Jan. 28, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Contact: Gene Natale, Jr.
Cleveland State Wrestling
Dual Meet 11: at Lock Haven
Date: Friday, February 1, 2008
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Site: Thomas Fieldhouse, Lock Haven, PA
All-Time Series: 11-18-0
Last Meeting: CSU 18, Lock Haven 16 (Feb. 2, 2007)
Cleveland State Wrestling
Dual Meet 12: at Bloomsburg
Date: Saturday, February 2, 2008
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Site: Nelson Field House, Bloomsburg, PA
All-Time Series: 10-15-3
Last Meeting: Bloomsburg 18, CSU 13 (Feb 3, 2007)
SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (4-6, 0-1 EWL) travels to Pennsylvania for back-to-back EWL dual meets against Lock Haven (Feb. 1) and Bloomsburg (Feb. 2). The team will face Lock Haven at Thomas Fieldhouse in Lock Haven, PA at 7:30 p.m. EST, and will then take on Bloomsburg at Nelson Field House in Bloomsburg, PA at 1:00 p.m. EST.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Vikings faced Pittsburgh in the EWL opening dual meet for CSU. Here is a brief look at how the Vikings fared over the weekend.
Pittsburgh 32, Cleveland State 5 (Jan. 25th at Woodling Gym)
CSU received wins from Marcus Effner (165 lbs, 21-7) and Josh Palivoda (133 lbs, 8-15). However, two wins were not enough to defeat the 16th ranked Panthers who have four All-Americans on their roster. Following Effner's win in the first bout which gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead, Pitt won seven of the next eight matches to beat CSU for the first time in three years.
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State has four wrestlers who have NCAA Championship experience. These highly regarded four have each won at least 50 matches in their careers, including 149-pounder Ryan Hurley (69), 165-pounder Marcus Effner (69), heavyweight Rashard Goff (66), and 141-pounder Mike Hurley (52). Ryan Hurley wrestled at the NCAA meet for three consecutive seasons, while Goff has been to the championship for two straight years. Effner and Mike Hurley have each wrestled at the NCAA Championship once in their careers. Senior Ryan Riggs may not be a former NCAA qualifier, but he is the Vikings' best option at 125 pounds based upon his 12-8 record. 174-pounder JT Miller has been given his first chance to start this season, and he has made the most of the opportunity with 18 wins. The veterans are joined by a skilled group of younger wrestlers. Josh Palivoda (133), Robbie Michaels (157), Eric Schwartz (285), Alek Hughes (197), and DJ Cummins (184) are all freshmen who have been CSU's top contributors in their respective weight classes. Michaels currently leads the Vikings with 23 wins. With 14 wins this season, Schwartz has proven his worth to the team, and he is considered by Effner to be about equal in ability to Rashard Goff as the two have shared the starting role even after Goff became academically eligible at the end of December. Palivoda is the only option the Vikings have this season at 133 and has scored some impressive wins, notably against JCU's Adam Pizzurro (over 82 career wins) and Pitt's Jimmy Conroy (second year starter as a true sophomore, four time all-state in high school). Hughes leads the team in pins, as eight of his 14 triumphs are by pin. DJ Cummins earned the nickname "Bear" based upon his fierce nature in practice, and beat out a more experienced wrestler in sophomore Benny Balogh to win the starting 184 pound role.
THE HEAD COACH
Jack Effner (Indiana State `86)
At CSU: 71-86-3
Overall: 158-128-8
EFFNER ON THE VIKINGS: "We need to get back at it this week, keep fighting, and stay optimistic."
CSU ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPOSITION: Against Lock Haven, the Vikings have posted a 11-18 overall mark, and are 10-15-3 overall against Bloomsburg. The Vikings defeated Lock Haven, 18-16, in last season's matchup at Woodling Gym. Meanwhile, CSU has lost its last four meetings with Bloomsburg. Last year's contest resulted in a 18-13 win for the Huskies, and the last time CSU defeated Bloomsburg was on Feb. 2 2003 at home by a score of 35-7.
TAG TEAM: Seniors Mike Hurley (52) and Ryan Hurley (69) have won a combined 121 matches throughout their careers. Each of the brothers, apart in age by only 18 months, 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 and 157 pounder Rob Michaels leads the team with 23 victories. He has continued the Vikings' dominance at that weight class. Last year's starter Victer Crenshaw (26-11 in 2006-07) also tallied over 20 wins and wrestled at the NCAA Championship.
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 (5-7) and Antonio Nicholson (12-10) have started at 141 pounds, while Rashard Goff (16-7) has shared the starting role with Eric Schwartz (14-10) at 285 pounds.
...A UNIQUE BATTLE: Schwartz was the undisputed starter at 285 pounds while Goff was academically ineligible. Despite Goff's return to academic eligibility at the end of December, Schwartz has not lost the starting position, but rather, has shared time with the junior. Schwartz first made it known that he was a force to be reckoned with when he defeated the two time NCAA qualifier Goff in the annual Green-White intersquad scrimmage.
A KNOWN QUANTITY: Heavyweight Rashard Goff, with a 16-7 season, has received plenty of national attention. He is currently the 24th ranked heavyweight in the nation according to the Wrestling Report.
...ALSO WELL KNOWN: 165 pounder Marcus Effner's 21-7 season has also been getting plenty of attention, as he is currently ranked 29th in the nation.
PIN TO WIN: Freshman Alek Hughes (197) physically dominates his opponents when he wins. Eight of his 14 wins are by pinfall, which leads the team in that category.
...SPEAKING OF PINS: Freshman heavyweight Eric Schwartz is another Viking who racks up plenty of dominating wins. Of his 14 victories, seven are by fall while two are by technical fall. A technical fall is achieved when a wrestler has taken a 15-point lead in the bout and is immediately declared the winner.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP: The Vikings boast a roster that includes four previous NCAA qualifiers, including juniors Marcus Effner at 165 and Rashard Goff at 285, and seniors Mike Hurley at 141 and Ryan Hurley at 149.
CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN: Ryan Hurley (149 lbs) and Marcus Effner (165 lbs) are each tied on the career win list with 69 overall wins. The two are tied for the 9th most wins by any Viking in the last 20 years.
SCORE FOR THE (BIG) LITTLE GUYS: Senior 125-pounder Ryan Riggs has matched his career high in wins with 12 this season as he seeks to end his Viking career on a high note. Prior to this season he only had 20 career victories.
UP NEXT: The Vikings host league rival Edinboro at Woodling Gymnasium on Feb. 9, 2008. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. EST.
