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Vikings Ready for EWL Championships

Vikings Ready for EWL Championships
Posted: Mar 01, 2011

March 1, 2011

Contact: Dan Carr

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SETTING THE SCENE: The 2010-11 wrestling season comes to a close for Cleveland State this weekend as the Vikings travel to Bloomsburg for the Eastern Wrestling League Championships on Sunday (March 6) beginning at 8:00 a.m. CSU will attempt to improve upon its seventh place finish at last year's tournament, with the Vikings' 10 starters each vying for the right to be called champion in their respective weight class.

LAST TIME ON THE MAT: The Vikings closed the regular season at West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 19. CSU fell, 46-0, to the Mountaineers, with Ben Willeford (wrestling at 125) dropping a 6-2 decision in the closest match of the day.

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 20 matches this season. Junior Lawrence Cavello (149) has 12 wins on the season while fellow junior Josh Palivoda (141) and sophomore Aric Thurn (174) each have five 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, 12 wins) and Ben Willeford (125, 10 wins) lead the team with five and four major decisions, respectively.

CSU IN THE EWL TOURNAMENT: CSU has finished no better than fifth in the past six conference tournaments, with the Vikings placing seventh last season. Eight Vikings placed at last year's EWL Championships, with Mike Mencini finishing the highest at fifth in the 141 division. In its history, Cleveland State has won the EWL Championships once (1978-79) and has placed second four times, most recently in 1986-87. Twenty-five Vikings have won individual titles, with Rashard Goff (HWT, 2009) being CSU's last champion.

ROBBIE IN THE RPI: Robbie Michaels has made the NCAA's most recent RPI, released on Feb. 22. Michaels is ranked 33rd in the 165 class and is one of only three EWL wrestlers ranked in that weight class Michaels has 20 wins in the year, including a 4-2 record in conference dual meets.

...AND THE COACHES LIKE HIM: Michaels has also broken into the NCAA Division I Coaches Panel Rankings, the latest of which were released on Feb. 22. Michaels ranks 32nd in the 165 weight class. The NCAA RPI and coaches poll are two of the main components that determine at-large bids to the NCAA wrestling tournament.

DUAL MEET SUCCESS: Eleven different wrestlers won matches in dual meets this season, a step up from last year, when only nine Vikings recorded dual meet victories. A CSU wrestler won a match at every weight class this year, with two Vikings 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, won five dual meet matches, including one by pin and two by major decision.

DOUBLE DIGIT VICTORIES: Six 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 20 wins. Lawrence Cavello, Nick Flannery and Matt Donohoe each have 12 wins. Ben Willeford rounds off the group, having won 10 matches this year.

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 second in the 149 division in wins. Robbie Michaels (20-7) has the fourth most victories in the 165 class. Aric Thurn is sixth at 174 with nine wins, while Ben Willeford (10 wins) is sixth in the 125 class.

PIN IT TO WIN IT: After recording only 11 pins last year, the Vikings have nearly doubled that total, winning 21 matches by fall this season. Robbie Michaels and Lawrence Cavello lead the team with four pins each while Matt Donohoe and Brandon Sommers each have three apiece.

THE HEAD COACH
Ben Stehura (Lock Haven '00)
AT CSU: 9-44 (3rd year)
OVERALL: 35-93-1 (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.