Jan. 12, 2004

HAMPTON, Va. - The Cleveland State wrestling team went 1-2 on the weekend at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va. After opening with a tough 24-18 loss to Rider, the Vikings rebounded to defeat Virginia, 19-18, before seeing their run through the bracket ended by the Citadel, 22-13.

Against Rider, the Vikings fell behind after a pair of falls to open the match. A forfeit at 141 closed the gap, but a pair of decisions at 149 and 157 put Rider back up by 12. The Vikings won four of the next five matches, but a fall at 184 sealed the win for Rider.

In the opening round consolation match, Cleveland State claimed a thrilling one-point win over Virginia, 19-18. Trailing 18-3 after the first six matches, the Vikings rallied to win the final five matches. At 174, Matt Kallai claimed an 8-3 decision, followed by a 14-5 major decision by Ron Howard at 184. Joe Phillips followed that up with a 9-0 major decision at 197, and Russ Davie scored a technical fall, 16-0, at 285 that gave the Vikings the one-point victory.

The Vikings couldn't capitalize on the momentum, however, as they fell to the Citadel in the second round of the consolation bracket. Cleveland State lost the first six matches and trailed 19-0 before Matt Klinger scored an 8-6 decision at 165. Joe Phillips and Russ Davie both stayed a perfect 3-0 on the weekend by picking up a win against Citadel.

Cleveland State now turns its attention to the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals, which CSU will host from Jan. 16-18. The Vikings will compete with 15 other Division I teams to determine the national champion in a team format. Tickets for the event are on sale by calling Ticketmaster at (216) 241-5555 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.