Nov. 27, 2006

Contact: Josh Rattray

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Cleveland State Wrestling

Open Meet 4 - at Penn State Open

 

Date: Sunday, Dec. 3

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Site: University Park, Pa.

 

 

SETTING THE SCENE: After posting its first dual win of the season, the Cleveland State wrestling team will head to the Penn State Open on Sunday (Dec. 3). The tournament, CSU's fourth and final open event of the year, will begin at 9:00 a.m.

 

RECAPPING LAST WEEK: CSU won its dual meet opener, 38-3, at crosstown John Carroll on Nov. 21. The contest was the Vikings' only dual meet before the new year. Here is a recap of CSU's win over the Blue Streaks:

 

                Cleveland State 38, John Carroll 3 (Nov. 21, 2006, University Hts., Ohio)

                Three Vikings won by pin and two more added major decision victories as the Vikings routed John Carroll. A pin by sophomore Marcus Effner gave CSU a 26-0 lead and the Vikings would not look back, winning nine of the meet's 10 bouts and not even allowing a takedown until the eighth match of the evening.

 

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: The 2006-07 edition of the Vikings features a young nucleus of talented wrestlers, including 11 freshmen and nine sophomores on the roster.  Four NCAA qualifiers return, led by junior David Armstrong (20-14), who led the Vikings at the NCAAs last year by winning two matches at 133 pounds and will jumpstart the Viking lineup in dual matches. Junior Mike (5-4) and senior Ryan Hurley (9-1) are the other returning NCAA qualifiers at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, and are aggressive, athletic wrestlers that give the Vikings points in the middle of the lineup. Sophomore Marcus Effner (10-4), an NCAA Qualifier in 2005, returns 165 pounds after losing last year to injury. The Vikings also return veterans at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, as junior Tim Scarl and the team's only true senior, David Gilkey (5-4), are both experienced wrestlers in the second half of the lineup. Talented freshmen Kyle Chittick (165/174) and Shaun Mitchell (149) have contributed in the early meets, as has sophomore heavyweight Jeff Schuller.

 

EFFNER ON THE VIKINGS: "We had some outstanding individual performances and beat a solid team at John Carroll. We came prepared and are now well-conditioned. We just have to keep putting the pieces together and continue to get better."

 

TAG TEAM: Brothers Mike and Ryan Hurley are a combined 14-5 this season at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. After sitting out the season opener at the Eastern Michigan Open, Ryan (9-1) won four matches and advanced to the final bout in each of the last two open tournaments and posted an 18-6 major decision over John Carroll's Devon Jurczak on Nov. 21. Mike was one of three Vikings to notch a pin at John Carroll and went 2-2 in both the Eastern Michigan and Michigan State Opens. He is also one of only three Vikings to win at least one match in each of four different ways: fall, tech fall, major decision and decision. The brothers from Akron, Ohio (Mike is 18 months older) are both returning NCAA qualifiers and are a combined 71-67 for their careers.

 

...MORE ON RYAN: Ryan Hurley became the first Viking this season to win an individual title on Nov. 18 after finishing first at the Ashland Open. Hurley won his first two matches by tech fall and major decision, respectively, before winning by decision in both the semi-final and final bouts. His major decision over Jurczak at John Carroll came at 157 pounds, a jump up from his normal weight of 149. He now owns the team's best individual winning percentage (.900) and is second on the team in wins (9).

 

MARCUS OFF TO HOT START: After losing most of last year to a knee injury, Marcus Effner (165) has started this season 10-4 with a team-high three pins. Effner, an NCAA qualifier in 2005, pinned John Carroll's Steven Bagnowski in 3:34 to give CSU a 26-0 lead at John Carroll. At the Ashland Open on Nov. 18, Effner went 3-1 to finish fourth and he placed eighth at Michigan State on Nov. 12. Effner's 10 wins leads the team and his six wins by decision are also a team high.

 

ARMSTRONG BACK MEANS GIANT LEAP FOR CSU: After sitting out the first three open competitions due to injury, David Armstrong (133) made his return to the lineup with a 7-1 decision over John Carroll's Adam Pizzuro. Armstrong, a returning NCAA qualifier, went 20-14 last year, including two wins at the NCAA Tournament, while placing third at the EWL Championships.

 

FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTION: Five freshmen have won at least two matches thus far for the Vikings. Kyle Chittick (5-4) leads the group of newcomers along with Rob Michaels (4-2). Two wins at Ashland put heavyweight Ben Collins at 2-2 while Benny Balogh is 4-6 at 197 pounds. Shaun Mitchell has also won twice at 149 pounds. The five newcomers are a combined 17-19 with two pins.

 

WANTED: LEAGUE CHAMPION AT 184 POUNDS: The Vikings are faced with the daunting task of replacing three-time NCAA qualifier Ron Howard at 184 pounds. Howard amassed a career record of 80-61, including a sparkling 29-9 mark in his EWL Championship campaign last year. David Gilkey has emerged as the candidate to try to fill Howard's shoes, although talented freshman Chris Barnhizer may also see time at the position.

 

BEING ALL THEY CAN BE: Shaun Mitchell and Jon Varner aren't your ordinary college freshmen. Mitchell served in the Army Reserves since graduating from high school in 2004 and Varner also served a stint in the armed forces. Mitchell, who will battle for time at 149 pounds, capped off a 96-36 high school record with a 36-4 mark as a senior. Varner won 110  matches in high school and will wrestle at 141 pounds.

 

The Head Coach

Jack Effner (Indiana State `86)

At CSU: 58-75-3

Overall: 145-117-8

Head coach Jack Effner is in his ninth season at the helm of the Vikings. During his tenure, he has coached 32 NCAA qualifiers and five Eastern Wrestling League Champions.  The Vikings sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships last season, the fifth straight year that four or more CSU wrestlers have qualified for the national tournament.  Additionally, Effner has instilled an emphasis on academic success in his teams.  The Vikings have finished among the nation's leaders in team grade point average in all eight of Effner's seasons, with the 2000 squad posting the highest ranking when it finished seventh out of nearly 100 teams.

 

EWL TOURNEY AT OUR PLACE: For the third time in school history and the first time since 1999, Cleveland State will be hosting the EWL Championships on March 3-4, 2007 in CSU's Woodling Gymnasium. The Vikings will be hoping their home turf will help them win their first EWL team championship since 1979.

 

UP NEXT: The Vikings will take a week off before hosting the CSU Open on Saturday, Dec. 16. The tournament, CSU's first home event of the year, is slated for a 9:00 a.m. start.

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