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Wrestling Hosts Cleveland State Open

Wrestling Hosts Cleveland State Open
Posted: Dec 08, 2009

Dec. 8, 2009

Contact: Renee Adam

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SETTING THE SCENE: After posting the second dual meet victory of the year after topping Appalachian State 28-20, the Vikings will host the Cleveland State Open on Sunday (Dec. 13) with action starting at 9:00 a.m. and continuing throughout the day in Woodling Gym.

REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings recorded 11 individual victories during the Bobcat Duals last Friday (Dec. 4), with Rob Michaels leading the way, going 3-0 on the day.

CSU 28, Appalachian State 20: Zachary Zupancic recorded the first technical fall of the year for CSU topping Tony Gravely with a score of 19-3 in the first match of the day, while Mike Mencini and Jeff Schuller pinned their opponents in 4:00 and 5:26 minutes, respectively. Rob Michaels recorded a 14-6 major decision against Kyle Blevins, and was followed up by Marcus Effner who posted an 11-3 major decision in the 174 pound weight class. Heavyweight Chris Weber wrapped up the dual with a 4-3 decision over Ken Altarac, recording the final three points of the meet.

The Citadel 24, CSU 13: Corey Carlo put the first Viking points on the board as he defeated Turtogtokh Luvsandorj with a 4-3 decision in the 157 pound weight class, quickly followed by a Rob Michaels victory in the 165 pound class. Nick Anthony recorded his first major decision as a Viking, beating Kelby Smith 8-0. Chris Weber ended the dual on a good note, recording a 3-2 decision over Ivan Muller giving the Vikings a total of 13 points.

Ohio 41, CSU 4: Rob Michaels recorded the only CSU victory against the Bobcats, defeating Kevin Christensen by a 13-2 major decision.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: CSU is led by senior Marcus Effner, junior Rob Michaels and sophomore Jordan Keller, who have combined for 20 victories this season. Also coming on strong for the Vikings this season is sophomore Corey Carlo with six wins and junior Dan Castillo who has recorded three victories. The highlights of the season so far are the 31-13 victory over John Carroll on Nov. 24, the 28-20 victory over Appalachian State on Dec. 4 and Keller's Michigan State Open title in the 125 pound weight class.

MICHAELS GETS 50: After going 3-0 at the Bobcat Duals last Friday (Dec. 4), junior Rob Michaels has posted 50 career victories over two and a half seasons as a Viking. As a freshman he recorded 23 wins, won 18 as a sophomore and has recorded nine through six events this season. He is one of only two current Vikings to reach 50 victories and the only junior.

...FOUR MATCH WIN STREAK: Rob Michaels is riding a four match win streak going into the CSU Open this weekend, following his three Bobcat Dual victories and his win against John Carroll in November. Michaels recorded a three match dual meet win streak, stretching from December 19 against Wagner to January 11 at Eastern Michigan last season.

WINNING-BY-PINNING: The Vikings have pinned their opponents six times already this season, with all six pins coming from six different wrestlers. This is compared to last year when CSU had posted only two pins up to this point in the season and had just seven wrestlers post pins throughout the entire year.

HOME ADVANTAGE: Three current Vikings have placed at the CSU Open in past years, led by Jordan Keller, the only first place finisher coming in the 125 weight class last season. Rob Michaels placed fifth in 2006 and second in 2007 in the 157 pound weight class, while Aric Thurn took home a second place finish last season at 165 pounds.

UPPERCLASSMEN LEADERSHIP: The senior and junior classes have combined for 20 wins this season, half of the overall victories for the squad. The senior trio of Dan Castillo, Marcus Effner and Jeff Schuller have accounted for 11 wins, while Rob Michaels has posted nine wins as the lone junior.

QUICK PIN: Rob Michaels recorded the fastest pin of the season against John Carroll's Andrew Shafer (Nov. 24), when he ended the match in just 29 seconds. The pin bested Michaels' previous record of 41 seconds, and is also the fastest pin in the past two seasons.

TEAM LEADERS: Rob Michaels and Jordan Keller are the lone returners that led the squad last season in statistical categories. Michaels led the Vikings with five pins, and was also fourth with 18 wins. Keller was first on the squad with 11 major decisions and second behind Rashard Goff with 23 wins. This season Michaels leads the team in wins and is tied for first in pins while Keller is tied for second in major decisions and is fourth in wins.

FOUR IN EWL RANKINGS: Jordan Keller (125), Mike Mencini (141), Corey Carlo (157) and Rob Michaels (165) currently respresent CSU in the EWL rankings, placing fourth in their respective weight classes. Keller, Carlo and Michaels are all in the top-five for most wins on the team, with Keller and Michaels also ranked in pins and major decisions.

VIKINGS PICK UP THE PACE: After posting just five individual victories through the first four meets, the Vikings are starting to heat up after posting seven wins in the 31-13 victory over John Carroll (Nov. 24). The seven wins marks the highest total in the last 12 dual meets, with the Vikings notching seven victories against Ashland on January 11, 2009.

NEXT UP: The Vikings will stay in Cleveland to host their final dual meet of the calendar year when they host Northwestern on Thursday (Dec. 17) with action beginning at 7:00 p.m.

THE HEAD COACH
Ben Stehura (Lockhaven '00)
AT CSU: 6-19 (2nd year)
OVERALL: 32-69-1 (6th year)

THE STEHURA FILE: Ben Stehura enters 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.