail.com.


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Bryant Blanton wins 184 lbs. national title at NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships
Blanton becomes third-ever Newberry champion, scarlet and gray finish eighth
3/13/2010

OMAHA, Neb. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team claimed its third-ever national champion after 
Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) took the national championship at 184 lbs. at the NCAA Division II 
Wrestling Championships on Saturday night with a 2-1 tiebreaker win over Shane Mallory of East Stroudsburg.

The win put Newberry in a finishing position of a tie for eighth place with Gannon with 46 team points, 
marking the third straight year Newberry has finished in the top 10 at the national tournament. 
Blanton joins Cy Wainwright and Keeno Griffin as national champions in Newberry history. The scarlet and gray 
finished the tournament with three All-Americans: Bryant Blanton with the national championship and Keeno Griffin 
(Jacksonville, Fla.) and Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) with fourth-place finishes. The three placewinners bring 
the total number of All-Americans in Newberry history to 14.

The championship match found the two scoreless through the first period as each grappler looked for weaknesses.
 Mallory found the scoreboard first with an escape 1:05 into the second period for a 1-0 lead, but Blanton answered 
with a quick escape of his own in the third for a 1-1 tie. The two could not find another point in regulation and 
sent the match into overtime.

A sudden victory period produced several chances for both wrestlers but no points for either, forcing a tiebreaker 
period. Blanton started from top position in the first portion of the tiebreaker and earned all 30 seconds of riding 
time, demanding Mallory do the same or risk falling behind. When Blanton took bottom position, he found a quick 
escape again and took a 2-1 advantage. From there, the Newberry junior defended Mallory's attempts to score and 
came away with the win and a national title.

Blanton ends the year with a record of 41-8, a win total that falls only one win shy of Cy Wainwright's single-season 
best mark of 42 in 2008-2009. Blanton also set the single season record for falls (17) and the career fall mark (44) 
this season.

Newberry finishes the season with its third straight top 10 finish and a bevy of other accomplishments in 2009-2010. 
In addition to the top 10 finish at the national tournament, Newberry won its third straight Super Region I Tournament 
title, took second at the Midwest Classic, won runner-up at the National Duals for the second straight year and went 11-0 
against Super Region I opponents for the second consecutive year.

Final brackets and team standings are available at this link: 
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-wrestl/champpage/m-wrestl-div2-index.html.


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No. 2 Newberry takes two fourth place finishes, Bryant Blanton advances to championship final
Blanton has a chance to be Newberry's third national champion
3/13/2010

OMAHA, Neb. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team took two fourth place finishes and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) booked a trip to the championship finals at 184 lbs. in the first Saturday session of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb.

Newberry will enter the championship final round on Saturday night in ninth place with 39 team points. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) finished in fourth place while Bryant Blanton has the chance to become the third national champion in Newberry history on Saturday night.

At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton advanced to the championship finals with a statement win over Patrick Walsh of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Walsh entered the semifinal match with a 2-0 record over Blanton this season and the nation's No. 5 ranking, but Blanton took control early with a first period takedown and never looked back. Blanton jumped to a 5-0 lead in the second stanza with an escape and takedown and held off Walsh while adding three more points for an 8-3 win, earning Blanton a championship match against Shane Mallory of East Stroudsburg on Saturday night at 8 p.m. CST/9 p.m. EST. Blanton has met Mallory only once this season, a 2-1 second tiebreaker win for Blanton in the Super Region I Tournament third place match.

Keeno Griffin took on three-time All-American and the nation's third-ranked wrestler in Jacob Marrs of Nebraska-Omaha in the third-place match at 197 lbs. Griffin trailed 1-0 throughout the match until a reversal in the third period gave him a 2-1 lead. A Marrs escape late tied the match and forced overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory and initial tiebreaker, Marrs scored on a reversal and three-point near fall to win, 7-2.

Griffin leaves Newberry as one of the school's most accomplished athletes. Second all-time in wins with 120, Griffin exits the tournament as Newberry's first three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier. Griffin also holds the Newberry records for fifth-most wins in a season (33, set this year and last year), fourth-most major decisions in a season (eight, set in 2008-2009), fifth-most career falls (17), and seventh-most career major decisions (12).

After taking the first two matches of the day, Sheridan Moran took on Kyle Pedretti of Upper Iowa in the third place match, hoping to avenge a first-round loss to the Peacock at 133 lbs. on the first day of competition. Moran fell behind early but and trailed 6-3 after two periods. Moran earned a riding time point but could not get a takedown despite several close attempts and dropped the match, 6-4. Moran ends the tournament as a fourth place All-American and finishes the season with a 30-9 record, tying the tenth-best single-season win total in Newberry history. Moran will also leave Newberry tied for third in career major decisions, with 14, and fourth-most major decisions in a season, with eight.

The 133 lbs. consolation quarterfinals pitted Moran against Scott Berens of the University of Central Oklahoma, the nation's eighth-ranked wrestler. After a scoreless first period, Berens took a 1-0 lead with an escape 48 seconds into the second frame, but it would prove the only point Berens would score. Moran took the lead with a takedown and added two near fall points for a 4-1 advantage after two periods and tacked on a riding time point to salt away the win, 5-1.

Moran then faced a familiar foe in Gannon's Corey Bowers. The two wrestlers split two meetings this year and Bowers entered Saturday's consolation semifinals ranked No. 4 in the country. Moran came out on the offensive, scoring two takedowns in the first period for an opening 4-1 lead. Bowers narrowed the advantage with a second period escape put two Moran takedowns and a riding time point put the match away for the Newberry senior, 8-2.

At 197 lbs., Keeno Griffin opened the day with a heartbreaking loss to fourth-ranked Donovan McMahill of Western State. McMahill took a 1-0 lead with an escape in the second period and took a riding time bonus point for a 2-0 decision. The loss ended a 15-match winning streak for Griffin and put the senior into consolation semifinal match against Mitch Knapp of West Liberty. 

Griffin entered the match holding a 2-0 advantage over Knapp this season and Griffin would make it a perfect three-for-three. Griffin opened with a 2-1 first period lead and never let Knapp find the scoreboard again. Griffin tacked on an escape and came away with a 3-1 win, giving him a third-place matchup with third-ranked Jacob Marrs of Nebraska-Omaha.


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PARKER FINISHES 4TH AS MAGAHA TAKES 8TH AT NCAA TOURNEY

OMAHA, Neb.—Limestone College’s Jeremy Parker (Winchester, Va.) and Mike Magaha (Seaford, Del.) earned top finishes 
at the NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday. Parker took fourth-place in the 141-pound weight class 
as Magaha was eighth at 133 lbs. 

Magaha lost his opening match of the tournament, but picked up a 12-3 major decision against Chadron State’s 
Ryan Fillingame on Friday. He went on to defeat Naveed Bagheri of San Francisco State 6-1 before losing to 
Kyle Pedretti of Upper Iowa. He suffered a 14-8 loss to the University of Central Oklahoma’s Scott Berens 
to finish 8th in the tournament. 

Parker had two decisions on Friday to advance to the semifinals on Saturday. He faced Augustana’s Jay Sherer 
today, and lost a close match, 3-2. Parker then lost to Fort Hays State University’s Andre Harrison 3-1 to 
place fourth. 

Both Parker and Magaha earned All-American honors for their performances at the national tournament. 

NCAA Division II Wrestling Tournament Website: 
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-wrestl/champpage/m-wrestl-div2-index.html 


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2010 Carolina Senior Clash - March 13 in Hendersonville, NC


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NOTE - in some newspaper articles, there will be an error in the 4A 285 Finals Placers.
Marshall Williams of Dutch Fork was first and Michael Sellers of Fort Dorchester was second.

Simons stands supreme for Yellow Jackets; Warriors' Jones rallies for 1A title
Last of Becks gets his wrestling state championship
Chapin pins pair of wrestling titles
HHH's Duane, Beck capture state wrestling titles
High school roundup: Myrtle Beach's Holt, Loris' Gore take wrestling titles
Six Greenville County wrestlers collect state titles
Five Spartanburg area wrestlers claim individual championships
GOODE TO THE LAST MATCH: Ninety Six senior lone Lakelands wrestler to win gold
Oaks falls seconds short of state title

Woodruff coach: Tiebreak losses part of wrestling
Loris wrestlers win state title
Loris sneaks past Woodruff to win 2A wrestling crown

Humphries’ maturity continues on, off mat
Brinson hopes jitters disappear quickly
Landrum wrestler Barron has one goal in mind
31 area wrestlers to compete in state wrestling tournament
3A mat: L-E, Chapin duel one last time at season finale
Undefeated Chapin junior eyes wrestling title
Borja's sights on 3rd title
State's best set to grapple at Rock Hill
Yellow Jackets grappling with history
EYES ON THE PRIZE: S.C. wrestling titles at stake Fort Mill sending 7, Nation Ford 1, to state finals
West-Oak, Palmetto, Abbeville clean up at Upper State
Local wrestlers ready to compete for individual titles
Paving the way for future varsity success

SMC wrestler, Chris Jones of Travelers Rest, finishes 8th nationally, named All-American
'Hardest-working' Campbell, 3 other SMC freshmen competing in national wrestling tournament

Video lets you weigh in on match


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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team won its third consecutive Super Region I Tournament title, 
qualifying seven wrestlers for the NCAA Division II national tournament in the process. Newberry took one championship 
and placed two runners-up, three in third place, one in fourth place, one in fifth place and one in sixth place.

Newberry (18-4) earned 120 points, outpacing second-place Gannon by 16.5 points. Host Pittsburgh-Johnstown finished 
in third with 99 points.

Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) won his second straight Super Region I title and qualified for the national tournament 
for the fourth time. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) also qualified for the fourth consecutive time, both firsts in 
Newberry history. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.), Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.), Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.), 
Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) also qualified for the national tournament. 
Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) finished fifth and Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) finished sixth but did not qualify.

Keeno Griffin became the third Newberry wrestler of the day to qualify with an emphatic 10-2 major decision over No. 4 
seed Mitch Knapp of West Liberty at 197 lbs., putting Griffin into the championship finals. Griffin then held off 
second-seeded Shane Nolan of UNC Pembroke, 5-1, for his second consecutive Super Region I Championship at 197 lbs.

After dropping his championship semifinal match to No. 5 seed Kenny Trumbetta of Seton Hill, 4-1, Matt Oliver found 
himself against No. 6 seed John Fleming of Gannon at 125 lbs. An illegal hold disqualified Fleming at the 6:42 mark, 
advancing Oliver to the wrestleback finals where he faced No. 4 seed Ryan Link of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Two scoreless 
periods passed before Oliver scored on a takedown and added a riding time point for a 3-2 decision to claim third 
place and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Oliver heads to the tournament for the third straight year and claimed sixth place all time in Newberry history with 
his 87th career win, coming against John Fleming in the wrestleback semifinals.

Sheridan Moran moved to the wrestleback bracket after a 7-5 loss at the hands of No. 3 seed Corey Bowers of Gannon in 
the championship semifinals at 133 lbs. Moran recovered for a 10-3 decision over fourth-seeded Nick Wykoff of West Liberty, 
putting Moran in the wrestleback finals against fifth-seeded Mike Magaha of Limestone. Moran used three reversals to 
overtake the Saint, 7-5, to finish in third place and book a trip to the national tournament. The qualification marks 
the first national tournament trip for Moran.

At 141 lbs., No. 7 seed Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) exited the tournament via a wrestleback quarterfinal loss to third-seeded 
Nate Nauroth of Shippensburg, 8-3. Brown ends his season with a 29-16 record.

Third-seeded Latra Collick became the first member of the scarlet and gray to qualify for the national tournament with 
an 8-6 decision in the second sudden victory period over second-seeded Kevin McElhaney of Gannon at 149 lbs.. The two 
swapped points in the tiebreaker after an initial scoreless sudden victory period and a Collick takedown sealed the win. 
Collick then took on top-seeded Mitch Smith of West Liberty in the championship finals match but found himself on the 
losing end, 3-2. Collick claimed runner-up for the fourth straight time with the loss and guaranteed himself a spot in Omaha.

Collick will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the national tournament. Collick also tied Sheridan Moran and 
Brandon Kelly on the Newberry career major decision list at the tournament by earning his 14th, which he acheived in 
an opening day match against Kurt McCamley of Seton Hill.

No. 5 Sean Byrnes had no easy test in his championship semifinal matchup against top-seeded Andy Lamancusa of Mercyhurst 
at 157 lbs. Byrnes took Lamancusa to a tiebreaker session before escaping for the point that would send Byrnes to nationals 
with the win, 3-2. Byrnes did have one more match to wrestle, in the in championship finals against second-seeded 
Michael Williams of UNC Pembroke. Byrnes led through the first two periods but Williams scored three points in the 
final stanza to win, 3-2. Byrnes claimed second place and qualified for the national tournament for the first time.

Josh Whitelock advanced to the wrestleback semifinals at 165 lbs. with a 5-1 decision over Trevor Sanford of Anderson 
before losing by fall to second-seeded Kyle Keane of Pittsburgh-Johnstown at 2:31. Whitelock also fell in the fifth 
place match to No. 7 seed Bryce Sopko of Limestone at 2:15. Whitelock finished the tournament in sixth place and ended 
the season with an 18-15 record.

Second-seeded Curtis Chenoweth dropped to the wrestleback bracket after an opening 3-2 loss to No. 3 seed 
Christopher Barrick of Shippensburg in the championship semifinals at 174 lbs. Chenoweth faced No. 4 seed Steve Makin 
of Pittsburgh-Johnstown and battled for a close 3-2 win, sending the junior to the wrestleback finals. Chenoweth 
dropped the third place match to sixth-seeded Anthony Patella of Gannon, 4-3, and then found himself in a battle 
against Limestone's No. 5 seed Casey Bradley for fourth place. The wrestlers found themselves tied through regulation, 
two sudden victory periods and one tiebreaker to force a second tiebreaker session. Chenoweth trailed in riding time 
in the second period of the tiebreaker but scored on a reversal with five seconds left to win, 4-3, securing fourth 
place and a trip to Omaha. The win marks the second career trip to the national tournament for Chenoweth and his 
first in a Newberry singlet.

At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton lost his first match of the day in the championship semifinals to third-seeded 
Patrick Wlash of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 3-2. Blanton took on fifth-seeded Landon Hall of Limestone in the 
wrestleback semifinals and advanced over the Saint with an injury default win at 2:25 to advance to the 
wrestleback finals. Blanton faced No. 4 seed Shane Mallory of East Stroudsburg in the finals and took a 
thrilling 2-1 tiebreaker win to claim third place and his third consecutive national tournament appearance.

Blanton's four wins at the tournament gives him 38 wins on the season, second-best all-time at Newberry. 
He trails Cy Wainwright's mark of 42 that Wainwright set last season.

At the heavyweight level, Jake Elkins came up short against sixth-seeded Christopher Dempsey of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 
in the championship semifinals, 8-1. Elkins squared off against No. 4 seed J.D. Ramsey of West Liberty in the wrestleback 
semifinals and, despite nearly taking down Ramsey with a fall, Elkins succumbed to a fall himself at 1:39. Elkins won 
the fifth place match against Erik Stancil of UNC Pembroke, 5-4, but could not challenge for fourth place. 
He ends the year with an 18-12 record.

Newberry's seven qualifiers will head to Omaha, Neb., for the NCAA Division II tournament on Friday, March 12, 
and Saturday, March 13.


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LIMESTONE WRESTLERS FINISH 6TH AT REGIONAL; 2 SAINTS EARN NATIONAL BIDS

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.—The Limestone College wrestling team finished tied for sixth at the 2010 Super Region I Tournament 
hosted by the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown on Saturday. Two Saints earned NCAA National Championship bids 
as Jeremy Parker (Winchester, Va.) took first in the 141-pound weight class and Mike Magaha (Seaford, Del.) 
finished fourth at 133 lbs. 

The Saints had several other wrestlers finish in the top of their weight classes. Landon Hall (Louisville, Tenn.) 
was sixth at 184 lbs., while Bryce Sopko (Riverview, Mich.) and Casey Bradley (Muncie, Ind.) each took fifth in 
the 165-pound and 174-pound divisions, respectively. 

Newberry College won the team tournament while Gannon took second. Pittsburgh-Johnstown finished third while 
Kutztown and UNC-Pembroke rounded out the top five. West Liberty State University tied for sixth with the Saints. 

Magaha and Parker advance to the NCAA Division II National Tournament hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha 
on March 12-13.


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Brittany Delgado, former Hillcrest wrestler, wins 2010 WCWA National Championship!
Woodruff, Loris scheduled to wrestle for 2A team title Thursday
Loris to wrestle in AA State title match - article in The Sun News
Can wrestling rise again? Bluffton's Tyler Rosenlieb in TV spotlight ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chesnee steals show at 2A upper state wrestling qualifier York County sends 27 to wrestling playoff finals 3A Upper State article Woodruff wrestlers frustrated over postponed title match Woodruff title match halted after judge grants injunction Patriots capture state title Loris wrestling team to learn fate Thursday Rock Hill unable to hold off Fort Dorchester wrestlers More wrestling drama ahead for Bearcats Rested Porter, Patriots ready for title rematch ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four SMC wrestlers qualify for national tourney Bearcats head back to wrestling title game with win Hilton Head High's state championship wrestling match moved to Wednesday Hiilton Head wrestlers advance to state finals with emotional win vs. Bluffton Patriots head to state after whipping Wave Hanahan wrestling team granted injunction; Hearing set for Thursday Hanahan stripped of state spot, will appeal Hanahan edges Loris, 34-33, to win AA duals lower state title Hawks advance to Lower State finals Gators end season in third round Woodruff tops Palmetto for upper state wrestling title Abbeville’s Class AA state championship defense falls short against Palmetto Woodruff wrestling team advances in 2A playoffs Loris' spot in wrestling finals now up to court Rams fall just shy of final Injunction keeps Hawks' dreams of state title alive Hanahan loses state title berth No. 1 Patriots gun for Class AAAA state championship Ineligible wrestler costs Hanahan shot at state championship L-E ends seven-year state title bout drought Hanahan headed to state Appeal victory puts Loris wrestlers back in state championship hunt Hanahan takes down Loris, for time being, in wrestling Lower State final Meet Battery Creek wrestler Matt Heinrich Rams bring York’s season to an end Fort Mill’s title hopes pinned by ref’s call Last-minute drama favors Bearcats Injustice rocks Fort Mill? ... you make the call - video of final match (119 lbs.) deciding which team wins Summerville rolls over Goose Creek South Pointe wrestlers allowed in SC individuals tourney Chapin knocks Bears out of playoffs Wrestling rivals Bluffton, HHH to meet in Lower State championship Bobcats take 5 titles, Seahawks get 4 at region wrestling tourney Woodruff continued its run in the 2A wrestling playoffs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Pointe wrestlers disqualified from upper state match Hawks wrestlers earn top seed in Lower State 'Cats kick off hunt for wrestling crown B-HP knocks off TR, looks to second round rematch Fort Mill earns way to Round 3 South Pointe wrestlers upset Hillcrest Bearcats wrestlers take out Dorman Palmetto looks to upper weights for playoff run Stallions slam Indians to mat over and over in win Bearcats march past Trojans to advance Jackets slam Ridge View in opening playoff round Wright, Lafaille pull Westside to playoff victory Loris' Bromell small in stature, big in winning Deaf Clover wrestler has his own fan club Dorman outwrestles crosstown rival Spartanburg Wrestling notebook: Woodruff's Gilliam small in stature, big in ring Bluffton wrestlers take care of business against rival Hilton Head High Top-ranked L-E nips No. 3 Chapin for 4-3A honors The Citadel's Frazile recalls those left behind in Haiti Abbeville’s Enwright finding success in first year wrestling RETURNING TO FORM: Emerald’s Michael Adams finding success after one-season hiatus Bluffton wrestlers take down Battery Creek Quotes from Spartanburg county wrestling champions Boiling Springs wins county wrestling championship Clevenger brothers lead Bulldogs into county tournament Hillcrest beats Dorman, wins Region II-4A wrestling crown Woodruff beats Broome, wins 4th straight region crown Champion, Moss key Broome’s No. 5 ranking Veteran Fort team still out for crown Bearcats maul Stallions on mat WK matmen excel despite heavy workload Wallace, Cooler inducted into B-E Wrestling Hall of Fame ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The registration form for Flo Nationals has been posted on Flowrestling.org. This is a new tournament at the end of March that Flo has started with the enlistment of Walsh Jesuit and a number of big time college programs. 3 Day tourney - 1st day is a wrestle-in for days 2-3. Top 8 each weight on day 1 wrestle day 2 against the top 32 high school wrestlers (regardless of class) in the country. In addition to giving invites to a number of top ranked guys in each weight, Flo has been travelling to several of the larger, more prestigious tournaments and giving invites to the winners. For more info go to Flowrestling.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sumter had a team drop out of the Gamecock Duals this Saturday, January 23. We are in need of one more team. Committed Teams are: Sumter Lake City Camden Stratford Westside Loris Cheraw Myrtle Beach Chapin Contact Matt Love lovem@sumter17.k12.sc.us 803-565-0982 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Due to a late cancellation, we have an open spot in the Red Raider Rumble. The tournament is 1/22 and 1/23 at Greenville HS. It is a dual tournament with 2 pools of six teams. For more info or if any team is interested contact Troy Bowe at tbowe@greenville.k12.sc.us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Joseph's Knights join S.C. High School League Razors’ Rankin has Senior Night to remember Rams win County championship Vikings' Scoggins continues family tradition at Wolverine Invitational Woodruff's Gilliam eyes wrestling title at home tourney Dorman starts slow, rallies to outwrestle Boiling Springs Eagles break in new wrestling mats with wins Rock Hill, Northwestern to host AAAA individual wrestling tourneys Top-ranked Hilton Head falls twice at Coach Trap Memorial Wrestling tournament to honor 'Coach Trap' Rams bid to dethrone champ Eagles Scoring error takes wrestling title from Rock Hill Hilton Head starts fast in dual win over Battery Creek Gators roll into Hanahan, take Hawk Invitational Patriots face stiff competition in Virginia A WILD FINISH: An unsportsmanlike celebration leads to Greenwood besting Emerald B-HP wrestling primed for postseason run ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myrtle Beach High School to host Granby Camp: With help from a few team parents and my schools A.D., I have been talking with Steve Martin from the Granby Camp about setting up a camp @ Myrtle Beach High School this summer. The dates that have been worked out are June 5, 6 and 7th. Hotel accommodations and lunches are still being figured out, but we need at least 100 wrestlers to make this happen. The price is still being discussed, but it should fall somewhere between $220-$250 per wrestler. Anyone who has been to the camp or at least researched it knows that this is a high quality camp, well worth the money and skills that the boys will get out of it. Please feel free to contact me via email with any questions and I will do my best to answer them. -- Patrick Fischer, Head Coach Myrtle Beach Wrestling FischerMBSeahawks@gmail.com (717) 587-8625 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Newberry head coach Jason Valek to serve as Division II Wrestling Coaches Association president 1/13/2010 NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry College head wrestling coach Jason Valek will soon begin a term as president of the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. Valek won the office in an election last year and will serve for a two-year term. "This is a great honor to be elected by my peers," Valek said. "I look forward to serving the needs of all the programs within the Division II ranks." Valek's responsibilities will include organizing annual coaches meetings, organizing the meeting agendas and discussions and votes for the meetings, recommending new officers when necessary and working to resolve problems and issues that arise during the year. Valek will also serve as the Division II coaches' representative to the National Wrestling Coaches Association and oversee team selection for the NWCA National Duals. "I look forward to the opportunity to work in an effort to move our sport forward for years to come," Valek said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry finishes runner-up at NWCA National Duals with loss to No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha, 25-6 The scarlet and gray win second consecutive second place finish at prestigious team event 1/10/2010 CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team finished runner-up for the second year in a row at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Sunday afternoon. Newberry finished in second place at the Duals, which serves as one of the most prestigious team championships in collegiate wrestling, with a 25-6 loss to the No. 1 University of Nebraska-Omaha. Newberry (7-4) fell short against Nebraska-Omaha (4-0), who won last year's NCAA Division II national championship. The scarlet and gray fielded an abbreviated lineup for the championship dual and lost five matches by only three points or less. The National Duals provides a championship forum in which the top teams from all NCAA Divisions can face each other in a dual format. This marks the second time Newberry has appeared at the Duals and the second time the team has taken second place. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) and Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) both won matches against UNO for Newberry. Down 19-0 with four weight classes left to wrestle, Curtis Chenoweth took on Brett Rosedale at 174 lbs. Chenoweth proved able to reverse the scarlet and gray's fortunes on the day with Newberry's highest-scoring performance of the day, as Chenoweth gave Newberry an 8-4 win to put his squad on the board, 19-3. Bryant Blanton then added to his stellar National Duals weekend with his match against Mitch Brown at 184 lbs. Blanton won his first three matches at the Duals all by fall but would have to settle for a decision victory against Brown. Neither wrestler managed to register a point in the first period, but Brown put Blanton behind in the second with an escape. Trailing 1-0 heading into the final frame, Blanton tied the match with an escape of his own and added a takedown for a 3-1 win. The win brought Blanton's weekend record to a perfect 4-0 and brought Newberry closer, 19-6. UNO, however, would not let Newberry add to its score and won the dual by a final score of 25-6. At 125 lbs., Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) saw an early lead against Terrell McKinney turn into a tie through two periods. Unfortunately for Oliver, a McKinney takedown put Oliver behind and he could not rally back and lost, 8-6. Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) represented Newberry at 133 lbs. against Cody Garcia, who is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Moran trailed throughout and began to mount a comeback in the final period but it proved too little, too late with Garcia winning the match, 7-2. At 141 lbs., Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) squared off against Mario Morgan, who entered the match ranked No. 6 in the country. Brown kept the score close throughout with an escape in the first two periods but Morgan pulled away and handed Brown a 6-2 loss. The loss put Newberry behind, 9-0. One of Newberry's best chances to make a difference on the scoreboard came at 149 lbs. when Dale DeBacco Jr. (Niagra Falls, N.Y.) faced Taiten Weatherbee. After a scoreless first period, DeBacco took advantage of a bottom starting position to jump ahead with an escape, which he followed up with a takedown for a 3-0 lead after two periods. Despite DeBacco's best efforts, the final frame belonged to Weatherbee, as the Mav scored on a takedown and near fall. DeBacco escaped for one more point, but it was not enough and the junior lost, 5-4. The loss gave UNO a 12-0 lead. At 157 lbs., Latra Collick matched up against George Ivanov. Collick stayed close on the scoreboard but narrowly lost, 4-1. Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) started for the scarlet and gray at 165 lbs. against Ryan Pankoke. Byrnes tied the match in the first period but Pankoke retook the lead and held off Byrnes for a 12-2 major decision victory. At 197 lbs., Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) squared off against Jacob Marrs. Griffin had previously bested Augustana's No. 2 Ty Copsey earlier in the weekend and faced the No. 4 wrestler in Marrs. Griffin scored first with a takedown but Marrs took the lead at the end of the first period, 4-2. Griffin also trailed though the second, 5-2, but came back to tie the match in the third with an escape and takedown, 5-5. With time left on the clock, Marrs retook the lead with an escape and takedown and though Griffin found an escape of his own, Marrs prevailed, 8-6. Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) took on Elijah Madison, who entered the match ranked No. 3 at the heavyweight level. Elkins trailed after the first period, 4-2. Both wrestlers swapped points in the second period and though Elkins scored on an escape in the final frame he could come no closer and lost, 8-4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bertolini hoping to atone for last season’s disappointment Ninety Six leads local teams with fifth-place finish at Greenwood Invitational Nunamaker makes most of senior season Woodruff's Phillips sets school record for wrestling wins Hilton Head wrestlers dominate Lowcountry Invitational Carolina Forest's Spallone wins 100th match Simons sets Fort Mill wins record Velasquez's win gives Bearcats crown Rock Hill wrestlers get big lift from big guys Nebraska wrestler was walk-on, wants to be champ Forfeits, conditioning lead Westside over T.L. Hanna/ Wave wrestlers down Warriors Berkeley wrestlers place second in Stratford duals Myrtle Beach program moving forward Hilton Head High wrestling earns No. 1 ranking in the state New mind-set means more wins on the mat for Beaufort's Jackson Jackets place 4th at Wildcat duals Cougars place fourth in Clover Duals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bearcat Invitational - January 8 and 9 at Rock Hill High School Committed Teams Eastside Rock Hill Fort Mill Greer Greenville South Pointe Northwestern White Knoll Byrnes Lugoff-Elgin Spartanburg Indian Land Lancaster Nation Ford York Northside Christian North Davidson (NC) JL Mann Gaffney TL Hanna Lake Norman (NC) Clover Weddington (NC) Woodmont Chapman Spotsylvania (VA) Chesterfield Olympic (NC) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hardee's Blue Devil tournament - January 8 and 9 at Dreher High School Committed Teams A.C. Flora Airport Bamberg Earhardt Berkley Bluffton Blythewood Brookland Cayce Camden Camden Military Chapin Chester Crescent Darlington Dreher Dutch Fork Hammond Heathwood Irmo Keenan Lake City Maiden, NC Marion Myrtle Beach Pickens Richland Northeast Ridgeview Socastee Spring Valley Sumter Swansea ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This coming week - January 8-9: Virginia Duals - First Round (with seeds) National Division January 8 at 9 am (1) St. Mark’s, DE vs. Hopewell, VA (8) S. Plainfield, NJ vs. Wantagh, NY (5) Phillipsburg, NJ vs. Fauquier, VA (4) Christiansburg, VA vs. Canon-McMillan, PA January 8 at 11 am (3) Eastern Regional, NJ vs. Kellam, VA (6) Nazareth, PA vs. Columbia, NY (7) Liberty, PA vs. Camden Catholic, NJ (2) Cox, VA vs. Fort Dorchester, SC American Division January 8 at 5 pm (1) Grundy, VA vs. Hermitage, VA (8) Western Branch, VA vs. Lake Braddock, VA (5) Timber Creek, NJ vs. Lexington, SC (4) Kempsville, VA vs. Chantilly, VA January 8 at 7 pm (3) Haddonfield, NJ vs. Cape Henry, VA (6) Poquoson, VA vs. Grassfield, VA (7) Kingsway Regional, NJ vs. Great Bridge, VA (2) St. Christopher’s, VA vs. James Wood, VA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Battery Creek Duals - January 15-16 at Battery Creek High School Committed Teams Battery Creek Hilton Head Beaufort Wando Stratford Loris Lugoff-Elgin Summerville St. James West-Oak Colleton County ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakelands Duals tournament - January 22 and 23 at Ninety Six High School Committed Teams Ninety Six Crescent Emerald White Knoll Bamberg-Erhardt Belton-Honea Path Abbeville Laurens Greenwood Hanahan Palmetto Bishop England Newberry Chesterfield Liberty Mauldin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Midwest Classic Final Team results with Newberry and Limestone Midwest Classic Final Brackets with Newberry and Limestone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry keeps No. 2 national ranking, boasts two top-ranked wrestlers Bryant Blanton (184) joins Keeno Griffin (197) with a No. 1 ranking while Matt Oliver (125) retains No. 3 1/5/2010 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team captured the No. 2 ranking in the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll for the third straight week, and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) also took over the No. 1 ranking at 184 lbs. Newberry (4-3) earned 150 points in the rankings and features three wrestlers individually ranked. The University of Nebraska-Omaha held onto to the top spot in the rankings. Since the previous edition of the rankings, Newberry took second place at the Midwest Classic, topping six other teams appearing in the top 20. Newberry's remaining schedule includes duals with several ranked teams. Newberry will take on No. 5 Pittsburgh-Johnstown on January 22, which returns to No. 5 after improving to No. 4 in the last poll. No. 13 West Liberty will visit Newberry on January 23, and the scarlet and gray will head to Erie, Pa., on January 30, to take on both No. 16 Gannon and Mercyhurst, who receives votes in the rankings. Three Newberry wrestlers receive individual rankings, including Bryant Blanton, who moves up from No. 2 to the top spot at 184 lbs. Blanton has gone 22-4 on the year and went 4-0 to win the individual championship at 184 lbs. at the Midwest Duals on January 2 and 3. This marks the first time Blanton has assumed the No. 1 spot. Blanton leads Newberry in wins and falls, with 10. At the Classic, Blanton topped opponents from No. 13 West Liberty, No. 15 Findlay, No. 6 Wisconsin Parkside and Limestone. Keeno Griffin keeps the No. 1 spot at 197 lbs. Griffin has compiled a 13-2 record this season, recently nabbing his 100th career win with a 4-0 weekend at the Midwest Duals that earned him an individual title as well. Griffin defeated wrestlers from No. 13 West Liberty and No. 15 Findlay en route to the title. Matt Oliver retains the No. 3 ranking at 125 lbs. Oliver has gone 14-2 for Newberry in 2009-2010 and did not compete at the Midwest Classic. Newberry's next competition will see the team head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the NWCA National Duals on January 9 and 10. Newberry will receive the No. 2 seed at the Duals, which will feature 15 teams ranked in the top 20. Go here to view the full rankings: http://www.bronchosports.com/documents/2010/1/5/Division_II_Wrestling_Rankings.pdf?id=850 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry remains atop Super Region I Rankings Nine Newberry wrestlers earn individual rankings 1/4/2010 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team held on to the No. 1 spot in the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Super Region I poll, released Monday. Newberry takes the top spot for the fourth edition in a row and boasts nine individually ranked wrestlers in the rankings. Newberry (4-3) took second place at the Midwest Classic since the previous rankings, winning two individual championships and placing six wrestlers in the top six at the tournament. Newberry is currently ranked No. 2 nationally. Three Newberry wrestlers retain the top spot in their weight classes for the fourth consecutive poll. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.), Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) all topped their respective weight classes. Six other members of the scarlet and grey joined them in the rankings. Matt Oliver keeps the No. 1 spot at 125 lbs. with a 14-2 record in 2009-2010. He has not competed since the previous edition of the rankings. Bryant Blanton holds on to No. 1 at 184 lbs. Blanton has a 22-4 record this season and won an individual championship at the Midwest Classic since the previous poll. Blanton went 4-0 at the tournament, with wins over West Liberty, Findlay, Wisconsin Parkside and Limestone. Keeno Griffin rounds out Newberry's top-ranked wrestlers at No. 1 at 197 lbs. Griffin has gone 13-2 in 2009-2010 and earned his 100th career win at the Midwest Classic shortly before winning the individual title. His 4-0 record at the Classic included wins over Findlay and West Liberty and he is also currently riding an 11-match winning streak. Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) stays at No. 4 at 133 lbs. He has gone 11-6 this year and has not competed since the last poll was released. Mike Rogers (Easton, Pa.) moves from No. 5 at 157 lbs. to No. 2 at 149 lbs., where he has gone 2-2 for the scarlet and gray this season. He has gone 2-0 since the last set of rankings, compiling a 2-0 record at the Midwest Classic. Those two wins came by technical falls in the first period with scores of 15-0 and 16-0 against Northern State and King, respectively. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) also sees a change in his position in the rankings, moving from No. 4 at 149 lbs. to No. 4 at 157 lbs. Collick has gone 15-8 for Newberry in 2009-2010 and compiled a 4-2 record at the Midwest Classic en route to a seventh place finish, which included a technical fall victory against UNC Pembroke. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) holds steady at No. 3 at 165 lbs. Whitelock has compiled a 12-7 this season. Whitelock won second place at the Midwest Classic with a 4-1 record on the weekend, highlighted with a major decision victory against Wabash and a win by fall over Ashland. Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) stays at No. 3 at 174 lbs. Chenoweth has gone 10-9 this season and took fourth place at the Midwest Classic with a 3-2 record. Chenoweth enjoyed a major decision win over West Liberty and wins over Wisconsin Parkside and Adams State at the tournament. Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) makes his first appearance in the region rankings at 285 lbs. Butler has gone 14-11 this year and took sixth at the Midwest Classic, which included wins over Ashland and Central Missouri. Newberry will travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the NWCA National Duals on January 9 and 10. Go here to view the full rankings: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/jan4regionrankings.pdf Super Region I Team Rankings 1 Newberry College 2 University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 3 West Liberty University 4 Gannon University 5 East Stroudsburg University 6 Kutztown University 7 Mercyhurst College 8 Limestone College 9 UNC Pembroke 10 Shippensburg University 11 Anderson University 12 Seton Hill University 13 Belmont Abbey College 14 American International University 15 St. Andrews Presbyterian College Newberry Individual Rankings 125 lbs. - No. 1 Matt Oliver 133 lbs. - No. 4 Sheridan Moran 149 lbs. - No. 2 Mike Rogers 157 lbs. - No. 4 Latra Collick 165 lbs. - No. 3 Josh Whitelock 174 lbs. - No. 3 Curtis Chenoweth 184 lbs. - No. 1 Bryant Blanton 197 lbs. - No. 1 Keeno Griffin 285 lbs. - No. 3 Steven Butler ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry takes second at Midwest Classic Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin win individual titles 1/4/2010 INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - The Newberry College wrestling team earned two individual championships and placed six wrestlers en route to a second place finish at the Midwest Classic on Sunday. Newberry (4-3) scored 117.5 points over the weekend, short of first place Wisconsin Parkside's mark of 127 at the 24-team tournament. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) each earned individual championships for the scarlet and gray, both improving upon previous career finishes. Blanton finished in second in 2009 after coming in third in 2008, while Griffin bested his previous finishes of third in 2009 and fourth in 2007. Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) and Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) each finished in second at the tournament. Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) finished in fourth and Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) finished in sixth. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) finished in seventh. Newberry trailed first place Wisconsin Parkside by 6.5 points heading into the final round and achieved second place with an abbreviated lineup. The scarlet and gray went without Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) at 125 lbs. and Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) at 133 lbs., as both medically withdrew before the tournament began. Mike Rogers (Easton, Md.) also did not compete at 149 lbs. after his first two wins on Saturday. At 184 lbs., second-seeded Bryant Blanton took his semifinal match in a convincing manner over No. 3 seed Luke Haag of Wisconsin Parkside. Blanton's two takedowns in the first period gave him four points in the first three minutes and he held Haag at bay, adding a point in the next two periods for a 6-2 win. Blanton then squared off against No. 4 seed Landon Hall of Limestone in the championship match. Blanton jumped ahead to a 5-0 lead thanks to a takedown and a near fall and built upon the lead throughout, finishing with an 8-1 win for the individual title and a 4-0 tournament record. No. 1 seed Keeno Griffin took on fifth-seeded Dan Stevenson of Findlay in his 197 lbs. semifinal match. Griffin built an early lead and kept it throughout the match, pulling away after leading 9-6 after two periods to win 13-7. The victory gave Griffin 100 for his career, becoming only the second member in Newberry history to accomplish that feat. Only Cy Wainwright has more, with 128. Griffin then added on to that mark in the championship match against second-seeded Mitch Knapp of West Liberty. The match proved nip-and-tuck all the way and Griffin took a 1-0 lead into the final period. Knapp pulled out an escape to tie the match, but Griffin's riding time advantage gave him a 2-1 win and the title. Griffin also finished with a 4-0 mark at the Classic. At 141 lbs., No.6 seed Deral Brown began his second day with a win over Vince Tucker of Olivet in his semifinal match. Brown took down Tucker twice in the first period for all the points he would need, as he avoided any takedowns from Tucker and added another later to win, 6-3. The win advanced Brown into the championship match, where he took on No. 5 seed Josh Hensley of Adams State. Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, Brown fell behind early and could not recover. He nabbed a takedown in the third period but ultimately lost, 17-2. He earned second place and finished the tournament with a 3-1 record. No. 5 seed Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) dropped his second wrestleback round of the Classic in his first Sunday match against top-seeded Chase Walker of Mesa State. Collick trailed for most of the match after falling behind 2-1 in the first period, but clawed back before the match ended with Collick behind, 4-3. Walker is currently ranking No. 2 in the nation. The loss put Collick in a match for seventh place against Brian Leggett of West Liberty. Collick trailed through the first two periods but put together a masterful third, executing a reversal to take the lead and adding back points en route to a 12-7 win. He earned seventh place with the win and finished the tournament with a record of 4-2. Third-seeded Josh Whitelock took on Jake Holler of the University of Indianapolis in the 165 lbs. semifinal and never let the Grayhound into the match. After an 8-0 first period, Whitelock added a takedown in the second and kept Holler off of the scoreboard, winning by a 10-0 major decision. Whitelock faced No. 8 seed Matt Gille of Wisconsin Parkside in the championship match. Whitelock fell behind early but closed the gap with near fall points in the second period before losing by fall at 6:01. Whitelock finished the Midwest Classic in second place with a 4-1 mark. No. 4 seed Curtis Chenoweth found himself in a tight battle against No. 1 seed and nationally ranked No. 6 Justin Shannon of Findlay in his 174 lbs. semifinal match. Chenoweth fell behind 1-0 in the second period after a scoreless first and appeared to have a chance at victory with a third-period takedown, but Shannon stayed ahead and won, 3-2. Chenoweth faced Torben Walters of Adams State in his first wrestleback round and hung on after taking a 4-3 lead into the final period for a 10-5 victory. The win gave Chenoweth a match for third place against No. 2 seed Victor Carazo of Grand Canyon. Chenoweth fell behind 5-0 after the second and, despite a takedown, was unable to pull out a win and lost, 10-2. The match gave Chenoweth fourth place and a 3-2 record at the Classic. Sixth-seeded heavyweight Steven Butler's day came to an early end against No. 2 seed Jared Little of Northern State in the semifinals. Butler medically withdrew in the second period and for the rest of the tournament, ending his Classic with a 2-0 record. Newberry will next head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the NWCA National Duals on January 9 and 10. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIMESTONE WRESTLING FINISHES 9TH AT MIDWEST CLASSIC INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The Limestone College wrestling team finished ninth at the Midwest Classic on Sunday. The Saints tallied a combined score of 55 during the two-day tournament. Limestone had several wrestlers finish at the top of their weight classes. Limestone’s Mike Magaha finished second in the 133-pound weight class as Jeremy Parker was third at 141 lbs. Landon Hall also recorded a runner-up finish in the 184-pound division. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside won the tournament with 127 points, followed by Newberry (117.5) and Adams State (110). The University of Indianapolis and the University of Findlay rounded out the top five. Limestone travels to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the Lakota Duals on January 9. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strong work ethic fuels Woodmont wrestling HHH settles for 3rd at Seahawk Duals; Beaufort takes 5th Jackets show rust at Hillcrest duals over Christmas break ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry in second after first day of Midwest Classic The scarlet and gray go 18-1 and put six in semifinal matches 1/2/2010 INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Newberry College wrestling team finished its first day at the Midwest Classic with an 18-1 record on the day, putting the scarlet and gray in second place. Newberry (4-3) accumulated 76 points at the 24-team tournament after six members of the scarlet and gray placed in at least the top six at the end of day one, guaranteeing them spots in tomorrow's semifinal round. Newberry trails first-place Wisconsin Parkside by just nine points. Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.), Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.), Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.), Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.), Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) all will wrestle in semifinal matches on Sunday. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) will wrestle in the wrestleback bracket after guaranteeing himself at least a top-eight finish by following up his only loss with a win. The second place spot represents quite the feat for Newberry, as 125-pounder Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) and 133-pounder Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) medically withdrew from competition prior to the event. Newberry jumped out to a fast start in its first three matches, with Latra Collick, Mike Rogers (Easton, Pa.) and Josh Whitelock earning technical falls in their first matches in the Classic's opening round. All three used combinations of near falls and takedowns en route to their victories. At 141 lbs., No. 6 seed Deral Brown went 2-0 on Saturday. Brown's first match of the tournament came against Thomas Pompei of Trine, and Brown took a 3-1 lead after the first period and never let Pompei back in the match, pulling away to win an 8-3 decision. Brown squared off against No. 3 seed Kyle Kanaga of Ashland in his second match and strung together takedowns throughout the bout, eventually winning, 10-4. Second-seeded Mike Rogers began his day at 149 lbs. with a quick win. He wasted little time with a 15-0 tech fall over Northern State's Beau Voegeli before the first period was over, earning the victory at the 2:44 mark. Rogers used the blueprint from his first match in his second, racking up back points in the first period to earn a 16-0 tech fall over Richard Pugh of King 2:53 into the match. Rogers medically withdrew for the rest of the tournament after his win, ending his Midwest Classic with a 2-0 record. At 157 lbs., Latra Collick went 3-1 for Newberry with the No. 5 seed. Collick benefited from several false starts in his first match with Rashaad Saunders of UNC Pembroke before he finished off the Brave with a takedown for a 22-7 tech fall at 4:40 into the match. Collick followed up his first win with another over Clint Harbord of Central Missouri, breaking a scoreless first period with a one-point second period en route to a 5-2 win. Unfortunately for Newberry, Collick dropped his third match to fourth-seeded Luke Miller of Ohio Northern, 4-0. Collick then bounced back in his wrestleback match against Ben Hitchcock of Olivet. Collick trailed 3-2 to Hitchcock before getting a takedown with nine seconds left to pull out a 4-3 win. The win guarantees Collick at least a top eight finish at the Classic. At the 165 lbs. level, Josh Whitelock went 3-0 for the scarlet and gray. In his first match, Whitelock used near falls to build a first period lead of 8-0 against Bryan Hugo of Wabash and continued his dominance in the second frame, finishing with a 15-0 tech fall at 4:48. Whitelock's second match proved closer but ended with a win, as the Newberry grappler built a steady lead against Bryan Click of Central Missouri to win a 7-3 decision. Whitelock faced No. 6 seed Tony Bradberry of Ashland in his quarterfinal match and made quick work of his opponent, leading 2-0 before winning by fall at the 1:19 mark. Curtis Chenoweth represented Newberry at 174 lbs. with the No. 4 seed and began his Classic in impressive fashion against Matt Littleton of West Liberty. Chenoweth jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first period and kept the Hilltopper off of the scoreboard, extending his advantage to 8-1 after the second stanza before eventually winning by a major decision score of 11-2. Later in the day, Chenoweth trailed for much of his quarterfinal match against fifth-seeded Luke Rynish of Wisconsin Parkside. Rynish would see his lead go for naught, however, after an illegal hold on Chenoweth forced the Newberry grappler to medically forfeit the match, handing Rynish a loss by disqualification. Chenoweth ended the day with a 2-0 record and is eligible to wrestle on Sunday. At 184 lbs., second-seeded Bryant Blanton found himself in a close match against his first opponent, Brandon Neifeld of West Liberty. The match remained scoreless through two periods, but Blanton never allowed Neifeld to escape and had a two-minute riding time advantage before finding of an escape of his own early in the third and adding a late takedown to win, 4-0. Blanton then matched up against No. 7 seed Jeff Halevka of Findlay. Blanton trailed 2-1 after two periods but tied the match with an escape and capitalized with a takedown in the closing seconds to get a 4-2 win. He also ended Saturday with a 2-0 record. At the 197 lbs. level, No. 1 seed Keeno Griffin went 2-0 for Newberry. The first match for the 2009 national champion saw Griffin battle Alex Fleet of Trine. The match was never in doubt, as Griffin took a 7-3 first-period lead and kept his advantage, winning 13-8. Giffin's second match, against Sean Brooks of Mount St. Joseph followed a similar pattern. Griffin led 7-1 after the first period and continued to punish Brooks with a 15-1 lead after the second, finally getting a reversal quickly in the third period for a 17-1 tech fall victory at 5:14 into the match. Steven Butler got the nod for Newberry in the heavyweight division and also went 2-0. Butler faced Tyler Houska of Ashland in his first match and showed his patience, getting a takedown in the first period and capitalizing on a Houska mistake for a reversal in the second frame before adding to the lead and eventually winning by a score of 8-2. Butler faced No. 3 seed Brandon Hayes of Central Missouri for his quarterfinal match. Butler led throughout the match, building on a 2-1 lead in the first period. The match appeared to be headed for a decision when Butler got the fall against Hayes with seven seconds left in the match, at 6:53. Newberry will return to the Midwest Classic tomorrow for the final championship and wrestleback rounds, which begin at 10 a.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 30, 2009 Bulldogs Complete Action at Southern Scuffle Greensboro, N.C. - The Citadel completed action this afternoon at the annual two-day Southern Scuffle. 14 Bulldog wrestlers competed at this year's event, hosted by UNC Greensboro. Odie Delaney went 2-2 with a pin while Derek Royster and Zane Newton each registered a major decision to highlight the Bulldogs' performance. Several Citadel wrestlers competed against top level national competetion: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj faced returning All-American Matt Moley from Bloomsburg at 157, Kelby Smith battled nationally ranked Steve Bosak of Cornell at 184, Odie Delaney squared off against nationally ranked Jesse Strawn of Old Dominion and against returning All-American Cam Simaz of Cornell at 197 and Ivan Muller matched up against Minnesota's nationally ranked Ben Berhow at Heavyweight. The Citadel finished with 12.5 points and a 27th place team finish. Also competing in the tournament, with their records, were: Tyler Sim 1-2, Richard Alarcon 0-2, Giazzi Segarra 0-2, Jordan Dix 1-2, Derek Royster 1-2, Pierre Frazile 1-2, Kirby Thompson 1-2, Zane Newton 1-2, Turtogtokh Luvsandorj 1-2, J.C. Oddo 1-2, Kelby Smith 1-2, Brian Hurley 0-2, Ivan Muller 0-2. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summerville wrestlers dominate Trojans Patriot grapplers on a roll Cheraw wrestlers look to uphold tradition Wildcats’ Goode back on the mat for good PERFECT PANTHER: Abbeville’s Antonio Tillman is 16-0 early this season New coach, new hope for Central grapplers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vince Santolla - former Fort Mill wrestler and State Placer died tragically Friday, December 18. Article from The Herald on Vince Santolla Vince Santolla Obituary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two state champions anchor Greer High wrestling team Eagles trying to set wrestling lineup ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry holds steady with No. 2 national ranking Matt Oliver (125), Bryant Blanton (184) and Keeno Griffin (197) keep individual rankings 12/16/2009 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team secured all eight second place votes and kept the No. 2 spot in the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll. Newberry (4-3) received 152 votes and kept the second place in the rankings for the second week in a row. Nebraska-Omaha was the unanimous choice again at No. 1, with 160 points. Since the last poll, Newberry topped No. 5 Adams State, 42-7, No. 15 Findlay, 36-7, and No. 20 Grand Canyon, 33-15, at the Newberry Duals on December 5. Findlay jumped four spots and Grand Canyon achieved its first ranking of the season after the teams' appearances at the Duals, while Adams State slipped two places from No. 3. While Newberry has already downed several ranked squads, the team will face others in the upcoming weeks. The scarlet and gray will square off against No. 4 Pittsburgh-Johnstown on January 22, which moves up one spot from No. 5. The scarlet and gray will also match up against No. 13 West Liberty on January 23, and both No. 16 Gannon and No. 19 Mercyhurst on January 30. West Liberty and Gannon both moved up one spot in the rankings, while Mercyhurst dropped one place. UNC Pembroke is also receiving votes in this edition of the rankings, and Newberry hosted the Braves at the Newberry Duals and will face the team on February 2, in Pembroke, N.C. In addition to the team ranking, Newberry also features three wrestlers ranked nationally in their respective weight classes. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) retains the No. 3 ranking at 125 lbs. Oliver has gone 14-2 in 2009 and defeated opponents from No. 15 Findlay and Division I foe No. 15 Kent State since the release of last edition's rankings. Oliver has a dual record of 6-1 this season and four of his 14 wins have come by fall. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) keeps the No. 2 ranking at 184 lbs. Blanton has compiled an 18-4 record this year. Blanton has 10 falls on the year and 18 wins, which leads the scarlet and gray in both categories. Blanton won his matches against all three opponents at the Newberry Duals. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) rounds out Newberry's representation in the national rankings, staying at No. 1 at 197 lbs. Griffin has a 9-2 record this season and his most recent win, a 3-1 overtime win against Michigan, brought his current winning streak to seven. Griffin also won his match against Kent State and won all three of his matches at the Newberry Duals, including a 3-1 sudden victory win over Adams State's Kyle Sand, who is ranked No. 1 at 184 lbs. in the newest rankings. Newberry will return to competition on January 2 and 3, when the team travels to Indianapolis, Ind., to compete in the Midwest Classic. Link here to view the full rankings in PDF format: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/december14nationalwrestlingrankings.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry retains top spot in Super Region I rankings Eight wrestlers earn individual rankings 12/14/2009 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team holds the No. 1 spot yet again in the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Super Region I poll, released today. This poll marks the third straight set of region rankings in which Newberry has held the top ranking. Since the previous edition of the rankings, Newberry (4-3) swept No. 19 Findlay, No. 3 Adams State and Grand Canyon at the Newberry Duals two weeks ago and dropped duals to Division I opponents No. 15 Kent State and Michigan in Kent, Ohio, yesterday. Newberry is ranked No. 2 nationally. Newberry also features eight wrestlers ranked individually in the region out of 10 weight classes. Three Newberry wrestlers topped their respective weight classes for the third straight poll. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) took No. 1 overall at 125 lbs., Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) is ranked No. 1 at 184 lbs. and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) earned the top spot at 197 lbs. Oliver has built a 14-2 record in 2009, with recent wins coming against opponents from Findlay and Kent State. Blanton has gone 18-4 this season, earning falls against all three Newberry Duals opponents and winning his match against Kent State in Sunday's action. Blanton leads Newberry with 10 falls this season. Griffin has compiled a 9-2 record in 2009 and is riding a seven-match winning streak. Griffin won all three matches at the Newberry Duals and after winning his match against Michigan, topped his No. 15 Kent State foe with a fall just 43 seconds into the match. Five other wrestlers appear in the rankings for the scarlet and gray. Mike Rogers (Easton, Pa.) represents Newberry at 157 lbs. for the first time this season, holding the No. 5 spot. Rogers had appeared at No. 3 at 149 lbs. in the preseason region rankings. Rogers dropped his first two contests in a Newberry uniform against Kent State and Michigan. Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) remains at No. 4 at 133 lbs. Moran has gone 9-5 in 2009, most recently highlighted by a win by fall against Findlay and a major decision victory against Adams State. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) holds steady at No. 4 at 149 lbs. Collick has built a 11-6 record this year, including a technical fall victory against Grand Canyon and a major decision victory against Michigan. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) keeps the No. 3 spot at 165 lbs. Whitelock is 8-6 on the year and dominated Findlay 'and Adams State, earning 16-0 and 17-0 technical fall victories at the Newberry Duals. Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) retains the No. 3 spot at 174 lbs. Chenoweth has gone 7-7 on the year. The squad will head home for the holidays before returning to compete in the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis on January 2 and 3, 2010. Link here to view the full rankings: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/dec14regionrankings.pdf Super Region I Team Rankings 1 Newberry College 2 University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 3 West Liberty University 4 Gannon University 5 Mercyhurst College 6 UNC Pembroke 7 Kutztown University 8 Limestone College 9 East Stroudsburg University 10 Shippensburg University 11 Anderson University 12 Seton Hill University 13 Belmont Abbey College 14 American International University 15 St. Andrews Presbyterian College Newberry Individual Rankings 125 lbs. - No. 1 Matt Oliver 133 lbs. - No. 4 Sheridan Moran 149 lbs. - No. 4 Latra Collick 157 lbs. - No. 5 Mike Rogers 165 lbs. - No. 3 Josh Whitelock 174 lbs. - No. 3 Curtis Chenoweth 184 lbs. - No. 1 Bryant Blanton 197 lbs. - No. 1 Keeno Griffin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kelly Anundson named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week 12/14/2009 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Former Newberry wrestler and current volunteer assistant coach Kelly Anundson has been named this week's TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week after earning two gold medals at the FILA Grappling World Championships on December 12 and 13. TheMat.com is USA Wrestling's official Web site. Each week, TheMat.com selects an Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee considers any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. Anundson won the Open division for men in No-Gi Grappling after defeating United States teammate Mario Rinaldi of Port St. Lucia, Fla., 2-1, in overtime. The win gave Anundson his second gold medal for the weekend, after winning the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. title against Srdjan Klisaric of Serbia in No-Gi on Saturday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bearcats win Beef O'Brady's Invitational North Myrtle Beach Outback Wrestling Classic Co-favorite B-HP takes home top prize at wrestling tournament Wildcats ease past Emerald B-HP, tough Skyline headline prep wrestling season Tradition-rich Rams reload in 2009-10 New coach, new hope for Central grapplers Cheraw wrestlers look to uphold tradition ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry drops contests to No. 15 Kent State, 32-9, and Michigan, 22-13 12/13/2009 KENT, Ohio - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team battled hard but ultimately fell short against Division I opponents No. 15 Kent State, 32-9, and Michigan, 22-13, in a tri-meet on Sunday. Newberry (4-3) led at one point in contests against both No. 15 Kent State (3-0) and Michigan (2-3) but each opponent retook the lead and emerged victorious over the scarlet and gray. At 141 lbs., Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) earned Newberry's first win against Michigan, knocking off Mark Weber in a 2-1 decision. Brown trailed 1-0 early in the second but pulled even after Weber received two stall warnings. Brown then earned a point for an escape in the third period and held on for the victory. The win cut the lead in Michigan lead in half, 6-3. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) followed Deral Brown's win with a victory at 149 lbs. against Mark Beaudry. After allowing an early takedown, Collick put together two reversal-near fall combinations to jump to a 10-2 lead. The wrestlers then traded points before Collick earned another near fall in the final period to cap an 18-6 major decision and give Newberry the team lead, 7-6. After several Newberry losses that found the scarlet and gray trailing 19-7, Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) squared off against Hunter Montoya in the 187 lbs. match. Blanton ran up an 8-3 lead in the first period and tacked on another in the second to lead 9-3 after two, but Montoya used two takedowns and a reversal to help propel a run that saw the Wolverine pull closer, but Blanton held him off for a 12-10 win. The victory brought the team score to 19-10 with Michigan ahead. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) drew Newberry closer still with a dramatic win over Erich Smith at 197 lbs. Griffin trailed 1-0 after two periods but managed an escape to even the score and send the match into a sudden victory period. In the extra frame, Griffin fought off a takedown chance from Smith and turned it into one of his own, winning the contest, 3-1, and bringing the team tally to 19-13. Michigan would win its heavyweight match against Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) to hold off the scarlet and gray, 22-13. Michigan began the duals with three wrestlers ranked nationally. In the scarlet and gray's first dual of the day, Newberry faced off against No. 15 Kent State. Kent State entered the day ranked No. 15 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and featured four wrestlers ranked nationally, including three in the top 15 of Intermat's individual rankings. At 125 lbs., Matt Oliver trailed Troy Oper 2-0 after the first period and fell behind 5-0 after a near fall, but recovered late in the match with a reversal and a near fall of his own to tie the match at 5-5 and gain the riding time advantage through regulation. Neither wrestler could score in the first sudden victory period but Oliver would find points in the tiebreaker, scoring a reversal with 17 seconds left to jump ahead, 7-5, and eventually won the match by a final score of 7-6. The win gave Newberry a 3-0 lead. Kent State would regain the lead and build on it after Oliver's win, stringing together four wins through 157 lbs. At 165 lbs., Josh Whitelock squared off against Obie Simpson for a chance to narrow the scoring margin. Whitelock trailed early in the match, 2-1, but gained the edge throughout the match and pulled ahead in the last minute of the final period, 4-3. Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, Simpson took advantage of a late takedown and pulled away, 5-4. Newberry would find its other bring spot with Keeno Griffin, who wasted little time against Adam Cogar at 197 lbs. Griffin moved ahead quickly by a 2-0 score and ended the match shortly thereafter with a fall just 32 seconds into the contest. The win also moves Griffin to 8-2 on the year and snapped Cogar's seven-match winning streak. Griffin's victory closed the gap to 28-9 in favor of Kent State, but the Golden Flashes would end the dual with a 32-9 win over Newberry. Newberry will take a short break from competition and return to action at the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, January 2, and Sunday, January 3. No. 2 Newberry vs. Michigan 125 Sean Boyle (M) dec. Matt Oliver, 6-3 133 Zac Stevens (M) dec. Sheridan Moran, 9-3 141 Deral Brown (NC) dec. Mark Weber, 2-1 149 Latra Collick (NC) maj. dec. Mark Beaudry, 18-6 157 Dave Johnson (M) dec. Mike Rogers, 4-0 165 Aaron Hynes (M) maj. dec. Josh Whitelock, 16-4 174 Justin Zeerip (M) pinned Curtis Chenoweth, 3:39 184 Bryant Blanton (NC) dec. Hunter Collins, 12-11 197 Keeno Griffin (NC) dec. Erich Smith, 3-1 (OT) 285 Ben Apland (M) dec. Steven Butler, 7-1 No. 2 Newberry vs. No. 15 (D-I) Kent State 125 Matt Oliver (NC) dec. Troy Opfer, 7-6 (SV) 133 No. 5 Danny Mitcheff (KS) maj. dec. Sheridan Moran, 13-3 141 Chase Skonieczny, (KS) maj. dec. Deral Brown, 12-4 149 No. 9 Matt Cathll (KS) maj. dec. Latra Collick, 12-2 157 Mallie Shuster (KS) maj. dec. Mike Rogers, 11-0 165 Obie Simpson (KS) dec. Josh Whitelock, 8-4 174 Keith Witt (KS) dec. Curtis Chenoweth, 9-2 184 No. 2 Dustin Kilgore (KS) pinned Bryant Blanton, 4:49 197 Keeno Griffin(NC) pinned Adam Cogar, :32 285 Brendan Barlow (KS) maj. dec. Steven Butler, 12-4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kelly Anundson wins second gold medal at World Grappling Championships Former Newberry wrestler wins Open division in No-Gi 12/13/2009 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Kelly Anundson, former Newberry College wrestler and volunteer assistant coach, added to his grappling trophy collection with another gold medal in the Open division for men in No-Gi Grappling at the FILA World Grappling Championships on Sunday. Anundson topped United States teammate Mario Rinaldi of Port St. Lucia, Fla., 2-1, in overtime to claim the Open title. The Open division combines athletes from all weight classes and, like Anundson, Rinaldi had a background in wrestling as he wrestled for Delaware State during his collegiate career. Anundson captured his first gold medal at the Championships on Saturday by winning the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. title in No-Gi. The Championships marked just the fourth-ever grappling tournament for the former Newberry wrestler. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Newberry wrestler Kelly Anundson wins gold at World Grappling Championships Anundson wins title in his fourth-ever grappling tournament 12/13/2009 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Former Newberry College wrestler and volunteer assistant coach Kelly Anundson won a gold medal and helped the United States to a team championship at the FILA Grappling World Championships on Saturday. Anundson topped Brandon Ruiz of West Jordan, Utah, in the No-Gi 120 kg/264.5 lbs. finals by a score of 4-0. Ruiz earned a silver medal in the 2008 World Championships. Anundson was one of five United States men's competitors to win individual championships and all five were college wrestlers. Both the U.S. men's and women's divisions finished atop the standings. In just his fourth-ever grappling tournament, Anundson booked his trip to the finals after besting Srdjan Klisaric of Serbia and became one of nine U.S. men to qualify for the finals. Anundson qualified for funding for the World Championships after winning the individual championships at the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials on October 23. To view an interview with Kelly Anundson after his gold medal victory, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvy0_IHtWhU ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry vs. No. 15 Kent State dual to be webstreamed 12/12/2009 KENT, Ohio - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team's dual against Division I opponent No. 15 Kent State on Sunday, December 13 will be webstreamed as part of Kent State's K-Zone sports coverage package. The stream will be available for a $2.50 fee and is available here: https://www.nmnathletics.com/flexReg/Register.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=11400. The match is slated to begin at 11:05 a.m. and the stream is scheduled to begin at 10:50 a.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Newberry wrestler Kelly Anundson to compete at Grappling World Championships Results to be available online 12/11/2009 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Former Newberry wrestler Kelly Anundson will represent the United States at the Grappling World Championships on Saturday, December 12, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Fans can follow the Championships at: http://www.themat.com/events/default.php?page=default&EventID=21920. Anundson earned funding to compete at the event when he won the individual championship at the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. level at the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials in No-Gi Grappling on October 23. Anundson recently competed in South Carolina's first sanctioned mixed martial arts event when he defeated Tyrone Jackson at "Worlds Collide" on November 21 in Columbia. Fans can view the Grappling World Championships event schedule and a list of participants at: http://www.worldgrappling09.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cardinals rally past Hammond on the mat Silver Foxes shine at PSC wrestling event Capitals crack Top 10 at Palmetto State Classic Gamecocks finish eighth at Palmetto State Classic Weaver leads Vikings at PSC tournament Demons finish third at Palmetto State Classic Hope prevails at Palmetto State Classic No. 1 Iowa wrestlers beat No. 2 Iowa State 18-16 Bell pleased with Rams' response Prospects good for Greer wrestlers Bearcats defeat Indian Land, Northwestern in three-way meet ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Odie Delaney Named SoCon Wrestler of the Week Charleston, S.C. - Sophomore Odie Delaney was named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for competition from Dec. 2-8, it was announced Wednesday afternoon. With six pins recorded in the last week, Delaney is now tied for the most pins nationally among all weight classes and all divisions with a total of 12. The Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. native went 6-2 last week with both of his losses coming against nationally-ranked competition. After falling to Erik Schuth of Ohio, Delaney rebounded by pinning Cleveland State's Jeff Schuller at the Ohio University duals last Thursday. At the Penn State Open on Sunday, Delaney went 5-1, winning all five matches by virtue of the pin. He took down Timothy Lutke of Edinoboro in just 17 seconds to take the fifth place match. On the season, Delaney is 15-3 overall and 2-1 in dual matches, including one major decision and 12 pins. This is the second time Odie has been named SoCon Wrestler of the Week. He was also selected last season during the week of Feb. 18-24. The Bulldogs return to action on Thursday, Dec. 17 as they host Chattanooga in the Southern Conference opener at McAlister Field House at 6 P.M. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry signs four wrestlers for 2010-2011 season 12/10/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team and head coach Jason Valek announced four signees for the 2010-2011 season; B.J. Young, Sam Emburgia, Sonny Bugarin and Joey Baird. B.J. Young, from Jackson, N.J., achieved an Honorable Mention at 130 lbs. from Wrestling USA Magazine's rankings of the best high school seniors in the United States. Young, from Jackson Memorial High School, finished with All-American honors at 2009 NHSCA Junior Nationals with a seventh place finish. Young was also voted Outstanding Wrestler of District 21 with his first place district finish in 2009 at 125 lbs. Young will join fellow Jackson Memorial alumnus Sean Byrnes on the team. Sam Embrugia, of Monroe Township, N.J., won a national championship at the 2009 NHSCA Open. Embrugia is ranked No. 28 at 135 lbs. in Wrestling USA Magazine's high school senior rankings. He has also won two New Jersey Region 5 championships, winning a region title in 2007 and 2009. Embrugia also set a single-season school record for victories as a freshman when he compiled a 30-1 record in his first year at Monroe High School. Sonny Buragrin, of Summerville, S.C., has qualified for the South Carolina state championships twice during his career at Fort Dorchester High School. He helped his team win a team state title in 2007 and the team also made it to the championship match last season. He also began his senior season with a 110-8 record. Joey Baird, of Cary, N.C., made a name for himself in North Carolina at Green Hope High School when he took second place at the North Carolina state championships last year. He also wrestles for the Arrichion wrestling club. No. 2 Newberry will travel to Kent, Ohio, this Sunday, February 13, for two duals against Division I opponents. The team is slated to take on No. 20 Kent State at 11:05 a.m. and Michigan at 1:05 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling announces Newberry Open 12/9/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team is proud to announce the Newberry Open, a day-long wrestling tournament featuring competition in 10 weight classes from schools across the southeast on Sunday, February 14, 2010. "This is an exciting event that we are pleased to host at Newberry," said head coach Jason Valek. "It will allow for many of the young guys to continue to build and get ready for the 2010-2011 season." The Open will begin at 10 a.m. in Newberry's Eleazer Arena and run for the rest of the day, after skin checks at 7:40 a.m. and weigh-ins at 8 a.m. The tournament will feature a double-elimination format with seven-minute matches, plus riding time. If the match is tied, the NCAA overtime procedure will be used. Outstanding wrestlers will be seeded. To sign up for the tournament, email assistant coach Matthew Finley at matthew.finley@newberry.edu. The deadline to register is Thursday, February 11 at 10 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wrestling Places Two at Penn State Open State College, Pa. - The Citadel wrestling squad placed two grapplers at the Penn State Open on Sunday. Senior Tyler Sim placed seventh at 125, while sophomore Odie Delaney placed fifth at 197 for the Bulldogs. Odie Delaney went 5-1, pinning five of his opponents on the way to a fifth place title. He took down Timothy Lutke of Edinboro in just 17 seconds in the final match. Tyler Sim had a record 4-2 on the day, beating Pat Strikzki of Maryland, 7-3 in the final match to take the seventh place title. Hampton Motley, Giazzi Segarra, Jordan Dix, David Ivashchenko, Nick LaFevre, Mike Fenton, Pierre Frazile, Derek Royster, Zane Newton, Turtogtokh Luvsandorj, Justin Sparrow, Derek Sickel, Mike Hurley, Kelby Smith, Manuel Camargo and Ivan Muller also participated for the Bulldogs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the Super 32 in Greensboro, NC a few months ago we had several SC Middle School placers: Clay Walker (112) - 3rd Patrick James (136) - 4th Daniel Bannister (157) - 5th ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amber Hunt (Crowfield) recently became an All-American at the USGWA Nationals, winning the National Championship (1st place) at 80 lbs. in the Elementary Age Division. Congratulations Amber! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Quinn - Fort Dorchester's former 3-time state wrestling champion - making it big at UNC Robert Quinn was selected as a first-team defensive selection to the 2009 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team. Quinn, a sophomore from Ladson, S.C., had the second-highest vote total of any defensive player after finishing the season with 19 tackles for losses, including 11.0 sacks. Quinn ranked first in the ACC in tackles for losses, second in sacks and second in forced fumbles with six. He is the first defensive end to earn first-team All-ACC honors at UNC since Julius Peppers in 2001. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘Sho Nuff’ Ready: Rodney Wallace set to make UFC debut Saturday night LAS VEGAS -- Rodney Wallace (former Bamberg-Ehrhardt 3-time state wrestling champion) dominated Brian Stann in the first round of their UFC fight on Saturday night (12-5-09), but the former WEC light heavyweight champion (Brian Stann) was able to regroup in rounds two and three en route to securing a unanimous decision victory over Wallace. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bluffton wrestlers start out strong in inaugural tournament Preview: Lugoff-Elgin wrestling Preview: Camden wrestling Preview: Hammond wrestling DON’T DOUBT FAIN: Greenwood wrestler ready to atone Hanahan ready for big year Patriots should be contenders Green Wave out to get back on top Wave wrestlers roll Gators ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry tops Grand Canyon in Newberry Duals finale, 33-15 The scarlet and gray goes 3-0 on the day with the win 12/5/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team pulled away from Grand Canyon in the team's final match of the Newberry Duals, going 3-0 on the day by beating the Lopes, 33-15. Newberry (4-1) broke a 15-15 tie by rattling off three straight pinfalls to get the win over Grand Canyon (3-2). "Grand Canyon gave a great effort," said Newberry head coach Jason Valek. "Once again, we had to compete hard with a shorthanded lineup and got the win. We saw a lot of tough, high-quality Division II competition today and we fought hard at the end." Tied at 15 going into the 184 lbs. match, Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) picked up his third fall of the day's three Newberry contests when he pinned Kevin Treftz 1:36 into the match. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) followed up at 197 lbs. with a pinfall of Adam Barnett a scant 53 seconds into the match, giving Newberry a 27-15. Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) capped the run by pinning Brian Cooper 2:10 into the heavyweight match. Blanton, Griffin and Butler had each built a 2-0 lead against his opponent before ending the match with a fall. Butler's win pushed Newberry's lead to the final score of 33-15. Newberry held the advantage in takedowns, 16-9, and produced 12 escapes to Grand Canyon's 13. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) won by forfeit at 125 lbs. to give Newberry a 6-0 lead. Grand Canyon then took its first win with Todd Wilcox's 7-3 victory over Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) to narrow Newberry's lead to 6-3. The scarlet and gray roared back, starting with Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) winning his 141 lbs. match with an 18-7 major decision over Kyle Wilson. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) then earned a 16-3 technical fall over Daniel Rubio 7:28 into the match to extend Newberry's lead to 15-3. Three straight Newberry loses brought the match even at 15, where the scarlet and gray then took advantage of the three falls to win. Newberry finished the day 3-0 after taking down No. 19 Findlay, 36-7, and beating No. 3 Adams State, 42-7. Newberry and Grand Canyon wrestled in the final match of the Newberry Duals, the third installment of the event. "We're very thankful that all the teams could make the trip to Newberry," said Jason Valek. "We were able to see some great wrestling today, which always makes this event a success." Newberry will travel to Kent, Ohio on Sunday, December 13 for the team's next two matches. The scarlet and gray will face Division I opponents No. 20 Kent State at 11:05 a.m. and Michigan at 1:05 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry cruises past No. 3 Adams State at Newberry Duals, 42-7 12/5/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team dominated No. 3 Adams State in its second match at the Newberry Duals, handling the Grizzlies, 42-7. Newberry (3-1) allowed only two wins from Adams State (1-1) and edged the Grizzlies in takedowns, 11-6, and well as taking a 2-0 advantage in pinfalls. One of those pinfalls came from Newberry's Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) when the junior pinned Torben Walters 4:50 into the match. Blanton was behind 6-3 and trailed by 1:59 in riding time before he earned the fall. After Blanton's win, Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) allowed No. 1 Kyle Sand to escape in the third period to force an overtime at 197 lbs. Sand won a national championship at 184 lbs. at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships but would not find a win in this dual, as Griffin overtook Sand for a takedown in the first overtime to give the scarlet and gray the win, 3-1. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) and Steven McLeod (Gilbert, S.C.) gave Newberry an early lead when they won by forfeits at 125 lbs. and 133 lbs., respectively, giving Newberry a 12-0 advantage. Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) built on a 6-2 lead in the first period against Kevin Schmitt at 141 lbs. and won with a 16-4 major decision that included a 4:57 riding time advantage. Adams State would find its first win of the day at 149 lbs., with Josh Hensley beating Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) in a 12-1 major decision. The Grizzlies won again at 157 lbs., with No. 4 Noomis Jones topping Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) in a 5-1 decision, closing the gap to 16-7 in favor of Newberry. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) got Newberry back to its winning ways at 165 lbs., defeating Brandon Johnson with a 17-0 technical fall 5:58 into the match. Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) then won at 174 lbs. with a forfeit, pushing Newberry's lead to 27-7. At the heavyweight level, Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) ended the dual on a positive note by pinning Taylor Stam 2:30 into the match to give Newberry the 42-7 win. Newberry will try to go 3-0 on the day when the team faces Grand Canyon at 3:30 p.m. Newberry topped No. 19 Findlay in its first match today, 36-7. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 2 Newberry opens Newberry Duals with a win over No. 19 Findlay, 36-7 12/5/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team kicked off the Newberry Duals in impressive fashion, routing No. 19 Findlay, 36-7. Newberry (2-1) used consecutive pinfalls from Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J) at 125 lbs. and Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) at 133 lbs. to jump out to an early 12-0 lead over Findlay (1-3). The scarlet and gray never looked back after that, dropping only two matches for the rest of the dual. Newberry did not allow a pinfall and dominated Findlay in the takedown category, with a 17-5 advantage. Matt Oliver led off by pinning Nicholas Weisjahn four minutes into his match at 125 lbs. Sheridan Moran then followed suit, pinning Chris Andrews 4:05 into the 133 lbs. match. Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) followed the two falls with a 14-5 major decision victory at 141 lbs. over Josh Falk, 14-5. The win gave Newberry a 16-0 lead. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) won his match at 149 lbs. with a 7-4 defeat of Jeremy Espinoza, extending Newberry's lead to 19-0. Collick led 3-2 in the first period and held on for the win, never letting Espinoza lead. Findlay won its first match of the day at the 157 lbs. level, with Michael Lybarger winning in a major decision over Ernie Young (Baker County, Fla.), 12-0. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) picked up five points for the scarlet and gray at 165 lbs. with a 16-0 technical fall over Ian Giachetti, 2:28 into the match. No. 5 Justin Shannon notched Findlay's other win of the dual, topping Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.), 8-5. At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton earned the 38th pinfall of his career with by pinning Jeff Havelka 4:08 into the match. Blanton took sole possession of Newberry's career pins list with a pinfall against Campbell, overtaking Cy Wainwright atop the Newberry ledgers. The win also put Newberry ahead, 30-7. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) scored two takedowns in the third period to edge Daneil Stevenson, 7-5, at 197 lbs. Newberry won its final match of the dual when heavyweight Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) won with a 1:46 riding time advantage to top Matthew Clum, 2-1, pushing Newberry's lead to the final score of 36-7. Newberry will face two more schools today. Newberry squares off against No. 3 Adams State at 11 a.m. and then wrestles Grand Canyon at 3:30 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAINTS WRESTLERS FINISH 2ND AT OHIO NORTHERN TOURNAMENT ADA, Ohio—The Limestone College wrestling team finished second at the Ohio Northern Tournament on Saturday. The Saints’ Landon Hall and Casey Bradley each won their respective weight classes. Bradley won the 174-pound weight class with a 5-2 decision over Ohio Northern’s Kyle Kwiat. Hall won at 184 lbs. as he edged ONU’s Matt Alexander, 3-2. Matt Hall finished second at 125-lbs. after a close 6-4 loss to Ashland’s Brandon Davis. Jeremy Parker took fifth in the 141-pound weight class as Mikel Bush took fifth wrestling at 157 lbs. Bryce Sopko played fourth in the 165-pound division. Campbellsville University won the tournament with 118 points, followed by Limestone with 111 points. Ohio Northern finished third (109.5 points), followed by Lycoming (105.5) and West Liberty State (104). The Saints head to Albany, Ga., to participate in the Darton Duals on December 12. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eagles wrestle with younger squad in AAA Upstate Prep wrestling: Team by team preview capsules Warriors weigh in on high wrestling ranking State champs lead Fort Mill back to the mat Preview: Spring Valley wrestling Preview: Dutch Fork wrestling Redhawk Invitational results - South Pointe champs Defending state champion Abbeville wallops Ninety Six in season opener Youthful Emerald wrestling knocks off Ware Shoals Former Byrnes standout - Brantley Hooks (Bucknell) dec. Matt Ballweg (Iowa), 6-1 Former Byrnes standout - Brantley Hooks (Bucknell) dec. Braden Turner (Rutgers), 6-2 Recap of Bucknell matches with Brantly Hooks - NOTE: Bucknell Coach Dan Wirnsberger is a former S.C. wrestling All-American out of Greer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry moves up to No. 2 in national rankings Oliver, Blanton and Griffin nationally ranked as individuals 12/3/2009 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team moved up one spot to No. 2 in the nation of the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll. Newberry (1-1) received 152 points to move up to No. 2. The ranking matches the highest mark in program history, set when the team garnered the second spot on January 6, 2009. The University of Nebraska-Omaha leads the nation again at No. 1, with 160 points. Adams State College holds the No. 3 spot. Newberry will face Adams State at the Newberry Duals this Saturday, December 5. Newberry Duals opponent Findlay breaks into the top 20 for the first time of the season at No. 19. Newberry will also host but not wrestle against No. 20 UNC Pembroke, who also makes its first appearance in the poll this season. In addition to Adams State, Newberry will face several other teams in the top 20 this year as well. The team squares off against No. 5 Pittsburgh-Johnstown on January 22, which moves up five spots from No. 10. The scarlet and gray will also match up against No. 14 West Liberty on January 23, and both No. 17 Gannon and No. 18 Mercyhurst on January 30. Newberry will also host Kutztown, who is receiving votes in the poll, at the Super Region I Duals on January 23. The poll also includes three individual Newberry wrestlers ranked nationally in their respective weight classes. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) is ranked No. 3 at 125 lbs. Oliver has a 10-1 record this year with three falls, including a 2-0 dual record against Campbell and No. 24 Virginia Tech last week, a second place finish at the Hokie Open and a individual championship at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) remains at No. 2 at 184 lbs. Blanton has compiled a 14-3 record this season, with seven falls. Blanton also went 2-0 against Campbell and No. 24 Virginia Tech last week, as well as earning an individual championship at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic. Blanton also finished fourth at the Hokie Open and third at the Wolfpack Open. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) retains the No. 1 spot at 197 lbs. Griffin has gone 4-2 this year, winning both of his matches against Campbell and No. 24 Virginia Tech. Griffin also finished fourth at the Hokie Open. Newberry will host the Newberry Duals this Saturday, December 5. The scarlet and gray will take on No. 19 Findlay at 9 a.m., No. 3 Adams State at 11 a.m. and Grand Canyon University at 3:30 p.m. Belmont Abbey and No. 20 UNC Pembroke will also be competing at the event. Go here to view the full rankings in PDF format: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/nationalwrestlingrankingsdec2.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \Newberry keeps top spot in Super Region I rankings, boasts seven individual rankings Matt Oliver (125), Bryant Blanton (174) and Keeno Griffin (197) earn top rankings 12/1/2009 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team stayed in the No. 1 spot in the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Super Region I poll, released today. Newberry shared No. 1 with the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown in the preseason poll, but now has sole possession of the top ranking. Newberry (1-1) wrestled in three tournaments to open the season, racking up a combined 16 placers and two champions before routing Division I opponent Campbell 37-7 and falling to No. 23 Virginia Tech last week. In addition to the No. 1 team ranking, Newberry boasts seven regionally-ranked wrestlers. Three Newberry wrestlers took the overall spot in their respective weight classes. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) garnered the No. 1 ranking at 125 lbs., Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) was ranked No. 1 at 184 lbs. and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) received the top spot at 197 lbs. Oliver has compiled a 10-1 record so far this season, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Hokie Open and an individual title at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic. Blanton has gone 14-3 in 2009, also picking up a championship at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic, as well as a fourth-place finish at the Hokie Open and a third-place finish at the Wolfpack Open. Keeno Griffin has built a 4-2 record in 2009, finishing fourth the Hokie Open. Griffin, Blanton and Oliver all went 2-0 in their matches against Campbell and No. 23 Virginia Tech last Friday. Four other wrestlers round out Newberry's representation in the region rankings. Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) is ranked No. 4 at 133 lbs. Moran has gone 9-3 in 2009. He finished second at both the Hokie Open and UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic. Moran was ranked fifth in the preseason edition of the poll. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) takes the No. 4 spot at 149 lbs. Collick has compiled a 9-3 record this year and earned a fourth place finish at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic, one of 10 Newberry wrestlers who placed on the day. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) is ranked No. 3 at 165 lbs. Whitelock is 6-3 this year and picked up a fourth-place finish at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic. Whitelock's No. 3 ranking marks a two-spot improvement over his No. 5 preseason ranking. Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) also maintains a No. 3 ranking for Newberry, this time at 174 lbs. Chenoweth is 6-3 in 2009. Chenoweth's best showing so far came at the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic, where Chenoweth went 4-1 en route to a second-place finish. Newberry will host the third annual Newberry Duals this Saturday, Dec. 5. Adams State College (Colo.), Belmont Abbey College, the University of Findlay (Ohio), Grand Canyon University (Ariz.) and UNC Pembroke will compete over four sessions during the day-long event. The first round of duals is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Go here to view the full rankings: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/dec1regionrankings.pdf Super Region I Team Rankings 1 Newberry College 2 University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 3 West Liberty University 4 Gannon University 5 Mercyhurst College 6 UNC Pembroke 7 Kutztown University 8 Limestone College 9 Shippensburg University 10 Anderson University 11 East Stroudsburg University 12 Seton Hill University 13 Belmont Abbey College 14 American International University 15 St. Andrews Presbyterian College ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry tops Campbell, 37-7, but falls to No. 23 Virginia Tech, 27-9 11/27/2009 BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Newberry College wrestling team split its first two duals of the season, cruising past Campbell University, 37-7, before falling to No. 23 Virginia Tech, 27-9. Newberry (1-1) featured three wrestlers that went 2-0 on the day. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.), Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) won matches against both Campbell and Virginia Tech. The scarlet and gray began its dual with Virginia Tech with a 3-0 team lead after an Oliver win, but Virginia Tech pulled away throughout the day. "We competed hard against a top 25 Division I team," said head coach Jason Valek. "We've got a long way to go, but we showed we can wrestle hard against quality competition with a shorthanded lineup today." At 125 lbs., Oliver led Virginia Tech's Schuyler Swanton through most of the match and held on to a 3-2 lead after two periods to win by the same score, giving Newberry a 3-0 lead. Virginia Tech entered the dual ranked No. 23 in the NWCA/USA Today Division I coaches' poll. The Hokies were also ranked No. 24 in the Intermat rankings and No. 22 in the D1collegewrestling.net rankings. The Hokies also carried the No. 13 spot in WrestlingReport.com's Dual Percentage Index, which ranks teams wrestler by wrestler. The Hokies' roster also included four wrestlers ranked in Intermat's top 20 individual rankings, including two ranked in the top 15 of Amateur Wrestling News' rankings. Virginia Tech built a steady lead after Oliver's win, though Newberry battled to regain position. At 141 lbs., Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) lead Virginia Tech's Pete Yates 2-1 after the first period, but Yates edged Brown 4-2 in the match. Yates entered the match ranked No. 17 in Division I at 141 lbs. in Intermat's rankings, No. 14 in the D1collegewrestling.net rankings and No. 16 in the Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine's rankings. At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton faced off against John Dickson. Blanton jumped ahead, 2-0, after one period and almost got the pin to win late in the match. Blanton took the three points for the near fall, however, and held on to win, 5-2. Keeno Griffin notched Newberry's final win against Virginia Tech on the day. Griffin squared off against Tim Miller and carried a 4-1 lead through the first and second periods before earning the win, 4-2. Earlier in the day, Newberry notched its first dual win of the season in impressive fashion, routing Campbell University, 37-7. At 125 lbs., Matt Oliver helped Newberry off to a fast start, taking a 7-0 advantage over Campbell's CJ Gittens after the first period. He built on his lead and never let Gittens on the board, scoring a near fall close to the end of the third period for a 16-0 technical fall 6:30 into the match to give Newberry a 5-0 lead. At 141 lbs., Deral Brown extended Newberry's lead over the Camels after Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) won at 133 lbs., 8-2. Brown led Campbell's Kelin Bidelspach throughout the match before ending the match with a pinfall at 5:52 to give Newberry a 14-0 advantage on the day. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) used a takedown 18 seconds into overtime to win over Campbell's Jake Fose, 7-5 at 157 lbs. The match featured a nip-and-tuck atmosphere throughout as both wrestlers battled for a lead, with Fose tying it up at five just before the end of the final period. The win pushed Newberry's lead to 17-4. At 165 lbs., Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) dominated Peter Comis of Campbell, leading 7-0 after the first period. The junior took advantage of a technical violation on Comis followed by a quick reversal of his own to build to a 19-4 technical fall 7:00 into the match, extending the scarlet and gray's lead to 22-4. Bryant Blanton led his match at 184 lbs. over Derek Tomasone with a 2-0 advantage after one period but wouldn't let Tomasone do much after that, pinning the Camel 3:35 into the match. The win marked the 13th of the season for Blanton and seventh pinfall, as well as giving Newberry a 28-7 lead in the dual. Newberry rode a 4-1 Keeno Griffin decision over Campbell's Parker Burns and a forfeit at the heavyweight division that was credited to Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) to finish off Campbell at 37-7. Newberry will return home for next week's action when the team hosts the Newberry Duals on Saturday, December 5. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Sunday Nov 29, Sara McMann will offer a clinic from 2-6 PM at the Caine Halter Family YMCA in Greenville, SC. Cost is $25 and you must have a current SCYWA card. This is a great opportunity to learn from an Olympian and space is limited. Contact Matt Pirkle matt@broadwaytechs.com to register or for more information. Sara McMann Clinic Brochure ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIMESTONE WRESTLING SHUTS DOWN SPARTANBURG METHODIST GAFFNEY, S.C.— The Limestone College wrestling team defeated Spartanburg Methodist 48-0 on Monday night at the Timken Center. The Saints’ dual record climbs to 2-0 on the season with tonight’s win. Matt Hall (Hamptonville, N.C.), Jeremy Parker (Winchester, Pa.), Theran Goodale (Osage, Iowa), and Casey Bradley (Muncie, Ind.) recorded major decisions in their respective weight classes. Mike Magaha (Seaford, Del.), Mike Bush (Lakewood, N.Y.), and Tarek Alaruri (Gaffney, S.C.) pinned their opponents. Bryce Sopko (Brighton, Mich.) picked up a 12-5 victory and the Saints took the 184-pound and 197-pound weight classes by default. Limestone will face Seton Hill on November 27 in Belmont, N.C., at 7 p.m. The Pioneers travel to Kennesaw, Ga., on December 2 to face Darton College. Limestone 48, Spartanburg Methodist 0 125-Matt Hall (LC) maj. dec. Luke Cambell (SMC) 17-3 133-Mike Magaha (LC) pin Andrew Tillman (SMC) 4:47 141-Jeremy Parker (LC) maj. dec. Chris Teague (SMC) 12-2 149-Theran Goodale (LC) maj. dec. David Hardy (SMC)15-1 157-Mike Bush (LC) pin Jonathan Patterson (SMC) 5:00 165-Bryce Sopko (LC) dec. Austin Payner (SMC)12-5 174-Casey Bradley (LC) maj. dec. Alex Tozzlinio (SMC) 11-1 184-Landon Hall (LC) def. 197-Mike Walsh (LC) def. 285-Tarek Alaruri (LC) pin Jesse Deyo (SMC) 6:33 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bulldogs Place Eight Wrestlers, One Champion at NC State Open Raleigh, N.C. - The Citadel wrestling team placed eight grapplers, including one champion at the NC State Open on Saturday. Odie Delaney captured the 197-pound weight class for the Bulldogs. The Citadel once again had an impressive team performance with 15 pins to lead all squads participating in the Open. Sophomore Odie Delaney dominated his way to the top as he went 3-0 and won all three matches by pin. In the first place match, he pinned Josh Wood of Utah Valley State in 4:48 to claim the 197-pound title. Sophomore Pierre Frazile captured second place for The Citadel at 149, going 3-1 before narrowly falling to Utah Valley State's Justin Morrill in the championship match, 2-1. Junior J.C. Oddo went 6-1, registering two pins, two major decisions and a technical fall on his way to a third place finish at 174 over Byron Sigmon of UNC Greensboro, 10-1. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj followed his title from the Michigan State Open last weekend, with another strong finish. The true freshman placed third, going 4-1 with a major decision. In the third place match, he beat Bond Davis of Chattanooga in a hard fought battle, 4-2 in overtime. Redshirt sophomore Justin Sparrow and sophomore Richard Alarcon both took home fourth place finishes. Sparrow went 3-2, falling to Josh Condon of Chattanooga by pin in the third-place match at 165. Alarcon fell to teammate Tyler Sim in the third-place match by injury default. The sophomore went 4-2 in the Open with a major decision. Senior Tyler Sim and freshman Kevin Timothy both placed as unattached wrestlers in the Open. Sim downed teammate Richard Alarcon to take third place at the 125-pound weight class and went 5-1 in the Open while registering a pin. Kevin Timothy took fourth place after narrowly falling to Newberry's Deral Brown, 5-3. Timothy went 5-2 in action on Saturday. The Citadel placer results: NC STATE OPEN 125 3rd Place Match - Tyler Sim (The Citadel - Unattached) won by injury default over Richard Alarcon (The Citadel) 141 3rd Place Match - Deral Brown (Newberry) won by decision over Kevin Timothy (The Citadel - Unattached), 5-3 149 1st Place Match - Justin Morrill (Utah Valley University) won by decision over Pierre Frazile (The Citadel), 2-1 157 3rd Place Match - Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) won in overtime over Bond Davis (Chattanooga), 4-2 (OT) 165 3rd Place Match - Josh Condon (Chattanooga) won by pin over Justin Sparrow (The Citadel), 1:33 174 3rd Place Match - J.C. Oddo (The Citadel) won by major decision over Byron Sigmon (UNC Greensboro-Unattached), 10-1 197 1st Place Match - Odie Delaney (The Citadel) won by pin over Josh Wood (Utah Valley University), 4:48 The Citadel will break for Thanksgiving break and return to action on Friday, Dec. 4 as they head to Athens, Ohio to take part in the Ohio University Duals against Ohio and Cleveland State. For more information on Bulldog Wrestling, go to the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.CitadelSports.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry collects two third-place finishes at Wolfpack Open Deral Brown (141) and Bryant Blanton (184) finish third for the scarlet and gray 11/22/2009 RALEIGH, N.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team nabbed two third place finishes against Division I and Division II competition at Saturday's Wolfpack Open at NC State. Newberry placed two wrestlers with an abbreviated lineup for the event, while host school NC State placed one. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) took home his third straight finish in the top six by going 5-1 en route to taking third place at 184 lbs. Blanton's first three wins came in impressive fashion, as he pinned Cedric Moore of NC State 4:28 into the match. He followed the pinfall up with a 10-2 major decision over Carter Downs of Appalachian State and another pinfall over Tyler Roberson of Tennessee-Chattanooga, 4:01 into the match. A two-minute pinfall over Casen Eldridge of Utah Valley in Blanton's final match gave him third place on the day. Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) represented the scarlet and gray at 141 lbs. While Brown lost in his second match, the redshirt freshman rattled off six straight wins through the consolation bracket for a third place finish. Brown began his run with a 18-6 major decision of Matt Callahan of Appalachian State and racked up five straight decisions, capping his day with a 5-3 win over Kevin Timothy of The Citadel. In the heavyweight division, Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) did not place for Newberry but went 3-2 on the day, scoring two pinfalls and a 16-2 major decision over his opponents. The scarlet and gray tabbed two of the team's 10 starters to wrestle at the Wolfpack Open while the team prepares for next week's duals against Virginia Tech and Campbell. Several other Newberry wrestlers wrestled at the Wolfpack Open unattached. To view their results, click here: http://www.newberry.athleticsite.net/09wrestling/WolfpackOpenUnattachedResults.pdf Newberry will travel to the campus of Division I school Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. on Friday, November 27 for the first two duals of the team's 2009-2010 season. The scarlet and gray will take on Campbell at 3 p.m. and Virginia Tech at 5 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Six Bulldog Wrestlers Place at MSU Open East Lansing, Mich. - The Citadel wrestling team concluded weekend action at the Michigan State Open by placing six wrestlers, including a champion. Bulldog wrestlers competed in both the freshman/sophomore tournament as well as the MSU Open on Sunday. Bulldog grapplers had an impressive 11 pins on Sunday, good for second of any team in the tournament. Impressive freshman Turtogtokh Luvsandorj went 4-0 with a pin on his way to the 157-pound championship in the freshman and sophomore tournament. He overpowered Harrison Hightower of Burnett Trained Wrestling in the championship match, winning 11-5. Other impressive performances for the Bulldogs included Nick LaFevre taking second place in the 141-pound weight class, going 4-1 and narrowly falling in the championship match to Mike Leholm of Eastern Michigan, 5-3. True freshman Jordan Dix placed fifth at 133, going 3-2 and an 8-2 win over Levi Stace of Michigan State in the fifth place match. In the Open results, sophomore Odie Delaney claimed third place in the 197-pound weight class after going 5-1 with two pins and a major decision. Delaney pinned Scott Penny of Northern Illinois at 3:50 to take third place. Richard Alarcon took home fourth place at 125, going 3-2 and falling to Michigan State's Eric Olanowski in the third place match. Unattached Bulldog grappler, Tyler Sim earned sixth place at 125, falling to Central Michigan's Christian Cullinan in the fifth place match. The Citadel placer results: Freshman/Sophomore Tournament 133 - 5th Place Match - Jordan Dix (The Citadel) won by decision over Levi Stace - Unattached (Michigan State) (Dec 8-2) 141 - 1st Place Match - Mike Leholm (Eastern Michigan University) won by decision over Nick LaFevre (The Citadel) (Dec 5-3) 157 - 1st Place Match - Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) won by decision over Harrison Hightower (Burnett Trained Wrestling) (Dec 11-5) Open 125 - 3rd Place Match - Eric Olanowski (Michigan State) won by pin over Richard Alarcon (The Citadel) (Pin 6:36) 125 - 5th Place Match - Christian Cullinan (Central Michigan) won by decision over Tyler Sim - Unattached (The Citadel) (Dec 5-4) 197 - 3rd Place Match - Odie Delaney (The Citadel) won by pin over Scott Penny (Nothern Illinois) (Pin 3:50) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Citadel Wrestling Falls to NC State, 21-18 Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel fell to NC State on Saturday to open the 2009-2010 season, 21- 18. The Bulldogs hosted their first of three ACC opponents that will visit McAlister Field House this season. Defending SoCon Champion and NCAA qualifier Odie Delaney started off the dual at the 197- pound weight class. Delaney started with a quick two-point take down and led 2-0 after one period. Delaney started down in the second period, but quickly escaped and reversed on Christian McClean and pinned him early in the second period to quickly put The Citadel up 6-0. Bobby Isola jumped early on Ivan Muller in the Heavyweight bout with a 2-0 takedown. Muller earned an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1 to end period one. Isola escaped to earn the only point of the second period, going up 3-1. In the third period, Muller earned an escape point, but could not down Isola as NC State won at heavyweight to cut into the team lead to 6-3. Rolling over the lineup at 125, Richard Alarcon earned a two-point takedown 30 second in to the match. Cummings escaped to trim the lead 2-1 and followed with a couple of two point takedowns to go up 5-2 after one. In the second, Alarcon started on top and Taylor Cummings quickly escaped, opening his lead to 6-2. Alarcon turned the tables with a two-point takedown, followed by an escape from Cummings making the score 7-4 for the NC State grappler which would be the final score after an uneventful third period. NC State tied up the match at 6-6. NCAA qualifier Dairrus Little from NC State earned a two-point takedown at the end of the first period over true freshman Jordan Dix. Little started on top to start the second, but Dix earned an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1. Little got a two-point takedown with ten second to go in the first to go up 4-1 after one period. Little got the escape followed by a two-point takedown to start the second. Little increased his lead and won the match, 9-3. NC State would take the lead for the first time in the dual, 9-6. Dale Shull of NC State earned a quick two-point take down on Nick LaFevre at 141, to take a 2-0 lead after one. LaFevre started on top in the second and rode out the period with Shull earning an illegal hold point to go up 3-0. The third period featured a scoreless affair with the match ending at 3-0 and NC State moving up 12-6 in the dual. Colton Palmer for the Wolfpack jumped out of the gate with a quick two-point takedown on Pierre Frazile at 149 that followed by an injury timeout for Frazile that would result in him exiting the match with a quad injury. By default, NC State would increase their lead to 18-6 in the dual. At 157, Bobby Ward of NC State earned a two-point takedown in the first period. True freshman Turtogtokh Luvsandorj earned an escape, cutting the lead to 2-1. Ward would follow with another two-point takedown, followed by another escape for Luvsandorj. Ward started on top in the second, with Luvsandorj earning two escapes to tie the match at four. In the third, Ward earned an escape point and would win the match 6-4 with riding time. The Wolfpack increased their dual lead to 21-6. Derek Sickel took a two-point takedown on Kasey Young at 165 to take a 2-0 lead after one. Young started on top in the second, but Sickel earned a quick escape increasing his lead to 3-0. Young followed with a two-point takedown that Sickel would escape from, making the score 4-2. Young earned another two-point takedown just before the second period ended to tie the match at four. In the third period, Sickel would earn a two-point takedown and win the match with riding time, 7-4. The Citadel cut into the Wolfpack lead, 21-9. At 174, J.C. Oddo earned a two-point takedown on NC State's Quinton Godley in the first period en route to a 5-1 decision cutting the NC State overall lead to 21-12. In the final match of the dual at 184, The Citadel's Kelby Smith got past John Becker via injury default. Becker left in the third period and The Citadel would be earn six points to the team score to finish just short as NC State would win 21-18. Full results: 125 - Cummings (NCST) dec. Alarcon (CIT), 7-4 133 - Little (NCST) dec. Dix (CIT), 10-3 141 - Shull (NCST) dec. LaFevre (CIT), 3-0 149 - Palmer (NCST) inury def. Frazile (CIT), :10 157 - Ward (NCST) dec. Luvsandorj (CIT), 6-4 165 - Sickel (CIT) dec. Young (NCST), 7-4 174 - Oddo (CIT) dec. Godley (NCST), 5-1 184 - Smith (CIT) injury def. Becker (NCST), 6:02 197 - Delaney (CIT) pinned McClean (NCST) HWT - Isola (NCST) dec. Muller (CIT), 4-2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAINTS MARCH PAST DARTON MARIETTA, Ga.—The Limestone College wrestling team recorded its first dual win of the season as it defeated Darton College 35-3 on Thursday night. The Saints will be back in action on November 23 when they host Spartanburg Methodist at 7 p.m. at the Timken Center in Gaffney, S.C. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wins two championships among 10 placers at UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic 11/15/2009 PEMBROKE, N.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team kept up its winning ways on Saturday, placing 10 wrestlers at this weekend's 29th Annual UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic and winning two championships. Returning All-Americans Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) at 125 lbs. and Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) at 184 lbs. each earned individual championships on the day. Sheridan Moran (Layfayette, La.) at 133 lbs. and Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) at 174 lbs. each nabbed second place finishes. Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) won third place at 157 lbs. while Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) at 141 lbs., Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) at 165 lbs. and Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.) at the heavyweight level each earned fourth place finishes. Dale DeBacco Jr. (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) took fifth place at 141 lbs. and Karl Reed (Mount Laurel, N.J.) took sixth place at 184 lbs. The 10 placers put Newberry behind only UNC Greensboro at the Classic. At 125 lbs., Matt Oliver faced Brian Butler of Darton in his first match of the day and cruised to a victory, winning with a 19-0 technical fall 5:24 into the match. After that, Oliver knocked off Shane Summerlin of Belmont Abbey with a major decision, 11-3, which put Oliver in the semifinals. Oliver booked a trip to the final match with another technical fall, this time with a 15-0 win over C.J. Gittens of Campbell 6:45 into the match. In the final match, Oliver downed Russell Weakley of UNC Pembroke by a 4-2 decision for an individual championship. Sheridan Moran began his run to the final match with a pinfall over Kekura Musa of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 2:43 into the match. Moran then scored a technical fall victory over Scott Ray of Davidson, 17-2, 6:42 into the match. Moran edged Mitchell Johnson of UNC Greensboro in the quarterfinal match, 4-3, to advance to the semifinal match against Angel Garcia of UNC Greensboro. Moran topped Garcia, 6-4, to face Kyle Hutter of Old Dominion in the finals. Moran kept it close but fell, 4-2, to place second overall at 133 lbs. At the 141 lbs. level, Deral Brown moved to the consolation bracket after his first match loss to Vitaly Radsky of Davidson, 6-2. In the consolation bracket, Brown advanced over Kris Dutt of Maryland-Baltimore County with a pinfall 2:29 into the match. Brown then scored another pinfall over Brian Samuels of Maryland-Baltimore County, 1:41 into the match. In the next round, Brown topped Matt Barbo of UNC Greensboro, 9-3 before dispatching Michael Crowley of UNC Greensboro, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. Brown cruised in his next two matches, blowing by Eric Luke, 17-4, and Riley Adamson of Duke, 17-3. Brown then narrowly lost in the third place match to Ivan Lopouchanski of UNC Greensboro, 6-4, to earn fourth place. Also at 141 lbs., Dale DeBacco Jr. scored a technical fall against his first opponent, Nathan Murphy of Maryland-Baltimore County, 18-2, 5:08 into the match. He then lost to Michael Crowley of UNC Greensboro, 7-5. DeBacco stormed through the consolation bracket, knocking off Chris Mullen of Duke with a 9-6 decision before scoring a major decision over Billy Heemer of Campbell, 15-4. DeBacco then pinned Kelin Bidelspach of Campbell 2:30 into the match before topping Mike Bell of Duke, 8-5. Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, DeBacco lost to Ivan Lopouchanski of UNC Greensboro but recovered in a big way, topping Riley Adamson of Duke with an 11-2 major decision to secure fifth place. At 157 lbs., Latra Collick began his quest for a spot in the championship with a first match victory over Greg Todd of St. Andrews, winning with a 6-1 decision. Collick pinned Jake Fose of Campbell 5:59 into his next match but lost to Travis Sheeky of UNC Greensboro, 7-3. In the consolation bracket, Collick advanced past Chris Canty of UNC Greensboro with a medical forfeit to face Fose in the third place match. This time, Collick would come up with the win and third place, topping Fose with an 8-6 decision. At 165 lbs., Josh Whitelock got off to a fast start with a 15-6 major decision over Colin Genthert of NC State followed by a win by fall over Kafuba Donzon of Darton, 1:41 into the match. Whitelock dropped his next match, falling to Victor Hojilla UNC Greensboro 4:10 into the match. Whitelock then began his dominance through the consolation bracket, topping Nick Christian of Central Florida with a 7-0 decision. He followed that win up with another, a 17-4 major decision over Robbie Wannenburg of Appalachian State. He booked a ticket to the third place match by pinning Peter Comis of Campbell 1:15 into the match but then lost in a close one to Victor Hojilla of UNC Greensboro, 7-6, to secure fourth place. At 174 lbs., Curtis Chenoweth continued the strong start to his Newberry career with a 17-0 technical fall over Will Maegerle of Maryland Baltimore County 6:30 into the match. He then pinned Shiheem Bryant of UNC Pembroke 47 seconds into the match, followed by an 8-5 decision against Ben Wales of Duke in the quarterfinals. Chenoweth kept rolling in the semifinals, edging Casey Bradley of Limestone, 3-2. Chenoweth lost to Byron Sigmon of North Carolina Greensboro, 4-2, but earned second place at 174 lbs. on the day. At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton picked up from his fourth-place finish last week at the Hokie Open with an opening-match 13-0 major decision over Andrew Phillips of North Carolina. He then topped Melvin Jones of UNC Pembroke with a pinfall 2:14 into the match. Blanton picked up another pinfall over Andrew Lloyd of Limestone 3:41 into his quarterfinal match and continued to win, topping Diego Bencomo of Duke with a 5-4 decision. In the finals, Blanton won his first championship of the season, getting a 6-4 decision over Andrew Saunders of UNC Greensboro. Also at 184 lbs., Karl Reed began his day with an 8-5 decision over C.J. Hauser of Central Florida. Reed then lost to Diego Bencomo of Duke in a close 6-5 decision but rebounded in the consolation bracket, topping fellow Newberry teammate Brian Newman (Toms River, N.J.), 3-1. Reed advanced to the consolation semifinals with a fall against Andrew Lloyd of Limestone 2:02 into the match but dropped the semifinal match against Landon Hall of Limestone, 5-2. The loss put Reed into the fifth place match but was pinned 2:52 into the match by Ryan Sughrue of UNC Greensboro, giving Reed sixth place. Newberry earned its final placer in the heavyweight division with Steven Butler (Cuddebackville, N.Y.). Butler began with a pinfall over Micheal Gregory of UNC Greensboro 1:40 into the match. He advanced to the semifinals with a win over Newberry teammate Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.), earning a 5-3 decision. Butler lost in the semifinals to Eloheim Palma of NC State by a 10-2 major decision but roared back in the consolation semifinals, winning an 11-3 major decision over Andrew Fulk of Duke. He lost 10-7 to Peter Sturgeon of UNC Greensboro but the match gave him fourth place on the day. At 125 lbs., Steven McLeod (Gilbert, S.C.) narrowly lost in his first match, 4-3, to Josh Craig of UNC Greensboro. In the consolation bracket, McLeod recovered with a 6-2 decision over Hampton Montley of The Citadel before losing to Matthew Hall of Limestone, 9-1 in a major decision. At 133 lbs., Rob Day Jr. (Lexington, S.C.) dropped his first round match against Brian Beatson of St. Andrews, 12-4. He then lost his consolation match against Bryan Asker of Central Florida, 15-5. Ernie Young (Baker County, Fla.) lost to Casey Boyle of UNC Greensboro, 3-2 before dispatching Welsey Whitman of UNC Pembroke in the consolation round with a major decision, 12-3. Young then dropped his next match to Steve DeAugustino of Central Florida, 13-9 to bring his record to 1-2 on the day. At 157 lbs., Bill Glace (Abbeville, S.C.) lost to Zach McKeone of Limestone in his first match by fall, 2:23 into the match. Glace then lost by technical fall in the consolation bracket to Terry Long of Auburn, 17-2, 5:28 into the match. At 165 lbs, Dustin Harvey (Marietta, Ga.) dropped his first match to Peter Comis of Campbell, falling 4:32 into the match. He rebounded in the consolation round, knocking off Jake Ferguson of UNC Pembroke with an 8-2 decision and toppling Dustin Brunner of Darton with a major decision, 8-0. Harvey's day would end at the hands of Ray Ward of NC State, falling 2:30 into the match. Channon Clamp (Gilbert, S.C.) got the nod at 197 lbs. but lost his first match, 10-2 to Shane Nolan of UNC Pembroke. He dropped his following consolation match, 4-0, to Richard Rippy of Central Florida. At the heavyweight level, Jake Elkins took his first match of the day, 3-0, against Andrew Fulk of Duke. Elkins then lost to fellow Newberry wrestler Steven Butler, 5-3. Elkins would recover quickly in the consolation bracket, pinning Charles Weber of Limestone 1:07 into the match but his day ended after a 12-5 loss to Peter Sturgeon of UNC Greensboro. Several other Newberry wrestlers wrestled at the UNCP Classic unattached. To view their results, click here: http://www.newberry.athleticsite.net/09wrestling/UNCPUnattachedResults.pdf Newberry travels to Raleigh, N.C. next week to compete in the Wolfpack Open on Saturday, November 21. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Newberry wrestler Kelly Anundson makes national name with grappling title, MMA fight 10/27/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry College volunteer wrestling coach and 2008 Newberry wrestling All-American Kelly Anundson continues to build an impressive résumé since graduating from Newberry, winning a national grappling title last week and fighting in the main event in South Carolina's first sanctioned mixed martial arts event in November. On Friday in Phoenix, Ariz., Anundson won the individual championship at the 120 kg/264.5 lbs. level at the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials in No-Gi Grappling on Friday. The title books Anundson's trip to an event on the world stage, as the champion from each weight class will receive funding to compete for the U.S. team at the Grappling World Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from December 11 to 13. He will be part of the team to represent the United States at the World Championships in Florida. "It was always a dream of mine to be on a world team, and then USA Wrestling made grappling an option for me," said Anundson. "Now I have a chance to represent my country." Grappling involves aspects of wrestling and jiu-jitsu, featuring submission moves and fighting techniques like choke holds and arm bars to defeat an opponent by either decision or submission. Anundson dominated his class, taking out three opponents en route to the championship. Anundson emerged victorious over former Arizona State wrestler Kenny Lester of Longwood, Fla., 4-0 in the opening round. He then topped two-time Division I All-American Kellan Fluckiger of Gilbert, Ariz., by a score of 3-1 in the second round and defeated prominent jiu-jitsu fighter Bobak Ranjbaran of Belleview, Wash., 4-0 to win the title. The tournament was only Anundson's third career grappling tournament. Six of the seven champions at the Trials were former college wrestlers. Anundson compiled an 87-33 record during his Newberry career. He also qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament three times, earning All-American honors in 2008 and won the NCAA Division II East Region at 197 lbs. in 2008. In addition to Anundson's grappling successes, the former All-American has embarked on a new challenge with a career in mixed martial arts, which combines different fighting styles like kickboxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Anundson has compiled a 4-0 record and is set to participate in a boxing and MMA event called "Worlds Collide" at the Radisson Hotel in Columbia on Saturday, November 21. The night will mark the first sanctioned MMA event in South Carolina. Anundson has stayed in the state to improve as a fighter, traveling to Columbia and Greenville-area gyms to train in grappling, boxing and kickboxing techniques in an effort to develop his overall skills. "I had been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu since I was 18 years old, but conflicts of interests as a college wrestler never allowed me to compete until I graduated," Anundson said. In March, Anundson tasted early success in his young MMA career when he fought in a BadBoyMma event in Jacksboro, Tenn. He beat his opponent Danny Ramsey with a technical knockout in 1:37, earning the promotion's light heavyweight title. With the advent of MMA in South Carolina, Anundson can focus on staying close while furthering his career. "I'd like to fight at home as much as possible," he said. After "Worlds Collide," Anundson will travel to Florida to train with the best grapplers in the nation in preparation for the World Grappling Championships. To view a video interview with Kelly Anundson following his U.S. Grappling World Team Trials title victory, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy5hwBnLTys To view a photo gallery from the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials, click here: http://lbsphoto.smugmug.com/Olympic-Wrestling/2009-US-Grappling-World-Team To view video from the No-Gi Grappling Finals, click here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2409864. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHEAFFER JOINS SAINTS WRESTLING STAFF GAFFNEY, S.C.—Limestone College Head Wrestling Coach Trent Goodale has announced that Zach Sheaffer has joined the Saints staff as an assistant coach. Sheaffer comes to Limestone after an outstanding four-year career at the University of Pittsburgh. “I am very pleased to be able to add someone of Zach’s caliber to our coaching staff,” Goodale commented. “He is going to make an impact right away with our athletes. He is a very driven person and is very much looking forward to working with our guys.” Sheaffer was a 2009 All-American for the Panthers, and also served as team captain for the 2008-09 season. He was named to the Academic Dean’s List and was an Academic All-American. He won the Eastern Wrestling league Championship in 2005 and 2008 and recorded over 100 wins during his career. Sheaffer assisted with the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club and the Panther Paws program that taught wrestling to inner-city youth. He also worked at Edinboro University wrestling camp. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2009 with a degree in United States history. “I am excited for this opportunity and am really looking forward to the season ahead,” commented Sheaffer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling takes third in national preseason rankings Matt Oliver (125), Bryant Blanton (197) and Keeno Griffin (197) garner individual rankings 10/21/2009 EDMOND, Okla. - The Newberry College wrestling team is ranked third in the nation in the preseason edition of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches As¬sociation poll, released today. Newberry earned 138 total points in the poll after finishing as national runner-up last year. The scarlet and gray were ranked seventh in last year's preseason poll. The University of Nebraska-Omaha leads the nation in first place with 160 points, followed by Minnesota State University-Mankato at No. 2 with 148 points. The University of Nebraska at Kearney ranks fourth, Adams State College is ranked fifth, the University of Central Oklahoma ranks sixth and Western State College is ranked seventh. St. Cloud State University and Upper Iowa University tie for eight and the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown earns the No. 10 spot. Newberry has scheduled dual meets against five teams ranked in the preseason top 20. The scarlet and gray face No. 5 Adams State on December 5, No. 10 Pittsburgh-Johnstown on January 22, No. 16 West Liberty on January 23, and both No. 17 Gannon and No. 11 Mercyhurst on January 30. Additonally, Newberry will take on three opponents this season who receive votes but do not appear in the top 20 in Findlay, UNC Pembroke and Shippensburg. Newberry features three individual wrestlers ranked in the top 8 of their weight classes nationally. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) is ranked third at the 125-pound level. Oliver went 31-4 in 2008, taking the Super Region I title and finishing in third place at the NCAA Division II National Championship last year, earning All-American honors. Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) ranks second at 184 pounds. Blanton wrapped up last season with a 31-9 record. He finished in fourth place at the Super Region I championships and at the national championships last year, also garnering All-American status. Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) is Newberry's highest ranked wrester, earning the top spot at the 197-pound level. Griffin went 33-2 last year en route to an individual Super Region I title and a national championship, taking All-American honors as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wrestling Welcomes Two-Time Olympian Plamen Paskalev, Promotes Ragan Plamen Paskalev Joins The Citadel Wrestling Coaching Staff Charleston, S.C. - Head Coach Rob Hjerling and The Citadel announced today the addition of Plamen Paskalev to the coaching staff of the wrestling team. Also, long-time Head Assistant Coach Jeff Ragan has been promoted to Associate Head Coach. "I am very excited to have someone the caliber of Plamen Paskalev becoming a part of Citadel Wrestling," said Head Coach Rob Hjerling. "Plamen is going to be outstanding for our talented upper-weights. The addition of Coach Paskalev is one more thing that should help us turn the corner this year and take this program to a new level." Paskalev is originally from Sofia, Bulgaria. He is a 12-time Bulgarian national champion, a seven-time World Championship placer and a two-time Olympian. At the World Championships, he finished seventh ('99), 11th ('94, '95, '98) and 12th ('97). He was fourth in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and 16th at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He spent the 2007-2008 school year as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Central Missouri. He concluded his career in 2006 by becoming the first wrestler in UCM history to have a perfect record, finishing the season 18-0 and winning a national title. Paskalev became the fourth Central Missouri wrestler to win a national title and was the first to win one since 1991. He was a three time All-American at Central Missouri, finishing fourth at heavyweight in 2003, third at 197 in 2005 before winning it all in 2006. Paskalev has the highest winning percentage in school history for the Mules, winning 64 of his 69 matches (.928). Ragan promoted Jeff Ragan enters his tenth season with the wrestling program this year. After serving as long time head assistant to Rob Hjerling, Ragan has been promoted to Associate Head Coach. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling announces youth clinic, Scarlet and Gray Wrestle-Off October 26, 2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Newberry College wrestling team is proud to announce a full Saturday of Newberry wrestling, with Newberry wrestlers and coaches hosting a youth wrestling clinic before the team’s annual Scarlet and Gray Wrestle-Off scrimmage on Saturday, October 31. All youth and high school wrestlers are invited to attend a wrestling clinic from 9 a.m. to noon at Eleazer Arena, followed by the Newberry wrestling team’s annual scrimmage at 1 p.m. Registration to the clinic costs $10 and includes free admission to the Scarlet and Gray Wrestle-Off. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. on October 31 and attendees can register by emailing head coach Jason Valek at Jason.Valek@newberry.edu. Please make checks payable to Newberry Wrestling Camp. Following the clinic will be the Newberry wrestling team’s annual Scarlet and Gray Wrestle-Off. The scrimmage gives fans an opportunity to see wrestlers from nation’s third-ranked team in the preseason face off against each other. The Wrestle-Off is slated to begin at 1 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luke Hoover a senior 119/125 lbs. for Nation Ford H.S. died in a car accident in Fort Mill last week. He was also a former JV wrestler for Fort Mill. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rocky Forte lost his battle with cancer last week. He was the former head wrestling coach at Nation Ford High School. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rodney Wallace, former Bamberg-Ehrhardt wrestler, article 1 Rodney Wallace, former Bamberg-Ehrhardt wrestler, article 2 Rodney Wallace, former Bamberg-Ehrhardt wrestler, article 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Participation Numbers at the High School Level Increase in 2008-09 9/15/2009 4:06:31 PM For the fifth straight year, high school boys wrestling participation numbers have increased while girls' participation hit an all-time high as The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) released their 2008-09 participation numbers. High School boys’ wrestling remains the sixth most popular sport with 267,378 participants. The total number of participants in 2009 is the highest number that wrestling has seen since 1980, when participation statistics were listed at 273,326 by the NFHS. As a whole, wrestling participation at the high school level has been seeing substantial growth in numbers over the past decade. The number of schools sponsoring boys wrestling is also at an all-time high with 10,311 schools. In 2008-09, Arkansas became the 49th state to sanction high school wrestling. The state recorded 1,975 participants in its inaugural year. Arkansas can credit much of the their growth and success to businessman Greg Hatcher, Agency Owner of the Hatcher Agency, in Little Rock, who was instrumental in getting the Arkansas Activities Association to sponsor wrestling. Mississippi remains the lone state which does not sponsor wrestling. Girls' wrestling also continues to grow each year. Girls' wrestling is at an all-time high with 6,025 participants. Texas and California continue to have the strongest girls wrestling presence on the high school level. "These high school participation numbers are great for the sport of wrestling, as the overall youth numbers throughout the country are also on a steady uphill climb," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "We attribute a lot of this growth to the incredible generosity (funding and otherwise) of wrestling alumni, business professionals, and wrestling organizations/clubs throughout the country." "It is also important to note that a growing number of wrestling coaches are dedicating more time to improving the recruitment and retention of wrestlers at all levels," said Moyer. "While growing the overall participation numbers across America is very important (i.e. increasing the number of teams), we must also make sure we are growing the average roster size of each individual team. What is important to remember with these growing numbers is the importance of ongoing coaching education as it relates to the retention of the student-athlete once they start participating in the sport." For more information on wrestling participation numbers since 1971 please visit the links below: http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/news/09-09-15/Participation_Numbers_at_the_High_School_Level_Increase_in_2008-09.aspx ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry announces addition of Cort Petersen to coaching staff 10/19/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team and head coach Jason Valek are pleased to announce the hiring of Cort Petersen as assistant coach. Petersen, a two-time All-American at the University of Central Oklahoma, specializes in middleweights and comes to Newberry after coaching at Northwest College (Wyo.) and the University of Central Oklahoma, helping produce a combined 10 All-Americans and one national championship between the two schools. "Cort breathes some new energy into our program and will be a great asset for us," said head coach Jason Valek. "His enthusiasm and love of wrestling will help us continue to make great strides towards our goal of winning a national championship. Having competed and won on the highest level, his knowledge and willingness to work will do nothing but make Newberry better." Last year as an assistant coach at Northwest, Petersen helped lead the Trappers to a top-10 finish, producing six national qualifiers and four All-Americans at the NJCAA National Championships in the process. Petersen served as an assistant coach at the University of Central Oklahoma for the 2007-2008 season and was part of a staff that lead the Bronchos to a Division II National Championship and boasted eight All-Americans. While at UCO, Petersen finished his degree in Recreation Management. Petersen comes to Newberry with several years of high-level competition as a wrestler as well as a coach. After helping Northwest College win a junior college national championship in 2004, Petersen transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he earned All-American honors in 2005 and 2006 at the 165-pound level. While at Central Oklahoma, Petersen learned from head coach David James, who has coached 12 national championship teams and 45 individual national champions. "I really enjoy being out here on the East Coast and here at Newberry," Petersen said. "The coaches and I work well together and each of us brings something different to the table. It's a dynamic group." Petersen is a native of Wright, Wyo., where he earned two state championships at Wright Junior-Senior High School. Petersen married his wife Brittany in 2008 and they reside in Newberry. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry grabs top spot in preseason NCAA Division II Super Region I Rankings Matt Oliver (125), Bryant Blanton (174) and Keeno Griffin (197) earn top spots in their weight classes 10/20/2009 ERIE, Pa. - The Newberry College wrestling team shares the No. 1 ranking in the preseason NCAA Division II Super Region I poll, released today. Newberry sits atop the rankings with the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. The scarlet and gray took its second consecutive Super Region I title last year and finished runner-up at the NCAA Division II Championships. Newberry also was ranked No. 1 in last year's preseason rankings. In addition to the top team ranking, three Newberry wrestlers also took the top spot in their weight classes. Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) at 125 lbs., Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) at 174 lbs. and Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) at 197 lbs. all rank first in their respective weight classes. Four other Newberry wrestlers make appearances in the rankings. Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) is ranked fifth at 133 lbs., Mike Rogers (Easton, Pa.) is ranked third at 149 lbs., Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) is ranked fifth at 157 lbs. and Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) rounds out the scarlet and gray's representation with his No. 5 ranking at 165 lbs. Newberry returns one national champion in Keeno Griffin, three All-Americans in Griffin, Matt Oliver and Bryant Blanton and five national qualifiers in Griffin, Oliver, Blanton, Josh Whitelock and Mike Rogers. Full rankings at: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/200910preseasonrankings.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry announces Super Region I Duals schedule 10/6/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team is pleased to announce the schedule for the Super Region I Duals on Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23. Newberry will host the Duals for the first time in its history, inviting top teams from around Division II to compete in the event formerly known as the East Coast Duals. Anderson University, Belmont Abbey College, Kutztown (Pa.) University, Limestone College, Mercyhurst (Pa.) College, the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Seton Hill University (Pa.), Shippensburg (Pa.) University, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, UNC Pembroke and West Liberty State College (W. Va.) will travel to Newberry and appear in the weekend event. "It's our pleasure to have these prestigious and respected institutions come to our campus to participate in this event," said head coach Jason Valek. "The event continues to grow every year, and so does the competitiveness of the teams." Newberry went 4-0 in last year's East Coast Duals, taking down then-No. 8 Pittsburgh-Johnstown, No. 20 West Liberty State, No. 16 Shippensburg and No. 18 Kutztown. This year Newberry helps kick off the event when the team takes on Shippensburg at 5 p.m on Friday, January 22. Newberry holds a 2-1 record all-time against Shippensburg, most recently toppling the Raiders, 29-12, at last year's duals. Each session features at least four matches. The 9 a.m. session's matches will include a match between UNC Pembroke and West Liberty State, a team that boasted an individual national champion in 2008. The scarlet and gray will follow up their first match with a test against Pittsburgh-Johnstown at 7 p.m. Newberry stands at 2-2 all-time against the Mountain Cats. At last year's East Coast Duals, Newberry beat Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 21-8, handing UPJ one of its four losses on the season. Session two will also feature a match between the competitive squads of Kutztown and Anderson. For the next day, Saturday, January 23, Newberry will hit the mats early with a 9 a.m. match against Kutztown followed by a match with West Liberty at 11 a.m. This marks the second time the scarlet and gray have matched up with Kutztown, holding a 1-0 advantage all-time after taking down the then No. 18-ranked Golden Bears, 42-6, in 2008. Newberry stands at 2-2 all-time against West Liberty State, evening the series at last year's East Coast Duals by defeating the then-No. 20 Hilltoppers, 30-9. Session three at 9 a.m. will include several powerful matchups, highlighted when Pittsburgh-Johnstown faces off with Limestone and Anderson takes on Mercyhurst. Pittsburgh-Johnstown finished 14th at last year's national championships and Mercyhurst fielded an individual national champion in 2008 as well. Matches later in the morning at 11 a.m. will pit Mercyhurst against Limestone and UNC Pembroke against Pittsburgh-Johnstown. After a lunch break, all 12 teams reconvene for two more sessions in the afternoon to wrap up the event. Session five begins at 1:30 p.m. and features four matches, highlighted by Anderson facing off against West Liberty State. Newberry gets a break in session five, but the scarlet and gray will finish their day in session six with a match against Seton Hill at 3:30 p.m. Newberry leads the series between the two teams 1-0 after blanking the Griffins, 45-0, in a regular season matchup last year. In additional action in the session, Kutztown will wrestle Limestone, Mercyhurst will battle UNC Pembroke and West Liberty State will match up against Belmont Abbey. "There should be some very exciting matches both individually and team wise," Valek said. "With several national champions and a handful of All-Americans going head to head along with several top ten teams, I know we really look forward to this type of competition-especially here in front of our home fans." Entire Super Region I Duals schedule: http://www.newberryathleticsite.com/article.asp?articleID=4296 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 19, 2009 Delaney Ranked Among the Nation's Elite in USA Wrestling Magazine Charleston, S.C. - Sophomore wrestler Odie Delaney was tabbed as the 23rd best wrestler in the 197-pound weight class in Wrestling USA Magazine this week. He was mentioned as a darkhorse contender for the NCAA title in 2009-2010. Delaney looks to continue his success this season after becoming the first true freshman at The Citadel ever to reach the NCAA Championships. The SoCon champion went a team leading 25-18 his first year and was a perfect 5-0 in conference dual action. The Destin, Fla. native had 14 pins which led the Southern Conference. The Citadel wrestling team opens their 2009-2010 season on Saturday, Nov. 7 hosting The Citadel Open. The Bulldogs will also face NC State in dual action that same day at 1 p.m. Both events will take place at McAlister Field House. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ohio State Head Coach Tom Ryan and 2x NCAA Champion J Jaggers are coming to Asheville NC. Our clinic will be from 9am-4pm. Lunch will be provided for all wrestlers. The clinic will fill up fast and several teams and coaches have already committed. A link is provided below to the flyer and ALL wrestlers must fill out the waiver and release form. Prices are listed on flyer. Clinic Flyer------ http://warhorsewrestling.com/TOM%20RYAN%20CLINIC.html Clinic Waiver---- http://www.warhorsewrestling.com/about13.html Clinic Schedule--- http://warhorsewrestling.com/about14.html Jeff Foster Owen High School Home---828-665-8138 Cell----828-231-5877 Fax----828-665-6591 Email-coachjefffoster@yahoo.com www.warhorsewrestling.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wave wrestlers compete at Nationals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling announces 2009-2010 schedule 9/15/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry College and head wrestling coach Jason Valek are proud to announce the wrestling team's 2009-2010 schedule. This year's campaign features matches and tournaments that pit the scarlet and gray against top teams from both the Division I and Division II levels. Newberry will look to build off of a sparkling 2008-2009 season that saw the team take second place at the NCAA Division II Tournament, where two Newberry wrestlers earned the first two NCAA individual championships in school history. Defending national champion and two-time All-American Keeno Griffin will return for 2009-2010. Griffin also took an individual title at the Super Region I championships in 2009 en route to a team title. Griffin will be joined by returning All-Americans Matt Oliver, Bryant Blanton and Brandon Kelly as well as national qualifiers Josh Whitelock and Latra Collick, among other strong talent coming back to look for a championship. The team will also welcome several transfers into the fold. Among them, NCAA Division II runner-up Mike Rogers will wrestle at the 149 lbs. weight class and 2006 NAIA National Champion Curtis Chenowith will wrestle at 174 lbs. "The upcoming season should bring a high level excitement to our program. We return the majority of our starting lineup and plan to infuse several quality transfers and true freshmen into that," Valek said. "We also look forward to watching transfers like Rogers and Chenowith and how they help our program." The season features three tournaments first with a mix of duals and tournaments to follow, including several prestigious events taking place at Newberry. "Our schedule will allow us a lot of flexibility in determining what weights are the best for our guys. With three open tournaments to start the season, we'll be well-suited for the dual schedule ahead once our lineup shakes out," Valek said. "Overall, I wouldn't be surprised if we mix it up a bit by moving some kids around to find out what is best for our team. They're willing to do what it takes to make it over that last hurdle and be national champions." Newberry wrestlers will taste their first competition of the year when they battle each other for starting spots at the Scarlet and Gray Wrestle-Offs on Sunday, November 1. The regular season begins on Sunday, November 8, at the Hokie Open in Salem, Va., where the team will face Division I schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2008, Newberry faced and defeated ACC teams North Carolina and then-No. 22 North Carolina State. The three-tournament series swing to begin 2009 continues on Saturday, November 14, when the team travels to Pembroke, N.C., to compete in the Braves Open. One week later, the scarlet and gray will head north to Raleigh, N.C., for the Wolfpack Open. The Open will feature ACC teams as well as Division I Hofstra University, who finished 23rd in last year's USA Today/NWCA/Intermat Top 25 Coaches Poll. The team then heads to Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday, November 28, to battle Division I programs Virginia Tech and Campbell University. Virginia Tech finished at No. 15 in the final ranking last season and also sent eight wrestlers to the 2009 NCAA Championship last year, including two which advanced to the round of 12. The Hokies could return several or all of those eight this year. Newberry battles Campbell after Virginia Tech. The scarlet and gray return home for the Newberry Duals on Saturday, December 5. Newberry will play host to and compete with top Division II wrestling teams from around the country. Adams State College (Colo.), Belmont Abbey College, the University of Findlay (Ohio), Grand Canyon University (Ariz.) and UNC Pembroke will head to Newberry for the third installment of the Duals. The five other teams will bring strong pedigrees into the Duals. Adams State finished fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2008 and two Grizzlies won individual titles who could return this year. The program has produced six national champions and finished in the top 10 the past seven years. Belmont Abbey sent one wrestler to the NCAA Championship finals in 2009. Findlay sent several wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including two who were not seniors. Grand Canyon University's team featured several wrestlers who finished near the top in regular season and conference tournaments. One week later, Newberry wrestling will visit Kent, Ohio, on Sunday, December 13. There the team will face off against Kent State University and the University of Michigan. Both teams finished in the top 25 last year, with Kent State finishing at No. 20 and Michigan taking No. 18. The Wolverines finished 11th in team standings at last year's NCAA Championships, with one wrestler capturing All-American honors who will return in 2009. On Sunday, December 20, the Newberry wrestling team will be in Reno, Nev., for the Reno Tournament of Champions, which includes Division I and II teams from around the country. After taking a two-week break from competition during the holidays, Newberry hits the mats for the first time in 2010 on Saturday, January 2, for the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. A week later from January 9-10, the squad travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the NWCA National Duals. Fifteen other teams will take part in the Duals, including the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the University of Nebraska-Kearney and the University of Central Oklahoma. Those three teams have combined for every NCAA Division II team national championship dating back to 2002 and 13 dating back to 1991. Last year at the NWCA Duals, Newberry placed second after facing Nebraska-Kearney and Nebraska-Omaha, which went on to take the Division II National Championship crown in March. After a Friday, January 15, trip to Laurinburg, N.C., to take on St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Newberry will host the Super Region I Duals from January 22 to January 23. Anderson University, American International College (Mass.), Belmont Abbey College, Kutztown (Pa.) University, Limestone College, Mercyhurst (Pa.) College, the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Seton Hill University (Pa.), Shippensburg (Pa.) University, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, UNC Pembroke and West Liberty State College (W. Va.) will descend on Newberry to participate. On Saturday, January 30, the scarlet and gray will go to Erie, Pa., to face off against Mercyhurst College and Gannon University (Pa.). The team then heads to Pembroke, N.C., for a matchup with UNC Pembroke on Tuesday, February 2. The team then enjoys a three-match homestand that begins with Belmont Abbey on Tuesday, February 9, followed by Limestone College on the same day and a match with Anderson University on Sunday, February 17. The regular season then wraps up with a trip to Raleigh, N.C., to take on North Carolina State. The scarlet and gray toppled a No. 22 North Carolina State squad early last season. The postseason begins with the NCAA Division II Super Region I Tournament at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown on Friday, February 26, and Saturday, February 27. The University of Nebraska-Omaha will host the NCAA Division II National Tournament, held on March 12 and 13. See link below to view the Newberry 2009-2010 wrestling schedule in PDF format: http://newberry.athleticsite.net/2009NewberryCollegeWrestlingSchedule.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newberry wrestling announces Newberry Duals schedule 9/25/2009 NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team is pleased to announce the schedule for the third annual Newberry Duals on Saturday, December 5. Five other teams will travel to Newberry for the third installment of the Duals. Adams State College (Colo.), Belmont Abbey College, the University of Findlay (Ohio), Grand Canyon University (Ariz.) and UNC Pembroke will compete over four sessions during the day-long event. "We are excited to assemble such a quality field for our third annual event," said head coach Jason Valek. "Having teams from Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina shows the growth of our sport over the past few years. " With six strong teams competing at the duals, each team will bring wrestlers with impressive résumé. "Fans will have the pleasure to see several National Champions in Arsenio Barksdale and Kyle Sands from Adams State, along with All-Americans CJ Hamilton from Anderson University and JJ Davis from UNC Pembroke," Valek said. "Not to mention our National Champion Keeno Griffin and All-Americans Mike Rogers, Bryant Blanton, Matt Oliver and Brandon Kelly." This year marks the third consecutive appearance for Findlay, UNC Pembroke and Belmont Abbey. The teams attended the first Newberry Duals in 2007 and then-No. 13 Findlay faced off against the scarlet and gray last year, with Newberry coming out on top, 29-5. Newberry will face Findlay again when the teams kick off the first match of the Duals at 9 a.m on Mat One. Elsewhere at 9 a.m., Adams State will match up with Belmont Abbey on Mat Two and Grand Canyon will take on UNC Pembroke on Mat Three. The scarlet and gray meet Duals first-timer Adams State in the second session on Mat One at 11 a.m. The two teams have built a bit of a rivalry, with the squads seeing each other in the Midwest Classic last year and competing against each other at the NCAA Championships. Newberry finished first at the Midwest Classic in 2008 and Adams State finished fifth, while Adams State finished fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2008 and Newberry was the national runner-up. Grand Canyon will face Belmont Abbey on Mat Two and Findlay will wrestle UNC Pembroke on Mat Three to wrap up the 11 a.m. matches. Newberry and Grand Canyon will enjoy a rest during the third session of the Duals, while Findlay battles Belmont Abbey on Mat One and Adams State faces UNC Pembroke on Mat Two at 1:30 p.m. The Newberry Duals wrap with Grand Canyon facing off with Newberry at 3:30 p.m. on Mat One and Adams State taking on Findlay on Mat Two. All six programs bring strong credentials to the Duals. Adams State has produced six national champions and finished in the top 10 the past seven years and took several individual championships. Belmont Abbey sent one wrestler to the NCAA Championship finals in 2009. Findlay sent several wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including two who were not seniors. Grand Canyon University's team featured several wrestlers who finished near the top in regular season and conference tournaments. "Of the six teams in the tournament, I look for four to five of them to garner national rankings, which gives even more validity to this event," said Valek. "We look for a great showing and welcome all of our competitors from across the country." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Citadel Wrestling Announces 2009-2010 Schedule Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel wrestling program and head coach Rob Hjerling announced the 2009-2010 schedule on Wednesday. Highlighting the schedule are six home dual matches along with the Citadel Open. The Bulldogs will bring in three ACC teams to McAlister Field House this season. On Nov. 7, the Citadel will start their slate with a dual meet against NC State along with the Citadel Open to showcase freshmen and sophomores from the region. The Bulldogs will also host Duke on Feb. 14 and North Carolina on Feb. 21. "I am very pleased that we will be opening with N.C State during homecoming," said Bulldog Head Coach Rob Hjerling. "The dual and the Open together will make for an exciting event. Between the two, most of the roster will be able to get some good competition in. The ACC picked up a lot of NCAA qualifiers last year so it is important for us to see them. Two of the last three duals are against ACC schools and at home. I am very happy with this schedule and I am pleased with how the home schedule came together." Highlighting the larger tournaments, the Cadets will take part in the NC State Open on Nov. 21, the Penn State Open on Dec. 6, the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 in Greensboro, N.C. and the All-Academy Championships in Annapolis, Md. on Feb. 6. "Our first three road trips open with some very good competition. We get a chance to dual against a couple teams that beat us last year and we get to see a few teams that we don't normally compete against. The NC State Open and the Penn State Open are very competitive and The Southern Scuffle is one of the toughest tournaments in the country. Our guys will have many opportunities to wrestle against nationally ranked opponents." The Citadel will also face Liberty and Campbellsville in the Liberty Tri-Meet on Nov. 14, Ohio University, Millersville and Cleveland State in the Ohio University Duals on Dec. 4, UNC-Pembroke and Campbell in the UNC-Pembroke Tri-Meet on Jan. 13 and will travel to Gardner-Webb for a dual meet on Feb. 16. The Bulldogs will start Southern Conference competition on Dec. 17 at home against defending SoCon champion UT-Chattanooga. When the calendar turns to January, the Bulldogs will travel to Greensboro to face the Spartans on Jan.9 before returning home to host a pair of SoCon rivals in VMI on Jan. 16 and Appalachian State on Jan. 24. The Citadel rounds out its conference schedule on Feb. 4 at Davidson. The Cadets will travel to the SoCon Championships on Mar. 6 at Davidson. The NCAA Championships will take place Mar. 18-20 in Omaha, Neb. "Opening the conference schedule with the conference champs will obviously be a good gauge to let us know where we are as a team. The timing of the dual is pretty good for us. UNCG will also be a very important dual for us, it's a good way to start off the second semester. VMI and Appalachian State at home followed by a trip to Davidson and the All Academy Championships will be exciting. The completion of the conference schedule will give us a full month to prepare for the Southern Conference Championships." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Citadel Wrestling Welcomes 16 Newcomers to Roster Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Wrestling program announced the addition of 16 new wrestlers to the program on Tuesday. The newcomers will hail from eight different states and countries. The new wrestlers have combined for a national championship title, four All-American titles, six state titles and 12 state finals appearances. The 16 newcomers will strengthen the roster and give options for Head Coach Rob Hjerling who enters his 11th season at the helm of the Bulldog Wrestling program. These freshmen are great additions to our program. We now have some experience returning and solid depth in the room," said Hjerling. A few of the freshmen will be competing for a starting spot right away but they will all benefit from having good training partners. Beyond their credentials, most of these freshmen just started to tap into their potential. We look forward to helping them jump to different levels in their wrestling careers." 125 JJ Hellinger comes from Orlando, Fla. where he wrestled at Dr. Phillips High School. He is a Florida state placer. Hampton Motley is a two-time South Carolina state finalist coming out of Lexington High School in Lexington, S.C. 133 Jordan Dix comes south from James River High School in Richmond, Va. where he is a four-time Virginia state placer, an NHSCA National Open Finalist and tallied a career record of 183-23. Another home state product, Shane Lee joins the Bulldogs as a two-time South Carolina state qualifier and a South Carolina state placer. Lee is out of White Knoll HS in West Columbia, S.C. With a career record of 161-15, Dustin Paridon of Mosley High School in Panama City, Fla. joins The Citadel as a four-time Florida state qualifier, a two-time Florida state placer and a Florida state finalist. Zach Boyer is a two-time Florida state placer out of Robinson High School in Tampa, Fla. Boyer will wrestler in either the 133 or the 141 weight class. Giazzi Segarra is a four-time South Carolina state qualifier, a two-time South Carolina placer and a South Carolina state finalist. He comes from Dorman High School in Spartanburg, S.C. Segarra will wrestle in either the 133 or the 141 weight class. 141 Kevin Timothy racked up a career record of 200-12 at Brandon High School in Brandon, Fla. He is a four-time Florida state placer, a three-time Florida finalist, a two-time Florida state champion, an NHSCA Senior National All-American (8th) and a Greco Junior National All-American (8th). Rashad Palmer is a two-time North Carolina state qualifier, a North Carolina state placer and a South Carolina state qualifier. He comes to The Citadel from Overhill High School in Fayetteville, N.C. Nick LaFevre is a transfer from Clarion University (Pa.). LaFevre was a two-time New Jersey state qualifier out of Delaware Valley Regional High School in Milford, N.J. 149 Coming out of Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., Mike Harper is a two-time North Carolina state placer. Max Morrill is a two-time Florida state qualifier out of Hernando High School in Brooksville, Fla. 157 Zane Newton is a four-time South Carolina state placer, a three-time South Carolina State Champion and owned a career record of 179-3 at Emerald High School in Greenwood, S.C. Coming from the Midwest, Cameron Childs joins the Bulldogs after qualifying for states in Ohio. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio where he wrestled at Glen Este High School. 165 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj comes to the program after earning the title of New Jersey Prep State Champion. He is also a prep National Champion, and an NHSCA Senior National All-American (6th). He wrestled at St. Benedict's Prep, N.J. and is originally from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 184 Scott Edelson is a three-time Georgia state qualifier and a Georgia state finalist. He comes to The Citadel from College Park, Ga. where he wrestled at Woodward Academy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brieana Delgado wins Pan-American Cadet Championships in Managua, Nicaragua. Congratulations! Great wrestling story covered by ESPN Austin McCollum, Wren wrestler and 4A State Qualifier as a Freshman in 2008, died July 19 Congratulations to Eddie Coles for being recognized as an All-American by Wrestling USA Magazine! Brittany Delagdo (from Hillcrest) had the following 2009 wrestling achievements: 2009 WCWA All-American 3rd place at 175lbs for Oklahoma City University 2009 Member of the WCWA National Championship Team 2009 Member of the WCWA National Championship Duals Team 2009 Body Bar JR National Champion at 79.5 kg Brieana Delgado (from Hillcrest) had the following 2009 wrestling achievements: 2009 USGWA High School National Championships-- 2nd place @ 128 2009 USA Wrestling High School Girls National Championships --1st place @ 123 2009 Body Bar Cadet Nationals - 1st place at 60 kg Tamika Jones, a 2007 Ridge View graduate, won the 105 lbs. Women's Division of the National Collegiate Wrestling Asociation (NCWA). Tamika Wrestles for first year program Yakima Valley Community College in Washington state and helped the team win the team title as well. USA Wrestling - U.S. Future Olympian Rankings - with S.C. rankings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 (Columbia) 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