Jan. 31, 2005

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Setting the Scene: Cleveland State continues its Eastern Wrestling League slate at home this weekend when the Vikings host Bloomsburg at Woodling Gymnasium on Saturday (Feb. 5) at 3:00 p.m. before battling Lock Haven in the Alumni Match on Sunday (Feb. 6) at 3:00 p.m.

Promotional Give-Away Night: The first 200 hundred fans through the turnstiles at Saturday's match will receive a complimentary CSU Wrestling ice scraper, courtesy of Pizza Pan.

Previewing the Vikings: Cleveland State's 2-12 mark in dual meets does not do justice to the performance of the team. Seven of the defeats have come at the hands of nationally-ranked teams (Michigan, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Ashland, Cornell and Oklahoma) while the four others against Kent State (1/5), Drexel, UNC-Greensboro and Ohio State (1/8) featured closely contested bouts that unfortunatly ended against the Vikings' favor. Despite the record, CSU continues to put up strong showings every time they hit the mat. Their most recent win came against The Citadel at the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals (Jan. 22) and saw both the young and the old step up to the challenge. Freshmen Joe Wornoff (125) and David Armstrong (141) opened up the team scoring with a pair of decisions, while upperclassmen David Gilkey (165), Matt Klinger (174), Ron Howard (184) and Joe Phillips (197) cemented the 21-12 victory with wins. CSU followed up the duals with a hard fought match against Pittsburgh to open up the EWL season on Thursday (Jan. 27), winning five bouts but falling 24-17.

Previewing the Huskies: Bloomsburg will head into a Friday (Feb. 4) contest with Clarion touting a 2-3 record in dual meets, including a pair of losses to EWL foes Pittsburgh (24-16) and West Virginia (22-16). In their last competition, the Huskies finished first at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships over EWL rival Edinboro, posting a score of 149.5 to the Fighting Scots' 134.5. Bryce Hasseman leads the Huskies with a 27-3 record at 174, posting a perfect 9-0 dual meet record. Jim Bertulis has compiled a 26-5 overall record and an 8-1 mark in dual meets at 165, while Chad Hoare touts a solid 24-6 overall record and 8-1 dual record at 197.

Previewing the Bald Eagles: Lock Haven enters a Saturday (Feb. 5) contest with Edinboro holding a 3-4 record overall. The Bald Eagles have dropped their last three contests at the hands of Cal State-Bakersfield (27-13), Standford (22-15) and Iowa State (35-12). While the Edinboro match will be their first dual meet with an EWL opponent, Lock Haven finished fourth at the PSAC Championships (Jan. 28-29) behind the Fighting Scots and EWL foe West Virginia. Obe Blanc (125) and Joshua Medina (149) claimed individual championships for the Eagles at the tournament.

Vikings Fall Short Against Pittsburgh: Cleveland State wrestlers tallied five wins against Eastern Wrestling League rival Pittsburgh, but the Panthers took advantage of a forfeit and a pair of pins to out-pace the Vikings, 24-17, Jan. 27 at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. Freshman Joe Wornoff staked CSU to an early 4-0 advantage with a 12-3 major decision over Zach Bowman at 125. David Armstrong followed by opening up the 133 match with a strong effort, but a costly mistake allotted Panther Mike Ciotti a pin at 4:30. Despite the deficit, the Vikings would not go quietly. Sophomore Ryan Hurley posted a strong 10-9 decision at 149 over No. 5 Ronald Tarquinio, while Matt Klinger dropped a tough 9-7 overtime battle at 174. CSU then reeled off three straight wins to close the match, including a 15-3 major decision by Ron Howard at 184, a 9-3 decision by Joe Phillips at 197 and a 3-1 decision at 285 for Joe Dennis. The Panther lead, however, would be too much to overcome in the end.

Duals Puts Vikings on Right Track: Despite recording a 1-2 mark at the National Duals (Jan. 22), the Vikings performed well against some tough competition in No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 11 Cornell and wrestled one of their best overall matches in defeating The Citadel. After trailing 12-6, David Gilkey (165) pinned Braxton Harrison to tie the score, while Matt Klinger (174), Ron Howard (184) and Joe Phillips (197) put the match out of reach with consecutive decisions. "I was thrilled to host a national event of this caliber," head coach Jack Effner said. "The wrestling was outstanding, with some of the best wrestlers in the nation coming to Cleveland. Competing in this will help our team to develop and reach our potential. Having this opportunity to mix it up with the best will help our team to develop and reach our potential, because our wrestlers now have a better idea of what it takes and what they need to do to be the best."

National Duals Summary: Some of the best wrestlers in the nation converged on the campus of Cleveland State last weekend (Jan. 21-23) for the 2005 NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals. No. 1 Oklahoma State took the Division I championship, defeating second-ranked Illinois 22-16. Meanwhile, Nebraska-Omaha took the DII title while Augsburg finished first at Division III.

Effner Named EWL Wrestler of the Week: After scoring three wins at the Wendy's Duals on Sunday (Jan. 16), Marcus Effner was named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week. Effner picked up three wins at 157 in Ashland, Ohio, winning Cleveland State's first bout of the day against Joe Henning of Northern Illinois. After beginning the third period tied at 3-3, Effner took the lead on a reversal and added an additional point on riding time for a 6-3 decision. Against Central Michigan's Andy Keller, he trailed 7-4 in the final seconds before scoring a takedown and a two-point near-fall as time expired. Keller earned a point off riding time to send the bout to sudden victory, but Effner recorded a take down seconds into the extra period for a 10-8 win. With the Vikings trailing 12-0 against Ashland in their final match of the day, sophomore Ryan Hurley picked up a 3-2 overtime win on a reversal at 149, and Effner followed with a gutsy 4-3 decision to bring CSU within six at 12-6.

CSU Claims Three Titles at Kent State Open: Cleveland State took three championships and three second-place finishes at the Kent State Open on Dec. 4. Junior Ron Howard and freshmen Marcus Effner and Joe Dennis took titles for the Vikings. Howard defeated Casey Daget of West Virginia, 7-5, in the championship match at 184. Effner earned a 4-2 decision over Jacob Frerichs of Ohio at 157, while Dennis topped Edinboro's Joe Hennis 2-1 at heavyweight. Freshman Joe Wornoff dropped a 6-2 decision in the 125 championship match to Andrew Perez of Edinboro to finish second. Sophomore Ryan Hurley added a second-place showing, falling to Brent Metcalf of Michigan in the 149 title match, and senior Joe Phillips took runner up at 197 after being edged by Michigan's Casey White, 11-9. Freshman Mike Hurley and senior Matt Klinger picked up third place showings at 141 and 174 respectively, while sophomore Josh Ging finished fourth at 157.

NCAA Qualifiers Wrestling for Return: After finishing third in their respective weight classes at last season's Eastern Wrestling League Championships to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament, senior Joe Phillips (197) and junior Ron Howard (184) have their eyes set on a return trip to St. Louis and a chance to compete for a national championship. The pair has helped to provide the youthful Vikings with veteran experience on the mat, totalling 22 wins between them. Phillips tallied the team's only win on the mat against a tough Michigan team (Dec. 10), earning a 9-5 decision over Steve Heleniak, and finished second at the Kent State Open (Dec. 4). Howard scored a pair of pins en route to the 184 championship at the Kent State Open, defeating Casey Daget of West Virginia by a 7-5 count.

Dennis Lives Up to the Hype: Joe Dennis has been superb for the Vikings at heavyweight, leading the team with 20 wins, including three pins and two major decisions. The Urbana, Ohio native wrestled his way to the heavyweight championship at the Kent State Open on Dec. 4 and a third-place finish at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic on Nov. 13. The 2004 high school national champion at 215 put together a perfect 44-0 record as a senior at St. Paris Graham High School and was one of the most highly-regarded recruits last season.

Here's to Four More Years of Effner: The Effner name has been found in the CSU starting lineup for the last five seasons, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. Freshman Marcus Effner has picked up right where his older brother, Jason, left off, opening his first collegiate campaign with a 15 wins, including three pins at 157. The Garfield Heights, Ohio native picked up the championship at the Kent State Open on Dec. 4 and tallied a pair of wins at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic on Nov. 13, earning a pin over Brandon Benson of Army to advance to the semi-finals. He also tallied three wins at the Wendy's Duals (Jan. 16). For the previous four years, Jason Effner saw time as the starter at 157 and 165, compiling 64 wins over his Viking career before graduating last spring.

Head Coach Jack Effner: After sending six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships each of the last two seasons, head coach Jack Effner has the Vikings back in the national spotlight. The seventh-year mentor has compiled a 49-64-3 dual meet record at Cleveland State and a 136-106-8 mark during his 16 years as a head coach at both CSU and Army. Effner has coached 39 NCAA qualifiers during his career, including 22 in just six years as mentor of the Viking wrestling program. He has also helped bring CSU wrestling back to its prominent place in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Vikings recorded a 3-4 record in the regular season, finishing 4th at the EWL Championships.

Next Up: Cleveland State continues the EWL schedule at Edinboro on Feb. 11 before returning home to battle Clarion on Feb. 13 at 3:00 p.m. for a televised match to be broadcast on Western Reserve Cable Channel 9.