April 6, 2004

CLEVELAND - Eight members of the Cleveland State wrestling program will head to Las Vegas, Nev., this weekend to compete in the U.S. Senior Nationals. The top eight finishers in each weight class will advance to the U.S. Olympic Trials, which will be held on May 21-23 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Cleveland State assistant coach Brian Keck is ranked fourth in the event in the men's freestyle 264.5 pound weight class, while senior Russ Davie is ranked seventh in the Greco-Roman bracket at 264.5 pounds.

Other Vikings competing in the tournament, which will be held on April 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, include freshmen Joe Wornoff, Ryan Riggs, Mike Hurley and DeAngelo Penn, along with sophomore David Gilkey and junior Matt Klinger.

"This is a great development experience for all of the guys going," head coach Jack Effner said. "They're going to be wrestling with the best in the country, with future and current Olympians. Anytime you go to an event like this, you're going to come away a better wrestler just because of the environment you're in. This is something the best programs do, and that's what we're trying to become, one of the best programs in the nation."