Feb. 17, 2002
The Cleveland State wrestlers grabbed their second Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) match of the season in a 26-11 victory over Virginia Tech today at Woodling Gymnasium. Jason Effner (Garfield Heights, Ohio/Garfield Heights) and Gerald Harris (Tulsa, Okla./East Central) got the Vikes going with a major decision and a pin, respectively, that the Hokies could not recover from.
In the first match Effner battled Jerome Villanueva to a 2-2 tie after the first period. However, the Viking sophomore took over in the second frame, scoring first with an escape and following with a single-leg takedown. Effner then worked in two consecutive cross-face cradles that landed him five back points. The 165-pounder added an escape in the third period for the 11-2 victory. The major was a relief for Effner, who has had seven one-point bouts this season.
Junior Gerald Harris also came out firing for CSU. The 19th-ranked 174-pounder had a 2-1 lead when he put Tomas Ovalle on his back with a bear-hug throw, pinning him in 2:34. It was Harris' team-high 21st win of the season.
Stipe Miocic (Willowick, Ohio/Eastlake North) grabbed his 16th win of the year the hard way, reversing Canaan Prater with one second left in the bout to win, 7-5. Miocic led the match the whole way until Prater sneaked a single-leg takedown with eight seconds remaining to knot the score at five apiece. Yet Miocic was able to kick free and reverse just as time expired.
Heavyweight Russ Davie (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) also gave CSU a big win by dominating Pete Pool in a 13-0 win. The 17th-ranked heavyweight landed two three-point near-falls with a half nelson and a cross-face.
In the lightweight matches the Mansueto twins took two more wins from the Hokies. Rocco Mansueto (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown) grabbed two single-leg and two double-leg takedowns while allowing just four escapes in a 10-4 win. Phil Mansueto (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown) mustered just one double-leg takedown, but came away with a 3-2 win over David Hoffman. With the win the 133-pounder improved to 5-0 in EWL matches.
At 149 pounds Anthony Coleman (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) used two takedowns and a reversal in a bout against Reed Carpenter to win, 6-4.
The Hokies earned wins from their two stars, #4 Sean Gray and #2 Scott Justus, and 157-pounder Mike Cox. Gray, who broke Viriginia Tech's all-time wins record on Saturday, used five takedowns and one reversal in a 15-6 win. Justus had four takedowns and a three-point cradle in a 17-7 victory. Cox grabbed a takedown late in the third period to send the bout into overtime and won on a single-leg takedown, 7-5.
