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Contact: Kevin Zeise

Nov. 10, 2003

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland State wrestling team will open the 2003-04 season on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Oklahoma Gold Classic in Brockport, N.Y. The Vikings wrestled at the Oklahoma Classic a year ago, finishing third behind Oklahoma and Ohio State.

About the Vikings
The Vikings return a pair of 2003 NCAA qualifiers in Anthony Coleman (Bellevue, Ohio) and Russ Davie (Perrysburg, Ohio). Coleman qualified at 149 by finishing third at the Eastern Wrestling League championships, while Davie also placed third in the heavyweight division at the EWL meet last spring. CSU had six NCAA qualifiers a year ago, tied for the most in school history and the highest total since the 1986-87 season.

Head Coach Jack Effner
In his sixth season as head coach at Cleveland State, Jack Effner is well on his way to bringing the Viking wrestling progam back to the being among the nation's elite. He has a record of 38-43-3 while at Cleveland State, and an overall mark of 125-85-8 including the nine seasons he spent at Army before coming to Cleveland State. Effner is assisted by Brian Keck, Gerald Harris and Phil Mansueto.

Recapping the 2002-03 Season
By compiling a 13-6 record last year, the Vikings had the most wins since the 1978-79 team went 15-1-1. The season saw a number of highlights, including six wrestlers qualifying for the NCAA Championships, and the first victory over Edinboro since the 1989-90 campaign.

Team Battles
The Vikings held their annual intra-squad match on Sunday to determine the varsity lineup for the 2003-04 season. The un-scored match saw some surprises, including an upset by freshman Mike Hurley (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) over Anthony Coleman at 141 pounds, winning a 3-2 decision on riding time. Another upset occurred at 149, when Alec Bottomlee (Elyria, Ohio) defeated Dustin Baynes (Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota East), 4-3 on riding time. Bottomlee scored a takedown with ten seconds left to tie the match and score the riding time point. Kevin Linich (Lyndhurst, Ohio/University School) scored the day's only pin over DeAngelo Penn at the 6:02 mark.

Welcome Additions
After losing four NCAA qualifiers from last year, the Vikings will be counting on several newcomers to fill in a few spots. At 125 pounds, junior transfer Kevin Linich won his challenge match at the intrasquad meet on Sunday, Nov. 9, while Mike Hurley defeated Anthony Coleman at 141 to earn that starting spot.

Take Your Places
Several Vikings competed unattached at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 1 and picked up a placing finish in the unofficial open to the season. At 133, Matt Shultz (North Ridgeville, Ohio) swept through the championship bracket, but fell in the title match to Central Michigan's Jason Borrelli for second place. At 149, Matt DePolo (Bellevue, Ohio) won over injured teammate Anthony Coleman for third place, while DeAngelo Penn lost to Findlay's Donald Dew at 125 in the consolation final and picked up third place. In all, 16 wrestlers competed for the Vikings at the Eastern Michigan Open, with all but three picking up at least one win on the day.

Up Next
Cleveland State opens the dual match portion of the schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 25, hosting John Carroll at 7 p.m. at Woodling Gym.