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Vikings Host West Virginia on Senior Day

Vikings Host West Virginia on Senior Day
Posted: Feb 19, 2008

Feb. 19, 2008

Contact: Gene Natale, Jr.

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DUAL MEET 15
Cleveland State (4-10, 0-5 EWL) vs. West Virginia (7-4, 3-1 EWL)
Date: Sunday, February 24, 2008
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Site: Woodling Gymnasium (3,800), Cleveland, Ohio
Series: West Virginia Leads, 19-10
Last Meeting: @West Virginia 38, CSU 6 (Feb. 18, 2007)

SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (4-10, 0-5 EWL) hosts EWL opponent West Virginia (7-4, 3-1 EWL) in a Senior Day dual meet at Woodling Gymnasium on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST. The Vikings will attempt to snap a six-meet losing streak.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Vikings faced Clarion on the road on Thursday, Feb. 14 in Clarion, Pa. Here is a brief look at how the Vikings fared last week.

Clarion 30, Cleveland State 7 (Feb. 14 at Tippin Gym, Clarion Pa.)
Marcus Effner (5-3 decision at 165 pounds) won the first bout of the evening, but the Vikings lost eight of the next nine bouts as Clarion secured their first league win of the season. Rashard Goff also won a match for the Vikings with a 13-2 major decision over Roman Husam.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State is led by its middleweights this season, as its wrestlers from 157-174 pounds have all reached at least 20 wins. Junior Marcus Effner (24-8 at 165 pounds) leads the team in overall wins, dual meet wins (10) and dual meet points (36). Freshman Robbie Michaels (23-8 at 157 pounds) is second in wins despite losing his last four matches in his second season with the Vikings. Junior JT Miller (21-15 at 174 pounds) is third in wins and second on the team with seven pins. Miller is in his first year as a starter. The Vikings also have plenty of talent at the other weight classes. Heavyweight Rashard Goff (18-8 at 285 pounds) is ranked 18th in the nation. Senior co-captain Ryan Hurley (13-10 at 149 pounds) has started every match of the season at 149 pounds, and is second on the team with seven dual meet wins. Seniors Ryan Riggs (co-captain, 12-12 at 125) and Mike Hurley (6-10 at 141) provide leadership with their years of experience. This leadership is needed as the Vikings have true freshmen starting at the remaining three weight classes. Freshman Alek Hughes (14-14 at 197 pounds) has had the most success of the trio, leading all true freshmen in wins. Hughes, who is sidelined with a sprained ankle, will be spelled by either Chris Hahn (0-1) or Benny Balogh (9-9) this week. Freshmen Josh Palivoda (9-18 at 133 pounds) and Derek Cummins (9-21 at 184 pounds) have been competitive in most of their matches despite their loss totals. Freshman Eric Schwartz (15-10) rounds out the starting lineup as a spot starter at heavyweight.

THE HEAD COACH
Jack Effner (Indiana State `86)
At CSU: 71-90-3 (10th year)
Overall: 158-132-8 (19th year)

Only the second head wrestling coach in Cleveland State history, Jack Effner has continued the strong tradition of Viking wrestling. He has mentored 35 NCAA qualifiers and five EWL champions during his career. His most successful season 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, continuing a streak that began in 1965 (42 seasons overall). 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 can't panic, or dwell on negativity. We just have to get better and do it next time. Wrestling is a hard game. It's about getting tough when you need to, stubborn when you need to, not conceeding, and not giving up. We just have to get better at it."

CSU ALL-TIME VS. THE MOUNTAINEERS: The Vikings have posted a 10-19 overall mark against West Virginia. Cleveland State last faced the Mountaineers on Feb. 18, 2007, which was a 38-6 loss in Morgantown. CSU has lost the last six meetings between the two schools, and the Vikings last win over WVU came in 2001 by a 22-19 score.

SENIOR DAY HISTORY: The Vikings are 28-19 all-time on senior day, including a 44-3 win against Clarion on last year's senior day (Feb. 11, 2007). CSU has faced West Virginia on Senior Day (or the final home meet) eight times, with the Mountaineers posting a 5-3 record in those contests.

LEADING THE TEAM: Junior 165-pounder Marcus Effner leads the team with a 24-8 record. He has won nine of his last 12 matches, and leads the team in dual meet wins (10) as well as points (33).

...BUT NOT FAR BEHIND: Redshirt freshman Robbie Michaels (23-8 at 157 pounds) has the second-most wins amongst Viking wrestlers. He has continued the Vikings' success at 157 pounds. Last year's starter at 157, Victer Crenshaw, also won over 20 matches and was an NCAA Championship qualifier.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED: Junior Rashard Goff (18-8) is currently the 18th ranked heavyweight in the nation. He was recognized with the ranking after defeating then-15th ranked Joe Fendone of Edinboro on Feb. 9.

...ANOTHER DOMINANT HEAVY: Freshman heavyweight Eric Schwartz has challenged Goff for the starting role this season. Schwartz has accumulated a 15-10 record while splitting time with the nationally ranked junior.

STARTING TIME FOR MILLER: Junior 174-pounder JT Miller is in his first year as a starter and has excelled in the role. Miller ranks third on the team with 21 wins, and second with seven pins.

TAG TEAM: Seniors Mike Hurley (53) and Ryan Hurley (71) have won a combined 124 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.

...MORE ON RYAN: Ryan Hurley, 13-10 this season at 149 pounds, currently has 71 career wins, which ties him with Marcus Effner for the most by any current Viking under Jack Effner.

HUGHES' PINS: Freshman Alek Hughes' high-energy, fast-paced approach has resulted in a team-leading eight pins. He has been victorious in six other matches for a total of 14 wins.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: The Vikings boast a roster that includes four previous NCAA qualifiers, including juniors Marcus Effner (2005) at 165 and Rashard Goff (2006, 2007) at 285, and seniors Mike Hurley (2006) at 141 and Ryan Hurley (2005-07) 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. The co-captain began the season with only 20 career victories.

NATIONAL SERVICE: Junior heavyweight Jeff Schuller is a member of the United State Marine Corps and is a veteran of the current Iraqi War. He has put his college career on hold on multiple occasions to serve tours of combat duty overseas.

...AND HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE: Sophomore 149-pounder Shaun Mitchell is also a member of the armed forces as a U.S. Army national guardsman.

UP NEXT: The Vikings will have two weeks to prepare for the 2008 Eastern Wrestling League Championships, held at the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 8.