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Vikings Set to Grapple at the Midlands Invitational

Vikings Set to Grapple at the Midlands Invitational
Posted: Dec 26, 2010

Dec. 26, 2010

Contact: Dan Carr

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SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State wrestling team will travel to Evanston, Ill. on Tuesday (Dec. 29) to close out the Vikings' calendar year by competing in the two-day Midlands Invitational. It will be the second straight tournament for the Vikings, as their last action came in the CSU-hosted Cleveland State Invitational on Dec. 11.

LAST TIME ON THE MAT: The Vikings hosted the Cleveland State Open on Dec. 11, welcoming over 250 wrestlers from 27 schools. Chris Weber highlighted CSU's performance, winning three matches to place sixth in the heavyweight division. Lawrence Cavello (4-2), Mike Mencini, Robbie Michaels, Matt Donohoe and Aric Thurn (each of whom went 3-2) also finished the day with winning records.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: A good mixture of experienced returners and talented freshmen give Cleveland State reason to believe the Vikings will make noise in the Eastern Wrestling League this season. With two open crowns and 13 wins on the year, senior Robbie Michaels has emerged as one of the top wrestlers in the EWL. Juniors Josh Palivoda (grappling at 141) and Lawrence Cavello (149) each have earned dual meet victories this season. Sophomore Chris Weber (heavyweight) has become a consistent starter, going 2-1 in dual meets this season with his sole loss being a 2-1 decision against Eastern Michigan. A pair of freshmen, Ben Willeford (125) and Nick Flannery (133), have made an immediate impact this season. Willeford placed sixth at the Eastern Michigan Open while Flannery has won two of his three dual meet matches.

PREVIOUSLY AT THE MIDLANDS: Last year the Vikings finished the Midlands Invitational tied for 31st out of 54 teams. Jordan Keller and Robbie Michaels recorded victories for CSU in the two-day tournament, with Michaels' win being a 15-7 major decision over Oregon State's Dan Brascetta. Michaels, the only current Viking to win at the Midlands, also won two matches at the 2008 competition.

EWL STANDINGS: The Vikings are represented well in the current EWL individual standings. Robbie Michaels (13-3 on the season) leads the conference in wins in the 165 division and is tied for ninth overall. Brandon Sommers (12-8) has the fourth most victories in the 149 class while Lawrence Cavello (seven wins) is tied for sixth. Chris Weber (six wins) ranks seventh in the heavyweight.

BACK-TO-BACK OPEN CROWNS: Robbie Michaels began the season winning the 165 division at both the Eastern Michigan Open and the Michigan State Open, becoming the first Viking wrestler in the 2000s to win multiple open titles in the same season. Michaels went 4-0 at both tournaments.

...AND EWL RECOGNITION: Robbie Michaels was selected as the EWL Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 8 after winning the Eastern Michigan Open. Michaels is currently the top-ranked wrestler at 165 in the EWL according to the most recent conference rankings by WrestlingReport.com, released on Dec. 7.

ONE OF THE ATLANTIC'S BEST: Robbie Michaels has also broken into WrestlingReport.com's Atlantic Regional Division I rankings, coming in as the region's 19th best wrestler at 165 pounds. Michaels joins West Virginia's Donnie Jones (seventh), Clarion's Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (12th) and Edinboro's Matt Laird (21st) as ranked EWL wrestlers at 165.

DOUBLE DIGIT VICTORIES: Three Vikings have won more than 10 matches this season. Robbie Michaels leads the team with 13 victories, while Brandon Sommers has posted 12 wins. Matt Donohoe and Nick Flannery are close to joining the 10-win club, owning nine and eight wins this season, respectively.

PIN IT TO WIN IT: Last year the Vikings combined for 11 pins all year. Less than halfway through the season, this year's team is already only one away from that mark, pinning opponents 10 times. Four wrestlers have combined for 10 of those pins with two apiece, including Lawrence Cavello, Robbie Michaels, Brandon Sommers and Chris Weber.

TOUGH TESTS AHEAD: CSU will face five of the teams currently ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA this season. The Vikings wrestled No. 14 Northwestern on Dec.4 and have upcoming meets against Rutgers (No. 12), Pittsburgh (No. 15), Kent State (No. 20) and Indiana (No. 30) later this year. The rankings are from the most recent national poll, released Dec. 20.

NEXT UP: Cleveland State will return to Woodling Gym for its first home dual meet of the season, wrestling Kent State on Tuesday (Jan. 4) at 7:00 p.m.