Final Bracket
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March 5, 2006
Edinboro, Pa. - Senior Ron Howard added yet another accolade to his already dominant final collegiate campaign, out-battling Edinboro's Alex Clemson to claim the 184-pound Eastern Wrestling League title on Sunday (March 5). He, along with four other Vikings, earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships with their performances at the conference tournament.
Howard, who now holds a 28-7 overall record and a 9-0 conference mark this season, edged out Clemson in a 3-2 decision to claim his first EWL Championship and earn his third NCAA bid. He has been one of the hottest wrestlers in the conference of late, winning his last 12 bouts.
Freshman Rashard Goff also represented CSU in the championship round of the tournament at heavyweight but was unable to come out on top against Bloomsburg's Mike Spaid, who held off the Viking in a 3-2 bout. Goff entered the match with a 5-1 record against league opponents, with his only loss coming to Spaid earlier in the year.
Along with Howard and Goff, sophomores David Armstrong (133) and Mike Hurley (141) also earned national championship selections thanks to their third-place showings in the tournament.
Sophomore Ryan Hurley (149) garnered the Vikings' fifth bid as one of the five wild card selections decided by a vote of the EWL coaches based upon performance in both the championships and the regular season. Hurley, who earns his second trip to the NCAA tournament, had been ranked as high as sixth in the nation before being hampered by a mid-season injury.
Additionally, sophomore Joe Wornoff was selected as an alternate for the national championships thanks to a strong showing in the 125-pound bracket.
"The guys really wrestled great and gave us the most out of what we had," head coach Jack Effner said. "I feel good about the way we performed. We still have the NCAA Championships ahead, but this was a very positive point in a season full of ups and downs. We pulled everything together at the right time."
This is the fourth-straight year that Cleveland State has sent five or more wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, with Effner now having coached a total of 32 during his tenure at CSU.
Armstrong began his trip through the 133-pound consolation bracket with an 8-4 decision over Rick Donald of Edinboro. He clinched his trip to the NCAA Championships and earned some revenge with a pin of West Virginia's Seth Lisa in 4:50 of the third-place bout. Lisa defeated Armstrong via pin in first round action on Saturday.
Mike Hurley also scored a pair of wins at 141, including a payback victory in the third-place bout, to secure his first national tournament bid. He worked a 3-1 decision over Brad Forbes of Bloomsburg before claiming a 5-3 sudden victory win over Rick McLauchlin of Edinboro, who topped the Viking in the first round of the tournament.
Ryan Hurley dropped a close 7-5 overtime decision in his first bout of the day, but the sophomore redeemed himself in the fifth-place match, scoring an 11-5 win over George Hickman of Lock Haven.
Wornoff scored a 3-1 decision over Ricky Deubel of Edinboro to begin his morning and advance to the third-place bout, but Pittsburgh's Brad Gentzle edged out the Viking in a 7-6 battle.
Freshman Victer Crenshaw (157) and sophomore Tim Scarl (165) also picked up fifth-place finishes at the tournament. Crenshaw rebounded from a opening-session pin to score a 9-6 decision over Sean Richmond of Pittsburgh in the fifth-place bout, while Scarl got revenge for an opening round loss to Rory McCoy with an 11-2 major decision over the Lock Haven wrestler for fifth.
As a team, the Vikings moved up a spot to fifth place with a score of 82 points. Host Edinboro claimed the team title with 120.5 points.
Howard is the school's first conference champion since Russ Davie claimed the heavyweight title in 2004.
The championship bouts of the EWL Championships will be broadcasted on College Sports Television on March 13 at 8:00 p.m. and on March 14 at both 2:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. They will also be re-aired on Fox Sports Ohio on March 18 at 1:00 p.m.
Team Results
1. Edinboro 120.50
2. West Virginia 110.50
3. Pittsburgh 97.00
4. Bloomsburg 94.50
5. Cleveland State 82.00
6. Lock Haven 70.50
7. Clarion 29.50
Cleveland State Final Results
125
Joe Wornoff (CSU) MD Scott Stuart (WVU), 13-4
Mike Sees (BU) FALL Joe Wornoff (CSU), 3:37
Joe Wornoff (CSU) DEC Ricky Deubel (EU), 3-1
Brad Gentzle (Pitt) DEC Joe Wornoff (CSU), 7-6
Joe Wornoff - EWL 4th place, NCAA Championship Alternate
133
Seth Lisa (WVU) FALL David Armstrong (CSU), 4:44
David Armstrong (CSU) DEC Rick Donald (BU), 8-4
David Armstrong (CSU) FALL Seth Lisa (WVU), 4:50
David Armstrong - EWL 3rd place, NCAA Championship Qualifier
141
Rick McLauchlin (EU) DEC Mike Hurley (CSU), 6-4 SV
Mike Hurley (CSU) FALL Brian Ellis (LHU), 2:41
Mike Hurley (CSU) DEC Brad Forbes (BU), 3-1
Mike Hurley (CSU) DEC Rick McLauchlin (EU), 5-3 SV
Mike Hurley - EWL 3rd place, NCAA Championship Qualifier
149
Joey Ecklof (Pitt) DEC Ryan Hurley (CSU), 3-2
David Jauregui (WVU) DEC Ryan Hurley (CSU), 7-5 OT
Ryan Hurley (CSU) DEC George Hickman (BU), 11-5
Ryan Hurley - EWL 5th place, NCAA Championship Qualifier*
157
Aric Fuhrman (BU) MD Victer Crenshaw (CSU), 11-1
Matt Hill (EU) FALL Victer Crenshaw (CSU), 2:08
Victer Crenshaw (CSU) DEC Sean Richmond (Pitt), 9-6
Victer Crenshaw - EWL 5th place
165
Rory McCoy (LHU) DEC Tim Scarl (CSU), 8-4
Tim Scarl (CSU) MD Chris Goings (CU), 12-3
Deonte Penn (EU) MD Tim Scarl (CSU), 8-0
Tim Scarl (CSU) MD Rory McCoy (LHU), 11-2
Tim Scarl - EWL 5th place
174
Eric Ring (EU) TF Anthony Mestek (CSU), 17-0 (3:56)
David Gardner (CU) TF Anthony Mestek (CSU), 16-0 (3:22)
Anthony Mestek - EWL 7th place
184
Ron Howard (CSU) MD Dominic Ross (CU), 11-3
Ron Howard (CSU) MD Kyle Deliere (Pitt), 13-2
Ron Howard (CSU) DEC Alex Clemson (EU), 3-2
Ron Howard - EWL 1st place, NCAA Championship Qualifier
197
Jared Villers (WVU) TF Ishmal Williams (CSU), 17-2 (5:10)
Logan Downes (CU) DEC Ishmal Williams (CSU), 6-3
Ishmal Williams - EWL 7th place
285
Rashard Goff (CSU) DEC Matt Holsopple (WVU), 8-3
Rashard Goff (CSU) DEC Jeremy Mosley (EU), 4-0
Mike Spaid (BU) DEC Rashard Goff (CSU), 3-2
Rashard Goff - EWL 2nd place, NCAA Championship Qualifier
* NCAA bid awarded as one of five wild card selections by a vote of the league coaches
