May 20, 2011

Contact: Dan Carr

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Thirteen state qualifiers, including nine who made the field multiple times, will join the Cleveland State wrestling program for the 2011-12 season. Head coach Ben Stehura made the announcement on Friday (May 20).

Joining the Vikings are Andrew Brown (who will wrestle at either 125 or 133 pounds), Narcisco Inchaurregui (125), Mike Carlone (133/141), Jared Beatty (133), Tanner Lemon (149/157), Sheldon Brandenburg (165), Xavier Dye (165), John Sims (165/174), Micah Kullman (174/184), Bobby Blankenship (184/197), Troy Benjamin (184/197), Nathan Silvus (197) and Mitchell Gross (197).

All 13 signees will enter Cleveland State as freshmen with four years of collegiate eligibility.

"I'm very excited about this incoming class," Stehura said. "Many of these guys are coming off accomplished high school careers, and I think all of them have the chance to contribute to our success over the next four years."

Brown, a two-time state qualifier from Uniontown, Ohio, finished seventh in the state wrestling at 130 in 2011.

Inchaurregui is a three-time state qualifier from Lorain, Ohio. In 2008 he placed seventh in the 112 pound division at the Ohio High School Division I State Wrestling Tournament.

Carlone, who wrestled at Mayfield High, was the state runner-up in the 130 weight class as a senior. He also qualified for the state tournament in 2010, placing seventh.

Beatty also qualified for the state tournament in 2010, finishing in eighth place. He won a sectional championship during his senior year at Arcanum High before an injury at the district tournament put an early end to his season.

A two-time state-placer out of Massillon Perry High, Lemon finished second in the state in the 152 division as a senior. He finished eighth in the state in 2010.

Brandenburg is another state runner-up, placing second in the state in the 160 class during his senior season at Wadsworth High. He also placed fifth in the state tournament in 2010 while helping Wadsworth win the team championship.

A cadet All-American who placed fifth in Fargo, Dye qualified for the Ohio state tournament four times during his career at Patrick Henry High in Hamler, Ohio. Dye was the state runner-up in the 160 class in 2011, following a fourth-place showing during his junior season in 2010.

Sims, who wrestled at Mater Dei High in Evansville, Ind., is also a four-time state qualifier, placing all four years, including a runner-up finish in the 160 class as a senior.

Kullman, a 2010 FILA Junior Greco-Roman National Champion, qualified for the state tournament twice while wrestling at Minerva High. His highest finish was a sixth-place showing in the 171 weight class as a junior.

Blankenship posted back-to-back fourth place finishes at the Ohio Division II State Tournament wrestling at 189 pounds. He helped Jonathan Alder High place 19th out of 84 schools in the 2011 tournament.

As a senior out of Mexico, N.Y., Benjamin placed fifth in the 171 class at the 2011 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Wrestling championship.

Silvus, who wrestled at 215 at Springfield Shawnee High, also placed fifth in the 2011 Ohio Division II State Tournament.

A sixth-place finalist in the 189 division at the 2011 Ohio Division III State Tournament, Gross wrestled at Norwalk St. Paul High.