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Vikings Set to Wrestle Pittsburgh and Clarion

Vikings Set to Wrestle Pittsburgh and Clarion
Posted: Feb 07, 2011

Feb. 7, 2011

Contact: Dan Carr

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SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State wrestling team will be in action twice this weekend, starting with a trip to Pittsburgh to wrestle the Panthers on Friday (Feb. 11) before returning home to host Clarion on Saturday (Feb. 12) in Woodling Gym. Both meets will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Panthers (10-6, 3-0 EWL) are the only Eastern Wrestling League team with an undefeated conference record while Clarion (3-8, 1-1 EWL) is on an eight-meet losing streak. The Clarion meet will be the final home contest for senior Robbie Michaels.

LAST TIME ON THE MAT: The Vikings hosted Bloomsburg at Woodling Gym on Saturday (Feb. 5), losing in a 34-12 decision. Lawrence Cavello pinned his opponent in 6:34 to win by fall for the second time in the past three meets, and Ben Willeford and Robbie Michaels each won by decision to make it a three point meet after the first six matches, but the Huskies won the remaining four bouts.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: A strong mixture of experienced veterans and talented newcomers have led the Vikings this season. Senior Robbie Michaels (wrestling at 165) has emerged as one of the top grapplers in the Eastern Wrestling League, having won two open titles and 19 matches this season. Junior Lawrence Cavello (149) has 12 wins on the season while fellow junior Josh Palivoda (141) and sophomore Aric Thurn (174) each have four dual meet victories. A trio of true freshmen have had a big impact: Matt Donohoe (157, 12 wins) has pinned three opponents while Nick Flannery (133, 11 wins) and Ben Willeford (125, 10 wins) lead the team with four major decisions apiece.

CSU ALL-TIME VS. PITTSBURGH: This will be the 33rd meeting between the Panthers and the Vikings, with Pittsburgh owning a 17-14-1 advantage in the series. The Panthers have had the edge in the series recently, winning the past three meets and seven of the last nine.

CSU ALL-TIME VS. CLARION: The Vikings have wrestled the Golden Eagles 37 times, the most of any opponent in the Eastern Wrestling League. Clarion leads the series, 23-14, including victories in the past three seasons.

SENIOR NIGHT: Robbie Michaels, the lone senior on this year's squad, will be wrestling in his final home meet when the Vikings host Clarion on Saturday night. Michaels has won 75 matches as a Viking and has never finished a season with a losing record. He was named the team's Most Outstanding Freshman in 2007-08 and ended the 2008-09 campaign with a fourth place finish in the 165 at the EWL Championships.

CHASING PERFECTION: Halfway through the conference season, Robbie Michaels is 3-0 in EWL dual meets. If Michaels wins his matches against the three remaining EWL opponents, he would become the first Viking since Ron Howard in 2005-06 to go 6-0 against EWL competition.

DUAL MEET SUCCESS: Eleven different wrestlers have won matches in dual meets this season. This is a step up from last year, when only nine Vikings recorded dual meet victories. A Viking has won a match at every weight class this year, with two CSU wrestlers winning at 197. The most noticeable improvement has been at 133, the one weight class in which Cleveland State failed to win a dual meet last season. This year's starter at 133, Nick Flannery, has won four dual meet matches, including one by pin and one by major decision.

DOUBLE DIGIT VICTORIES: Six CSU wrestlers have at least 10 wins on the season, surpassing the number of Vikings who accomplished that feat last season (four). Brandon Sommers leads the team with 21 victories, while Robbie Michaels has posted 18 wins. Lawrence Cavello and Matt Donohoe each have 12 wins this season while Nick Flannery has 11. Ben Willeford joined the club last Saturday, earning his 10th win of the year against Bloomsburg.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE EWL: Cleveland State is well represented in the current EWL individual win standings. The highest ranked Viking is Brandon Sommers (21-12 on the season), who is tied for eighth overall in the conference and leads the 149 division in wins. Robbie Michaels (19-6) has the fourth most victories in the 165 class. Ben Willeford is sixth at 125 with 10 wins while Aric Thurn (eight wins) is tied for sixth in the 174 class.

PIN IT TO WIN IT: After recording only 11 pins last year, the Vikings have nearly doubled that total, winning 21 matches by fall this season. Robbie Michaels and Lawrence Cavello lead the team with four pins each while Matt Donohoe and Brandon Sommers each have three apiece.

NEXT UP: The Vikings will wrap up their regular season with a trip to West Virginia to wrestle the Mountaineers on Saturday (Feb. 19) at 7:00 p.m.

THE HEAD COACH
Ben Stehura (Lock Haven, '00)
AT CSU: 9-40 (3rd Year)
OVERALL: 35-90-1 (7th Year)

Ben Stehura is in his third season as the head coach of the Viking wrestling program, and has recruited a talented group of young wrestlers that expects to make noise in the Eastern Wrestling League this year. He has coached an NCAA national champion, three NCAA All-Americans and six NCAA National Qualifiers in his seven seasons as a head coach.