Nov. 30, 2011
Contact: Tim Ertle
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SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State will host its second straight match when the Eastern Michigan Eagles come to Woodling Gymnasium for a 7:00 p.m. match on Thursday (Dec. 1) night. The Vikings will be attempting to start a winning streak after beating John Carroll, 29-9, on Nov. 22. The Eagles won three straight to start the season before falling to No. 24 Binghamton last Saturday (Nov. 26). Thursday's match will be the 14th meeting between the two programs and CSU leads the all-time series 8-5.
LAST TIME ON THE MAT: The Cleveland State wrestling team improved to 2-2 on the season with a 29-9 victory over crosstown foe John Carroll on Nov. 22. The Vikings received pins from Ben Willeford (125) and Lawrence Cavello (149) and major decisions from Nick Flannery (133) and Chris Weber (HWT). Tanner Lemon (157) earned a 14-12 sudden victory to help the cause. Josh Palivoda (141) and Corey Carlo (165) earned wins to each improve to 4-0 in duals.
MID-MAJOR MIGHT: The Vikings are ranked No. 23 in the third Mid-Major poll conducted by the National Wrestling Media Association. The poll, which includes NCAA Division I wrestling schools that do not sponsor a football program in a BCS conference, was released on Tuesday (Nov. 29). The poll is endorsed by the National Wrestling Media Association and is chaired by the National Collegiate Open. Voting is conducted by BuckeyeWrestling.com, InterMatWrestle.com, TheMat.com, TheOpenMat.com and WrestlingReport.com. Eastern Michigan was the fifth school out of the top-25, coming in 30th.
EARNING RESPECT: In the annual preseason rankings, WrestlingReport.com omitted Josh Palivoda from the list of notable 141-pounders and pegged Corey Carlo as the fourth best 165-pounder. With 4-0 performances to start the season, both Palivoda and Carlo have climbed toward the top of the list in their respective weight classes. In the most recent rankings, released on Nov. 23, WrestlingReport.com has Carlo as the second best 165-pounder in the league and Palivoda as the fourth best 141-pounder. Ben Willeford (125), Nick Flannery (133), Aric Thurn (174), Corbin Boone (184) and Nick Anthony (197) are honorable mention selections. Allen Brown and Bruce Closson, the website's editors, conducted the rankings.
LEMON GETS GOTT FOR VICTORY: Freshman Tanner Lemon had to go the distance - and then some - to earn his first career victory in a dual meet. Lemon and John Carroll's Terner Gott were locked at 12 after seven minutes. The 157-pounder from Perry High School scored with a takedown to earn a sudden victory in his Woodling Gymnasium debut.
IN THE COMMUNITY: Lemon may have had karma on his side as just before his first dual meet victory, he joined assistant coach Josh Zupancic and teammate Matt Donohoe as wrestling instructors to help local kids. The trio volunteered at Imagine Romig Road Community School in Akron and helped the team prepare for its first match of the season.
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.
PRIOR TO THE MAIN EVENT: Before Cleveland State and Eastern Michigan wrestle at 7:00 p.m., a middle school wrestling match will be held at 5:30 p.m. Westshore Wrestling Club will compete against North Akron Wrestling Club.
NEXT UP: Cleveland State will host its third consecutive dual meet next Sunday (Dec. 11) at 1:00 p.m. against Eastern Wrestling League foe Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 3-0 and ranked No. 8 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches poll released on Nov. 29 and tied for 14th in the InterMatWrestle.com tournament-strength and individual wrestling rankings released on Tuesday (Nov. 29).
