Aug. 23, 2004

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Coming on the heels of sending a school-record equalling six wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament last year, CSU head coach Jack Effner announced the addition of 16 wrestlers to the program for the upcoming season. The list includes four wrestlers who earned state titles last year and nine who finished among the top five wrestlers in the state as a senior. One wrestler earned a national high school title with three more being ranked among the top 10 nationally in their respective weight classes. The group owns a combined 1,432-370 career record, including a 496-87 mark last year as high school seniors. "I am thrilled about the recruiting class that we are bringing in," Effner said. "Not only have we been able to significantly improve the number of wrestlers in our program, but the quality from top to bottom in this group is outstanding. "High school wrestling in Cleveland annually produces some of the top wrestlers in the nation and I am happy that 11 of our new wrestlers are from the area. It is a testament to our program that so many outstanding local wrestlers want to be part of it." Headlining the list of signees is Joe Dennis (Urbana, OH/St. Paris Graham), Marcus Effner (Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.), Rashard Goff (Brandon, FL/Brandon) and Bryan Mathews (Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.), each of whom claimed state titles in their respective weight classes last year. Dennis, who will wrestle at 197 pounds, was the 2003 high school national champion at 197 pounds. He compiled a 43-0 record last year en route to claiming the state title and owned a 155-16 during his high school career. Effner, who will wrestle at 157 pounds, is the second member of the Effner family that will wrestle for his father. He finished eighth at the high school nationals and was ranked 10th nationally in his weight class. He posted a 42-3 mark as a senior and owned a career high school record of 122-33. Goff, the lone newcomer from outside of the State of Ohio, will replace EWL champion and two-time NCAA qualifier Russ Davie in the lineup at heavyweight. He won two state championships while wrestling at Brandon High, posting a 37-1 record wrestling at heavyweight. He finished with a 109-9 career mark and ranked seventh nationally in his weight class. Mathews, the Ohio state champion at 141 pounds a year ago, was 38-6 last year as a senior and owns a 104-36 career mark. The remainder of the incoming class includes: • David Armstrong (Cleveland, OH/Collinwood) was fifth in the state at 119 pounds as a junior and posted a 36-4 record as a senior. He was 127-24 during his career. • Brian Bachna (Elyria, OH/Elyria Catholic), who was fourth in the state at 215 pounds as a senior, finishing the year with a 38-4 record. He was 129-31 during his career. • Brad Bugara (Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.), a fifth-place finisher at 103 pounds as a junior, he had a 116-33 record during his career, including a 33-7 mark as a senior. • Roman Dolgov (Cleveland, OH/Rhodes) ended his high school career with a 74-53 record, including a 29-11 mark at 184 pounds as a senior. • Jaryl Hunt (Cleveland, OH/Collinwood) went 39-3 as a senior en route to finishing third in the state at 119pounds. He had a 148-16 career mark. • Chuck Koz (Strongsville, OH/Lakewood St. Edward) finished second in the state as a senior, ranking ninth nationally at 160 pounds. He was 101-28 during his career, including a 36-7 record as a senior. • Russ Koz (Lakewood, OH/St. Edward), the cousin of Chuck, was a state qualifier at 189 pounds as a senior after compiling a 30-15 record. He was 47-20 in his two years. • Darrin Lewis (Lakewood, OH/Lakewood) capped off his high school career with a stellar senior year, posting a 42-4 record at 130 pounds and serving as an alternate for the state tourney. He was 109-27 during his career. • Myron McConnell (Euclid, OH/Euclid), a state qualifier at 189 pounds as a junior, was 20-13 as a senior and 91-54 during his career. • Jarrel Miller (Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.) qualified for the state tournament as a senior after building a 33-9 record. • Bobby Parker (Solon, OH/St. Peter Chanel) sat out his senior season while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He will wrestle at heavyweight. • Jeff Schuller (Monroeville, OH/Monroeville) enrolls at CSU after serving two years in the United States Marine Corp. He was a state qualifier as a high school junior in 1998. The Vikings are coming off of a 2003-04 season which saw them post a 9-9 overall record and send a school-record tying six student-athletes to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row. CSU returns 16 lettermen from a year ago, including six of the 10 starters and four who earned NCAA berths. Cleveland State opens the 2004-05 season at the Oklahoma Classic on Saturday, Nov. 13. 2004-05 Cleveland State University Wrestling Recruiting Class Name (Wt. Class, Year, Hometown/High School)
David Armstrong (133, Fr., Cleveland, OH/Collinwood)
Brian Bachna (HWT, Fr., Elyria, OH/Elyria Catholic)
Brad Bugara (125, Fr., Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.)
Joe Dennis (197, Fr., Urbana, OH/St. Paris Graham)
Roman Dolgov (184, Fr., Cleveland, OH/Rhodes)
Marcus Effner (157, Fr., Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.)
Rashard Goff (HWT, Fr., Brandon, FL/Brandon)
Jaryl Hunt (125, Fr., Cleveland, OH/Collinwood)
Chuck Koz (165, Fr., Strongsville, OH/Lakewood St. Edward)
Russ Koz (184, Fr., Lakewood, OH/St. Edward)
Darrin Lewis (141, Fr., Lakewood, OH/Lakewood)
Bryan Mathews (141, Fr., Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.)
Myron McConnell (184, Fr.,Euclid, OH/Euclid)
Jarrel Miller (174, Fr., Garfield Hts., OH/Garfield Hts.)
Bobby Parker (HWT, Fr., Solon, OH/St. Peter Chanel)
Jeff Schuller (HWT, Fr., Monroeville, OH/Monroeville)