Feb. 5, 2008
Contact: Gene Natale, Jr.
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Cleveland State Wrestling
Dual Meet 13: vs. Edinboro
Date: Saturday, February 9, 2008
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Site: Woodling Gymnasium, Cleveland, Ohio
All-Time Series: 5-17-0
Last Meeting: Edinboro 33, Cleveland State 6 (Feb. 10, 2007)
SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (4-8, 0-3 EWL) will try to snap a four match losing streak as they return home for an EWL dual meet against Edinboro on Saturday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. EST.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Vikings faced Lock Haven on Feb. 1 and Bloomsburg on Feb. 2 on the road in Pennsylvania. Here is a brief look at how the Vikings fared over the weekend.
Lock Haven 28, Cleveland State 13 (Feb. 1st at Thomas Fieldhouse)
Marcus Effner (165 pounds), JT Miller (174 pounds), Josh Palivoda (133 pounds) and Eric Schwartz (Heavyweight) all won matches to lead the Vikings. Effner won a major decision, 12-3, to score his 70th career victory. Robbie Michaels, who leads the team in wins with 23, returned to the lineup at 157 pounds for the first time since Jan. 11, and took a close match to the first overtime period, where he was pinned for a loss.
Bloomsburg 23, Cleveland State 12 (Feb. 2nd at Nelson Field House)
For the second day in a row, four Vikings won their bouts, but it was not enough for victory. Marcus Effner (3-1 decision at 165 pounds) and JT Miller (8-3 decision at 174 pounds) each won their matches. Effner's win tied him for the team lead in wins this season. Ryan Hurley (12-9 at 149 pounds) won for his 70th career triumph. Benny Balogh started at 197 pounds for the first time this season and won his match by a 4-2 decision.
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 165-pounder Marcus Effner (71), 149-pounder Ryan Hurley (70), heavyweight Rashard Goff (66), and 141-pounder Mike Hurley (52). Ryan Hurley has wrestled at the NCAA meet for three consecutive seasons, while Goff has been to the championship for two straight years. Effner (2007) and Mike Hurley (2006) have each wrestled at the NCAA Championship once. Senior Ryan Riggs is the Vikings' best option at 125 pounds based upon his 12-10 record and experience. 174-pounder JT Miller has been given his first chance to start this season, and he has made the most of the opportunity with 20 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 Derek 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 15 wins this season, the redshirt freshman Schwartz has proven his worth to the team with 15 wins along with seven pins and two technical falls. Palivoda is the only option the Vikings have this season at 133 and has shown potential with nine wins despite his 16 losses. Hughes leads the team in pins, as eight of his 14 triumphs are by pin. True freshman Derek 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: 71-88-3 (10th year)
Overall: 158-130-8 (19th year)
Only the second head coach in Cleveland State history, Jack Effner has continued the strong tradition of Viking wrestling. He has mentored 35 NCAA qualifiers and five Eastern Wrestling League champions during his career, including Viking win leader Gerald Harris III (118 career wins). His most successful season so far was in 2002-03, when CSU went 13-6 in dual meets for the most team wins since the 1978-79 season (15-1-1). The 2002-03 squad had a school record-tying six NCAA qualifiers.The Vikings have had at least one NCAA qualifier in every season Effner has been at the helm. The Vikings have also excelled in the classroom under his guidance, finishing in the top 20 in the nation in grade point average for eight of the last nine seasons.
EFFNER ON THE VIKINGS: "We've got the top team up next, and we need a really good week of practice so that we can get better."
CSU ALL-TIME VS. THE FIGHTING SCOTS: The Vikings are 5-17 all-time against Edinboro. Last year's meeting was a 33-6 loss to the Fighting Scots, who have won the last two meetings. CSU last defeated Edinboro on Feb. 11, 2005 by a 22-20 score.
TAG TEAM: Seniors Mike Hurley (52) and Ryan Hurley (70) have won a combined 122 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' success 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.
CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN: Marcus Effner (23-7 165 lbs) is tied for the team lead in wins this season after winning eight of his last 11 matches. He also has 71 career wins, which is the fifth most wins by a Viking under Jack Effner.
STARTING TIME FOR MILLER: Junior 174-pounder JT Miller is in his first year as a starter and has excelled in the role. He became the third Viking to reach 20 wins this season, against Bloomsburg (Feb. 2). He also ranks third on the team with six pins.
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: Eric Schwartz was the undisputed starter at 285 pounds while Rashard Goff was academically ineligible during the fall semester. 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 even defeated the two time NCAA qualifier Goff in the annual Green-White intersquad scrimmage at the beginning of the season.
PIN TO WIN: Freshman Alek Hughes (197) physically dominates his opponents when he wins, and he leads the team with eight pins. He also has 14 wins.
...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.
IMPROVING ALL THE WHILE: True freshman Josh Palivoda (9-16, 133 pounds) has had a season of highs and lows, but has been showing improvement lately. He has won two of his last three matches, with his lone loss coming in a close 10-8 decision to Bloomsburg's Jason Guffey.
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.
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. He began the season with only 20 career victories.
TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY: Junior heavyweight Jeff Schuller is a decorated United States Marine who has served his country in Iraq, putting his college career on hold multiple times to serve tours of combat duty overseas.
UP NEXT: The Vikings travel to Clarion for a dual meet against the Golden Eagles on Thursday, Feb. 14, with a start time of 7:30 p.m. EST.
