Six Place Winners for Central Wrestlers
GALESBURG, ILL.-Progress is already evident for the Central College wrestling squad.

The Dutch had six placewinners at the season-opening Knox (Ill.) Invitational Saturday. There were no team scores in the 16-team tournament which included Iowa Conference rivals Simpson and Luther.
         
Josh Atwell (sophomore, Jamaica, Panorama HS) finished second in his Central debut at 141 pounds. Reid Imerman (sophomore, Guthrie Center) and Tommy Van Renterghem (sophomore, Oskaloosa) tied for third at 165 pounds while freshmen Theron Stewart (freshman, Marshalltown) and Jacob Crawford (Altoona, Southeast Polk HS) also had promising collegiate debuts, finishing fourth at 197 and 285 pounds, respectively. Another newcomer, junior transfer Justin Marx (Dike, Dike-New Hartford HS), was sixth at 125 pounds.

"It was a good starting point for us," said coach Eric Van Kley, whose program is making strides as he enters his third season.

Van Kley said that Stewart was among those who opened some eyes on opening day.

"Theron really had a nice day," he said. "He's a guy who we think has a lot of potential. But he showed not only ability but a lot of heart in winning some close, hard-fought matches.

"Top to bottom, I was proud of how we battled. We won a lot of close ones. We definitely made some technical mistakes, which are things we can improve, but the effort of the kids was outstanding."

Central opens its dual meet season Wednesday at 7 p.m. against No. 4-ranked Coe College at Columbus Junction High School
.Central Wrestling Season Opens Saturday

Outlook
              
The calculated transformation of the Central College wrestling program devised by coach Eric Van Kley should become more visible in 2009-10.

Close observers saw signs of a resurgency in the program already last year, but it wasn't often evident on the scoreboard. That should begin to change as Van Kley, who built an NAIA contender from scratch at the Univ. of Great Falls (Mont.), enters his third season with the Dutch.

Van Kley inherited a squad with as many as five open weight classes and endured a 0-15-1 debut season. The Dutch made it to 3-12 last year and envision moving closer to .500 in the 2009-10 campaign which gets an early start with the Knox Invitational in Galesburg, Ill. Nov. 14.

"We should be a lot more competitive if for no other reason than we can fill all the weights now," Van Kley said. "We've got some decent guys at every weight, which will make us more competitive in duals and tournaments. The flip side is, it's very hard for a team as young as we have to compete in the Iowa Conference. But that experience will eventually pay dividends."

Another deep and talented recruiting class has brought 16 newcomers to the Dutch practice room, joining 11 returning letterwinners for Central's largest squad in six years. Thirteen of the newcomers were high school state tourney qualifiers, with six state placewinners and two state champions. Van Kley is already seeing big improvement.

"That's a direct credit to the kids," he said. "Through their work in the strength and conditioning program, we've made huge strides forward. It's certainly been a few years since we've had depth like this in the room. These are names and faces we'll be seeing for the next three or four years. That's exciting to see."

125-133
               Improvement will be most obvious at 125 pounds as the Dutch were open at the weight in 2008-09. Junior college transfer Justin Marx of Dike should provide immediate help.
"We're extremely excited about having him here," Van Kley said. "He brings a level of maturity that we were lacking and has a great work ethic. It will be nice to have a veteran at that weight instead of always starting the night with a freshman."
But Van Kley is high on rookie Jacob Eisheid of Waukee as well as freshman 133-pounder Chris Kilgannon of Huntersville, N.C., a North Carolina state high school finalist. Marx and Eisheid will also see action at 133 pounds.
"All three of them are working hard this fall and should get some time on the mat," he said. "We'll probably alternate a lot."

141
               Junior Curtis Hobbs is a two-time letterwinner at 141 pounds but moves up to 149 this year. That leaves 141 to be contested between sophomore letterwinner Eric Wilkerson, who was 4-15 primarily at 133 pounds last season after starting the year at 125, and sophomore transfer Josh Atwell. Van Kley said Atwell, a former high school state placewinner, is an intriguing prospect. He's back in school at age 27, several years after first enrolling at Iowa Central.
"It will be a competitive weight," Van Kley said. "I feel good about what Eric and Josh bring to the table."

149
               Hobbs, slowed again by injury in the preseason, joins a crowded picture at 149. Senior Nick Johnson, a three-time letterwinner, was 4-13 last year at 149 while sophomore Zach Beekman was 9-16. Also competing are freshmen Jake Schubert of Shenandoah and Joseph Atwell of Jamaica, a graduate of Panorama High School. Both were state qualifiers and Atwell was a placewinner.
Hobbs was 15-17 at 141, placing at four tournaments and securing a seventh-place finish at the conference meet.
"Curtis (Hobbs) has had two very successful seasons cut short by injury," Van Kley said. "But he's shown he can win big matches.
Beekman received the team Coaches' Award last season.
"Zach (Beekman) has an outstanding work ethic," Van Kley said. "By the end of the year, he was very competitive with Curtis and got some valuable varsity time.
"I've also been very pleased with Nick (Johnson) and Jake (Schubert) this fall. They've shown great work ethics.
"And Joseph was a high school state finalist who is still growing. He's a tall, lanky wrestler who is going to help us."

157
               The 157-pound class is a bit less congested. Sophomore Jared Hermann returns after a 4-13 baptismal season and will compete against freshman Palmer Scott of Hudson.
"Jared (Hermann) is a guy we think has a lot of talent upside," Van Kley said. "He got a late start last year because he was playing football and needed some extra mat time. This year his focus is on wrestling and I think that will really benefit him."

165-174
               Two of last year's top freshmen will likely be part of a rotation at 165 pounds. Sophomore Reid Imerman was 15-14 at 157 pounds and received the team's Lawrence Award for outstanding work ethic and the team's Academic Award. Sophomore Tommy Van Renterghem was the team's Most Valuable Freshman Award winner and its winningest wrestler, posting a 20-13 mark at 165 pounds. He finished sixth at the conference tournament and was fourth at the Central invitational.
They could also be used at 174 pounds, where they'll join sophomore Ivan Gaeta, who is coming off a 5-14 campaign at 165 pounds.
"Tommy (Van Renterghem) had a great off-season and will benefit from his experience in the conference tournament," Van Kley said. "And Reid and Ivan are two of our best workers.
"At different times, we'll rely on all three of them. They've really emerged as three of our leaders."

184
Sophomore Bobby Vineis and freshman AJ Crone of Burlington, a state high school qualifier, will duel at 184 pounds. Vineis was 4-14 but finished first at 174 pounds at the conference junior varsity tournament.
"They'll both compete," Van Kley said. "They have very different styles. Bobby is really muscular and stocky while AJ is taller and will still fill out as he grows. They'll push each other and make each other better."

197
               There are four options at 197 pounds and they're all freshmen. Brian Johnson of Altoona will report late because of football. He'll join Adam Leuer of Emmetsburg, Theron Stewart of Marshalltown and Treaver Willis of Muscatine. Each was a state high school qualifier.
"On any given day, any one of them could be first and another fourth and a day later it could be the opposite," Van Kley said. "They're all strong, aggressive guys who bring some athletic ability, which will help them develop."

285
               Central's most abundant weight class is 285 and it could also be the best. Junior Ted Dirkx is a two-time letterwinner. He was 11-16 last year, placing eighth at the league tournament. He'll report late because of football. Also back is sophomore Nathan Rouse, who was 4-5 last year. But three newcomers will give an immediate boost to the team's talent level. Freshman Jake Crawford of Altoona is a former high school state finalist and will have an early advantage. Then joining the team late because of football are two state champs. Brandon Burrell was a Class 3A winner for Washington High School in Cedar Rapids while Holden Blythe, who didn't compete last year, is joining the squad after capturing the 215-pound state crown two years ago at Williamsburg.

"Brandon is a very athletic big guy who's still improving and relatively new to the sport," Van Kley said. "He possesses a great work ethic and attitude.

"Holden is extremely competitive and that shows on the mat and on the football field. He's a very exciting big man to watch wrestle."

The 285-pounders are exactly what Van Kley is looking for as the program makes its steady push toward the top.

"This is a model of what we want to see in our room at every weight," Van Kley said. "We've got five quality guys there. It's by far our deepest weight. We're excited about getting them in the room. Having quality workout partners will make them better.

"Whomever we put out there in a red singlet, we expect big things from because the four guys behind him can do it also."

Van Kley emphasized that despite the high numbers, each of the five will see action.

"They're all going to be wrestling," he said. "In order to get better, we need to get them matches and we will. It should be an exciting year."

The Iowa Conference and beyond
              
The Iowa Conference remains Division III wrestling's best. So strong, in fact, that a significantly improved Central squad could still end up in ninth place at the league tourney.

"The Iowa Conference is as good as it's ever been," Van Kley said. "The league could easily have five or six teams in the top 15-20 in the nation. We're going to improve, but I'm not sure where that will put us in the conference."

Consequently, Van Kley has scheduled some out-of-state competition to better gauge his team's progress. The Dutch are at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) tourney Dec. 5, wrestle twice in Minnesota and have a Christmas break trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"That trip should be fun for both our kids and our fans," Van Kley said. "When we wrestle outside the state of Iowa, we'll be very competitive with teams,"

Central hasn't advanced an individual to the NCAA Division III tournament since 2004, a drought the Dutch are eager to end.

"One of our goals we have this year is to be wrestling in March," Van Kley said. "We don't look at this as an individual goal but a team goal. We know it's not going to be easy, but we think it's an achievable thing."

While getting beyond the conference tournament is daunting, Van Kley insists there's an upside to competing against the nation's titans on a weekly basis.

"That's going to be a very positive thing," he said. "If we can get through the conference, we've got as good of a chance as anybody."
Freestyle Tourney at Central

PELLA-Central College will again host a USA Freestyle wrestling tournament Saturday, March 28 in H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse.

Titles will be contested in the kids, cadets, juniors and open divisions. Weigh-ins will be held from 7-8:30 a.m., with wrestling starting at approximately 10 a.m. Entry fee is $15. A USA Wrestling card is required and can be purchased at the door.
Shorthanded Central Wrestlers Rumble at Simpson

INDIANOLA-A shorthanded Central College wrestling squad missed out on its final chance for an Iowa Conference dual meet win in 2008-09 as Simpson College took the first seven matches en route to a 34-12 win Wednesday night.

The Dutch (3-12) closed with wins at the final three weights. Ben Davis (freshman, Clay Center, Kan.) won by forfeit at 184 pounds and Nate Fell (sophomore, Avoca, AHST HS) followed with a 5-1 victory at 197 pounds. Both improved to 14-11 on the season. Ted Dirkx (junior, Alleman, North Polk HS) finished at 285 pounds with an 11-6 win and is 11-13.

Central was without part of its regular lineup. Curtis Hobbs (sophomore, Grinnell), who is 14-15 at 141 pounds, was sidelined along with Reid Imerman (freshman, Guthrie Center), who is 15-12 at 157 pounds and the team's winningest wrestler Tommy Van Renterghem (freshman, Oskaloosa), who is 19-10 at 165 pounds.

"We've got a few guys who are a little banged up," coach Eric Van Kley said. "So we gave what we thought were some good opportunities to guys who have been working hard. But we did not perform well, from top to bottom. It was very disappointing.

"Any time you've got a young team it seems like it's three steps forward and three steps back. I thought against Wartburg (Saturday) we had an outstanding effort, but that wasn't the case tonight.

"We need to learn from it and go forward."

Simpson upped its record to 2-12 while Central wrapped up the regular season with a 0-8 mark against league foes.

The Dutch gear up for the league tournament at Decorah next Tuesday, Feb. 17. Van Kley said he expects Central to be near full strength by then.
Simpson 28, Central 18

125--Casey Miller (S) won by forfeit; 133--Greg Wilkerson (S) won by fall over Alex May, 3:55; 141--Caleb Brus (S) won by fall over Eric Wilkerson, 3:45; 149--Calvin Barber (S) dec. Christopher Reil, 11-1; 157--Geoff Murtha (S) won by tech. fall over Nick Johnson, 24-8; 165--Ben Hektoen (S) dec. Jared Hermann, 14-5; 174--Jordy Ammons (S) dec. Kyle Ray, 3-0; 184--Ben Davis (C) won by forfeit; 197--Nate Fell (C) won by fall over Sam Collora, 5-1; 285--Ted Dirkx (C) dec. Kaleb Livingson, 11-6.
No. 2 Wartburg Overpowers Central Wrestlers

WAVERLY-No. 2-rated Wartburg College outmuscled Central College's freshman-dominated wrestling squad 42-6 Saturday.

Central picked up its 6 points on a forfeit victory by Brandon Rose (sophomore, Lonedell, Mo., Sullivan HS) at 133 pounds.

The defending NCAA Division III champions are especially imposing in the middle of the lineup where Central had to get through national champs Jacob Naig (18-2) and Aaron Wernimont (37-0) at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, and top-ranked Justin Hanson (32-1) at 165. Naig and Wernimont both recorded falls while Hanson outlasted Central freshman Tommy Van Renterghem (Oskaloosa) 15-5.

Central (3-11) suffered 3-point losses at three weights. Curtis Hobbs (sophomore, Grinnell) fell 14-11 to Wartburg backup Chris Timms at 141 pounds. Knights backup Ben Scott needed a takedown at the buzzer to clinch a 5-2 win over Ben Davis (freshman, Clay Center, Kan.) at 184 pounds. Ted Dirkx (junior, Alleman, North Polk HS) had to go against fourth-ranked John Helgerson (27-6) at 285 pounds and was within 3-2 after two periods before dropping a 5-2 decision.

It was Wartburg's 132nd straight dual victory against Iowa Conference opposition. The Knights wrapped up their dual season at 15-2-1.

Central finishes its dual meet campaign Wednesday at Indianola with a 7 p.m. contest against Simpson College. The Storm (1-12) defeated Central at Pella last season 42-3.

Wartburg 42, Central 6
125 - Alex Helmich (W) (16-11) wins by forfeit
133 - Brandon Rose (Cen) (3-12) wins by forfeit
141 - Chris Tims (7-11) dec. Curtis Hobbs (14-15), 14-11
149 - Jacob Naig (18-2) wins by fall over Christopher Reil (5-11), 2:17
157 - Aaron Wernimont (37-0) wins by fall over Jared Hermann (3-11), 3:26
165 - Justin Hanson (32-1) maj. dec. Tommy Van Renterghem (19-10), 15-5
174 - Grant Jenkins (27-11) wins by tech. fall over Bobby Vineis (2-15), 6:05
184 - Ben Scott (19-11) dec. Ben Davis (12-13), 5-2
197 - Dan Borchers (10-13) wins by injury default over Kyle Patterson (3-22)
285 - John Helgerson (27-6) dec. Ted Dirkx (10-12), 5-2

Central Drops Four Wrestling Duals Against Conference Foes

STORM LAKE-After spending the last month-and-a-half facing non-conference competition the Central College wrestling team ran back into the Iowa Conference buzz saw Saturday and came out winless in four duals against league opponents.

The Dutch had won their two previous duals but started off the day with back-to-back matches against 15th-ranked Luther College and 10th-ranked Cornell College, dropping 37-15 and 42-6 decisions, respectively. Central then fell to Buena Vista Univ. 22-15 and Loras College 40-9.

"In every dual we probably went in as significant underdogs," said coach Eric Van Kley. "The Iowa Conference (teams are) just far and away more talented and experienced than anyone we've faced all season."

After falling behind early against Luther the Dutch got consecutive victories out of freshman Reid Imerman (Guthrie Center) at 157 pounds, who recorded his first of two falls on the day, and freshman Tommy Van Renterghem (Oskaloosa) at 165 pounds, who scored a 2-0 decision.

Central was held scoreless until its final individual match against Cornell when 285-pounder Nate Rouse (freshman, Ankeny) won by fall over Robert Widmer in 1:48.

Falls from both Alex May (freshman, Grinnell) at 133 pounds and Imerman against Buena Vista gave Central a 12-10 lead. Then Buena Vista won decisions at 165 and 174 before Ben Davis (freshman, Clay Center, Kan.) recorded a takedown with 3 seconds remaining to win by a 6-4 decision at 184 pounds. That brought the Dutch to within 16-15. However 2-point and 1-point wins at 197 and 285, respectively, gave Buena Vista a 22-15 victory.

"We lost some matches we thought we should have won against Buena Vista," said Van Kley. "But we competed very hard and I'm proud of the way all of our guys wrestled out there."

In its final dual of the day Central fell 40-9 to Loras, scoring on a 12-1 decision by Van Renterghem and a 17-2 technical fall by Davis.

Van Kley felt the day was just another great opportunity for his young team to learn.

"We're certainly a bit short as far as experience goes," he said. "But we're getting there. We're seeing that our guys can compete out there and continuing to battle week in and week out."

Central (2-10 dual match record) is off until Feb. 4 when it travels to Rock Island, Ill. for a dual match against Augustana College (Ill.) at 5:30 p.m. and another with Knox College (Ill.) at 7:30 p.m. The Dutch defeated Knox 34-10 on Jan. 10 and last faced Augustana on Dec. 10, 2007, falling 36-10.
Jan. 24 at Storm Lake

Iowa Conference Duals

Luther 37, Central 15
125--Jayson Swanson (L) won by forfeit; 133 Steve Aundrukaitis (L) won by fall over Alex May , 0:56; 141--Kevin Bokoski (L) dec. Curtis Hobbs 20-8; 149--Jason Pyle (L) won by fall over Zach Beekman 2:16; 157--Reid Imerman (C) won by fall over Ryan Bouslog 4:43; 165--Tommy Van Renterghem (C) dec. Thomas Ingram 2-0; 174-- Brandon Ryerson (L) dec. Ivan Gaeta 3-0;
184--Ben Davis (C) won by forfeit; 197--Alec Bonander (L) won by fall over Kyle Patterson 1:02; 285-- Aaren Adani (L) won by fall over Ted Dirkx 1:09.
Cornell 42, Central 6
125--Timothy Hood (Cor) won by forfeit; 133--Nick Northern (Cor) won by fall over Brandon Rose, 1:40; 141--Kevin Donahue (Cor) dec. Curtis Hobbs, 12-2; 149--Ryan Mulnix (Cor) won by tech. fall over Nick Johnson, 15-0; 157--Aron Kindelsperger (Cor) dec. Jared Hermann, 9-0; 165--Nicholas Loughlin (Cor) dec. Ivan Gaeta, 11-4; 174--Kyle Kehrli (Cor) won by tech. fall over Bobby Vineis, 18-3; 184--Andrew Roberts (Cor) dec. Nate Fell, 6-0; 197--Carmen Sacco (Cor) won by forefit; 285--Nate Rouse (Cen) won by fall over Robert Widmer, 1;48.
Buena Vista 22, Central 15
125--no match; 133--Alex May (C) won by fall over Matt Korinek, 2:04; 141--Russ Evans (BV) won by fall over Curtis Hobbs, 4:39; 149--Semir Duric (BV) dec. Zach Beekman, 13-4; 157--Reid Imerman (C) won by fall over Logan Silliman, 2:46; 165--Kody Koster (BV) dec. Tommy Van Renterghem, 11-4; 174--Roman Villegas (BV) dec. Ivan Gaeta, 7-6; 184--Ben Davis (C) dec. Austin Hayes, 6-4; 197--Kevin Chilton (BV) dec. Kyle Patterson, 7-5; 285--Derek Toney (BV) dec. Nate Rouse, 1-0.
Loras 40, Central 9
125--Tom Drosopoulos (L) won by forfeit; 133--Mark Beatty (L) won by fall over Alex May, 2:45; 141--Jordan Loy (L) dec. Curtis Hobbs, 10-4; 149--Mitch Gansen (L) dec. Zach Beekman, 8-0; 157--Erik Hansen (L) won by fall over Reid Imerman, 2:15; 165--Tommy Van Renterghem (C) dec. Josh Porter, 12-1; 174--Mike Levasseur (L) won by fall over Ivan Gaeta, 2:28; 184--Ben Davis (C) won by tech. fall over Ben Bohlen, 17-2; 197--Alex Grafft (L) won by fall over Kyle Patterson, 0:48; 285--Jeremy Klein (L) dec. Ted Dirkx, 3-2.

Central Wins First Wrestling Dual in 44 Tries

GALESBURG, ILL.-The Central College wrestling team defeated the Knox (Ill.) 34-10 Saturday at the Knox (Ill.) Duals Saturday, recording its first dual match victory since Jan. 21, 2006, a streak of 44 matches.

It was the first dual victory under second-year head coach Eric Van Kley.

"It looks good on paper to get the first win of the year," said Van Kley. "But more important than just winning the match was that we gave nine good efforts. We're learning how to win, not just as individuals, but as a team and that will really help us in the developmental process."

Central fell just short of victory in its third match of the day falling 26-24 to the Milwaukee (Wis.) School of Engineering.

Central didn't fare as well in its first two matches against sixth-ranked North Central (Ill.), falling 50-0, and Wheaton (Ill.), tumbling 29-19.

"We came out flat," said Van Kley. "We just didn't show up in the first two matches, but we came back and ended the day on a high note."

Van Kley said that freshmen Tommy Van Renterghem (Oskaloosa, Iowa) at 165 pounds, Zach Beekman (Pocahontas, Iowa) at 149 pounds, and Kyle Patterson (Collins, Iowa, Collins-Maxwell HS) at 197 pounds stood out during the day's action.

"Tommy Van Renterghem went 3-0 today and beat two very good wrestlers in the process," said Van Kley. "And Zach (Beekman) and Kyle (Patterson) both continue to improve significantly. They wrestled better than they have all season and I'm extremely proud of their effort."

Beekman pinned two opponents on his way to a 2-1 record for the day and Patterson recorded a pin while going 1-3.

Also recording three wins on the day was 141-pounder Curtis Hobbs (sophomore, Grinnell, Iowa), who recorded two pins and a technical fall while racking up 17 team points for the Dutch.

Before the Dutch take a crack at extending its dual match winning streak to two they will host the Central Invitational next Saturday in H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse at 9 a.m.