Feb. 17, 2012
Contact: Tim Ertle
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CLEVELAND STATE PROBABLES:
125 - Ben Willeford (So. - Baton Rouge, La.)
133 - Nick Flannery (So. - Framingham, Mass.)
141 - Josh Palivoda (Sr. - Raymond, Ohio)
149 - Lawrence Cavello (Sr. - Willard, Ohio)
157 - Brandon Sommers (So. - Macedonia, Ohio)
165 - Corey Carlo (Jr. - Fairview Park, Ohio)
174 - Aric Thurn (Jr. - Clyde, Ohio)
184 - Robert Blankenship (Fr. - Plain City, Ohio)
197 - Nick Anthony (Jr. - Fairborn, Ohio)
285 - Garry Yarborogh (Fr. - Garfield Heights, Ohio)
SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State wrestling team (6-13, 0-5 EWL) will conclude the 2012 regular season this Sunday (Feb. 19) when West Virginia (7-4, 2-2 EWL) visits Woodling Gymnasium at 2:00 p.m. The Mountaineers will visit No. 20 Edinboro (9-2, 4-0 EWL) on Saturday (Feb. 18) before making the trip to Cleveland.
THE SERIES: Sunday will be the 35th meeting between Cleveland State and West Virginia with the Mountaineers leading the all-time series, 24-10. West Virginia has won every dual since 2001 - a span that covers 11 consecutive meetings. The last time CSU beat West Virginia was on February 17, 2001 when the Vikings were victorious, 22-19.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAINEERS: Of WVU's four losses, three have come against nationally ranked teams. WVU fell to then-No. 3 Penn State, 34-6, on Dec. 11. On Jan. 6, WVU lost to then-No. 13 Maryland, 22-15. After a 25-10 loss to Bloomsburg on Jan. 21, WVU fell to No. 9 Pittsburgh, 26-12, on Feb. 5.
WEST VIRGINIA PROBABLES:
Coach Craig Turnbull's probable lineup, with records heading into the weekend:
125: Shane Young (Jr.) - 19-5
133: Nathan Pennesi (R-So.) - 24-6
141: Michael Morales (So.) 10-2
149: Brutus Scheffel (R-Fr.) 18-12
157: Dominic Prezzia (Fr.) 14-14
165: Kyle Eason (R-Sr.) 14-14
174: Lance Bryson (R-Jr.) - 20-11
184: Matt Ryan (R-Sr.) - 15-3
197: Mac Mancuso (R-So.) - 15-6
285: Brandon Williamson (R-Sr.) - 21-6
LAST TIME ON THE MAT: Cleveland State received wins from Ben Willeford (125) and Lawrence Cavello (149) in a Feb. 11 loss to host Clarion. Willeford gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead when he beat Clarion's Trey Hicks on a 2-0 count to improve to 16-15 overall and 9-19 in dual meet matches. The Vikings dropped the 133-pound bout via major decision and the 141-pound battle on a pin to fall behind 12-3, but Cavello brought CSU closer with his 8-7 win over Cameron Moran. Cavello improved to 4-10 overall and 3-6 in duals. Clarion took the final six bouts and closed with 33 consecutive points.
TOUGH TESTS: The 13 teams that have defeated CSU have a combined record of 140-84 (.625) in duals, and the Vikings have only lost to three teams that aren't ranked in the top-25 or the Mid-Major poll. Included in that group are No. 9 Pitt (13-1), No. 13 Kent State (13-5), No. 20 Edinboro (9-2) and No. 23 Old Dominion (13-8).
FLANNERY TIED SCHOOL RECORD: With his pin of Lock Haven's John Trumbetti at the 1:35 mark on February 3rd, Cleveland State 133-pound sophomore Nick Flannery etched his name in the school record book alongside Tony DiGiovanni (1973-74, 1975-76) and Tim Payne (1978-79) for the most dual meet pins in a season with six.
EWL THIS WEEK: Below is the Eastern Wrestling League schedule this week:
Friday - February 17
Bloomsburg at Lock Haven
Edinboro at Pittsburgh
Kent State at Clarion
Saturday - February 18
West Virginia at Edinboro
Sunday - February 19
Lock Haven at Clarion
West Virginia at Cleveland State
Pittsburgh at Penn State
UP NEXT: The Vikings will compete in the Eastern Wrestling League Championships on March 4 in Clarion, Pa. Last year, the Vikings took seventh place.
The head coach: Ben Stehura (Lock Haven '00)
At Cleveland State: 15-56 (four years) ... Overall: 41-106-1 (eight years)
THE STEHURA FILE: Ben Stehura is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Viking wrestling program, and has recruited a talented group of young wrestlers that expect to make noise in the Eastern Wrestling League this year. Stehura has a history of developing young talent, as he has coached seven NCAA qualifiers, three NCAA All-Americans and two Olympic alternates over the past seven years. Stehura joined CSU in 2008 after building a successful program at Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. The first head coach in Limestone's history, Stehura took the team from three wins his first year to 13 in 2007-2008. Stehura will use his experience with coaching a young program to lead the Vikings during the 2011-12 season, working to improve in EWL competition and continuing the history and tradition of CSU wrestling.