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Contact: Kevin Zeise
Jan. 27, 2004
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland State University wrestling team will try to snap a four-match losing skid when they travel to Ohio on Fri., Jan. 30 for a 7 p.m. match with the Bobcats. The Vikings, winners of four straight to open the season, have lost four straight matches and five of their last six, dating back to the Virginia Duals on Jan. 9.
About the Vikings: Cleveland State (6-6, 0-2 EWL) enters Friday's match with Ohio on a little bit of a slide, having lost four straight matches, including two at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals on Jan. 17 in Cleveland. Most recently, the Vikings dropped a 24-15 decision to Pittsburgh on Thurs., Jan. 22, to fall to 0-2 on the season in the Eastern Wrestling League. Senior Russ Davie (Perrysburg, Ohio) leads the Vikings with a 15-6 mark on the season, while fellow senior Matt DePolo (Bellevue, Ohio) has a team-high 24 wins on the year.
Scouting the Bobcats: Despite losing 19-17 to Northern Illinois on Sun., Jan. 25, Ohio still stands 6-3 on the year. The Bobcats fell to Edinboro, the only common opponent at this point in the season, by a 23-10 margin on Nov. 15. Ohio is led by junior Jake Percival at 157, a two-time All-American, who carries a 29-0 mark into Friday's match with the Vikings.
Series Notes: The all-time series between Cleveland State and Ohio is tied, 3-3-1, with the Vikings claiming last year's meeting, 30-6, in Woodling Gym. Under head coach Jack Effner, the Vikings are 2-2 against the Bobcats.
Head Coach Jack Effner: In his sixth season as head coach at Cleveland State, Jack Effner is well on his way to bringing the Viking wrestling program back to the being among the nation's elite. He has a record of 44-49-3 while at Cleveland State, and an overall mark of 131-91-8 including the nine seasons he spent at Army before coming to Cleveland State. Effner guided the Vikings to a 13-6 mark in 2002-03, the most wins since the 1978-79 season, and took a school-record-tying six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Effner is assisted by Brian Keck, Gerald Harris and Phil Mansueto.
Cleveland State's Probable Starters
| 125 | DeAngelo Penn | Fr. | Solon, Ohio | 10-10 |
| 133 | Tom O'Brien | Fr. | Gates Mills, Ohio | 1-10 |
| 141 | Anthony Coleman | Sr. | Bellevue, Ohio | 13-10 |
| 149 | Matt DePolo | Sr. | Bellevue, Ohio | 24-13 |
| 157 | Jason Effner | Sr. | Garfield Heights, Ohio | 10-9 |
| 165 | Matt Klinger | Jr. | Valley View, Ohio | 15-9 |
| 174 | Derek Pace | Sr. | South Euclid, Ohio | 10-8 OR |
| Matt Kallai | Fr. | Wadsworth, Ohio | 8-6 | |
| 184 | Ron Howard | So. | Cincinnati, Ohio | 4-12 |
| 197 | Joe Phillips | Jr. | Maple Heights, Ohio | 13-6 |
| 285 | Russ Davie | Sr. | Perrysburg, Ohio | 16-5 |
EWL Rankings: The Eastern Wreslting League released its updated rankings on Jan. 27, with five Vikings making an appearance. Heavyweight Russ Davie holds down the top spot at that class, while Joe Phillips (Maple Heights, Ohio) and Anthony Coleman (Bellevue, Ohio) are ranked third at 197 and 141, respectively. Jason Effner (Garfield Heights, Ohio) at 157 and Matt Klinger (Valley View, Ohio) at 165 round out the Vikings in the rankings, ranking fourth in their weight classes.
Davie's Domination: There's more to Russ Davie's 16-5 season record than the stat sheet shows. Of Davie's 16 wins this season, one was a forfeit and five were the result of pins, with the fastest time in 1:04 over Jake Hager of Oklahoma at the Oklahoma Gold Classic. Of the 10 remaining wins, nine of them have been shutout victories, with the 10th being a 6-1 win over Greg Thomas of Buffalo. Davie has won 14 of his last 16 matches.
Streaking Phillips: Junior Joe Phillips has enjoyed the calender turning to 2004. Since the beginning of the month, Phillips has posted a 5-2 mark, including winning three matches at the Virginia Duals on Jan. 8-9. The Maple Heights-native has also posted a win over the Eastern Wrestling League's top-ranked wrestler at 197, Matt Daddino of West Virginia, during the National Duals on Jan. 17. His two losses during that span have come from Minnesota's Damion Hahn, the reigning national champion at 197, and Josh Birt of Pittsburgh, who is ranked second in the EWL.
Wrestler Of The Week: Moving down a weight class didn't seem to negatively affect Anthony Coleman, as the senior won the 141 weight class at the Oklahoma Classic on Nov. 8, earning him Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week honors. Coleman recorded a technical fall and a major decision in the first two rounds. Coleman currently sports a 13-10 record.
Up Next: Cleveland State returns for the stretch run of Eastern Wrestling League matches, heading to Lock Haven on Sat., Feb. 8 and Bloomsburg the following day.
