March 2, 2009
Contact: Ryan Mulford
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (4-13) concludes its 50th season of intercollegiate competition on Saturday, March 6, when the Vikings travel to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania to take part in the year end EWL conference tournament. The tournament brings together the seven conference teams, all competing for a slot in the NCAA tournament that will be held in St. Louis, Missouri from March 19-21.
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: The Vikings are led by senior captains, Rashard Goff and Antonio Nicholson, along with highly talented freshman Jordan Keller. Both Goff and Keller have won over 20 matches this season while Nicholson has hammered out 17 victories. CSU has a slew of young grapplers who have notched double digit victories this season, including Keller (22), Rob Michaels (16), Corey Carlo (12) and Lawrence Cavello (11). The Vikings tallied four dual meet wins this season highlighted by a 46-3 victory over Wagner on Dec. 19.
RECAPPING WEST VIRGINIA: The Vikings were shutout for the first time since 1998, when the Mountaineers won 48-0 on February 22. Both JT Miller and Rob Michaels gave gritty performances in their matches, scoring the lone takedowns for the Vikings. Miller lost a slim 7-5 decision, while Michaels lost 12-8. In his bid for a 100th victory, Rashard Goff came up three points shy in a 4-1 loss to 11th-ranked Dustin Rogers.
FORFEITS AGAIN TO MUCH TO OVERCOME: Before the first whistle of the dual meet against West Virginia was blown, the Vikings found themselves trailing 12-0 thanks to forfeits at 125 and 197 pounds.
VIKINGS IN EWL TOURNAMENT LAST SEASON: Rashard Goff and Marcus Effner each won two matches at the EWL tournament a year ago and both qualified for the NCAA tournament. Josh Palivoda along with Goff were the highest placers for the Vikings, each earning fourth place honors. JT Miller and Effner each received fifth place honors, while Rob Michaels captured sixth place.
KELLER READY TO RUMBLE: After being sidelined the past two weeks due to an injury, freshman Jordan Keller is poised to make a big comeback at the EWL tournament. Keller began his Viking career strong with a second place showing at the Eastern Michigan Open. Since then he has hammered out eight dual meet wins on his way to a 22 win season.
NICHOLSON LOOKING TO GO OUT ON TOP: In quite possibly his final collegiate wrestling tournament, Antonio Nicholson will attempt to make the most of it. The senior co-captain from Solon, Ohio has 29 career wins, 17 coming this season, including the teams fastest pin, needing only 30 seconds to topple Jacob Cann at the Michigan State Open. As of late Nicholson has made a habit of last second heroics, scoring three points in the final 15 seconds to beat Matt Fittery of Lock Haven (1/24) and followed that up with a takedown in the final 10 seconds to pull ahead of Greg Lewis of Clarion, to secure a 7-3 victory on Senior Night (2/14).
GOFF STILL ONE WIN SHY OF 100: After scoring a 12-3 major decision over Roman Husman on Senior Night (2/14), Rashard Goff captured his 99th career win and team high 27th win this season. Goff began the dual meet season by winning his first 10 contests, including three pin falls in his first six matches. The senior also has beaten 14th-ranked Christian Brantley by a 4-1 decision on Jan. 3 and followed that up with a 6-2 victory over Wes Schroeder of Eastern Michigan on Jan. 11. He has had several notable wins this season in open tournaments, including a 3-1 overtime thrilling win over then fourth-ranked Kyle Massey of Wisconsin at the Midlands Invitational. In a talented heavyweight crop, this season Goff will have faced off against eight of the top 20 heavyweights in the country.
MICHAELS LOOKING TO STAY HOT: Rob Michaels began his sophomore campaign by suffering a knee injury in his first match of the season. However, he made a triumphant return at the Bucknell Duals (12/19) posting a 3-0 record including two pin falls. After battling through a stretch where he faced the toughest competition the EWL had to offer, Michaels has prevailed winning two of his last three matches. In a hostile environment at Edinboro, Michaels came up huge for the Vikings taking down Chris Hrunka with a 17-5 major decision victory and followed that up with an 8-2 win over Dominic Ross of Clarion. His lone loss, 12-8, came against Donnie Jones of West Virginia. This season, Michaels has a team high five pins, and has 16 wins.
KMETZ RETURNS TO LINE-UP: After an early season knee injury kept Nate Kmetz sidelined for most the the season, the senior has battled back and earned his way into the starting line-up competing at 174 pounds.
LAST CALL: This years Eastern Wrestling League tournament could be the last time that senior JT Miller puts on his Viking singlet. Miller has proven that he can rise up to any challenge, this year as the senior went into Columbus, Ohio and beat then 18th-ranked Dave Rella, while last season he pinned 15th-ranked Phil Morricone of Edinboro in 3:27.
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: The Vikings have a dynamic line-up, starting at 125 pounds and finishing at heavyweight. Eventhough Jordan Keller (125) and Rashard Goff (HWT) have different wrestling styles, the results have been the same. The duo has teamed up to win 49 matches this season and have placed at six tournaments, highlighted by two first places, Goff at the Michigan State Open and Keller at the CSU Open.
GOFF NAMED EWL WRESTLER OF WEEK: After hammering out a perfect 2-0 record at the Eastern Michigan Duals, Rashard Goff was rewarded with EWL Wrestler of the Week honors for the week of January 11, 2009. Goff became the first Viking wrestler to earn the honor since Ryan Hurley won the award in January 2007.
THE HEAD COACH: Ben Stehura (Lock Haven, 2000) Overall: 30-63-1 At CSU: 4-13
Former Viking graduate assistant coach Ben Stehura is in his first season as head coach. Stehura is only the third head coach for the Viking wrestling program after serving the last five years as the head coach at Division II Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. The only head coach in Limestone history, Stehura quickly built the program and has already coached one NCAA National Champion, three NCAA All-Americans, five NCAA National qualifiers and eight NCAA All-Academic team members. A 2000 graduate of Lock Haven University with a Bachelor's of Science in Secondary Education, Stehura was a three-year starter, earning fourth and fifth place finishes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.
UP NEXT: The Vikings will travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to compete in the NCAA tournament on March 19. The tournament begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs throughout the weekend.
