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Vikings Head to Ashland

Vikings Head to Ashland
Posted: Jan 14, 2008

Jan. 14, 2008

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Contact: Gene Natale, Jr.

Cleveland State Wrestling
Dual Meets 7-9: Ashland Duals

Date: Sunday, January 20, 2008
Time: 10:00 a.m. EST
Site: Kates Gymnasium, Ashland, Ohio

SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State wrestling team will travel to Ashland University for three dual meets at the Ashland Duals on Sunday, Jan. 20, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Vikings went 0-2 last week, losing duals to Kent State and Eastern Michigan. Here is a brief look at how CSU fared last weekend.

Kent State 25, CSU 6 (Jan. 8, 2008 - MAC Center, Kent, Ohio)
The Vikings lost eight of 10 matches in losing a dual meet to the Golden Flashes on the road. Robbie Michaels won his match at 157 pounds and moved to 5-0 in dual meets, while KSU won matches against both Ryan and Mike Hurley in the same competition for the first time.

EMU 22, CSU 12 (Jan 12, 2008 - Woodling Gymnasium)
CSU started well, winning three of the first four matches. Alek Hughes (197), Rashard Goff (285), Ryan Riggs (125), and Marcus Effner (65) all won matches, but four major decision victories by the Eagles led to defeat for the Vikings.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State has a lot of talent on the roster this season, with five wrestlers who have NCAA Tournament experience. Of those five, four have won at least 50 matches in their careers, including Ryan Hurley (68), Marcus Effner (66), Rashard Goff (64), and Mike Hurley (51). The veterans are joined by a highly touted group of underclassmen who may have a lot to prove on the college level, but have certainly accomplished quite a bit in high school. Josh Palivoda (133), Robbie Michaels (157), Eric Schwartz (285), and Alek Hughes (197) are all freshmen who have been CSU's top contributors in their respective weight classes and all four either won state championships in high school or were runner-up in their respective state tournaments. Michaels won nearly 200 matches in high school and currently leads the Vikings with 22 wins as one of the most reliable options head coach Jack Effner has at any weight class. Schwartz, meanwhile, has proved to be a potential star, and is considered by Effner to be about equal in ability to Rashard Goff, a two-time NCAA qualifier at 285 pounds.

THE HEAD COACH
Jack Effner (Indiana State `86)
At CSU: 70-83-3
Overall: 157-125-8

EFFNER ON THE VIKINGS: "It always hurts to lose, but we have to keep fighting. We will keep working hard and hope to see some guys establish themselves."

CSU ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEKEND'S OPPOSITION: The Vikings have faced Illinois and Northern Illinois one time each, posting respective records of 1-0 and 0-1. CSU holds an 18-4 all-time mark against Ashland, having won the last meeting 23-10 at last year's Ashland Duals. The loss to NIU came during the 2004-05 season at the Ashland Duals by a 32-6 margin, while CSU's win over Illinois was back in the 1974-75 season, 24-9.

WINNING BIG: The Viking wrestlers have competed a lot of matches this season with a large roster, and have been taking full advantage of their opportunities, a fact made clear as one observes that the team has nine wrestlers with double digit victories. Marcus Effner (19-5), Ryan Hurley (10-5), Rashard Goff (15-4), Alek Hughes (12-11), Robbie Michaels (23-4), JT Miller (18-13), Shaun Michell (10-7), Antonio Nicholson (12-10), and Eric Schwartz (14-10) have all accomplished the feat.

...SPEAKING OF WINNING BIG: Seniors Mike Hurley and Ryan Hurley have won a combined 119 matches throughout their careers, and as Effner puts it, "they have done it all" when it comes to winning big matches against quality opponents. Each of the brothers, apart in age by only 18 months, was an All-American while in high school and have reached the national stage for the Vikings. Ryan has gone to nationals three straight years at 149 pounds while the older Mike made the trip during the 2005-06 season at 141.

ROOKIE SENSATION: Redshirt freshman Rob Michaels has been having an outstanding season, leading the team in wins while competing at 157 pounds. With 23 victories midway through the season, he has done an admirable job filling the shoes of last year's starter Victer Crenshaw, who currently wrestles for Notre Dame College. Crenshaw was an NCAA qualifer for the Vikings last season at 157 pounds.

BATTLE FOR POSITION: With such a large and talented team it was inevitable that it would be difficult for the coaching staff to choose just one starter at some of the weight classes. As a result, both Mike Hurley (4-4) and Antonio Nicholson have started at 141 pounds, while Rashard Goff (15-4) has shared the starting role with Eric Schwartz (14-10) at 285 pounds.

A KNOWN QUANTITY: Junior Marcus Effner's 19-5 season has been getting plenty of attention, as the 165-pounder is currently ranked 10th in the Atlantic Division as well as garnering a 26th overall ranking in the nation.

PIN TO WIN: Freshmen Eric Schwartz (285) and Alek Hughes (197) physically dominate their opponents when they win. Schwartz has seven falls as well as two technical falls out of his 14 victories. Six of Hughes' 12 victories are by pin, putting him a close second behind Hughes in the category.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: The Vikings boast a roster that includes five previous NCAA qualifiers, including senior and 2007-08 redshirt David Armstrong at 133, juniors Marcus Effner at 165 and Rashard Goff at 285, and seniors Mike Hurley at 141 and Ryan Hurley at 149.

UP NEXT: The Vikings will return to Woodling Gymnasium to host a meet against EWL rival Pittsburgh, who is currently ranked 10th in the nation. The meet is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. EST.