Feb. 24, 2008
Senior Day Photo Gallery
Contact: Gene Natale, Jr.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State dropped a 32-2 decision to West Virginia in the Vikings' final dual of the season on Sunday at Woodling Gymnasium. Senior Mike Hurley (9-2 decision at 141 pounds) was the lone Viking to win in the meet.
With the loss, the Vikings close the regular season with a record of 4-11 (0-6 EWL) while the Mountaineers improve to 8-4 (4-1 EWL).
The Mountaineers won the first two bouts of the day (125 and 133 pounds) before Mike Hurley got the Vikings on the board with his win over West Virginia freshman Stephen Waite. WVU then reeled off wins in the next seven matches to seal the victory.
"One word - pain," Viking head coach Jack Effner said, "What we have to do now is believe in the theory that we have a fresh season come EWLs. We certainly have to use our lessons and try to apply them."
Since the meet was the last home contest of the season for the Vikings, the seniors were honored at center mat before the meet's start. The team honored Benny Balogh, Ryan Hurley, Mike Hurley, and Ryan Riggs for their contributions throughout their careers. Balogh (a true sophomore) was honored with the seniors as he will leave CSU in the spring to pursue his goal of becoming a Christian minister.
The meet began at 125 pounds, as team captain Ryan Riggs lost by a 8-1 decision to Kyle Turnbull, giving the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead.
At 133 pounds, freshman Josh Palivoda gave WVU's Jared Garvin all he could handle in a 2-0 loss by decision. The match was a defensive struggle, and Garvin managed to hold on to win with late-third-period escape and one additional riding time point.
In the next bout, Mike Hurley made the most of his final meet as a Viking with a win at the 141-pound weight class over WVU freshman Stephen Waite. Hurley used several takedowns and a near fall to secure the 9-2 decision for the Vikings' only win of the day.
"Michael did a nice job, he really rose to the occasion," Coach Effner said, "It has always been that the bigger the match, the better he wrestles. He went out with a lot of class today."
Senior Ryan Hurley followed his brother at 149 pounds, and he was defeated by WVU's David Jaregui by a 3-2 decision. Ryan was only able to manage a pair of escapes in the match, and Jaregui's lone takedown led him to victory.
"Ryan was so close to beating a really good kid, it hurt to lose that one," Coach Effner said.
Ryan's loss was the first of seven straight bouts for the Vikings as the team lost its seventh straight meet. The Vikings lost 11 of 12 dual meets to close the season after starting the season 3-0.
"Its just not been very pleasant this year, and its been tough for our three seniors," Effner said, "I give them credit for not backing down, and for fighting. We hope for a strong finish at the EWL Championships."
The Vikings will now have two weeks to prepare for the 2008 Eastern Wrestling League Championships, held at the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 8.
125: Kyle Turnbull (WVU) dec. Ryan Riggs, 8-1 0-3
133: Jared Garvin (WVU) dec. Josh Palivoda, 2-0 0-6
141: Mike Hurley dec. Stephen Waite (WVU), 9-2 3-6
149: David Jauregui (WVU) dec. Ryan Hurley, 3-2 3-9
157: #18 Zac Fryling (WVU) maj. dec. Robbie Michaels, 12-2 3-13
165: Donnie Jones (WVU) dec. Marcus Effner, 3-2 2-16*
174: Chance Litton (WVU) maj. dec. JT Miller, 10-2 2-20
184: Kurt Brenner (WVU) tech. fall Derek Cummins, 23-8, 5:42 2-25
197: #14 Jared Villers (WVU) maj. dec. Benny Balogh, 10-0 2-29
HWY: #19 Dustin Rogers (WVU) dec. #17 Rashard Goff, 2-1 2-32 WVU
*CSU deducted one team point, unsportsmanlike conduct.
