Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 18

Week in Review: 01.30.12

We had a rough weekend in Stillwater.  We have a good team but Oklahoma State exposed some of our weaknesses.  Oklahoma State is the #1 team in the country and we need to make up some ground on them.  We rebounded from that loss to beat Bucknell 36-6.  Steely had two tough losses but battled tough and wrestled pretty well overall.  He wrestled much smarter matches this week and lost by decision to two nationally ranked wrestlers.  Against Avaunt Miller, he gave up a takedown with twenty seconds left to lose by a point in a match that he dominated for six and a half minutes.  Hunter got pinned by a returning national champion but bounced back and dominated his opponent from Bucknell 11-5.  Hunter moved well on his feet and scores both offensively and defensively.  Bonaldi was a little timid this weekend. He started slow both matches but wrestled much better in his second match.  He looked good in the second and third period picking up a solid win over his Bucknell opponent.  Vinson wrestled well overall but missed his opportunity to score a winning takedown late in he match.  Parks scored on two reshots, including the winning takedown late in the third period.  He hammered his Bucknell opponent slamming him down twice and forcing his opponent to quit on his back.  Lister controlled his match with White and was winning 3-1 until about thirty seconds left, where he gave up a takedown and back points to lose a heartbreaker.  He dominated his second opponent,  Leung in every position.  Kaylor had two tough losses and was unable to score offensively. He did not do a good job of setting up his shots.  Watch for him to come back with vengeance in his match this week.  Wallace had a tough one against #4 Perry and was unable to get on his offense.  In his second match, he wrestled very well as he dominated McPeek. He looked very good creating his offensive attacks and turning his opponent.  Schiedel was the top performer of the weekend.  He won both of his matches.  He controlled nationally ranked McNeil for a 2-0 win.  Then, he scored a major decision against Bucknell, blowing the match open with multiple takedowns in the third period.  Reed lost to Rosholt by decision.  He got in deep on a few shots but was unable to finish. He let his opponent get to his legs too easily in the first match.  Against Bucknell, he dominated with a 13-4 win. He scores several takedowns, finishing each time he got on a leg attack.  Gwiazdowski got hammered in his first match.  He showed a little bit of freshman inexperience against probably the best heavyweight in the country.  He will improve and work to close the gap as much as possible by nationals.  He received a forfeit against Bucknell.

Oklahoma State & Bucknell Previews

We leave Binghamton today for Stillwater, Oklahoma.  On Sunday, we wrestle the #1 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys at 2PM.  Then, we wrestle the Bucknell Bison around 5:30PM.  The matches should be webstreamed here.  A subscription to CBS All-Access is required (minimal charge).  There should be several interesting matches on Sunday.  Let’s take a look at each team…

Oklahoma State is one of the most storied teams in college wrestling.  They hold the all-time college wrestling win record and are the gold standard in college wrestling.  They have won 34 team national championships, produced 134 NCAA National Champions, and 425 individual NCAA All-Americans, all of which are the highest of any team in the country.  In fact, they hold more NCAA Wrestling team championships than any school in any sport.  They are led by six-time world champion John Smith and enter the dual with all ten wrestlers nationally ranked and ranked 1^st in the country as a team.  They currently stand at 8-0 on the season.

125 – Jon Morrison is a sophomore ranked 10^th in the country.  Morrison is a returning National Qualifier who sports a 12-4 record on the season.  He won the Reno Tournament of Champions in December.  In November, he finished 2^nd behind teammate Ladd Rupp at the Central Missouri Open.  He is a very solid all-around wrestler who wrestles at a high pace.

133 – Jordan Oliver is a junior ranked 3^rd in the country.  He is a returning NCAA National Champion and two-time All-American.  He is 12-1 on the season and went 29-0 on his way to a national title last season.  He finished 4^th in the country as a freshman.  Of his twelve wins this year, ten are by pin (eight in the first period) and the other two wins were technical falls.  He leads the Cowboys in takedowns, falls, and near fall points.  He won the Reno Tournament of Champions in December and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.  Oliver was considered a favorite to win the Hodge Trophy this year for best college wrestler before being upset by Ramos of Iowa.  He is lightning quick on his feet and can score in a variety of ways offensively.  He is as good on top as anyone in the country.

141 – Josh Kindig is a sophomore ranked 8^th in the country.  He is a returning national qualifier who took 5^th in the FILA Junior World Championships last year.  He has a 9-5 record on the season.  He finished 3^rd at the Reno Tournament of Champions this year.  Kindig is very slick on his feet offensively and is tough to score on defensively.   He is also very good on top.

149 – Jamal Parks is senior ranked 2^nd in the country.  He is a returning All-American who placed 5^th last season.  He has won two Big 12 Championships in his career and has an 18-0 record with a team leading eight major decisions.  He has 107 career wins and should move to #27 on the Cowboy’s All-Time win list tonight (they have a dual meet with NC State tonight).  He won the Reno Tournament of Champions in December and the Central Missouri Open in November.  Parks is one of the most explosive athletes in the sport and has very good leg attacks.  He is also very difficult to score on.

157 – Albert White is a senior ranked 14^th in the country.  He won a junior college national championship prior to transferring to Oklahoma State.  Two seasons ago he went 9-0 before falling to an injury.  Last season, he went 11-3 on the year.  He finished 5^th at the Reno Tournament of Champions this past December and 1^st at the Central Missouri Open.  White has good reshots and like to shoot a double.

165 – Dallas Bailey is a sophomore ranked #24 in the country.  He only has a 9-7 record so far this year but went 23-9 last season and was seeded 6^th at the NCAA Championships.  He has competed in two tournaments this season, taking 2^nd at both the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Central Missouri Open (where he lost to teammate Chris Chionuma in the finals).  Bailey has not opened up offensively a lot this year but is capable of scoring on anyone.  He is a good counter attacker.

174 – Chris Perry has dropped down to 174 from 184 pounds and is ranked 3^rd in the country as just a sophomore.  He won both the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Central Missouri Open this year at 184 pounds.  He is an unblemished 14-0 on the season.  Last season, he was a Big 12 Champion and finished in the top twelve at the NCAA Championships.  Perry moves and flows well.  He is tough on top and attacks a lot.

184 – Chris McNeil is a senior ranked #26 in the country.  He is 11-5 on the season and had a stretch earlier this year that he went 7-1.  He has a tournament title at the Central Missouri Open to his credit at 174 pounds this season.  McNeil has not spent a lot of time in the OSU line-up the last few years as he has not been a full-time starter since he qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2009 as a freshman.  He has a quick shot.

197 – OSU has started two wrestlers this season at 197 pounds.  Earlier in the year, Cayle Byers, (a transfer from George Mason University) was ranked as high as 2^nd in the country.  He is 12-3 on the season and finished in the top twelve at the NCAA nationals in 2009.  He is a two-time national qualifier and is tough on top.  However, Blake Rosholt beat Byers at the Reno Tournament of Champions and has been starting ever since.  Rosholt is ranked 9^th in the country currently and sports a 15-1 record.  His only loss is an early season loss to Byers.  Rosholt is a sophomore who qualified for the NCAA National Tournament last season and is solid all around.  Byers and Rosholt were in the finals together of both the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Central Missouri Open, where they traded their wins.

HWT – Alan Gelogaev is a junior ranked 3^rd in the country.  He has an 18-1 record on the season with a tournament championship at the Central Missouri Open.  He also finished 3^rd at the Reno Tournament of Champions this season.  He leads the team in bonus point wins with 13.  He came from Russia where he grew-up wrestling freestyle and took 3^rd at the Russian Nationals in 2006.  He was an All-American in 2010, placing 7^th in his second year wrestling folkstyle.  He sat-out last season with an injury.  He is very good upper body and has some nice throws from an overhook.

Bucknell is 2-11 on the season and led by seventh-year head coach, Dan Wirnsberger. 

125 – Austin Miller has the best record on the team with a 15-8 mark on the season.  He is ranked #27 in the country currently.  He is just a freshman but has won six of his last eight bouts.  Miller finished 2^nd at the early season Navy Classic.

133 – Shawn Armato is 2-14 on the season and is a freshman.

141 – Derrik Russell is 8-12 on the season and is a junior.  He has seen time in the Bison line-up each of the last two years and produced twenty eight wins so far in his career.  He was 6^th at the Navy Classic earlier this season.

149 – Alex Pellicciotti is 9-8 on the season.  He is a sophomore and a returning starter for the Bison.  He finished 3^rd earlier this season at the Navy Classic.

157 – John Regan has one of the best records on the team with a 12-8 record.  Regan is a senior leader for Bucknell.  He was injured last season but picked up 22 wins and placed at the EIWA Championships in 2010.  He won the Navy Classic earlier this season.

165 – Corey Lear is a junior with an 8-5 record with six bonus point wins on the year.  He racked up 24 wins last year and placed at the EIWA Championships.  He did not compete first semester for the Bison.  He finished in the top twelve at the prestigious Midlands Championships in December.

174 – Stephen McPeek is second on the team in wins with a 13-13 record.  He is a sophomore and a returning starter.  McPeek finished 4^th at the Navy Classic this season.

184 – Jamie Westwood is 7-13 so far during his sophomore year.  He has a solid showing at the Navy Classic, finishing 3^rd.

197 – Joe McMullan is 7-5 on the season as junior.  He is a three year starter and former EIWA place winner.

HWT – Tyler Lyster is 7-16 on the season as a freshman.

Throwback Thursday Episode 15: Matt Barnes

Please be advised, this is a 25 minute video, part of which is the Throwback segment and part of the Cornell dual.  Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to separate these two videos.  The Throwback segment is only a few minutes.

Yesterday, Coach Popolizio did an interview with Scott Casber of Takedown Radio.  Listen here.

Also, below is the press release for this week's CAA Awards.  As mentioned yesterday, Donnie Vinson, Nick Gwiazdowski, and  Joe Bonaldi were all honored this week.

---------------------------------------

 Hofstra’s Accordino, ODU’s Nicholson, Binghamton’s Vinson Wrestlers of Week

Binghamton’s Gwiazdowski, Bonaldi Share Rookie of Week Award

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—With all of the accomplishments taking place at the annual CAA Duals, there are plenty of awards to go around this week.

Justin Accordino of Hofstra University, John Nicholson of Old Dominion University and Donnie Vinson of Binghamton University are the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week for all competition January 17-23.

Binghamton freshmen Nick Gwiazdowski and Joe Bonaldi share the CAA Rookie of the Week award.

Accordino, a junior 149 from Wilkes-Barre, PA (Coughlin), went 4-0 last week, 3-0 at the CAA Duals.  Unranked in the CAA prior to the duals, Accordino defeated the fourth ranked CAA wrestler and also picked up a pin and a tech fall to improve to 7-1 in duals.

Nicholson, a sophomore 157 from Des Moines, Iowa (Theodore Roosevelt), went 4-0 at the CAA Duals with a pair of tech falls. Ranked fourth in the CAA, Nicholson defeated the third ranked CAA 157 from Hofstra to improve to 19-5 overall.

Vinson, a junior 149 from Marathon, NY (Whitney Point), went 3-0 at the CAA Duals with a first period pin and a pair of second period tech falls. Vinson improved to 25-3 overall and is ranked fourth by InterMat and by Amateur Wrestling News and eighth by W.I.M. magazine.

Gwiazdowski (Delanson, NY Duanesburg High) and Bonaldi (Rochester, NY Greece Olympia High) both went 3-0 at the CAA duals and both defeated the top ranked CAA wrestler in their weight class. Gwiazdowski improved to 19-4 overall and is ranked 17^th in the nation among heavyweights.  Bonaldi was not ranked among the top four 141s in the CAA but improved to 4-0 in the CAA.

Ranking Roundup 01.25.12

Below is this week's Ranking Roundup.  New to the Roundup this week is the first of three Coaches Panel rankings.  Also, Donnie Vinson has been named CAA Wrestler of the Week and Nick Gwiazdowski & Joe Bonaldi share Freshman of the Week honors.

NWCA/USA Today Coach's Poll 01.24.12
BINGHAMTON #19

NCAA Mid-Major Ranking 01.25.12
BINGHAMTON #8 (tie with Penn)

Wrestling Report Duals Percentage Index 01.24.12
BINGHAMTON #22

Amateur Wrestling News Team Rankings 01.17.12
BINGHAMTON #20

Amateur Wrestling News Individual Rankings 01.23.12
Donnie Vinson #4
Justin Lister #9
Nate Schiedel #19
Nick Gwiazdowski #19

WIN Magazine 01.23.12
BINGHAMTON #24 (Tournament Strength - tie with Virginia Tech)
BINGHAMTON #19 (Dual Meet Strength)
Donnie Vinson #8
Justin Lister #5
Nick Gwiazdowski #19

Intermat 01.24.12
BINGHAMTON #22
Donnie Vinson #4
Justin Lister #6
Nate Schiedel #20
Nick Gwiazdowski #17

CAA Rankings 01.24.12
BINGHAMTON #1 (tie with Rider)
Donnie Vinson #1
Justin Lister #1
Matt Kaylor #4
Caleb Wallace #4
Nate Schiedel #2
Cody Reed #3
Nick Gwiazdowski #1

Wrestling Report DI Rankings 01.23.12
BINGHAMTON #24
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #5
Matt Kaylor #26
Nate Schiedel #19
Cody Reed #32
Nick Gwiazdowski #17

D1 College Wrestling 01.23.12
Donnie Vinson #5
Justin Lister #7
Matt Kaylor #25
Nate Schiedel  #20
Nick Gwiazdowski #10

The Open Mat 01.23.12
BINGHAMTON #21
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #5
Nick Gwiazdowski #12

Coaches Panel 01.19.12
Donnie Vinson #5
Justin Lister #5 (tie with Fleming (Clarion))
Matt Kaylor #25
Nate Schiedel #20
Cody Reed #32
Nick Gwiazdowski #17

Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index 01.23.12
BINGHAMTON #19 (Dual Meet Strength)
BINGHAMTON #23 (Tournament Strength - tie with Virginia)
Derek Steeley #51
Patrick Hunter #53
Joe Bonaldi #49
Donnie Vinson #9 / #100 pound-for-pound
Justin Lister #4 / #33 pound-for-pound
Matt Kaylor #28
Caleb Wallace #60
Nate Schiedel #19
Cody Reed #38
Nick Gwiazdowski #15

Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 17

Photos from CAA Duals

Albums have been posted on the photos page from the duals with Drexel, Rider & Boston.

Week in Review 01.23.12

We had a solid weekend at the CAA Duals.  We picked up wins against Drexel (36-6), Rider (20-12), and Boston (32-12).  Joe Bonaldi and Donnie Vinson went 3-0, while Nick Gwiazdowski, Justin Lister, and Schiedel all went 2-0.  Overall I felt like we wrestled pretty well in our matches against Drexel and Boston but we were a little flat against Rider.  We pushed the pace in the matches and out wrestled our opponents overall.  However, I was disappointed to see a lot of passive wrestling out of our conference this weekend.

Derek Steeley went 2-1 on the weekend in maybe his best outing of the season.  He is in a position to win all of his matches and was more aggressive this weekend than he has been of late.  It was great to see him wrestle with a fire under him and moreover wrestling intelligently.  He stayed basic and solid for the most part this weekend and it paid off for him.  His win over McGinley was a good one as he avenged his last loss of the season last year as McGinley beat him for 3^rd place at the CAA Championships.

Patrick Hunter went 1-2 this weekend.  He won his first match by fall with a bar and ran his opponent over.  Then, he started off against Morris of Rider well until giving up a couple of high-half tilts.  Patrick did not wrestle well on bottom as he rolled around and sat out instead of getting to his feet.  He put himself in those positions and needs to wrestle smarter on bottom.  Then, Patrick lost in overtime to the #16 ranked Santaite of Boston.  He was in the match to win it and we are looking forward to wrestling him again.

Joe Bonaldi had a great weekend and continues to improve weekly.  He beat the #1 ranked wrestler in the CAA and nationally ranked Cimato of Drexel in overtime.  He stayed solid on his feet with good attacks and got off bottom.  He wrestled smart in the scramble positions and got the takedown in overtime.  He controlled the pace and tempo of the match against Rider and beat him with a takedown, 3-2.  He had a minor injury early in his last match but fought through it and won 7-4 against the Boston wrestler.

Donnie Vinson dominated all of his opponents this weekend and looked great.  He had two tech falls and a pin.  He completely dominated from the opening whistle in every match.  He immediately scored takedowns and transitioned to a turn quickly.  He is on a different level than any of the guys who he wrestled this weekend.  He won 19-2 over Drexel in the 2^nd period, 18-1 over Rider again in the second period, and then by fall in the first period against Boston.

Joe Chamish wrestled at 157 pounds against Drexel.  He wrestled passively on his feet and did not create opportunities to score.  On bottom he did not do enough and shut down.  He needs to believe in his ability as this was a very winnable match for him; instead, he dropped the bout 15-2.

Justin Lister beat the #2 ranked wrestler in the CAA 8-5.  Lister took Santiago down and turned him twice and was dominating the match.  He then shut down and let Santiago score and close the gap.  Lister had the opportunity to put him away but did not take advantage of it.  In his next match, he pinned the Boston wrestler in the first period with the same move, a ”fire extinguisher”, that Donnie had used in the last bout to pin his opponent about two minutes prior.

Matt Kaylor had a rough day and did not wrestle as well as he usually does.  He still finished 2-1 on the day.  Kaylor took too many bad shots that were not set-up.  He lost his first bout to top twenty ranked Booth of Drexel.  Booth waited for Kaylor to shoot and scored on Kaylor’s bad shots.  In his match against Brundage, he wrestled a little better and won 12-6 scoring with several leg attacks.  In his final match of the day, Kaylor beat Wightman of Boston 8-6 after giving up an early takedown.  He wore his opponent down and scored three takedowns in the match.

Caleb Wallace went 2-1 on the day and wrestled well overall.  He dominated Matyas of Drexel 17-5.  He wrestled very well on his feet and exploded through his shots.  Then, he beat Lintner of Rider 8-1.  He wrestled well in all positions as he scored on his feet, on the bottom, and on top.  In his third match, he lost to a very solid Czarnecki of Boston.  Czarnecki held him out and did not let him get on his leg attacks.  Caleb will need to get through his hands and clear the tie to beat him next time.  I thought Caleb looked more confident this week and will have a good run at the end of the season.

Nate Schiedel picked up two wins in two matches.  He pinned Sternlieb of Drexel in the second period.  Nate was dominating throughout the match before securing the fall when he ran him over with a half and an arm bar.  Then against Morrison of Rider, Nate scored in every position and completely controlled the match.  Nate wrestled well and is wrestling more relaxed.

Cody Reed had an up and down day.  He opened the day with a quality win over #19 Palik of Drexel.  He did a nice job defensively, not letting his opponent score on leg attacks when he got in deep.  In overtime, he secured the winning takedown on the edge of the mat.  Then, he had a disappointing loss to McNeil of Rider in overtime.  The two wrestled a back and forth match and Cody did not wrestle though some of the positions and it cost him the match.  He received a forfeit against Boston.

Nick Gwiazdowski was 2-0 on the day.  He only wrestled one match as he received a forfeit from Boston.  The match that he won was a win over #20 Frey of Drexel.  Frey had beaten Nick at the Body Bar 5-2 early in the year.  Gwiazdowski is improving and turned that loss into a 6-2 win.  He scored a reversal and back points in the match.  It was a bit of a revenge match for him as Frey was Nick’s first college loss.

Mike McKeever lost a tough one wrestling up at heavyweight against Craig of Rider.  Mike nearly scored a takedown in the first but Craig ended up getting a lot of weight on Mike and scoring the takedown.  In the second period, Mike got rodeout.  In the third, Craig chose top and Mike scored an escape.  Craig scored a late takedown and with riding time it was 1-5.

Dan Riggi led the way for the redshirts at the New York State Collegiate B Tournament.  Riggi picked up the state title at 133 pounds with a 12-2 major decision, a fall in 0:14, and a fall in the finals in 2:26.  Vin Grella finished 4^th, going 3-2 at 157 pounds.  Adam Morris and Adam Lepkowsky both went 2-2, Angelo Bortoluzzi went 1-2, and Brian Conrad went 0-2.

This Sunday, the Bearcats travel to Oklahoma State for a tri-meet with Bucknell.

CAA Duals Preview - Boston, Drexel, & Rider

We have three conference dual meets tomorrow at the CAA Duals at George Mason University.  As always, we will be tweeting the updates after each individual match (@BearcatsWrestle).  We will take on Drexel (4-5) at 10AM, Rider (5-6) at 12PM, and Boston (8-1) at 2PM.  We are excited to compete in these conference duals as there will be several important individual match-ups for our guys.  Here is a look at the starters for each team…

125

Drexel – Michael Gomez is a redshirt senior and four-year starter for the Dragons.  He placed 4^th this season at the Lock Haven Open and has a 6-9 record.

Rider – Chuck Zeisloft is a sophomore and a two-year starter.  He is having a breakout year with a 15-9 record and a 3^rd place finish at the Keystone Classic this year.  He is ranked 4^th in the conference and is good defensively.

Boston – Chris McGinley is a sophomore and a two-year starter.  He is currently 6-5 and finished in the top eight at the Keystone Classic this year.  Last season he finished 3^rd in the CAA Championships and was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team with a 17-10 record that season.  McGinley stays basic on his attacks.

133

Drexel – Josh Yurasits, a junior, is a three-year starter that enters the weekend with a 2-3 record.

Rider – Vinny Fava is a redshirt freshman that finished 6^th at the Keystone Classic this season and has a 7-8 record.

Boston – Fred Santaite is a redshirt senior and four year starter.  He is a two-time national qualifier that finished as high as in the top twelve in the country two years ago.  He has finished 2^nd and 3^rd in the CAA Championships.  Santaite is nationally ranked.  He is ranked 1^st in the CAA Conference.  He has a nice overhook to a dump.

141

Drexel – Frank Cimato is a redshirt junior with a 11-9 record on the season.  He has finished 4^th place at both the Lock Haven Open and the Body Bar.  He is a three year starter that placed 4^th in the CAA Championships last year.  Cimato has been nationally ranked this season and likes to create scrambles.  He is also ranked 1^st in the CAA Conference.

Rider – Jimmy Kirchner is a senior and a four-year starter.  He has twice qualified for the national championships and has been nationally ranked both of the last two seasons.  He has again seen time in the national rankings this season.  He is currently 14-10 and took 2^nd at the Keystone Classic and 6^th at the Binghamton Open.  Kirchner has a nice post double leg and handfights hard.  Kirchner is ranked 2^nd in the CAA Conference.

Boston – Tyler Scotton is a true freshman for the Terriers.  He has a 3-4 record.  Scotton finished 4^th, 2^nd, and 2^nd in the state championships while in high school in New Jersey.  Scotton is very athletic and explosive.

149

Drexel – Shane Fenningham is a redshirt sophomore that was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team last season and has a 5-12 record so far this year.

Rider – Zac Cibula is nationally ranked and ranked 1^st in the CAA.  He has not competed much this season but was the outstanding wrestler last year at the CAA Conference.  He is very defensive and tough to score on.  He is a redshirt junior and three-year starter.

Boston – Nestor Taffur is a junior and a three-year starter.  He took 2^nd at the Keystone Classic this season and is currently 6-4.  He won 24 matches last season.  Taffur has solid shots and is best when attacking.  He is ranked 3^rd in the CAA Conference.

157

Drexel – Austin Sommer is a returning starter with an 11-10 record.  Sommer is a sophomore that won the Body Bar last year and finished 5^th at the Lock Haven Open this year.

Rider – Ramon Santiago is a redshirt sophomore that was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team last year.  He finished 2^nd in the CAA last season and is ranked 2^nd in the CAA Conference this season.  This year, he was 6^th at the Binghamton Open and is 10-8 on the season.  Santiago is very funky.

Boston – Nick Tourville is a sophomore and returning starter.  He took 6^th at the Keystone Classic this season and has a 9-4 record.

165

Drexel – Joe Booth is a three year starter and team leader.  The redshirt junior is 16-4 on the year with a tournament championship at the Body Bar this year to go along with a runner-up finish at the Lock Haven Open, and a 6^th place finish at the Las Vegas Invite.  He has finished 2^nd and 4^th at the CAA Championships the last two years and qualified for the national championships both years, winning two matches at the tournament last season and one the previous season.  Booth is nationally ranked in the top twenty in the country and is a scrambler and explosive.  Booth is ranked 1^st in the CAA Conference.

Rider – James Brundage is a redshirt sophomore and two-year starter that saw time in the line-up last year at several different weights.  He is 12-13 and finished 3^rd at the Keystone Classic and in the top eight at the Binghamton Open this season.

Boston – Mitchell Wightman is a true freshman that was a New York State Champion last season and a two-time palce winner.  He currently has a 5-3 record.

174

Drexel – Alex Rinaldi, a redshirt senior, is a four-year starter.  He is a former CAA All-Rookie Team member and has a 3-12 record.

Rider – Jim Resnick is the Bronco’s best wrestler.  He has a 16-2 record on the season and the junior is in his third year as a starter.  He won both the Keystone Classic and the Binghamton Open this season.  He has finished 3^rd in the CAA each of the last two years and went 2-2 at the national championships last season.  Resnick is ranked 1^st in the CAA Conference.  He is very good on top and can tilt.

Boston – Kyle Czarnecki is a junior and a three-year starter.  He is currently 12-7 and finished 5^th at the Keystone Classic.

184

Drexel – Nick Becattini is a true freshman starter with a 2-6 record.

Rider – Clint Morrison is a redshirt freshman with a 7-6 record.  He finished in the top eight at the Binghamton Open this season.  He is ranked 4^th in the CAA Conference.

Boston – Hunter Meys is a redshirt junior and three year starter.  Do not let his 3-4 record fool you as he was ranked as high as 5^th in the country this season.  He is a two-time national qualifier and went 2-2 at the national championship this past season.  He has finished 2^nd and 4^th at the CAA Championships the last two seasons.  Meys is ranked 3^rd in the CAA Conference.  He is good on top with a quarter-nelson.

197

Drexel – Brandon Palik is a redshirt sophomore and a standout for the Dragons.  He is 18-9 on the year and finished 3^rd at the Lock Haven Open, 6^th at the Body Bar, and 6^th at the Las Vegas Invite.  Palik finished 3^rd in the CAA last season and has been nationally ranked.  Palik is ranked 4^th in the CAA Conference.

Rider – Donald McNeil is a redshirt freshman that transferred from UNC Greensboro.  He finished 5^th at both the Keystone Classic and the Binghamton Open this season.  He is 10-13 on the season.  McNeil is a pinner.

Boston – John Hall is a redshirt senior that is nationally ranked in the top fifteen in the country.  He is a two-time national qualifier and the reigning CAA Champion.  He won the Keystone Classic this season.  Last year he went 2-2 at the national championships.  Hall is ranked 1^st in the CAA Conference.  He is technically very sound and stays in good position.

285

Drexel – Kyle Frey is a redshirt senior and four-year starter.  He is nationally ranked in the top fifteen in the country and has a 17-4 record.  This season he won the Body Bar Invite, finished 5^th at the Lock Haven Open, and top 12 at the Las Vegas Invite.  He redshirted last season.  The previous season, he was nationally ranked and had a 29-2 record before losing his season to injury.  As a sophomore, he won twenty-seven matches and finished 2^nd in the CAA.  He is ranked 1^st in the CAA Conference.  Frey has a nice high single and is good defensively.

Rider – Evan Craig is a sophomore and returning starter with an 11-9 record.  He took 4^th at the Keystone Classic this year and finished in the top eight at the Binghamton Open.  He placed 4^th at the CAA Championships last season.  Craig likes to body lock and throw.

Boston – Kevin Innis is having a very good sophomore campaign.  He is 11-3 so far this season and won the Keystone Classic.  He was named to the CAA All-Rookie team last year.  Innis is ranked 4^th in the conference.  He likes to shoot a sweep single.

Throwback Thursday Episode 14: Billy Baldwin

 Also, Justin Lister has been named BU Athlete of the Week. Check out the video below. Congratulations, Justin!

 

Ranking Roundup 01.18.12 - Breaking in to the Top 20

Check out this week's Ranking Roundup below.  Links are provided to complete sets of rankings.

NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll 01.17.12
BINGHAMTON #20

NCAA Mid-Major Poll 01.18.12
BINGHAMTON #7

Wrestling Report Duals Percentage Index 01.17.12
BINGHAMTON #23

The Open Mat 01.16.12
BINGHAMTON #22
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #5
Nick Gwiazdowski #12

Intermat 01.17.12
BINGHAMTON #22
Donnie Vinson #4
Justin Lister #7
Nate Schiedel #19
Nick Gwiazdowski #18

D1 College Wrestling 01.17.12
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #7
Matt Kaylor #25
Nate Schiedel #20
Nick Gwiazdowski #13

Wrestling Report 01.16.12
BINGHAMTON #25
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #6
Matt Kaylor #24
Nate Schiedel #19
Cody Reed #26
Nick Gwiazdowski #17

Wrestling Report Atlantic Rankings 01.12.12
Patrick Hunter #33
Donnie Vinson #4
Justin Lister #4
Matt Kaylor #11
Nate Schiedel #7
Cody Reed #13
Nick Gwiazdowski #8

WIN Magazine 01.16.12
BINGHAMTON #32 (Tournament)
BINGHAMTON #19 (Dual Meets)
Donnie Vinson #9
Justin Lister #5
Nick Gwiazdowski #19

CAA 01.17.12
BINGHAMTON #1 (tie with Hofstra)
Patrick Hunter #3
Donnie Vinson #2
Justin Lister #1
Matt Kaylor #3
Nate Schiedel #2
Cody Reed #3
Nick Gwiazdowski #2

Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index 01.16.12
BINGHAMTON #23 (Dual Meets)
BINGHAMTON #24 (Tournament)
Derek Steeley #57
Patrick Hunter #48
Joe Bonaldi #51
Donnie Vinson #9
Justin Lister #4 / #41 pound for pound
Matt Kaylor #25
Nate Schiedel #18
Cody Reed #38
Nick Gwiazdowski #15

Video Highlights

Today we're taking a break from Two Minute Tuesday to bring you some highlights from the Oklahoma & Cornell duals.  No worries, Patrick Hunter will be back next week!

Also, this past weekend, several wrestlers competed at the Millersville Tournament.  Adam Morris, Tyler Deuel, Angelo Bortoluzzi, Dan Riggi, Ben Price, and Vincent Grella all  participated in the tournament.  Tyler Deuel had the best showing out of the group with a 4-2 record on the day and a 4th place finish.  His wins including one over former ACC Champion Mike Salopek of UVA.

Week in Review 01.16.12

It was a busy and frustrating week as two top ten teams squeaked out wins on us.  Tuesday, we lost by a takedown to #7 Oklahoma (20-15) and Sunday we lost on criteria after tying #5 Cornell 21-21.  Both were tough losses in matches that we had the ability to win.  We will learn from the losses and improve for the upcoming matches.  Here is a rundown on each wrestler’s performance…

125 – Derek Steeley did not wrestle well on Tuesday but did wrestle a bit better on Sunday.  Both of his matches were against top ten opponents.  Derek is still relying too much on his flexibility and not wrestling basic enough.  He did not move his feet well and was a little sluggish this week.  This week, he will focus on keeping his hands and feet moving.

133 – Patrick Hunter had a tough loss to #11 Keller on Tuesday in a match that he did not wrestle well until the third.  I think that he lacked confidence in the match and wrestled hesitantly until he realized that he could win the match in the third and wrestled much better.  Saturday, he had a good win and controlled the match.  I thought he did a nice job managing the match yesterday.  Patrick is getting better every match.

 141 – Joe Bonaldi ran into #1 Maple on Tuesday and did not fare well.  Maple flat out is better than him at this point but Joe will improve and close the gap, just like he has with Nevinger.  Yesterday, he wrestled top twenty ranked Nevinger, whom had techfalled him earlier this season.  Joe wrestled very well the first two and a half periods and scored a takedown.  Late in the third, Nevinger got a takedown and a few turns at the end of the match.  It was a tight match till Nevinger scored the takedown and back points late in the third but Joe has made big gains since last time the two wrestled and continues to get better.

149 – Donnie Vinson dominated both of his matches against ranked wrestlers this week.  In both matches he scored with a variety of takedowns and wrestled well on the mat.  Tuesday, he scored a solid 7-2 win over the #7 ranked Lester of Oklahoma.  Yesterday, he rolled to a technical fall over Villalonga of Cornell.  Donnie was dominating throughout the match and scored the winning takedown just before the match ended.  Donnie looked like he was ready to compete for a national title in both matches.

157 – Justin Lister scored two big wins this week over nationally ranked competitors.  Tuesday, he got a good win over #14 Lester of Okalhoma in a back and forth match that saw him score a reversal and back points to win.  It was a gutsy performance after not being on the mat all week due to an injury.  Yesterday, he pinned Eifert in just under two minutes.  He got on the attack early and ran his opponent over with a half for the fall.  Like Donnie, Justin looked great and is wrestling like he is ready to compete for a national title.

165 – Joe Chamish started both dual meets at 165 pounds as Matt Kaylor bumped up to 174.  Joe had a tall order ahead of him as he wrestled #20 Graham of Oklahoma and #1 Dake of Cornell.  Joe fought hard and did his best to put the team in a position to win the dual meets.  He lost by major decision to Graham and by fall late in the match to Dake.  Joe needs to believe in his ability as he can compete with anyone when he believes in himself.

174 – Matt Kaylor bumped up for the weekend to 174 pounds and won both of his matches.  He wrestled aggressively and looked great in both matches against larger opponents.  He nearly scored a major decision against Armato of Oklahoma.  He picked up a solid win against nationally ranked Peppelman of Cornell yesterday.  Matt did a great job of moving forward and controlling the hand fighting in both matches.  He was constantly on the attack and is more than capable of being an All-American this season if he continues to wrestle like he did this week.

184 – Nate Schiedel had two completely different performances this week.  On Tuesday, he wrestled a great match beating #20 Schmidtke of Oklahoma (he ended Schiedel’s season at the national tournament last year).  Nate had great leg attacks and scored off bottom in the match.  He also had some impressive mat returns.  Nate had an All-American performance Tuesday.  Yesterday, he did not wrestle nearly as well.  He lost to #3 Bosak by major decision 8-0.  Nate’s shots were not crisp and he did not set them up as well.  Also, he did not do a very good job getting off bottom.  I think that it was just an off day for Nate as I know that he bounce back and contend for All-American honors this season.

197 – Cody Reed had a rough week.  He lost his matches to #1 Simaz of Cornell and nationally ranked Hall of Oklahoma.  In the match with Hall, he did not do enough in the first period to win.  He was very passive and did not start wrestling till the second period.  It was a little too late for him to start wrestling and Hall squeaked out the win by the skin of his teeth 7-6.  Cody got down on himself and I don’t think he picked himself back up enough for his next match.  He did not wrestle with confidence against Simaz.  He needs to do a better job regrouping after a tough loss and has to realize just how good he is.  Once he does that, the sky is the limit for him.

HWT – Nick Gwiazdowski picked up two good wins this week and is diversifying his repertoire.  He is opening up more on his feet with some different attacks.  He beat Colling of Okalhoma who came into the match on a hot streak and Jochym of Cornell.  He controlled the match with Colling and scored on his feet.  He got off bottom easily in the second and in the third we had him pick bottom so he can get better there as top is Colling’s best position.  I was disappointed that Nick did not get off bottom in the third but he will continue to work to get better there.  He majored Jochym hitting him with everything but the kitchen sink.  Nick can compete with and beat anyone in the country.

The Bearcats compete this weekend at the CAA Duals in Fairfax, VA.

Cornell Preview

This Sunday, we are hosting the first ever “Ball and Brawl," a basketball and wrestling double-header.  The basketball team takes on American East rival Hartford at 2PM and we will wrestle Cornell at 5PM.  Both events are going to be in the Events Center, which is the first ever dual meet that we have held in the Events Center.  Also, the dual meet will be carried on Time Warner Cable.  Cornell enters the match ranked 5^th in the country.  So far, they have only wrestled two dual meets beating #4 Minnesota 21-16 and #15 Lehigh 24-12.  Between now and our match, they will also wrestle the (honorable mention in the rankings) University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University.  Here is a look at their line-up and the potential match-ups.

125 – Steeley vs. Dixon or #6 Perrelli

Frank Perrelli is ranked 6^th in the country after qualifying for the national tournament last year.  Perrelli is a senior and so far this season, he is 17-4.  He won the Binghamton Open, took 2^nd at the Body Bar, 2^nd at the Las Vegas Invitational, and 3^rd at the Southern Scuffle.  He beat Steeley last year in the dual meet by major decision.  He rides legs and a two-on-on on top.  On his feet, he shoots doubles and singles.  They could also enter Bricker Dixon into the line-up at 125 and bump Perrelli up to 133, like they did in their last match against Lehigh.  Dixon, ranked as a top fifty recruit in the country last year, is freshmen that was a four-time Missouri State Finalist and two-time champion.  So far this year he has competed in two tournaments, placing 6^th at the Binghamton Open and 8^th at the Southern Scuffle.  Dixon is scrappy and tough to score on.

133 – Hunter vs. Perrelli or Pena

As mentioned, Perrelli could move up to 133 for the dual meet.  If he stays down at 125, watch for Nick Pena to wrestle.  Pena has been the starter for Cornell of late at 133 pounds.  He currently has a 9 wins and placed 3^rd at the Mat Town Open.  Pena is a freshman that was a top 100 recruit in the country last year.  He won two California State Championships and placed in the state four times.  Pena shoots straight on shots and likes to Peterson and granby on bottom.  Also, he will ride a left leg on top and a two-on-one.

141 – Bonaldi vs. #15 Nevinger

Mike Nevinger, a redshirt sophomore, is ranked 15^th in the country for the Big Red.  He is 18-7 on the season with 2^nd place finished at both the Body Bar and the Binghamton Open.  He also took 7^th at the Southern Scuffle and 8^th at the Las Vegas invitational.  He is very powerful and solid on his feet.  He really excels on top as he is a very good leg rider and can tilt as well.  Nevinger beat Bonaldi by technical fall earlier this year at the Body Bar.

149 – #4 Vinson vs. Villalonga or Eifert

Cornell has two good grapplers wrestling here.  Craig Eifert was starting for the Big Red in the first part of the season and was nationally ranked here.  Eifert is 15-6 and won the Binghamton Open, was 5^th at the Body Bar, finished top 12 at the Las Vegas Invitational, and 8^th at the Sothern Scuffle.  Eifert flows well, doesn’t stop wrestling, and can scramble.  He is deceptively strong.  Chris Villalonga began the year as a ranked 141 pounder but has moved up to 149 and is probably going to start for Cornell.  He is nationally ranked and is 16-4 on the season.  Villalonga was top 8 at the Binghamton Open, 1^st at the Cleveland State Open, and 5^th at the Southern Scuffle.  Villalonga is defensive on his feet and a hammer on top.  He is very good at riding and turning with a high half.

157 – #8 Lister vs. #1 Dake

Kyle Dake, a junior, is a returning two-time national champion.  He is undefeated this year with a 21-0 record.  He won the Binghamton Open, beating Lister 6-2 in the finals.  He also won the Body Bar, the Las Vegas Invitation, and the Southern Scuffle.  He has a great combination of strength, balance, positioning, and technique.  He is good dangerous in all positions and can run up the score on top.

165 – Kaylor vs. Peppelman

Marshall Peppelman has been in and out of the rankings this season.  He is a sophomore with an 18-8 record.  He placed 3^rd at the Binghamton Open, 5^th at the Body Bar, and 7^th at the Southern Scuffle.  He is very good on top with a cross wrist tilt, which is where he wins most of his matches.  He can create scrambles on his feet.

174 – Wallace vs. George

Billy George is having a breakout year as a redshirt freshman.  He took 4^th at the Binghamton Open before winning the Body Bar.  He has a 12-7 record and is nationally ranked by Wrestling Report.  He wrestles with a lot of enthusiasm and fire.

184 – Schiedel vs. #3 Bosak

Steve Bosak is a senior that is ranked 3^rd in the country after earning All-American honors last year.  He is a two-time national qualifier who is coming off a win over Lehigh’s returning National Champion, Robert Hamlin.  Bosak is 18-2 on the season.  He won both the Binghamton Open and the Body Bar this season and took 2^nd at both the Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle.  He is good defensively on his feet and very tough on top with a leg ride.  Bosak beat Schiedel 7-0 in the dual meet last year.

197 – Reed vs. #1 Simaz

Cam Simaz is ranked 1^st in the country for a reason.  Earlier this season, he wrestled the #2 ranked wrestler in the country.  In that match, he was winning by fifteen points before pinning his opponent.  He is 12-1 on the year but his one loss was an injury default.  He won the Binghamton Open and injury defaulted in the finals of the Southern Scuffle.  He is very good offensively on his feet and a hammer on top.  He has six pins, three technical falls, two major decisions, and one decision so far this year.  He pinned Reed in both the dual last year and in the finals of the Binghamton Open this season.

HWT – Gwiazdowski vs. Jochym

Maciej Jochym is the heavyweight starter for the Big Red.  He enters the dual meet with a 10-9 record.  Jochym finished 4^th at the Binghamton Open, 6^th at the Body Bar, and also top 12 at the Southern Scuffle.  He is very strong and good when he good when he gets to his leg attacks.  Gwiazdowksi beat Jochym 14-4 at the Binghamton Open this season.

Also, check out this article in this morning's Press & Sun about the Bearcats.

Throwback Thursday Episode 13: Scott Green Part 2

Photos & Press

Photos from last night's dual are at this link and also on Facebook.  

Here is a link to today's Press & Sun article about the match.

Also, our new friend and blogger Benji wrote another post about the Bearcat squad yesterday. Check it out here.

Last night's dual produced a record-breaking crowd for the Bearcats in the West Gym.  Let's keep that momentum going for the matchup with Cornell in the Events Center on Sunday.  Event details are here.

Ranking Roundup 01.11.12

Here is this week's Ranking Roundup. Links are provided to each set of  rankings.

Photos from last night's dual with Oklahoma will be posted shortly.

The Open Mat 01.09.12
BINGHAMTON #22
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #7
Nick Gwiazdowski #12

WIN Magazine 01.09.12
BINGHAMTON #31
Donnie Vinson #11
Justin Lister #7
Matt Kaylor #19
Nick Gwiazdowski #19

NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll 01.10.12
BINGHAMTON #24

NCAA Mid-Major Poll 01.11.12
BINGHAMTON #7

Wrestling Report Dual Percentage Index 01.10.12
BINGHAMTON #20 (tied with Virginia & Virginia Tech)

CAA Rankings 01.10.12
BINGHAMTON #1 (tied with Hofstra)
Patrick Hunter #3
Donnie Vinson #2
Justin Lister #1
Matt Kaylor #3
Nate Schiedel #2
Cody Reed #3
Nick Gwiazdowski #2

Wrestling Report D1 Ranking 01.09.12
BINGHAMTON #25
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #6
Matt Kaylor #24
Nate Schiedel #20
Cody Reed #27
Nick Gwiazdowski #17

Intermat 01.10.12
BINGHAMTON #24
Donnie Vinson #4
Justin Lister #8
Nick Gwiazdowski #20

D1 College Wrestling 01.09.12
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #8
Nate Schiedel  #23
Nick Gwiazdowski #13

Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index 01.09.12
BINGHAMTON #21 (Dual meet strength)
BINGHAMTON #29 (Tournament strength)
Derek Steeley #52
Patrick Hunter #43
Donnie Vinson #10
Justin Lister #6
Matt Kaylor #18
Nate Schiedel #17
Nick Gwiazdowski #17
Justin Lister #46 Pound for Pound
Donnie Vinson #93 Pound for Pound

Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 16

Wild104 Interviews Billy Baldwin on Morning Show

Thank you Wild104 for spreading the word about our duals this week! Go Bearcats!

Week in Review 01.09.12 & Oklahoma Dual Preview

Week in Review

We beat Buffalo on Monday and followed that up with a good week of some hard training.  In our dual meet against Buffalo, we out-wrestled, out-worked, and out-hustled them.  We started out at 174 pounds, where Caleb Wallace lost to Waste.  Wallace did not get on his attacks and did not wrestle well.  At 184 pounds, Schiedel majored Ward.  Schiedel scored with several double leg shots but had difficulty turning his opponent.  Cody Reed won by seven points against Peter, just missing out on the major.  Reed started slow but got better as the match went on and had a great third period that saw him score several takedowns.  Gwiazdowski picked up a fall over Mason, which earned him CAA Freshman of the Week honors.  He was on the attack early and often before securing the fall in the second period.  Derek Steeley had an exciting match against Walton but lost 7-11.  He was too focused on big moves and did not stay basic enough to win.  At 133 pounds, Patrick Hunter wrestled well beating Farmer 7-4.  Hunter is coming on strong and looked very good getting to his shots and getting off bottom quickly.  Joe Bonaldi dropped a tight match to two-time national qualifier and nationally ranked Smith of Buffalo.  The score was tied 1-1 late in the third period with each wrestler trading escapes.  Toward the end of the match, Smith scored off of Bonaldi shot a takedown and back points to make it 5-1.  Donnie Vinson technical falled Conti at 149 pounds in the first period.  Vinson showed a wide arsenal of attacks as he secured back points off of almost all of his takedowns.  Justin Lister made quick work of Montesanti at 157 pounds with a pin in 31 seconds.  He got a takedown right off the bat and then ran him over to his back for the fall.  The final match was a heartbreaker as Matt Kaylor dropped a 2-3 decision to Lewandowski (top 12 at 2011 NCAA Nationals).  Kaylor was much more aggressive throughout the match as he forced almost all of the action.  He took numerous shots but Lewandoski scored a takedown by hitting a funk roll off of one of Kaylor’s shot which was the difference.  The final score of the match was 27-12, bringing the Bearcats' undefeated win streak to 8 on the year.

Oklahoma Preview

Tomorrow night at 7PM we take on the #11 Oklahoma Sooners.  Oklahoma is led by Binghamton native and 2011 NWCA National Coach of the Year, Mark Cody.  Several rankings have them between 8^th and 9^th overall.  They are currently 4-2 on the season after just beating Navy 26-10 on Saturday.  They have competed in two tournaments taking 1^st at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and 3^rd at the strong Midlands Championships.  Here is a brief look at their potential line-up…

125 – Jarrod Patterson (redshirt sophomore) is a returning All-American and two-time national qualifier.  He is currently ranked eighth in the country.  He won the Oklahoma Gold Classic this season and took 5^th at the Midlands Championships.  Currently he is 13-3 on the season.  He is good on top and on his feet.  He rides legs on top.  On his feet, he is effective with both short offense and leg attacks.

133 – Jordan Keller (senior) is ranked eleventh in the country.  He won the Oklahoma Gold Classic and finished in the top 12 at Midlands.  Keller is 12-3 right now.  He is a veteran that knows how to win.  He is solid all-around and keeps good position.  He can create scrambles if he gets in danger.  He likes to ride legs on top.

141- Kendrick Maple (redshirt sophomore) is having an unbelievable season.  He is ranked 1^st in the country and is 15-0 so far this year after qualifying for nationals last year.  He picked-up tournament championships this year at both the Midlands and the Oklahoma Gold Classic.  He is very athletic and quick.  He can ride on top but is best on his feet with explosive shots.  He likes to run up the score on his opponents and he leads the Sooners in technical falls and pins.

149 – Nick Lester (redshirt sophomore) is ranked 10^th in the country.  He finished 2^nd at the Oklahoma Gold Championships and 4^th at Midlands.  Lester saw time in the Sooner line-up last year and has wins over multiple ranked wrestlers.  He is 13-4 on the season.  He rides legs on top and that is his best position.  He is not super active on his feet but has a solid high crotch and a single.

157 – Matt Lester (redshirt sophomore) is ranked 12^th in the country.  He won the Oklahoma Gold Classic and took 5^th at the Midlands.  He is a returning national qualifier with a record of 11-4.  He wrestlers a lot like his twin brother Nick but is slightly more aggressive on his feet and also excels on top.  He has good scrambling ability as well.

165 – Bubby Graham (redshirt junior) is ranked 20^th in the country.  He finished 4^th in a strong weight class at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and 5^th at Midlands.  He is a returning national qualifier who wrestled at American the last three years.  He has eight wins on the season.  He is solid all-around and aggressive on his feet with a duck under and a single leg.  He rides well on top.

174 – Nolan McBryde (redshirt sophomore) is the starter for the Sooners.  He has won 18 matches in the last two years.  He placed at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and also picked up a pair of wins at the Midlands Championships.  He moves well and shoots a lot.

184 – Erich Schmidtke (redshirt junior) is a two-time national qualifier.  Last year at the NCAA Championships, he edged Schiedel in a close match.  He won the Oklahoma Gold Classic and took 5^th at the Midlands.  He is currently 10-6.  Schmidtke is very powerful and shoots straight on shots.  He likes to use short offense and underhooks.

197 – Keldrick Hall (redshirt junior) is nationally ranked in some of the publications but not in others.  He is 10-6 so far this year with a top twelve finish at the Midlands Championships.  He is tall and lanky.  He uses his athleticism and likes to shoot double legs.

285 – Kyle Colling (redshirt freshman) is coming off of a pair of major decisions in the last two matches.  He finished in 2^nd place at the Oklahoma Gold Tournament after knocking off a returning All-American to reach the finals.  He has eight wins on the year.  In his only ever meeting with Gwiazdowski, he beat Gwiazdoiwski 1-0 at the Eastern States Tournament Finals in 2010.  He is solid in all positions and wrestles pretty basic.

Please come out and support the Bearcats tomorrow night as they look to improve to 9-0 on the year! 

(Note: this event is free of charge)