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Wrestling Hosts Bloomsburg

Wrestling Hosts Bloomsburg
Posted: Feb 03, 2011

Feb. 3, 2011

Contact: Dan Carr

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SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State wrestling team continues its conference slate this weekend when the Vikings host Bloomsburg at Woodling Gym on Saturday (Feb. 5) at 1:00 p.m. Cleveland State is 0-2 in the Eastern Wrestling League after falling to Edinboro, 35-7, last weekend and dropping a close 21-18 decision to Lock Haven. Bloomsburg is 0-3 in the conference and has a meet with Clarion on Friday night (Feb. 4).

LAST TIME ON THE MAT: CSU wrestled in its first conference road meet of the season, losing to Edinboro, 35-7. Ben Willeford, wrestling at 125, won the first match of the night, taking down his opponent four times en route to a 15-1 major decision. Robbie Michaels was the Vikings' other victor, recording a takedown with 14 seconds remaining in his 165 match to win in a 6-4 decision.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: A strong mixture of experienced veterans and talented newcomers have led the Vikings this season. Senior Robbie Michaels (wrestling at 165) has emerged as one of the top grapplers in the Eastern Wrestling League, having won two open titles and 18 matches this season. Junior Lawrence Cavello (149) has 11 wins on the season while fellow junior Josh Palivoda (141) and sophomore Aric Thurn (174) each have four dual meet victories. A trio of true freshmen have had a big impact: Matt Donohoe (157, 12 wins) has pinned three opponents while Nick Flannery (133, 11 wins) and Ben Willeford (125, nine wins) lead the team with four major decisions apiece.

CSU ALL-TIME VS. BLOOMSBURG: The Vikings and the Huskies will be meeting for the 32nd time this Saturday, with Bloomsburg claiming an 18-10-3 advantage in the all-time series. The two schools first met in the 1978-79 season with the meet ending in a 19-19 tie. The Vikings went on to win five of the next six meetings, but Bloomsburg has dominated the series lately, winning the past seven meets.

DUAL MEET SUCCESS: Eleven different wrestlers have won matches in dual meets this season. This is a step up from last year, when only nine Vikings recorded dual meet victories. A Viking has won a match at every weight class this year, with two CSU wrestlers winning at 197. The most noticeable improvement has been at 133, the one weight class in which Cleveland State failed to win a dual meet last season. This year's starter at 133, Nick Flannery, has won four dual meet matches, including one by pin and one by major decision.

DOUBLE DIGIT VICTORIES: Five CSU wrestlers have at least 10 wins on the season, surpassing the number of Vikings who accomplished that feat last season (four). Brandon Sommers leads the team with 21 victories, while Robbie Michaels has posted 18 wins. Matt Donohoe has 12 wins this season while Lawrence Cavello and Nick Flannery each have 11.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE EWL: Cleveland State is well represented in the current EWL individual win standings. The highest ranked Viking is Brandon Sommers (21-12 on the season), who is tied for fifth overall in the conference and leads the 149 division in wins. Robbie Michaels (18-6) has the fourth most victories in the 165 class. Ben Willeford is sixth at 125 with nine wins while Aric Thurn (eight wins) is tied for sixth in the 174 class.

PIN IT TO WIN IT: After recording only 11 pins last year, the Vikings have nearly doubled that total, winning 20 matches by fall this season. Robbie Michaels leads the team with four pins while three CSU wrestlers (Lawrence Cavello,Matt Donohoe and Brandon Sommers) each have three apiece.

TESTS AGAINST THE BEST: Cleveland State is wrestling against one of the toughest schedules in the country, with six dual meet opponents currently ranked in the top 30 of the Jan. 31 NCAA rankings. The Vikings have already faced Rutgers (8th), Indiana (12th), Northwestern (25th), Edinboro (27th) and Kent State (30th) and will wrestle at Pittsburgh (21st) next Friday (Feb. 11).

SOMMERS IN WINTER: Brandon Sommers has had a fantastic season, wrestling mainly against tournament competition. The freshman has won 21 matches this year, highlighted by a fourth place finish at the Simonson Open, a fifth place result at the Purple Raider Open and a fifth place finish at the Harris Open. Sommers has won three of his matches by fall, two by major decision, and is one of two Vikings to have won by technical fall this season (Josh Palivoda is the other).

NEXT UP: The Viking wrestling team will face two more EWL opponents next weekend, with Cleveland State grappling at Pittsburgh on Friday (Feb. 11) at 7:00 p.m. before returning to Woodling Gym for a meet with Clarion on Saturday (Feb. 12) at 7:00 p.m.

THE HEAD COACH
Ben Stehura (Lock Haven '00)
AT CSU: 9-39 (3rd year)
OVERALL: 35-89-1 (7th year)

Ben Stehura is in his third season as the head coach of the Viking wrestling program, and has recruited a talented group of young wrestlers that expects to make noise in the Eastern Wrestling League this year. He has coached an NCAA national champion, three NCAA All-Americans and six NCAA National Qualifiers in his seven seasons as a head coach.