March 3, 2010
Contact: Renee Adam
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State wrestling team will participate in the 2010 EWL Championship this Sunday, March 7 and attempt to build on their sixth place finish they had last season. The championship will take place in Morgantown, W. Va. on the West Virginia campus with action beginning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing throughout the day.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings hosted West Virginia in their final dual meet of the season on Friday, February 19. Following is a recap of the meet:
West Virginia 34, Cleveland State 11:
Mike Mencini, Dan Castillo and Corey Carlo were victorious for the Vikings, winning their matches in the middle of the line up at 141, 149 and 157 pounds respectively. Mencini recorded a 21-5 tech fall over Ryan Ramano, Carlo won a 7-3 decision over Kyle Eason and Castillo was the lone senior to win on Senior Night, winning a 5-4 decision over Jonathon Waldron.
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: CSU is led by senior Marcus Effner and junior Rob Michaels, who have combined for 26 victories this season. Also coming on strong for the Vikings are sophomores Corey Carlo (eight wins) and Mike Mencini (six). The highlights of the season are the 31-13 victory over John Carroll on Nov. 24, the 28-20 victory over Appalachian State on Dec. 4, Rob Michaels' victory at the Midlands Invitational (Dec. 29-30) and Marcus Effner's victory at No. 13 Kent State (Jan. 5).
VIKINGS POST THREE: The Cleveland State wrestling team had its best EWL contest of the year, winning a season high three matches against an EWL opponent when Mike Mencini, Dan Castillo and Corey Carlo recorded victories against West Virginia (Feb. 19). The three wins also marks the fourth highest win total for all duals this season, the high coming in the 31-13 victory over John Carroll (11/24) when seven Vikings were victorious.
SENIOR SHINES: With his 5-4 victory over West Virginia's Jonathon Waldron on February 19, Dan Castillo was the only senior to record a win on Senior Night. The win marked his fourth of the season and the 15th of his career, which is the fifth highest career total on the team.
CARLO CLOSING IN ON 10 WINS: Sophomore Corey Carlo is just two wins shy of a 10-win season following his 7-3 victory over Kyle Eason of West Virginia (Feb. 19). Carlo would become just the third Viking to reach double digit wins this season, joining Rob Michaels (14) and Marcus Effner (12).
EFFNER STRONG AGAINST EWL: In his final season as a Viking, Marcus Effner leads the team with three EWL victories. His wins have come against Lock Haven (7-4 Dec. Derek Caldwell), Bloomsburg (4-2 Dec. Mike Dessino) and Edinboro (6-1 Dec. Paul Paddock). The only season that he recorded more victories against EWL opponents was during 2007-08 as a junior, winning matches against Clarion, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Pittsburgh.
MENCINI GETS FIRST TECH FALL: When Mike Mencini came out victorious against West Virginia's Ryan Ramano, he recorded his second career EWL victory and his sixth overall career victory. Mencini's win came by way of a 21-5 tech fall, his first of the season, and just the second on the team.
EWL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009: The Vikings finished the 2009 EWL Championships in sixth place as a team and had eight wrestlers place in the top six in their respective weight classes, led by Rashard Goff who was the EWL Champion in the heavyweight division.
2009 EWL PLACERS:
133: Josh Palivoda, 5th
141: Lawrence Cavello, 6th
149: Antonio Nicholson, 4th
157: Corey Carlo, 5th
165: Rob Michaels, 4th
184: JT Miller, 6th
HWT: Rashard Goff, 1st
VIKINGS IN THE EWL RANKINGS: In the latest Eastern Wrestling League rankings, released February 8, three wrestlers represent the Vikings, including Mike Mencini (141), Rob Michaels (165) and Marcus Effner (174). Effner is the highest ranked Viking, coming in fourth, while Mencini and Michaels are fifth.
THE STEHURA FILE: Ben Stehura is in his second season as the head coach of the Cleveland State wrestling program. Stehura returns after leading a young Viking team to a 4-13 record during his first season at the helm. Stehura continued the trend of coaching a wrestler to the NCAA Championships last season, and for the 48th straight year a Viking wrestler advanced to the NCAA Championship with Rashard Goff representing CSU in 2009. Stehura also coached Goff to an EWL Heavyweight championship, the first league champion for CSU since the 2006 season. Stehura will use his experience with coaching a young program and lead the Vikings during the 2009-10 season, working to improve in the EWL and continuing the history and tradition of CSU wrestling.
