Hofstra University Hempstead, NY
No. 23 Hofstra Falls To No. 3 Cornell, 22-12
Ithaca, NY - The Pride won four matches, including upset wins by Ben Clymer and Justin Accordino, but it wasn't enough as 23rd-ranked Hofstra fell from the ranks of the undefeated with a 22-12 loss to third-ranked Cornell at the Friedman Wrestling Center Saturday afternoon.
The Pride, who saw their 15 dual match winning streak come to an end against the same team that they lost to a year ago, slipped to 10-1 on the year. Cornell, which is on a 17-match winning streak, improved to 9-0 on the season.
Clymer, the senior 184-pounder who is ranked 11th in the nation, made a third period near-fall stand up in a 2-1 victory over third-ranked Steve Bosak. Clymer, who recorded his ninth consecutive win, improved to 23-5 on the season. Earlier in the match, red-shirt junior Justin Accordino won his ninth consecutive match with a 2-0 decision over 20th-ranked Chris Villalonga on a takedown 30 seconds into the sudden victory period at 149 pounds. Accordino, who is not ranked by InterMat, improved to 19-8 on the season.
Hofstra sophomore Jamie Franco won his seventh match in the last nine outings with a 2-0 victory over sophomore Nick Arajau on a first period takedown at 133 pounds. Franco, who is enjoying the best season of his career, is now 16-9 on the season. Pride senior P.J. Gillespie, ranked 19th at 165 pounds, notched his 22nd win of the year and his fifth consecutive win in a 5-2 decision over Craig Eifert. Gillespie is now 22-5 on the season.
Starting the match at 125 pounds, the Big Red of Cornell found themselves in a dogfight as fifth-ranked senior Frank Perrelli defeated Pride junior Steve Bonanno, 3-2 to open the match. Bonanno, who is ranked 14th in the nation, saw his eight-match winning streak come to an end and slip to 21-6. But Franco tied the match at 133 pounds with his victory. At 141 pounds, unranked Hofstra sophomore Luke Vaith gave Cornell's 17th-ranked sophomore Mike Nevinger all he could handle before falling 3-0 on a second period escape and a takedown in the waning seconds of the match. Vaith saw his five-match winning streak end and is now 15-8. But Accordino tied the match for the Pride at 149 pounds with his win over Villalonga.
Cornell's top-ranked junior Kyle Dake gave the Big Red the lead for good at 157 pounds with an 11-3 major decision over Pride junior Tyler Banks. Banks slipped to 10-9 on the season as Hofstra trailed 10-6 at the break. Gillespie brought the Pride back to within one in the match at 10-9 with his win over Eifert at 165 but Cornell freshman Billy George gave the Big Red some breathing room with a 2-1 decision over freshman Jermaine John. Clymer brought the Pride back to within one again at 13-12 in the match with his win over Bosak at 184.
But Cornell senior Cam Simaz, ranked number one in the country at 197 pounds, pinned Pride sophomore Tim Murphy (10-16) in 3:24 to bump the Big Red lead to 19-12 and senior Maciej Jochym sealed the match with a 3-1 decision over Pride junior Paul Snyder (15-9) at 285 pounds.
The Pride will return to action on Friday, February 10 when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face the ninth-ranked Pitt Panthers at 7 p.m. Hofstra will then return home on Sunday, February 12 to host the Binghamton Bearcats in a key CAA contest at the Mack Physical Education Center at 1 p.m.
#3 Cornell 22, #23 Hofstra 12
125- #5 Frank Perrelli (CU) dec. #14 Steve Bonanno (HU), 3-2
133- Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Nick Arajau (CU), 2-0
141- #17 Mike Nevinger (CU) dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 3-0
149 - Justin Accordino (HU) dec. #20 Chris Villalonga (CU), 2-0 in SV
157- #1 Kyle Dake (CU) maj. dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 11-3
165- #19 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Craig Eifert (CU), 5-2
174- Billy George (CU) dec. Jermaine John (HU), 2-1
184- #11 Ben Clymer (HU) dec. #3 Steve Bosak (CU), 2-1
197- #1 Cam Simaz (CU) WBF Tim Murphy (HU), 3:24
285- Maciej Jochym (CU) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 3-1
No. 23 Hofstra Travels To No. 3 Cornell For Battle Of The Undefeated Saturday
Hempstead, NY - The 23rd-ranked Hofstra Pride (10-0) will be looking for their 16th consecutive dual match victory when they travel to Ithaca, New York to face the third-ranked Big Red of Cornell (8-0) at the Friedman Wrestling Center.
The contest features two of the only three remaining undefeated programs in dual matches. Top-ranked Oklahoma State (11-0) is the other undefeated team. Hofstra has not lost a dual match since falling to then-number one Cornell on Long Island on February 5, 2011.
The Pride, 10-0 this season, extended their dual match winning streak last weekend with a 26-10 victory at Rutgers on January 27 and a 23-13 victory over Penn on Long Island on January 29. Six Hofstra wrestlers-Steve Bonanno at 125, Luke Vaith at 141, Justin Accordino at 149, Tyler Banks at 157, P.J. Gillespie at 165 and Ben Clymer at 184-each posted 2-0 marks in the two matches. After the two wins last week, Hofstra moved up one place to 23rd this week in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll.
The Pride are led by Clymer, who is now 22-5 and ranked 11th at 184 pounds by InterMat. He is presently riding an eight-match winning streak. Junior Steve Bonanno is now 21-5 on the year, and ranked 14th at 125 pounds. He, too, is on an eight-match winning streak. 165-pound senior P.J. Gillespie, who is also 21-5 on the season, remains ranked 19th in the nation by InterMat. He has won fourth consecutive matches and six of the last seven. Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino, another Pride wrestler on an eight-match winning streak, is 18-8 on the season at 149 pounds and ranked 19th by Division I College Wrestling.
Sophomore Jamie Franco is 15-9 and ranked 24th at 133 pounds by Division I College Wrestling this season. Classmate Luke Vaith, who posted a 2-1 overtime win over #10 Zach Kemmerer from Penn last Sunday, is now 15-7 and ranked 19th by WIN Magazine at 141.
Juniors Tyler Banks (10-8) at 157 and Paul Snyder (15-8) at 285, sophomore Tim Murphy (10-15) at 197, and freshman Jermaine John (7-12) at 174 are all unranked in this week's polls.
The third-ranked Big Red of Cornell moved up one place this week following their 28-11 win at Iowa State last Sunday. Cornell, 8-0 this season, is on a 16-match winning streak dating back to a loss at Lehigh on January 20, 2011.
This year, the Big Red have victories over Minnesota (21-16), Lehigh (24-12), Penn (21-17), Princeton (30-9), Binghamton (22-21), Harvard (38-7), Brown (36-6) and Iowa State (28-11).
Cornell has four wrestlers ranked in the top five and two others in the top 20 by InterMat. Leading the group is junior, Kyle Dake, who is 23-0 and ranked first at 157 pounds. Senior Cam Simaz, is 18-1 and ranked first at 197 pounds. Classmates Steve Bosak (24-2) at 184 and Frank Perrelli (22-4) at 125 are ranked third and fifth, respectively, in their own weight classes. Sophomore Mike Nevinger is 22-9 and ranked 17th at 141 while classmate Chris Villalonga is 19-5 and ranked 20th at 149 pounds.
Hofstra- No. 24 Pride Remain Undefeated, Down Penn 23-13
Hempstead, NY - Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino recorded a pin and junior Steve Bonanno added a tech fall to lead #24 Hofstra to a 23-13 victory over the University of Pennsylvania at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon.
The Pride remained undefeated this season and are now 10-0 as they recorded their 15th consecutive dual match victory. Penn fell to 4-5 on the season.
Hofstra captured six of the 10 matches as Accordino posted his fourth pin of the season while Bonanno tallied his sixth tech fall of the year. Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith posted the biggest victory of the day as he upset 10th-ranked Zach Kemmerer in overtime, 2-1 at 141 pounds.
Opening the match at 125 pounds, the Pride jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind Bonanno, who collected 11-first period points. Bonanno, who won his eighth consecutive match, is 21-5 on the season. Penn senior Bryan Ortenzio, ranked 15th at 133, closed the gap with a 4-2 victory over red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco on a second period escape and the riding time point. Franco, who is now 15-9, lost for just the second time in the last seven matches.
At 141, Kemmerer and Vaith, who has won five straight matches, each recorded an escape to send the match into overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Vaith (15-7) posted an escape in the OT for the victory. It was the start of four consecutive Pride victories that blew the match open. Accordino then followed with his fourth pin of the season, on Penn's Steve Robertson, in 4:49 at 149 pounds. Accordino, who is now 18-8 on the year after his eighth consecutive win, gave the Pride a 14-3 lead. Junior Tyler Banks won his fourth consecutive match at 157 pounds with a 4-0 victory over Penn junior Troy Hernandez. Banks tallied an escape and a takedown in the second period to improve to 10-8 on the year. Senior P.J. Gillespie picked up his 21st win of the season at 165 pounds with a 2-1 decision over Quaker freshman Lorenzo Thomas on a third period reversal. The 19th-ranked senior improved to 21-5 on the year and gave the Pride a 20-3 lead in the contest.
Penn freshman Ian Korb stopped the Hofstra run at 174 pounds with a 4-0 decision over Pride freshman Jermaine John. John slipped to 7-12 this season. But Hofstra senior Ben Clymer, ranked 11th at 184, gave the Pride a 23-6 advantage with a 4-1 victory over senior Erich Smith. Clymer, who tallied three second period points, leads the Pride with a 22-5 mark. The Quakers closed out the match with with two victories as senior Micah Burak, ranked ninth at 197 pounds, posted an 11-2 major decision over Hofstra sophomore Tim Murphy (10-15) while Penn sophomore Steven Graziano defeated Pride junior Paul Snyder (15-8), 7-2 at 285.
Hofstra returns to action next Saturday, February 4 when the Pride travels to Ithaca, New York to face the fourth-ranked Big Red of Cornell at 3 p.m.
#24 Hofstra 23, Pennsylvania 13
125 - #13 Steve Bonanno (HU) tech fall Karim Shafi (UP), 18-0 (3:57)
133 - #15 Bryan Ortenzio (UP) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 4-2
141 - Luke Vaith (HU) dec. #10 Zack Kemmerer (UP) 2-1 in OT
149 - Justin Accordino (HU) WBF Stephen Robertson (UP), 4:49
157 - Tyler Banks (HU) dec. Troy Hernandez (UP), 4-0
165 - #19 Paul Gillespie (HU) dec. Lorenzo Thomas (UP), 2-1
174 - Ian Korb (UP) dec. Jermaine John (HU), 4-0
184 - #11 Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Erich Smith (UP), 4-1
197 - #9 Micah Burak (UP) maj dec. Tim Murphy (HU),11-2
285 - Steven Graziano (UP) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 7-2
#24 Hofstra Rolls Over Rutgers, 26-10
New Brunswick, NJ - Senior Ben Clymer and junior Tyler Banks each posted major decisions and the Pride captured eight of the 10 matches as #24 Hofstra defeated Rutgers, 26-10 at the College Avenue Gymnasium Friday night.
Hofstra improved to 9-0 on the season and won its 14th consecutive dual match dating back to a loss to then-#1 Cornell last February. The Scarlet Knights slipped to 12-4.
Banks opened the match at 157 pounds against Dave Seidenberg and posted a nine-point second period to win, 12-0. Banks is now 9-8 on the season. Hofstra senior P.J. Gillespie, ranked 19th, gave the Pride a 7-0 lead in the match with a 2-0 victory over #9 Scott Winston at 165 pounds. Gillespie posted a third period escape and the riding time point to record his 20th win of the season. It was also his 100th career victory.
Rutgers got on the board at 174 as 18th-ranked Greg Zannetti pinned Hofstra freshman Jermaine John in 2:25 to close the match deficit to 7-6. John is now 7-11. Clymer gave the Pride some breathing room with a 12-3 major decision over Dan Seidenberg. Clymer is now 21-5 on the year. The Scarlet Knights came right back at 197 as Dan Rinaldi rolled to an 11-3 major decision over Pride sophomore Tim Murphy (10-14), 11-3.
Clinging to a one point lead at 11-10, the Pride then reeled off five consecutive victories to win going away. First, junior Paul Snyder won his 15th match of the season with a 7-4 decision over Carl Buchholz at 285 to boost the lead to 14-10. Junior Steve Bonanno then won his 20th match of the season with a 9-3 decision over Vinny Dellefave at 125. At 133, Jamie Franco, after being down 4-1 early in the second period, rallied for a 5-4 victory over Joe Langel on a third period escape. Franco is now 15-8 on the year. Sophomore Luke Vaith rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the third to post a 12-8 decision over Billy Ashnault at 141 pounds. Vaith is now 14-7 in 2011-12. Junior Justin Accordino closed out the match with an 8-1 decision over Anthony Perrotti at 149 for the 26-10 final. Accordino, who won his seventh straight match, is now 17-8 this season.
The Pride return home to the Mack Sports Complex on Sunday, January 29 when they host the Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania at 1 p.m.
#24 Hofstra 26, Rutgers 10
157- Tyler Banks (HU) maj. dec. Dave Seidenberg (RU), 12-0
165- #19 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. #9 Scott Winston (RU), 2-0
174- #18 Greg Zannetti (RU) WBF Jermaine John (HU), 2:25
184- #11 Ben Clymer (HU) maj. dec. Dan Seidenberg (RU), 12-3
197- Dan Rinaldi (RU) maj. dec. Tim Murphy (HU), 11-3
285- Paul Snyder (HU) dec. Carl Buchholz (RU), 7-4
125- #13 Steve Bonnano (HU) dec. Vinny Dellefave (RU), 9-3
133- Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Joe Langel (RU), 5-4
141- Luke Vaith (HU) dec. Billy Ashnault (RU), 12-8
149- Justin Accordino (HU) dec. Anthony Perrotti (RU), 8-1
Hofstra Sweeps Through CAA Duals To Improve to 8-0
Fairfax, VA - Five Hofstra wrestlers posted 3-0 records as the Pride won all three of its matches at the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Duals at the George Mason Field House Saturday.
The Pride defeated Old Dominion (21-12), George Mason (36-3) and Boston University (31-6) to improve to 8-0 on the season. Hofstra has now won 13 consecutive dual matches dating back to a loss to then-number one Cornell last February 5.
Senior Ben Clymer (20-5) at 184, juniors Steve Bonanno (19-5) at 125, Justin Accordino (16-8) at 149 and Paul Snyder (14-7) at 285 and sophomore Luke Vaith (13-7) at 141 each posted 3-0 marks Saturday. Senior P.J. Gillespie (19-5) at 165, junior Tyler Banks (8-8) at 157 and sophomore Jamie Franco (14-8) at 133 each posted two wins at the Duals.
Hofstra's most competitive match of the day was the Pride's first match against Old Dominion. It was a match of streaks with nine of the 10 matches going to decision. Hofstra captured the first four matches of the day to take a 12-0 lead over the Monarchs. 13th-ranked junior Steve Bonanno, the number one-ranked wrestler in the CAA at 125 pounds, started the festivities with a 6-0 victory over Jerome Robinson. Bonanno improved to 17-5 with his fourth consecutive win. Sophomore Jamie Franco, ranked second in the CAA, boosted the Pride lead to 6-0 at 133 pounds with a 6-1 win over Scott Festejo, ranked fourth in the CAA. Franco allowed only a third period escape to record his fourth straight win and improve to 14-7. Sophomore Luke Vaith erupted in the second and third period to post a 9-4 win over Justin LaValle, ranked third in the CAA, at 141 pounds. Vaith, who is ranked fourth in the CAA, improved to 11-7. Junior Justin Accordino gave the Pride a 12-0 lead in the match with an 8-4 win over Brennan Brumley, ranked fourth in the CAA, at 149 pounds Accordino, who posted his fourth consecutive win, improved to 14-8 on the season.
The Monarchs of Old Dominion got on the board at 157 as John Nicholson, ranked fourth in the CAA, knocked off junior Tyler Banks. Banks slipped to 6-8 on the year, At 165, Hofstra senior P.J. Gillespie, ranked 19th nationally and second in the CAA, was upset by Tristan Warner, 7-3 on a big third period by the Monarch. Warner opened the third with a reversal and two, two-point nearfalls to erase a 3-0 deficit. Gillespie is now 17-5. The Monarchs made it three-in-a-row at 174 to close to within three at 12-9 as Te Edwards also posted a big third period to record a 7-6 win over Pride freshman Jermaine John. Edwards trailed 4-3 entering the third but opened with a reversal and a two-point nearfall for the victory. John is now 7-8 on the year.
Hofstra came back at 184 behind Ben Clymer's 4-0 shutout win over Billy Curling. After a scoreless two periods, Clymer posted an escape, takedown and the riding time point for the victory. Clymer's win was key as ODU rebounded with a 6-0 win at 197 from Joe Budi over Hofstra sophomore Matt Loew, who was making his first appearance since December 8. With the Pride leading 15-12 entering the final match, Pride junior Paul Snyder sealed the victory with a pin of Michael Chapman in 1:56 to close out the 21-12 win.
In the second match of the day for the Pride, against George Mason, Hofstra won nine of the 10 matches with Accordino and Snyder recording wins by fall. Accordino pinned Kevin Timothy at 149 in 29 seconds while Snyder posted his second pin of the day, against Hunter Manspile, in 3:25. Ben Clymer added a 19-4 tech fall win over Corey Smith while Gillespie posted a career-best 21 points in a 21-7 major decision over Dustin Dwyer.
In the finale against Boston University, the Pride won eight of the 10 matcheson the way to a 31-6 victory over the Terriers. Justin Accordino tallied a 15-0 tech fall over Peter Ishiguro at 149, Steve Bonanno recorded a 15-4 major win over Ryan Dowd at 125 pounds, and sophomore Tim Murphy tallied a 13-0 major win over Michael Wrin at 197. Paul Snyder also tallied his third straight six-point decision with a win by forfeit at 285.
The Pride return to action on Friday, January 27 when they travel to New Brunswick, New Jersey to face the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers at 6:30 p.m.
Hofstra 21, Old Dominion 12
125- Steve Bonanno (HU) dec. Jerome Robinson (ODU), 6-0
133- Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Scott Festejo (ODU), 6-1
141- Luke Vaith (HU) dec. Justin LaValle (ODU), 9-4
149- Justin Accordino (HU) dec. Brennan Brumley (ODU), 8-4
157- John Nicholson (HU) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 9-3
165- Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. P.J. Gillespie (HU), 7-3
174- Te Edwards (ODU) dec. Jermaine John (HU), 7-6
184- Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Billy Curling (ODU), 4-0
197- Joe Budi (ODU) dec. Matt Loew (HU), 6-0
285- Paul Snyder (HU) WBF Michael Chapman (ODU), 1:56
Hofstra 36, George Mason 3
125- Steve Bonanno (HU) dec. Vince Rodriguez (GMU), 6-2
133- Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Brian Benton (GMU), 8-2
141- Luke Vaith (HU) dec. Denny Herndon (GMU), 3-2
149- Justin Accordino (HU) WBF Kevin Timothy (GMU), 0:29
157- Tyler Banks (HU) dec. Jaaziah Bethea (GMU), 6-2
165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) maj. dec. Dustin Dwyer (GMU), 21-7
174- Jermaine John (HU) dec. Steve Swayze (GMU), 6-0
184- Ben Clymer (HU) tech fall Corey Smith (GMU), 19-4 (5:52)
197- Bagna Tovuujav (GMU) dec. Tim Murphy (HU), 12-6
285- Paul Snyder (HU) WBF Hunter Manspile (GMU), 3:25
Hofstra 31, Boston University 6
125- Steve Bonanno (HU) maj. dec. Ryan Dowd (BU), 15-4
133- Fred Santaite (BU) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 3-2
141- Luke Vaith (HU) dec. Tyler Scotton (BU), 6-4
149- Justin Accordino (HU) tech fall Peter Ishiguro (BU), 15-0 (7:00)
157- Tyler Banks (HU) dec. Nick Tourville (BU), 4-2 in SV
165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Mitchell Wightman (BU), 10-3
174- Kyle Czamecki (BU) dec. Jermaine John (HU), 4-2
184- Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Hunter Mays (BU), 4-0
197- Tim Murphy (HU) maj dec Michael Wrin (BU), 13-0
285- Paul Snyder (HU) wins by forfeit
Hofstra- Pride Post Four Major Decisions In Win Over American
Washington, D.C. - Four Hofstra wrestlers recorded major decisions as the 25th-ranked Pride defeated American University, 22-18 at Bender Arena Thursday night. Hofstra improved to 5-0 on the season while the Eagles of American slipped to 4-5.
Seniors P.J. Gillespie at 165 and Ben Clymer at 184, junior Steve Bonanno at 125 and freshman Jermaine John at 174 each posted major decision wins and the Pride grabbed two more decisions by sophomore Jamie Franco at 133 and junior Justin Accordino at 149.
The match opened at 165 pounds with 19th-ranked senior P.J. Gillespie giving the Pride a 4-0 lead in the contest with an 11-2 major decision over American junior Tanner Shaffer. Gillespie improved to a team-best 17-4 on the season. Freshman Jermaine John made it two straight major wins for Hofstra with a 14-5 win over junior Phillip Barreiro at 174 pounds, John tallied an escape and two takedowns in the third period to record his second major of the season and his third straight win. He is now 6-8 on the season. Senior Ben Clymer, ranked 11th this week, made it three in a row with an 11-3 major decision over junior Thomas Barreiro at 184 to boost the Pride lead to 12-0. Clymer posted his third straight win to improve to 17-5 on the year.
But The Eagles of American erased the deficit in the next two matches on wins by fall. At 197 pounds, 19th-ranked Daniel Mitchell (12-6) pinned Pride sophomore Tim Murphy in the second period at the 4:11 mark. Murphy slips to 9-12. Pride junior Paul Snyder had the task of facing the undefeated, number one ranked wrestler at 285 pounds in American senior Ryan Flores (7-0). Flores jumped on Snyder early and posted the pin at the 43 second mark to tie the match at 12-12. Snyder fell to 11-7.
Hofstra rebounded with back-to-back wins at 125 and 133. Junior Steve Bonanno tallied his third consecutive victory and the Pride's fourth major win of the match with a 12-0 win over senior Thomas Williams at 125. It was Bonnano's third shutout of the season and improved the 13th-ranked wrestler's record to 16-5 this year. Hofstra sophomore Jamie Franco boosted the Pride lead to 19-12 with a 6-1 decision over Corey Borshoff at 133 pounds. Franco allowed a first period escape to record his third straight victory and improve to 12-7 this season.
The Eagles closed the gap to 19-15 with a win at 141 pounds as 12th-ranked Matt Mariacher (16-5) defeated Pride sophomore Luke Vaith, 6-4. Vaith was only able to must a first period takedown and escapes in the second and third to slip to 10-7.
But Hofstra junior Justin Accordino sealed the victory for Hofstra with a 9-5 victory at 149 pounds over junior Kevin Tao behind a big second period, Accordino posted a reversal, a takedown and a two-point nearfall in the second to improve to 13-8 on the season.
Fourth-ranked American senior Ganbayar Sanjaa closed the match with a 5-1 decision over Pride junior Tyler Banks at 157 pounds. Ganjaa wouldn't let Banks to go on the offensive as he improved to 13-1 on the year. Banks is now 6-7.
The Pride now travel to Fairfax, Virginia to compete in the CAA Duals at the George Mason Field House on Saturday, January 21. Hofstra will face Old Dominion at noon, George Mason at 2 p.m. and Boston University at 4 p.m.
Hofstra 22, American 18
165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) major dec. Tanner Shaffer (AU), 11-2
174- Jermaine John (HU major dec. Phillip Barreiro (AU), 14-5
184- Ben Clymer (HU) major dec. Thomas Barreiro (AU), 11-3
197- #19 Daniel Mitchell (AU) WBF Tim Murphy (HU), 4:11
285- #1 Ryan Flores (AU) WBF Paul Snyder (HU), 0:43
125- #13 Steve Bonnano (HU) major dec. Thomas Williams (AU), 12-0
133- Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Corey Borshoff (AU), 6-1
141- #12 Matt Mariacher (AU) dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 6-4
149- Justin Accordino (HU) dec. Kevin Tao (AU), 9-5
157- #4 Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 5-1
No. 25 Hofstra Travels to American and CAA Duals This Week
Hempstead, NY - The 25th-ranked Hofstra Pride wrestling team, 4-0 in dual matches this season. hit the road for four more dual matches this week when they face the Eagles of American University on Thursday, January 19 at 8 p.m. and then take on Old Dominion (noon), George Mason (2 p.m.) and Boston University (4 p.m.) in the CAA Duals on Saturday, January 21 at George Mason University.
The Pride are coming off a 35-3 victory over Kutztown University at the Mack Sports Complex last Sunday, Sophomore Luke Vaith recorded his first collegiate pin with a fall over Leonard Drummond at 141 pounds in 1:28, junior Steve Bonanno posted a tech fall over Desmond Moore at 125 and senior Ben Clymer at 184 and junior Paul Snyder each posted major decision wins to lead Hofstra to victory. The Pride also received wins from sophomore Jamie Franco at 133, junior Justin Accordino at 149, junior Tyler Banks, senior P.J. Gillespie and freshman Jermaine John at 174.
For the fourth consecutive poll, Hofstra is ranked 25th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll.Hofstra is led by senior Ben Clymer, who is 16-5 on the year and now ranked 11th by InterMat at 184 pounds. Junior Steve Bonanno, who is 15-5, is ranked 13th in the country at 125 pounds. Senior 165-pounder P.J. Gillespie, who is 16-4 on the season, remains ranked 19th in the nation by InterMat. Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino is 12-8 on the season at 149 pounds and ranked 25th by Division I College Wrestling. Sophomore Jamie Franco is 11-7 and ranked 23rd at 133 pounds by Division I College Wrestling this season. Sophomores Luke Vaith (10-6) at 141 and Tim Murphy (9-11) at 197, juniors Tyler Banks (6-6) at 157 and Paul Snyder (11-6) at 285, and freshman Jermaine John (5-8) at 174 are all unranked in this week's polls.
The Eagles of American University are 4-4 on the season with wins over George Mason (27-15), Cal State-Bakersfield (26-16), Cal Poly (25-13) and Stanford (18-17). Their losses have come against Maryland (23-14), Penn (24-18), Central Michigan (21-20) and Purdue (24-22).
American, which is ranked ninth by InterMat and WIN Magazine, 11th by the Wrestling Report and 19th by Division I College Wrestling, has four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of the respective weight classes by InterMat. Leading the group is senior Ryan Flores (6-0), who is the top-ranked wrestler at 285 pounds. Classmate Ganbayar Sanjaa (12-1) is ranked fourth at 157 pounds. Fellow senior Matt Mariacher (15-5) is ranked 12th at 141 pounds while junior Daniel Mitchell (11-6) is ranked 19th at 197 pounds.
Following the American match, Hofstra moves south to Fairfax, Virginia for the CAA Duals on Saturday. The Pride are 33-3 in the CAA Duals since 2003. Last year, Hofstra was 3-1 in the Duals. Overall, Hofstra is 74-5-1 in its last 80 conference dual matches.
Vaith Leads No. 25 Hofstra Over Kutztown
Hempstead, NY - Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith recorded his first pin of the season to lead the 25th-ranked Hofstra Pride to a 35-3 non-conference victory over Kutztown University at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride improves to 4-0 in dual matches this season while the Golden Bears slipped to 3-3.
The Pride captured nine of the 10 matches on the day, including the first eight matches in the contest, to lead 31-0 following the 184-pound match. Hofstra junior Steve Bonanno opened the match at 125 pounds with his fifth tech fall victory of the year, downing senior Desmond Moore, 19-3 in 5:11. Bonanno, who is ranked 13th in the nation by InterMat, is now 15-5 on the season. Pride red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco gave Hofstra an 8-0 lead in the contest at 133 pounds with an 11-9 come-from-behind victory on a late takedown and two-point near-fall over senior Evan Yenolevich. Franco improved to 11-7 in 2011-12.
Vaith snapped a two-match losing skid in fine fashion with a pin of senior Leonard Drummond in 1:28 at 141 pounds. Vaith improves to 10-6 on the year with his first fall victory of his career. Junior Justin Accordino rolled to a 10-2 major decision over freshman Jackson Stabile at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Accordino opened up a 5-1 lead after two periods on the way to his 12th win of the season. Junior Tyler Banks ended a three-match slide with a 2-0 overtime decision over red-shirt freshman Bo Candelaria on a takedown 37 seconds into the extra period. Banks evened his record at 6-6.
Senior P.J. Gillespie, ranked 19th by InterMat, also snapped a two-match slide with a 6-3 win over junior Micah Bollinger at 165 pounds. Gillespie is now 16-4 on the season. Pride freshman Jermaine John won his second consecutive match with an 8-2 decision over red-shirt junior Ricky Pena at 174 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 27-0. John is now 5-8 this season. Senior Ben Clymer, ranked 12th in the nation, won his eight match in the last nine outings with a 12-3 major decision over junior Giovanni Ortiz at 184 pounds. After leading 4-0 after two periods, Clymer turned it up in the third period to improve to 16-5 on the year.
Kutztown recorded its only win in the match at 197 pounds when junior Vinny Campanile defeated sophomore Tim Murphy, 9-2. After a scoreless first period, Campanile posted two three-point near-falls in the second period on the way to victory. Murphy is now 9-11 on the season. But junior Paul Snyder closed out the match with a Hofstra victory, blanking freshman Brandan Clark, 8-0 at 285 pounds. Snyder is now 11-6 on the year.
Sunday's match started a busy week for the Pride that will see Hofstra wrestle five times in seven days. The Pride return to action on Thursday, January 19 when they travel to American University in Washington, D.C. for a 7 p.m. match. On Saturday, January 21, Hofstra will face Old Dominion, George Mason and Boston University in the CAA Duals at George Mason University beginning at noon.
Hofstra 35, Kutztown 3
125- Steve Bonanno (HU) tech fall Desmond Moore (KU) 5:14 19-3.
133- Jamie Franco (HU) decision Evan Yenolevich (KU) 11-9.
141- Luke Vaith (HU) fall Leonard Drummond (KU) 1:28.
149- Justin Accordino (HU) major decision Adam Manzoni (KU) 10-2.
157- Tyler Banks (HU) decision Bionojel Candelaria (KU) 2-0 in OT.
165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) decision Micah Bollinger (KU) 6-3.
174- Jermaine John (HU) decision Ricky Pena (KU) 8-2
184- Ben Clymer (HU) major decision Giovanni Ortiz (KU) 12-3
197- Vinny Campanile (KU) decision Tim Murphy (HU) 8-2.
285- Paul Snyder (HU) major decision Brandan Clark (KU) 8-0.
25th-Ranked Hofstra Entertains Kutztown Sunday
Hempstead, NY - The 25th-ranked Hofstra Pride wrestling team, winners of all three of their dual matches this season, host the Golden Bears of Kutztown University this Sunday, January 15 at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m.
Sunday is Youth Wrestling Day. All youth 12 and under will receive a free match ticket. Regular price tickets are $15 for premium seats and $10 for reserved seats.
The Pride are coming off a 19-15 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Drexel Dragons at home last Sunday, Each team won five matches in the contest but junior Steve Bonanno at 125 and senior Ben Clymer at 184 each posted tech fall wins to give Hofstra its four-point victory margin. In addition to Bonanno and Clymer, the Pride received wins from red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco at 133, red-shirt junior Justin Accordino at 149 and freshman Jermaine John at 174. John was named CAA Rookie of the Week for his key win at 174 pounds.
For the third straight poll, Hofstra is ranked 25th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll., Hofstra is also ranked 38th by WIN Magazine, 39th by InterMat and eighth in the National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA) Mid-Major Poll.
Hofstra, 3-0 overall this season, is led by senior Ben Clymer, who is 15-5 on the year and now ranked 12th by InterMat at 184 pounds. Junior Steve Bonanno, who is 14-5, is ranked 13th in the country at 125 pounds. Senior 165-pounder P.J. Gillespie, who is 15-4 on the season, is now ranked 19th in the nation by InterMat. Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino, who has returned to the 149 pound spot, is 11-8 on the season and ranked 25th by Division I College Wrestling. Sophomore Jamie Franco is 10-7 and ranked 23rd at 133 pounds by Division I College Wrestling this season. Sophomores Luke Vaith (9-6) at 141 and Tim Murphy (9-10) at 197, juniors Tyler Banks (5-6) at 157 and Paul Snyder (10-6) at 285 and freshman Jermaine John (4-8) at 174 are all unranked in this week's polls.
The Golden Bears of Kutztown are 3-2 on the season with wins over Delaware Valley College (29-16), Elizabethtown College (25-15) and Seton Hall University (27-12) and losses to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (35-0) and West Liberty University (27-14).
The Golden Bears are ranked sixth in this week's Division II Super Region 1 rankings. Four Kutztown wrestlers rank in the top-six in their respective weight classes. Redshirt sophomore Evan Yenolevich (13-4) leads the Golden Bears at 133 pounds and is ranked third in the region. Senior Chris Sheetz(0-2) sits fourth at 125, followed by juniors Giovanni Ortiz (8-10) and Vinny Campanile (11-9) at sixth at 184 and 197, respectively.
Tickets for the Kutztown match can be purchased by phone at (516) 463-TIXX or online by going to www.GoHofstra.com.
Hofstra- John Named CAA Rookie of the Week
Lawrenceville, NJ - Hofstra freshman Jermaine John has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie Wrestler of the Week for the period ending January 9, the CAA announced Tuesday.
John, a native of Brooklyn, New York and a graduate of Bethpage High School on Long Island, recorded a 9-4 victory over Drexel senior Alex Rinaldi in the Pride's 19-15 victory Sunday. The 174-pounder allowed Rinaldi only four escapes while posting his fourth win of the season.
John was a four-year letterman at Bethpage High School and was an All-New York State selection with a fifth place finish at 160-pounds in the 2011 State Championships. He recorded a 45-3 record as a senior. John, a two-year team captain, was a three-time All-Nassau County selection, and county and league champion as a senior. His overall scholastic record was 125-18.
John and the Pride return to action on Sunday, January 15 when they host the Golden Bears of Kutztown University on Youth Day at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m. All youth 12 and under will receive a FREE match ticket. Regular price tickets are $15 for Premium seats and $10 for Reserved seats. To purchase your match tickets in advance, contact the Hofstra Athletic Ticket Office at 516-HOF-TIXX or online at www.GoHofstra.com.
No. 25 Hofstra Downs Drexel in CAA Opener
Hempstead, NY - Junior Steve Bonanno and senior Ben Clymer each recorded tech fall victories to lead 25th-ranked Hofstra to a 19-15 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Drexel at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride improved to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in CAA action while the visiting Dragons fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) gave the Pride a 5-0 lead in the match with a 16-0 victory over Drexel senior Michael Gomez in just four minutes. After leading 7-0 after one period, Bonanno poured it on in the second for his 14th win in 19 decisions. Pride sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) then boosted the Pride lead to 8-0 with a 9-3 decision over freshman Paul Wampler at 133 pounds. Franco posted a big third period with a reversal and two takedowns to improve his season record to 10-7.
The Dragons got on the board at 141 pounds when junior Frank Cimato held Pride sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) to four escapes on the way to a 9-4 win. Vaith falls to 9-6 on the season. But Hofstra junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) boosted the Pride lead to 11-3 with a 7-2 win over junior Shane Fenningham at 149 pounds. Accordino improved to 11-0 on the year.
Drexel closed the gap with back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 to close to 11-9. At 157, sophomore Austin Sommer downed Pride junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT), 5-2, on five-third period points. Banks falls to 5-6. At 165 pounds in a battle of the top two wrestlers in the CAA, Drexel's 19th-ranked and second in the conference junior Joe Booth defeated Hofstra's 13th-ranked and top wrestler in the CAA, senior P.J. Gillespie, 3-2 on a third period escape. Gillespie falls to 15-4 on the season.
But the Pride bounced back with two big wins at 174 and 184 to give them a 19-9 advantage. At 174, freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) came up with a 9-4 victory over Alex Rinaldi to boost the Pride lead to 14-9. John improved to 4-8 on the season. Clymer (Germansville, PA) followed with an 18-3 tech fall win over Nick Becattini. After holding a 2-0 lead after the first period, Clymer exploded for seven in the second and eight in the third plus the riding time point for the win. He is now 15-5 on the season.
The Dragons needed bonus-point wins in their final two matches of the contest but came away with wins at 197 and 285 to fall a little short. At 197, sophomore Brandon Palik, ranked 19th in the nation, downed Pride sophomore Tim Murphy (Nazareth, PA), 8-1, to close to 19-12 in the match. Murphy is now 9-10 on the season. At 285, senior Kyle Frey, the top wrestler in the CAA at heavyweight, downed Pride junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA), 6-3. Snyder is now 10-6 on the year.
Hofstra, which has won 74 of its last 80 conference matches with five losses and one tie, returns to action next Sunday, January 15, when they host Kutztown University in a non-conference match at 1 p.m.
Hofstra 19, Drexel 15
125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) tech fall Michael Gomez (Drexel) 4:00 16-0.
133 Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec Paul Wampler (Drexel) 9-3.
141 Frank Cimato (Drexel) dec Luke Vaith (Hofstra) 9-4.
149 Justin Accordino (Hofstra) dec Shane Fenningham (Drexel) 7-2
157 Austin Sommer (Drexel) dec Tyler Banks (Hofstra) 5-2.
165 Joe Booth (Drexel) dec Paul Gillespie (Hofstra) 3-2.
174 Jermaine John (Hofstra) dec Alex Rinaldi (Drexel) 9-4.
184 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) tech fall Niccolo Becattini (Drexel) 7:00
197 Brandon Palik (Drexel) dec Tim Murphy (Hofstra) 8-1.
285 Kyle Frey (Drexel) dec Paul Snyder (Hofstra) 6-3.
No. 25 Hofstra To Host Drexel In CAA Opener Sunday
Hempstead, NY - The 25th-ranked Hofstra Wrestling team returns to dual match action this Sunday, January 8 when they host the Dragons of Drexel University in their Colonial Athletic Association opener at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m.
The Pride, who are coming off a ninth-place finish at the eighth annual Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee, had three wrestlers place in the tournament. Seniors Ben Clymer and P.J. Gillespie placed fourth at 184 and 165 pounds, respectively, while junior Steve Bonanno placed sixth at 125 pounds. Clymer, who dropped his opening match and then won six consecutive matches before losing in the third place match, was named the CAA Wrestler of the Week for his efforts.
In addition to again being ranked 25th by the NWCA, Hofstra is ranked 28th by InterMat and the Wrestling Report, 29th by WIN Magazine, and ninth in the National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA) Mid-Major Poll.
Hofstra, which is 2-0 overall this season, is led by senior 165-pounder P.J. Gillespie, who is 15-3 on the season and ranked 13th in the nation by InterMat. Junior Steve Bonanno is now 13-5 on the season and ranked 13th at 125 pounds in the latest InterMat poll. Senior Ben Clymer is 14-5 on the year and jumped from being unranked to 13th by InterMat. Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino, who has returned to the 149 pound spot, is 10-8 on the season and ranked 24th by Division I College Wrestling. Sophomore Luke Vaith is off to a great start this season and is 9-5 and ranked 33rd at 141 by the Wrestling Report. Sophomore Jamie Franco is 9-7 and ranked 23rd at 133 pounds this season. Juniors Tyler Banks (5-5) at 157 and Paul Snyder (10-5) at 285, sophomore Tim Murphy (9-9) at 197 and freshman Jermaine John (3-8) at 174 are all unranked in this week's polls.
The Dragons of Drexel are 3-2 on the season and are coming off a sixth place finish in the 11-team Lock Haven Invitational on December 29. The Dragons, under first year coach Matt Azevado, have dual meet wins over Franklin and Marshall (25-10), Northern Colorado (26-11) and Campbell (23-13) and losses to Pittsburgh (25-13) and Virginia (39-3).
Drexel is led by junior Joe Booth, who is ranked 19th in the nation by InterMat at 165 pounds. Booth, who will face P.J. Gillespie in a battle of top 20 wrestlers and the top two grapplers in the CAA, is 12-3 on the year. Sophomore Brandon Palik is ranked 19th in the nation at 197 pounds with a 15-9 mark while senior Kyle Frey is 13-4 on the year and is the top 285-pounder in the CAA.
Hofstra- Clymer Named CAA Wrestler of the Week
Lawrenceville, NJ - Hofstra senior Ben Clymer has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week for all competition between December 20 and January 2, the CAA announced Tuesday.
Clymer, a native of Germansville, Pennsylvania, posted a 6-2 record at the eighth annual Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee to place fourth in the 184-pound weight class yesterday. He made it to the medal round the hard way--following an opening round loss to Missouri's Clarence Neely, 3-2. Clymer then rattled off six consecutive wins including decisions over 11th-ranked Jon Fausey from Virginia (2-0), 15th-ranked Luke Rebertus from Navy (2-0) and avenging the loss to Neely with a 5-2 win in the sixth-round of the consolations. Clymer's other loss came in the third-place match against eighth-ranked Kevin Steinhaus from Minnesota, 4-0.
The defending champion at 184 pounds in the CAA, Clymer placed second at the Binghamton Open back in November. While he is unranked by InterMat, he was ranked 16th by Division I College Wrestling, 19th by Amateur Wrestling News and 21st by the Wrestling Report. He placed second at the 2011 New York State Collegiate Championships last January. Clymer, who is the number one-ranked wrestler in the CAA at 184 pounds in this week's conference report, is now 14-5 on the season.
Hofstra and Clymer will return to action this Sunday, January 8 when they host the Dragons of Drexel University at the Mack Sports Complex at 1 p.m. Tickets for the Drexel match can be purchased by phone at (516) 463-TIXX or online by going to www.GoHofstra.com.
Three Place as Hofstra Finishes Ninth at the Southern Scuffle
Chattanooga, TN - Seniors Ben Clymer and P.J. Gillespie each placed fourth and junior Steve Bonanno finished sixth to lead the Hofstra Pride wrestling team to a ninth-place finish at the eighth-annual Southern Scuffle at McKenzie Arena at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Monday.
The Pride finished with 58 points to equal their final place finish of a year ago. Penn State, the defending national champions, captured the team title with 191.5 points. Minnesota placed second with 177.5 points with Missouri finishing third with 136 points. Cornell (130) and Oregon State (103) rounded out the top five.
Clymer (Germansville, PA) battled back from an opening round loss on Sunday to grab fourth place. He posted a 3-1 day on Monday defeating Virginia's 11th-ranked Jon Fausey, 2-0 in the fifth round of the consolations before downing Missouri's Clarence Neely, 5-2 and Navy's 15th-ranked Luke Rebertus, 2-0. Clymer lost to Minnesota's Kevin Steinhouse in the third-place match, 4-0. Clymer is now 14-5 on the season.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), ranked third at 165 pounds, opened the day in the championship semifinals and dropped a 3-1 decision to Minnesota's 10th-ranked Cody Yohn. He bounced back to post a 6-2 win over Missouri's 12th-ranked Zach Toal before dropping a 4-2 decision to Appalachian State's 20th-ranked Kyle Blevins in the third place match. Gillespie is now 15-3 on the year.
Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), ranked 12th at 125 pounds, went 2-2 out of the consolation bracket Monday to place sixth. He opened with a 9-4 win over Army's David White and then defeated North Carolina's Brian Bokoski, 14-7. Bonanno then dropped a 3-1 decision to Cornell's seventh-ranked Frank Perelli in the consolation semifinals before falling to Virginia's ninth-ranked Matt Snyder, 6-5, in the fifth-place match. Bonanno is now 13-5 on the season.
Three more Pride wrestlers were in action in the Scuffle's second and final day Monday. Sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) was eliminated with a 13-5 major decision loss to Oregon State's 16th-ranked Garrett Drucker. Franco is now 9-7 on the season. Junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) was eliminated from the Scuffle after being pinned by Cornell's 18th-ranked Craig Eifert in 5:46. Accordino is now 10-8 on the year. Junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) was also eliminated in the fifth round of the consolations by a 17-3 major decision loss to Indiana's Andrew Chalfant. Snyder is 10-5 on the season.
Hofstra returns to dual match action and begins its 2012 Colonial Athletic Association schedule this Sunday, January 8 when they host the Dragons of Drexel University at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m. Tickets for the Drexel match can be purchased by phone at (516) 463-TIXX or online by going to GoHofstra.com.
Hofstra- Gillespie Advances to Semis, Pride in 12th Place at Southern Scuffle
Chattanooga, TN - Senior P.J. Gillespie advanced through to Monday's semifinals and five other Hofstra wrestlers remain alive in the consolation bracket of the eighth annual Southern Scuffle at McKenzie Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Pride team is in 12th place with 38 points entering Monday's second and final day of competition. Penn State, the defending national champions, leads the team standings with 118 points. Minnesota (110.5) is second and Missouri (83.5) is third in the 23-team field.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) went 3-0 on the day to improve to 14-1 on the season. The third-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds posted a 4-1 victory over Chattanooga's Brandon Wright to advance to the semifinals. Earlier in the day, Gillespie defeated North Carolina's Kyle Kiss (4-0) and Duke's Ryan Harding (13-5 major). Gillespie will face 10th-ranked Cody Yohn from Minnesota in Monday's semis.
Three other Pride wrestlers advanced to the championship quarterfinals, with all three remaining alive in the consolation bracket for Monday. Junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) posted a 2-1 at 285 pounds on the day, advancing to the quarterfinals before being pinned by Minnesota's seventh-ranked Tony Nelson at the 6:11 mark. Snyder had earlier posted wins over Jowan Gill from Indiana (4-1) and Penn State's Jordan Gingrich (5-3). Snyder will face Indiana's Andrew Chalfant in the fifth round of the consolations on Monday. Junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) also posted a 2-1 mark at 125 pounds and advanced to the quarterfinals before dropping a 9-7 overtime decision to ninth-ranked Matt Snyder from Virginia on Sunday. Bonanno, the 12th-ranked wrestler in the country, won by forfeit over Josh Fisher from Campbell and posted a 13-5 major decision over Scott Filbert from Army. Bonanno will face David White from Army in the fifth round of the consolations. Sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) also advanced to the quarterfinals before being stopped by Chattanooga's Nick Soto, 7-5. Franco, who posted a 2-1 day at 133 pounds Sunday, defeated Andrew Hammer from Ohio, 6-3, and Cleveland State's Mike Carbone (4-3). Franco will face Oregon State's 16th-ranked Garrett Drucker in the fifth round of the consolations Monday.
Senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) and junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) each battled through early round losses to remain alive for day two. Clymer, who went 2-1 on the day at 184 pounds, dropped a 3-2 decision Missouri's Clarence Neely in a first round match. He then posted three consecutive majore decisions in the consolations, defeating Navy's Gary Albright (10-2), Virginia Tech's Angelo Malvestuto (12-1) and North Carolina's Antonio Giorgio (9-1). Clymer will face Virginia's Jon Fausey on Monday in the fifth round of the consolations.
Accordino also was 3-1 on the day at 149 pounds on Sunday, dropping his first match to Chattanooga's Dean Pavlou, 5-3 but rebounding for three wins in the consolations. He defeated Indiana's Eric Roach (5-2), North Carolina's Christian Barber (8-3) and Indiana's Taylor Walsh with a pin at the 5:46 mark. Accordino will face Cornell's 18th-ranked Craig Eifert in the fifth round of the wrestlebacks on Monday.
Sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) advanced to the 141-pound championship round of 16 before getting knocked out of the tournament later in the day. Vaith, who was 3-2 on the day, posted wins over unattached Brent Jorge (TF-17-2), and Missouri's Brandon Wiest (3-1) before losing to Appalachian's Mike Kessler (3-1) in the round of 16. Vaith then defeated Old Dominion's Michael Crowley (15-3, major) in the consolations before being eliminated by ODU's Justin LaValle, 7-5.
Sophomores Tim Murphy (Nazareth, PA) and Zeal McGrew (Glenville, NY) each went 1-2 at 197 and 285 pounds, respectively. Murphy was pinned by Campbell's John Weakley in 57 seconds in his first match before rebounding for a 6-5 win over Duke's Brian Self in the consolations. He was eliminated with a 4-1 loss to North Carolina's Zach Bennett. McGrew, who was a non-scoring member of the Pride, defeated Duke's Michael Chapman, 17-4, in his firat round match before falling to Oregon's Chad Hanke, 17-6. McGrew was eliminated by Cleveland State's Gary Yarborough, 10-5. Freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) went 0-2 at 174 pounds in the Scuffle Sunday, losing to North Carolina State's Quinton Godley, 5-3, and Duke's Trey Adamson, 4-2. The Pride did not wrestle a 157-pounder.
Tournament updates can be found at www.trackwrestling.com. Monday's competition begins at 9 a.m.
Hofstra-Gillespie Named CAA Co-Wrestler Of The Month
Lawrenceville, NJ - Hofstra senior P.J. Gillespie of Hofstra University has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Wrestler of the Month for all competition from November 30 to December 19, the CAA announced today. Gillespie shares the award with Donnie Vinson of Binghamton University.
Gillespie, a 165-pound senior from Long Beach, New York, finished runner-up at the prestigious Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational, losing 4-2 to Wyoming's third-ranked wrestler in the nation, Shane Onufer. Gillespie went 5-1 last month to improve to 11-1 on the season. He is now ranked third by InterMat, fourth by W.I.N. Magazine and fifth by Amateur Wrestling News.
Vinson, a 149-pound junior, was runner-up at the Penn State Open and placed fourth at the Reno Tournament of Champions, winning 10 of 12 matches. His only losses came to the top and fifth ranked wrestlers in the nation. Vinson picked up three majors, a tech fall and a pair of pins in his last 10 wins and moved up to sixth in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News, seventh by InterMat and ninth by W.I.N.
Derak Heyman of Binghamton was named the CAA Rookie of the Month. Heyman, a 141-pound freshman, placed eighth at the Penn State Open, winning four matches on the day.
In related news, four Pride wrestlers are ranked number one in their respective weight classes in this week's CAA rankings. Junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), who is 9-2 at 125 pounds, sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN), who is 7-3 at 141 pounds, Gillespie, who is 11-1 at 165, and senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), who is 8-3 at 184 pounds, are all ranked first in their weight classes. In addition, sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) is ranked second at 133-pounds with a 7-5 record while junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) is ranked third at 157 pounds with a 5-5 mark and classmate Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) is third at 285 pounds with an 8-3 record.
Hofstra Ranked 25th in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Pride Wrestling team has climbed into the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll this week.
Hofstra, which placed 10th at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational on December 3 and is now 2-0 in dual matches this season, is ranked 25th in this week's Division I Poll after several weeks of receiving top 25 votes. Hofstra is tied for 25th by WIN Magazine, 26th by the Wrestling Report and 27th by Intermat this week. The Pride will return to dual match action on Sunday, January 8 when they host CAA opponent Drexel University at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m.
The University of Iowa remains number one in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll for the fifth week in a row as they received eight No. 1 votes. Moving into this week's Top 10 is Oklahoma, with their only loss coming to No. 2 Oklahoma State. Nebraska showed the most improvement this week as former No. 21 takes the No. 16 spot, after beating No. 20 Wyoming 19-15.
The NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll Committee is made up of one coach from each conference. A number one ranking is worth 25 points and a number 25 ranking is worth one point. This poll is based on a dual meet ranking. A new poll will be released every Tuesday from now until the week of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament and can be found at www.nwcaonline.com.
NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll
No. School Total LW W-L
1 Iowa (8) 248 1 6-0
2 Oklahoma St. (2) 242 2 3-0
3 Minnesota 224 3 4-2
4 Cornell 219 4 1-0
5 Penn State 212 5 3-1
6 Ohio State 202 6 6-0
7 Illinois 188 7 6-1
8 Michigan 173 8 2-1
9 Pittsburgh 158 9 3-1
10 Oklahoma 153 11 3-1
11 Lehigh 148 10 5-3
12 Missouri 142 12 4-1
13 Maryland 131 13 8-0
T14 Virginia Tech 106 15 3-1
T14 Oregon State 106 16 4-1
16 Nebraska 92 21 5-0
17 Rutgers 89 17 5-1
18 Northwestern 83 19 3-0
19 Central Michigan 77 18 7-2
20 Wyoming 74 14 0-1
21 Kent State 49 20 2-4
22 Virginia 47 T22 2-1
23 Binghamton 32 T22 7-0
24 Edinboro 16 25 0-1
25 HOFSTRA 14 RV 2-0
Others Receiving Votes: American, Arizona State, Boston, Cal Poly, Penn, Purdue, and Old Dominion.
Hofstra Cruises Past Army
West Point, NY - Steve Bonanno, P.J. Gillespie and Paul Snyder each posted major decisions as Hofstra won eight of 10 matches in a 27-6 victory over Army at Christl Arena Thursday night. The Pride improved to 2-0 on the season while the Black Knights of Army slipped to 3-4.
Pride junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), ranked 11th in the nation, opened the match with a 14-5 major decision over freshman Scott Filbert at 125 pounds. Bonanno jumped out to a 4-1 lead after one period and never looked back to improve to 9-2 on the season. Sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) boosted the Pride lead to 7-0 with a 2-1 victory over Jordan Thome at 133 pounds. Franco, who improved to 7-5 on the year, posted his takedown with 48 seconds remaining in the third period. Sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) improved to 7-3 on the season with a 6-2 win over Connor Hanafee at 141 pounds. Vaith posted a three-point third period and the riding time point for the victory.
Junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA), ranked 17th by Division I College Wrestling, won his seventh match of the season with an 8-3 decision over Casey Smith at 149 pounds. Accordino had a big second period to turn a 2-1 lead into a comfortable 7-2 lead at the end of the period. At 157, Army's Jimmy Rafferty posted the Black Knights first takedown of the contest on the way to a 4-0 victory over Pride junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT). Banks is now 5-5 on the season. But Hofstra senior All-American P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), ranked fourth in this week's 165-pound poll, posted two takedowns in each period on the way to a 15-7 major decision over Cole Gracey. Gillepie, who is now 11-1 on the year, boosted the Pride lead to 17-3.
Army won its second match of the contest at 174 pounds as Ryan Thompkins recorded an escape and got a penalty point on a stalling call in the third period to post a 4-3 win over Hofstra freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY). John slipped to 3-6 on the season as Army closed to 17-6 in the contest. But Hofstra senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) clinched the win for the Pride with a 2-1 victory over Michael Gorman on the riding time (1:55) point. Clymer improves to 8-3 on the season and gave the Pride a 20-6 lead.
At 197 pounds, sophomore Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) posted his third win of the season with a 6-5 victory over Army's Wil Brown to give the Pride a 23-6 lead in the contest. Junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) closed out the match with a 12-2 major decision over Curtis Garner at 285 pounds. Snyder is now 8-3 on the season.
Hofstra 27, Army 6
125- Steve Bonanno (H) maj. Scott Filbert (A), 14-5
133- Jamie Franco (H) dec. Jordan Thome (A), 2-1
141- Luke Vaith (H) dec. Connor Hanafee (A), 6-2
149- Justin Accordino (H) dec. Casey Smith (A), 8-3
157- Jimmy Rafferty (A) dec. Tyler Banks (H), 4-0
165- P.J. Gillespie (H) maj. Cole Gracey (A), 15-7
174- Ryan Thompkins (A) dec. Jermaine John (H), 4-3
184- Ben Clymer (H) dec. Michael Gorman (A), 2-1
197- Matt Loew (H) dec, Wil Brown (A), 6-5
285- Paul Snyder (A) maj, Curtis Garner (A), 12-2
Hofstra Pride To Battle Army Thursday Night
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Wrestling team returns to dual match competition on Thursday, December 8 when they travel to West Point, New York to face the Black Knights of Army at Christl Arena. Match time is 7 p.m.
The Pride, coming off a 10th place finish at the 30th annual Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational last weekend, is just 1-0 in dual matches this season. Hofstra defeated Wisconsin, 25-12, on November 20 at the Mack Sports Complex. Last weekend in Las Vegas, the Pride had three wrestlers place at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational as senior P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) placed second at 165 pounds, junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) placed third at 125 pounds and junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) finished eighth at 149 pounds.
Hofstra is led by Gillespie, who is 10-1 on the season and ranked fourth in the nation at 165 pounds. Bonanno is now 8-2 on the season and ranked 11th at 125 pounds in the latest InterMat poll. Senior Ben Clymer, who did not place in Las Vegas, is 7-3 on the year and ranked 16th by Division I College Wrestling. Accordino, who was expected to compete for the starting job at 157 pounds this season, has returned to the 149 pound class with the injury to senior Vince Varela. Accordino is 6-6 on the season and ranked 17th by DICW. Sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) is off to a great start this season and is 6-3 and ranked 25th at 141 pounds by DICW.
As a team, Hofstra is in the also receiving votes category in the InterMat, the Wrestling Report, Division I College Wrestling and WIN Magazine Top 25 polls.
The Black Knights of Army are 3-3 in dual matches on the season. Army has wins over Iowa State (23-22), Boston University (28-9) and Sacred Heart (45-3) and losses to Rider (16-15), Arizona State (23-15) and Binghamton (20-13). The Black Knights are coming off a 28th place finish at last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Junior 133-pounder Jordan Thome went 3-2 with three pins to lead the Black Knights last weekend.
Thome, Army's lone returning NCAA qualifier, leads the Black Knights with 12 wins, six pins and seven bonus-point victories. Senior Jimmy Rafferty (11-8), junior Daniel Young (11-4) and sophomore Wil Brown (11-7) are tied for second on the squad with 11 wins apiece. Brown ranks second on the club with four pins and six bonus-point victories.
Freshman Scott Filbert (10-7), junior Connor Hanafee (10-8) and sophomore David White (10-10) are tied for fourth on the team with 10 wins each. Filbert has recorded three pins and one technical fall, while Hanafee and White have both notched three bonus-point wins.
Thursday's match against Army is the 17th meeting between the Pride and the Black Knights. After Hofstra's 26-10 victory over Army on Long Island last February, the Pride now has a 10-6-1 series lead.
Hofstra Places Three, Finishes 10th At The CKLV Invitational
Las Vegas, NV - Senior P.J. Gillespie finished second, junior Steve Bonanno placed third and classmate Justin Accordino finished in tenth place to lead the Hofstra Pride to a ninth-place finish at the 2011 Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center Saturday evening.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) dropped a 4-2 decision, on a late takedown, to Wyoming's number one seed Shane Onufer in the 165-pound championship match. Gillespie, the number two seed, reached the finals with a 5-3 decision over Northern Colorado's 11th-seed Gabe Burak in the semifinals. Gillespie is now 10-1 on the season.
Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), the fifth seed at 125 pounds, placed third with a 2-1 day on Saturday. Bonanno opened the day with an 8-1 loss to top seed Nicholas Bedelyon from Kent State in the semifinals for his first loss of the tournament. He then went on to post a major decision over seventh-seed Michael Martinez from Wyoming, 13-5, and an 8-2 win over Ohio State's Johnni DiJulius in the third place match. Bonanno is now 8-2 on the year.
Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA), the 10th-seed at 149 pounds, placed eighth following a 1-2 day on Saturday. Accordino opened the day with a 10-3 victory over the fourth-seed Taylor Walsh from Indiana in the fourth round of the consolations. He then dropped a 2-1 decision in the tie-breaker to the top-seed Tyler Nauman from Pittsburgh in the fifth round. In the seventh-place match, Accordino (6-6) lost to third-seed Scott Sakaguchi from Oregon State by fall in 1:38.
Two other Pride wrestlers were eliminated in the consolations earlier in the day. Senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), the seventh-seed at 184 pounds, dropped a 4-3 decision to the fifth-seed Luke Rebertus from Navy. Clymer is 7-3 on the year. Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) dropped a 5-4 decision to 11th-seeded Jake Sueflohn from Nebraska in the 141-pounds consolations. Vaith is now 6-3 on the year.
As a team, the Pride posted 59.5 points to place tenth in the 34-team field. The Buckeyes of Ohio State won the tournament with 129 points and was followed by Michigan with 116 points and Wyoming with 104.5.
Hofstra returns to action on Thursday, December 8 when the Pride travels to West Point, New York to face the Black Knights of Army at 7 p.m.
Hofstra-Gillespie And Bonanno Advance To CKLV Semifinals
Las Vegas, NV - Hofstra senior P.J. Gillespie and junior Steve Bonanno have each advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight classes in the 2011 Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The semifinals will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. (ET).
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), the number two seed at 165 pounds, was 3-0 in the tournament Friday to boost his season record to 9-0. Gillespie opened with an 8-0 major decision over Utah Valley State's Ethan Smith. He then defeated Nebraska-Kearney's Joey Wilson, 4-2 before downing Pittsburgh's 10th-seeded Tyler Wilps, 3-2 in Friday evening's quarterfinals. Gillespie will face Northern Colorado's 11th-seed Stephen Burak in Saturday's semifinals.
Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), the number five seed at 125 pounds, was also 3-0 with two tech falls and a major decision Friday. He is now 6-1 on the season. Bonanno posted a 15-0 win in 6:16 over North Carolina's Brian Bokoski in the first round. In the round of 16, he tacked on an 18-1 tech fall in 4:20 over San Francisco State's Andrew Yu. Friday night, Bonanno downed Pittsburgh's fourth-seeded Anthony Zanetta, 11-3, in the quarterfinals. Bonanno will face top-seed Nicholas Bedelyon from Kent State in Saturday's semifinal.
Three other Pride wrestlers remained alive in the consolation round. Sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) posted a 3-1 day at 141 pounds and is in the consolation quarterfinals. He will face Nebraska's 11th-seeded Jake Sueflohn Saturday. Red-shirt junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes Barre, PA) went 3-1 at 149 pounds Friday and will wrestle in the consolation quarterfinals Saturday. Accordino, now 5-4 on the year, will face Indiana's fourth-seeded Taylor Walsh Saturday morning. Senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) was 3-1 at 184 pounds to improve to 7-2 on the year. He will face Navy's fifth-seeded Luke Rebertus in the consolation quarterfinals Saturday morning.
Five Pride wrestlers were eliminated with double losses Friday. Junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) posted a 2-2 record at 157 pounds to improve to 5-4 on the season. Classmate Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) was 1-2 at 285 pounds and is now 7-3 this year. Sophomores Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) at 133 and Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) at 197 each went 1-2 Friday. Franco is 6-5 while Loew is 2-5 this season. Freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) also posted a 1-2 record Friday and is now 3-5 this year.
The Pride are in eighth place with 43.5 points. The Buckeyes of Ohio State are in first place with 69 points. Michigan is second with 63.5 and Cornell is third with 61 points. The fourth round of the consolations begins at 9 a.m. (PT) Saturday morning.
Team Standings
1. Ohio State, 69
2. Michigan, 63.5
3. Cornell, 61
4. Wyoming, 58
5. Oregon State, 56.5
6. Edinboro, 49
7. Nebraska, 48.5
8. Hofstra, 43.5
9. Kent State, 40.5
10. Cal Poly, 39
Hofstra Heads West To The Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Wrestling team will face some of the country's best wrestlers when the Pride compete in the 30th annual Cliff Keen-Las Vegas (CKLV) Invitational on Friday and Saturday, December 2 and 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Pride, 1-0 on the season following their 25-12 victory over Wisconsin on November 20, are ranked 25th in the Division I College Wrestling (DICW) Poll and in the also receiving votes list in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll. Hofstra is also ranked 10th in the National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA) Division I Mid-Major Poll.
Hofstra has six wrestlers ranked this week in the national polls. Leading the half-dozen is 165-pound senior P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY). The Long Island native is 6-0 on the season and is ranked fourth in most of the weekly polls. Red-shirt junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) is 3-1 on the year at 125 pounds and ranked as high as ninth by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN). Senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) is 4-1 at 184 pounds and ranked as high as 16th by DICW. Junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) is off to a 6-1 start this year and ranked 22nd at 285 pounds by DICW. Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) is 3-1 at 141 pounds this year and is ranked 25th by DICW while red-shirt junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA), who has moved to 149 pounds to fill the spot for the injured Vince Varela, is 2-3 and ranked 31st by the Wrestling Report.
The Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational is a double-elimination, NCAA Championship format competition that features 10 of the current top 25 teams in the most recent InterMat. Among the 34 teams competing this year are: #5 Cornell; #8 Michigan; #10 Ohio State; #12 Stanford; #13 Wyoming; #14s Oregon State and Pittsburgh; #19 Cal Poly; #22 Kent State; and #24 Edinboro.
Hofstra is making its seventh appearance at the CKLV in the last eight seasons. The Pride competed in last year's CKLV and placed 11th with nine wrestlers. Lou Ruggirello placed third, P.J. Gillespie and Vince Varela finished sixth, and Steve Bonanno and Justin Accordino placed eighth. In 2009 in Primm, Nevada, the Pride, with seven wrestlers, placed 24th with 30.5 points in the 42-team field. Ryan Patrovich placed fifth at 174 while P.J. Gillespie finished sixth at 165. Hofstra's best finish at the CKLV was during the 2004-05 season when the Pride finished third. The Pride placed ninth in 2006-07 and 10th in 2007-08.
The 2011 CKLV Invitational begins at 9 a.m. (PST) on Friday and runs all day with the quarterfinals scheduled for 7 p.m. Competition continues Saturday at 9 a.m. with semifinals at 10 a.m. and finals at 3 p.m.
Hofstra Downs Wisconsin In Home Opener, 25-12
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra won the first three matches of the day, including two by tech fall, and added four more victories to post a 25-12 win over the Wisconsin Badgers at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride (1-0) win was the first for new Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach. Wisconsin drops its first dual of the season and is now 5-1.
Hofstra junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), ranked 14th at 125 pounds by InterMat this week, got the Pride off on the right foot with an 18-2 tech fall over junior Shane McQuade (3-3) in 4:23. Bonanno, who led 9-2 after one period, is now 3-2 on the season. Red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) gave the Pride an 8-0 lead with a 4-3 decision over red-shirt junior Tom Kelliher in the first tie-breaker of the 133-pound match. Franco (5-3) won on an escape near the end of the tie-breaker. Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN), rebounded from an ankle injury last week, to post a 16-0 tech fall over red-shirt freshman Thomas Glenn in 4:29 at 141 pounds. Vaith, who is now 3-1 on the season, gave the Pride a 13-0 lead in the contest.
Wisconsin got on the board at 149 pounds as 13th-ranked red-shirt junior Cole Schmitt (5-0) recorded a 7-2 decision over Hofstra red-shirt junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA). Schmitt jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period and only allowed a second period takedown. But Hofstra came back at 157 as junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) notched a second period reversal and added the riding time point in a 3-0 win over red-shirt sophomore Shawn Perry. Banks is 3-2 on the year. The Pride extended their lead to 19-3 at 165 as senior All-American P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) posted a 3-1 win over the Badger's 16th-ranked senior Ben Jordan. Gillespie, who is 6-0 on the year and ranked fifth in the nation, made a first period takedown and a second period escape standup in the match.
The Badgers recorded their second win of the match at 174 as red-shirt freshman Frank Cousins (4-2) pinned Hofstra freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) at the 5:53 mark. The match was tied at 3-3 early in the third period before Cousins pinned John (2-3). But Pride senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), ranked 20th at 184 pounds this week, tallied a third period escape and the riding time point in a 2-0 win over red-shirt freshman Timmy McCall (5-1). Clymer, who is now 4-1 on the season, gave the Pride a 22-9 advantage in the match.
Red-shirt sophomore Jackson Hein (5-1) defeated Pride sophomore Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY), 11-6 at 197 pounds to close the deficit to 22-12. But Hofstra junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) closed out the match with a 5-2 decision over red-shirt sophomore Cole Tobin at 285 for the final 25-12 margin. Snyder is now 6-1 on the season.
The Pride will return to action on Friday and Saturday, December 2-3 when they travel to Nevada for the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Hofstra (HOFS) 25.0 Wisconsin (WISC) 12.0
125: Steve Bonanno, HOFS, tech. fall Shane McQuade, WISC, 4:23 17-2. 133: Jamie Franco, HOFS, dec. OT Thomas Kelliher, WISC, 4-3. 141: Luke Vaith, HOFS, tech. fall Thomas Glenn, WISC, 4:29 15-0. 149: Coulthurst Schmitt, WISC, dec. Justin Accordino, HOFS, 7-2. 157: Tyler Banks, HOFS, dec. Shawn Perry, WISC, 3-0. 165: Paul Gillespie, HOFS, dec. Benjamin Jordan, WISC, 3-1. 174: Frank Cousins Jr., WISC, pinned Jermaine John, HOFS, 5:53. 184: Ben Clymer, HOFS, dec. Timothy McCall, WISC, 2-0. 197: Jackson Hein, WISC, dec. Matt Loew, HOFS, 11-6. 285: Paul Snyder, HOFS, dec. Cole Tobin, WISC, 5-2.
Hofstra- Pride Host Wisconsin In Home Opener Sunday At Noon
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra wrestling team will begin its 2011-12 dual match season and home schedule this Sunday, November 20 when the Pride host the Badgers of the University of Wisconsin at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is noon.
Sunday's match against the Big Ten Badgers will mark the home debut of the Pride's new head wrestling Rob Anspach. The Pine Grove, Pennsylvania native and Hofstra alumnus has served as an assistant coach on Tom Ryan's Pride staff for four seasons and Tom Shifflet's staff for five years. He took over after the NCAA Championships last March following Shifflet's resignation to enter private business.
The Pride, who are ranked 24th by Division I College Wrestling, 30th by The Wrestling Report and are receiving votes in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I Top 25 Poll this week, return 17 wrestlers including seven starters from last year's 14-4-1 squad. Hofstra captured the CAA championship and placed 26th, with two All-Americans, at the NCAA Championships last March.
The Pride opened the season last Sunday at the Binghamton Open. Hofstra put 16 grapplers on the mat in Binghamton and six finished as place-winners including senior All-American P.J. Gillespie. The Long Beach, New York product captured the 165-pound title in upstate New York and is 5-0 on the season and ranked fifth by every ranking organization this week.
Senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) at 184 pounds and junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) at 125 pounds placed second while junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) finished third at 285. Sophomores Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) at 133 and Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) at 197 each placed sixth. Bonanno is ranked 14th in the country while Clymer is ranked 20th.
Hofstra will be making one change to the expected starting line-up for the Wisconsin match as redshirt junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) will be dropping back to 149 pounds to replace senior Vince Varela (Rio Rancho, NM), who suffered a leg injury prior to the Binghamton competition.
Wisconsin enters the week with a 3-0 record after sweeping through their Badger Duals last Sunday. Wisconsin posted victories over Loras (38-3), UW-Whitewater (39-3) and the number one team in Division III Wartburg (17-16). Seven Badger wrestlers went undefeated at six different weight classes throughout the three dual matches.
The Badgers, who return 10 letter-winners and have added nine newcomers to its squad in 2011, are led by five starters from last year's squad, including NCAA qualifiers Cole Schmitt at 149 pounds and Ben Jordan at 165 pounds. Schmitt is ranked 13th and Jordan is ranked 16th by InterMat this week. Wisconsin will be without three of its 2011 All-America recipients, Tyler Graff (133 lbs.), Andrew Howe (165 lbs.) and Travis Rutt (184 lbs.), due to Olympic redshirt seasons. Head coach Barry Davis returns for his 18th season at the helm of the Wisconsin wrestling program.
The Badgers will wrestle Princeton and Rider in Princeton, New Jersey on Friday, November 18 before coming to Long Island on Sunday.
Hofstra Signs Colorado State Champion
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach today announced the signing of 2011 Colorado State champion Dwight Howes to a National Letter of Intent to attend the University commencing in September, 2012.
Howes, a current senior at Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado, defeated Julian Cota, 14-3, in the 189-pound 4A Colorado State Championship match last February to capture the title and cap a perfect 42-0 season. The three-time all-conference and two-time All-Colorado selection placed second in the Colorado State Championships as a sophomore in 2010 during a 40-2 season. Howes, who was Arvada's Most Outstanding Wrestler Award winner as a sophomore and junior, also received the Bulldog Award after a 31-5 season as a freshman. Over his three high school seasons, Howes has recorded a 113-7 slate.
Howes, who was a National High School Coaches Association freshman national champion in 2009 and runner-up as a sophomore, was also a junior All-American in Greco-Roman in 2011, a FILA Cadet freestyle All-American in 2010, a Cadet finalist in Greco-Roman at the Fargo Nationals in 2009, and a freestyle All-American in Fargo in 2008.
Howes was also an all-conference selection in football in 2008 and 2011and ran on the cross country team as a sophomore.
Hofstra- Gillespie Leads Six Pride Place-Winners at Binghamton Open
Binghamton, NY - Senior All-American P.J. Gillespie captured the 165-pound title to lead six Hofstra place-winners at the 16-team Binghamton Open at the Events Center Sunday. There was no team scoring in the competition.
A total of 16 Hofstra wrestlers competed in the Binghamton Open which gave Pride first year head coach Rob Anspach a good look at his wrestlers against outside competition before their home opener against Wisconsin on Sunday, November 20 at the Mack Sports Complex.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), who placed eighth at the 2011 NCAA Championships last March, kicked off the 2011-12 season in style, posting a 5-0 record in the tournament including a 3-2 win over Binghamton's Matt Kaylor in the title match.
In addition to Gillespie, the Pride had two second-place finishers, one third-place finish and two sixth-place winners. Senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), defending CAA champion and NCAA qualifier, posted a 3-1 mark in the Open and placed second at 184 pounds, losing to Cornell's Stephen Bosak, 3-0, in the title match. Junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) was 3-1 and placed second at 125 pounds, losing to Cornell's Frank Perrelli, 6-5, in the championship match.
Junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) placed third with a 5-1 mark in the 285-pound weight class. Snyder earned his place the hard way, losing his opening round match to Cornell's Maciej Jochym, 11-4, before reeling off five straight wins including a 3-2 win over Jochym in the third place match.
A pair of sophomores, Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) and Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY), each placed sixth in their respective weight classes. Franco posted a 4-3 mark at 133 pounds including a 15-1 loss to Princeton's Chris Perez in the fifth-place contest. Loew was 1-3 at 197 pounds including a loss by fall to Rider's Donald McNeil in the fifth-place match.
In addition to Franco at 133 pounds, freshman Joey Gosinski (Bartlett, IL) posted a 1-2 mark in his collegiate debut. At 141, redshirt sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN) was cruising along with two straight wins before suffering a leg injury and taking an injury default loss in his quarterfinal match against Princeton's Adam Krop and defaulting out of the tournament. Junior Daniel Manley (Dobbs Ferry, NY) also competed at 141 pounds and went 1-2.
Three wrestlers competed for the Pride at 157 pounds with juniors Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) and Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) each posting a 2-2 mark while freshman George Palyok (Chesterfield, NJ) was 1-2. Sophomore Brandon Bright (Livingston, NJ) also competed at 165 pounds and went 1-2 in his Hofstra debut. Freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) was the fourth Pride wrestler to make his college debut Sunday and posted a 2-2 slate at 174 pounds. Junior Pat Murphy (Nazareth, PA) also wrestled at 174 pounds and went 0-2. Redshirt sophomore Tim Murphy (Nazareth, PA), Tim's brother, also wrestled, posting a 1-2 record at 197 pounds.
Gregor Gillespie Joins Hofstra Coaching Staff
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach announced today that four-time All-American and former NCAA champion Gregor Gillespie has joined the Pride staff as an assistant coach. His appointment is effective immediately.
Gillespie, a native of Webster, New York, comes to Hofstra after serving as a coach and administrator for the Edinboro Scotsman Wrestling Club during the 2010-11 season. A 2011 graduate of Edinboro University, Gillespie earned NCAA All-America honors from 2006 through 2009 and captured the 2007 NCAA championship at 149 pounds with a 3-1 overtime decision over Michigan's Josh Churella.
The two-time team captain for the Fighting Scots, Gillespie helped lead Edinboro to top 10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2009, and Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) team titles in all four of his seasons. Individually, he was a three-time champion in both the EWL and the PSAC, and was the EWL Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler award winner in 2007.
Gillespie began his college career with a bang, winning his first 23 matches on the way to a 40-4 record which is the most wins by a freshman in school history. He won his first EWL and PSAC titles and placed seventh at the NCAA Championships becoming Edinboro's first true freshman to earn All-America honors. As a sophomore, Gillespie tallied a 34-2 record, his second EWL title and was named both the EWL and the PSAC Wrestler of the Year on the way to the national title at 149 pounds.
In 2007-08, Gillespie moved up to 157 pounds, posted a 37-4 record and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships. He won his third straight EWL title and was named the EWL Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, and recorded his second PSAC crown and was named the PSAC Wrestler of the Year for the second consecutive year. As a senior in 2008-09, Gillespie recorded a 41-3 record, was an EWL finalist, captured his third PSAC championship and was named the PSAC Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships.
Gillespie finished his collegiate career with a 152-13 record, breaking Jason Robison's Edinboro record for career victories and set a new mark with a .921 winning percentage. A former Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative, Gillespie has a bachelor's degree in individualized studies with a concentration in psychology.
Ruggirello Named To Capital One Academic All-America Team
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra All-American wrestler Lou Ruggirello has been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America University Division Men's At-Large third team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The Men's At-Large program for the Academic All-America(r) includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo and wrestling.
Ruggirello's honor is the third Capital One Academic All-America award received by a Hofstra student-athlete during the 2010-11 academic year. Seniors Dana Bergstrom and Tiffany Yovino were both named to the Capital One Women's Soccer Academic All-America first team last November. Ruggirello becomes the 26th Hofstra student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA and is the first Pride wrestler to receive the award.
Ruggirello, who won his second Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in April after receiving the honor in 2009, is both a four-time CAA champion and NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds. He earned his first All-America award this year by placing seventh at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in March. A senior majoring in finance, the Walden, New York native is a four-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and a five-year member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll.
Ruggirello, a Capital One Academic All-District I first team selection, is a two-time (2008-09) member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team. He posted a 32-5 overall record in 2010-11 including a 17-1 mark in dual matches with 13 wins by fall. In his Pride career, Ruggirello finished second on the Hofstra all-time career victory list with a 131-26 record including a 72-7 mark in duals.
To be eligible for Academic All-America(r) consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
The Academic All-America(r) program has honored thousands of student-athletes since its inception in 1952. It encompasses all sports in which the NCAA conducts championships. There are separate teams selected in football, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and cross-country. For student-athletes in other sports, such as wrestling, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, golf, hockey, they are eligible for the men's and women's at-large programs.
Currently, a Capital One Academic All-America(r) University Division (NCAA Division I participants) team and a College Division team (combining NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, Canadian, and two-year schools) are selected for each sport category. Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year, this national program will grow to four programs - with NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III teams and a separate College Division program combining NAIA, Canadian and two-year school honorees. The Capital One Academic All-America(r) Program is a highly selective scholar-athlete honor. Approximately 1,950 of the 12,000 student-athletes nominated annually receive "First-Team Academic All-District" honors, and only 820 currently gain the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America(r) honor; of those 820, only 288 earn prestigious Academic All-America(r) First Team accolades.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA, www.CoSIDA.com), now in its 55th year as an organization, was founded in 1957-making it the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. Today, it is a vibrant 2,700-plus member national association comprised of the sports public relations, communications and information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. For more information about the Academic All-America(r) Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $122.2 billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of December 31, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
Hofstra Names Two-Time All-American Dan Vallimont Assistant Coach
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach today announced the appointment of former two-time All-American Dan Vallimont as an assistant coach on the Pride staff for the 2011-12 season.
Vallimont, a native of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, was a four-time NCAA qualifier for the Nittany Lions of Penn State from 2005 through 2010 who recorded a 110-36 mark during his collegiate career. A team captain in 2008-09 and 2009-10, Vallimont placed second at the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships at 165 pounds and finished the season with a 30-9 mark. As a sophomore, he finished third at the 2008 NCAA Championships at 157 pounds and posted a 32-3 record.
A three-time top three finisher at the Big Ten Championships, Vallimont placed second in 2008 and third in 2009 and 2010. As a red-shirt freshman in 2006-07, he placed fourth in the Big Ten Championships and tallied a 22-12 record. Vallimont advanced to the NCAA Championships as the 12th-seed at 157 pounds and came within one win of All-America accolades. As a junior, he placed third in the Big Ten, advanced to the NCAA Championships at 165 pounds and, again, came one victory shy of All-America status, finishing with a 26-12 slate on the season.
"I am quite pleased to add Dan to our Pride coaching staff," Anspach said. "As an outstanding student, one of the top wrestlers in the Big Ten and a recent two-time All-American, he brings to our program the talent and experience necessary to help bring us to the next level, both on and off the mat,"
Vallimont, who graduated from Penn State in 2010 with a degree in architectural engineering, was a two-time New Jersey State High School champion at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. A three-year team captain and a four-year member of the National Honor Society, he posted a 134-9 career record in high school.
Hofstra Named All-Academic; Bonanno and Ruggirello Named to NWCA All-Academic Team
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra wrestling team has been selected as one of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's 2011 Division I All-Academic Top 30 teams and Steve Bonanno and Lou Ruggirello have been named to the 2011 NWCA All-Academic Team, the organization announced.
For teams to be eligible for consideration, the team GPA is comprised of 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.
Ten of the eleven Division I Conferences are represented in the Top 30. The Pride placed 15th on the NWCA All-Academic Top 30 list with a 3.079 team grade point average. The Harvard Crimson led this year's Top 30 with a 3.51 GPA. This is the second consecutive year that the Crimson has taken home top honors. Rounding out the top 10 were Columbia, South Dakota State, Old Dominion, Princeton, Chattanooga, Nebraska, Utah Valley and Cornell.
The Individual All-Academic Team also has qualifying standards by GPA and season record/accomplishment. Ninety-three wrestlers were honored including 84 who competed at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Philadelphia last March. The 93 athletes include three NCAA Champions, five NCAA Runner-Ups, 28 All-Americans and 84 NCAA Qualifiers.
Bonanno, a native of Wantagh, New York, qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships in 2011 for the second time in his career. The three-time Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and three-time Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll member recorded a 24-13 overall record including a 12-5 mark in dual matches in 2010-11.
Bonanno placed second at the CAA Championships in early March to qualify for the NCAA Championships as he did as a true freshman in 2008-09. He captured the 125-pound title at the New York State Collegiate Championships in January and placed eighth at the prestigious Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational last December. Bonanno was ranked 15th in the final InterMat poll, 17th in the final RPI and 23rd in the final NCAA Coaches Panel.
Ruggirello, who won his second Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in April after receiving the honor in 2009, earned his third NWCA All-Academic Team honor after being selected in 2008 and 2009. The 2011 CoSIDA-Capital One Academic All-District 1 first team selection is both a four-time CAA champion and NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds. He earned his first All-America award this year by placing seventh at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in March. A senior majoring in finance, the Walden, New York native is a four-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and a five-year member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll.
Ruggirello posted a 32-5 overall record in 2010-11 including a 17-1 mark in dual matches with 13 wins by fall. In his Pride career, Ruggirello finished second on the Hofstra all-time career victory list with a 131-26 record including a 72-7 mark in dual matches.
"Being able to recognize our coaches and their teams for the accomplishments that they have made academically is always a high point at the end of the season for our staff. All of the athletes that have made this year's team are setting themselves up for success once they leave college, they are becoming leaders of the future," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.
Ruggirello Named To Capital One Academic All-District I Team
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra All-American wrestler Lou Ruggirello has been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District I men's at-large first team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced. The senior, who graduated from Hofstra in ceremonies yesterday, will now advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot.
Ruggirello, who won his second Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in April after receiving the honor in 2009, is both a four-time CAA champion and NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds. He earned his first All-America award this year by placing seventh at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in March. A senior majoring in finance, the Walden, New York native is a four-time CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and a five-year member of the Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll.
Ruggirello is a two-time (2008-09) member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team. He posted a 32-5 overall record in 2010-11 including a 17-1 mark in dual matches with 13 wins by fall. In his Pride career, Ruggirello finished second on the Hofstra all-time career victory list with a 131-26 record including a 72-7 mark in duals.
The Academic All-America(r) program has honored thousands of student-athletes since its inception in 1952. It encompasses all sports in which the NCAA conducts championships. There are separate teams selected in football, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and cross-country. For student-athletes in other sports, such as wrestling, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, golf, hockey, they are eligible for the men's and women's at-large programs.
The Academic All-District teams (in eight geographic districts) are voted on by the CoSIDA membership at large, with First Team selections advancing to the national Capital One Academic All-America(r) ballot. At that point, First Team, Second Team and Third Team Academic All-America(r) performers are chosen by the Academic All-America Committee members and CoSIDA Board of Directors.
Currently, a Capital One Academic All-America(r) University Division (NCAA Division I participants) team and a College Division team (combining NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, Canadian, and two-year schools) are selected for each sport category. Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year, this national program will grow to four programs - with NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III teams and a separate College Division program combining NAIA, Canadian and two-year school honorees.
The Capital One Academic All-America(r) Program is a highly selective scholar-athlete honor. Approximately 1,950 of the 12,000 student-athletes nominated annually receive "First-Team Academic All-District" honors, and only 820 currently gain the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America(r) honor; of those 820, only 288 earn prestigious Academic All-America(r) First Team accolades.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA, www.CoSIDA.com), now in its 55th year as an organization, was founded in 1957-making it the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. Today, it is a vibrant 2,700-plus member national association comprised of the sports public relations, communications and information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada.
Former Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Shifflet Named CAA Coach of the Year
Hempstead, NY - Former Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet, who resigned last month following the Pride's fourth Colonial Athletic Association championship in his five seasons, has been named the 2011 CAA Wrestling Coach of the Year, the CAA announced Tuesday.
Shifflet led the Pride to a 14-4-1 regular season dual match record including a 5-1 mark against CAA opposition, the program's ninth CAA title in the past 10 years, and a 26th-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Philadelphia. In the process, Shifflet and his staff produced four conference champions, seven NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans in 2011. It is his third CAA Coach of the Year award after earning the honor in 2007 and 2009.
In addition to the Coach of the Year award announcement, James Nicholson of Old Dominion University was named the CAA Wrestler of the Year and John Paris of Binghamton University was named the CAA Rookie of the Year, in the vote by the CAA coaches. Nicholson, the CAA Champion, earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division I Championships, placing eighth in the 125 pound weight class. Paris finished runner-up in the CAA Championships at 197 pounds and heads up the CAA All-Rookie Team.
Hofstra red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente (Troy, NY), who recorded a 16-14 record including a 3-1 mark in the CAA, was named to the 2011 CAA All-Rookie Team. That team includes 125 Bubba McGinley of Boston University, 133 Eric Dunnett of Old Dominion, 141 Scott Festejo of ODU, 149 Zach Clemente of Hofstra, 157 Ramon Santiago of Rider University, 165 Frank Miele of Rider, 174 Tristan Warner of ODU, 197 Cody Reed of Binghamton and 285 Kevin Innes of Boston University.
Coach of the Year - Tom Shifflet - Hofstra
Wrestler of the Year - James Nicholson - Old Dominion
Freshman of the Year - John Paris - Binghamton
2010-11 CAA All Freshman Team:
125: Bubba McGinley, BU
133: Eric Dunnett, ODU
141: Scott Festejo, ODU
149: Zach Clemente, Hofstra
157: Ramon Santiago, Rider
165: Frank Miele, Rider
174: Tristan Warner, ODU
184: John Paris, Binghamton
197: Cody Reed, Binghamton
285: Kevin Innes, BU
Hofstra Downs Army, 26-10 To Finish 14-4-1
Hempstead, NY - Senior Lou Ruggirello and sophomore Steve Bonanno each posted tech fall victories to lead seven Pride winners in a 26-10 Hofstra victory over the Black Knights of Army at the Mack Sports Complex Tuesday night.
The victory was Hofstra's fifth consecutive dual match win and the 10th in the last 11th outings as the Pride close out their dual match season with a 14-4-1 mark. The Black Knights of Army fall to 7-9.
The Pride jumped out to a 10-0 lead behind back-to-back tech falls from Bonanno and Ruggirello. Bonanno (22-10) downed junior Travis Coffey, 18-3 at 125 pounds for his fifth straight win. Ruggirello (26-3) followed with a 16-0 tech fall over sophomore Jordan Thome at 133 for his 12th consecutive victory.
Army senior Casey Thome put the Black Knights on the board with a 4-1 decision over junior Vince Varela (18-12) at 141 pounds to cut the deficit to 10-3. Hofstra red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente (14-12) posted a late third period rally with a takedown and a two-point nearfall to notch a 6-4 win over sophomore Daniel Young at 149 pounds. At 157, Army junior James Rafferty tallied a 6-2 decision over Pride sophomore Tyler Banks (18-15) before Hofstra junior P.J. Gillespie (24-6) recorded a 13-3 major decision over Army senior Jake Vetter at 165 pounds for a 17-6 lead in the match. Army sophomore Collin Wittmeyer notched a 11-2 major decision over Pride sophomore Matt Spataro (7-16), who was wrestling up two classes, at 174 pounds to close the deficit to 17-10.
But the Pride finished with three consecutive wins as junior Ben Clymer (18-8) rallied back from a first period nearfall to post an 8-5 victory over freshman Wil Brown at 184 pounds. Freshman Matt Loew (13-21) recorded his fifth straight win with an 8-1 decision over Army junior Daniel Mills at 197 pounds. Hofstra sophomore Paul Snyder (22-14) closed out the match with a 6-1 victory over junior Orion Ross at 285 pounds for the final 26-10 margin.
The Pride will now prepare for the 2011 CAA Wrestling Championships at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on Friday-Saturday, March 4-5.
Hofstra 26, Army 10
Wt Winning Wrestler (School) WinType Losing Wrestler (School) Score
125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra ) TF5 Travis Coffey (Army) 18 - 3 (6:54)
133 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra ) TF5 ordan Thome (Army) 16 - 0 (5:00)
141 Casey Thome (Army) DEC Vicente Varela (Hofstra ) 4 - 1
149 Zach Clemente (Hofstra ) DEC Daniel Young (Army) 6 - 4
157 James Rafferty (Army) DEC Tyler Banks (Hofstra ) 6 - 2
165 Paul Gillespie (Hofstra ) MD Jacob Vetter (Army) 13 - 3
174 Collin Wittmeyer (Army) MD Matt Spataro (Hofstra ) 11 - 2
184 Ben Clymer (Hofstra ) DEC Wil Brown (Army) 8 - 5
197 Matt Loew (Hofstra ) DEC Daniel Mills (Army) 8 - 1
285 Paul Snyder (Hofstra ) DEC Ross, Orion (Army) 6 - 1
Hofstra Downs Princeton For Fourth Consecutive Victory
Princeton, NJ -Zach Clemente, Tyler Banks and P.J. Gillespie each recorded wins by fall to lead the Hofstra Pride to a 33-11 victory over the Princeton Tigers at Dillon Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. Hofstra, which won its fourth straight match and ninth in the last 10 matches, improves to 13-4-1. The Tigers fall to 4-12-0.
The Pride, which captured eight of the 10 matches, won the first four matches of the contest to take a 15-0 lead. Starting at 125 pounds, sophomore Steve Bonanno won his fourth straight match with a 3-2 decision, on the riding time point, over 18th-ranked Garrett Frey to improve to 21-10. Fourth-ranked senior Lou Ruggirello (25-3), who won his 11th straight match, posted more than five minutes of riding time in a 9-3 victory over Richard Krop at 133 pounds. Junior Vince Varela improved to 18-11 on the season with an 8-3 decision over Zachary Bintliff at 141. Clemente, who notched his first pin of the season at 149 pounds to improve to 13-12 on the year, led 8-0 in the match with Gregory Ott before pinning him at the 4:32 mark of the contest.
Princeton got on the board at 157 where Daniel Kolodzik posted a 16-0 tech fall win over Pride sophomore Matt Spataro (7-15), who moved up a class from 149 pounds to cut the deficit to 15-5.
But sophomore Tyler Banks (18-14), who moved up a class to 165 from his usual 157, pinned Seth Hazleton in 2:58 at 165 and junior P.J. Gillespie, who bumped up to 174 from 165, pinned Andrew Lowry in 4:32 to improve to 23-6 on the year and boost the Pride lead to 27-5.
The Tigers closed the gap by six at 184 as Michael Erdman pinned sophomore Pat Murphy (0-9) in 1:56. Murphy was filling in for Ben Clymer, who was sitting out the match after being slightly injured in the Pride's match against Rider last Wednesday. Hofstra closed out the match with decision victories by freshman Matt Loew (12-21), who won his fourth straight match at 197 pounds with a 7-5 victory over Daniel Santoro, and sophomore Paul Snyder (21-14) edged Charles Fox, 3-2 on the riding time point at 285 pounds.
The Pride close out their regular season dual match schedule on Tuesday, February 22 when they host the Black Knights of Army at the Mack Sports Complex in the make-up of the postponed (snow) January 26th contest. Match time is 7 p.m.
Hofstra 33, Princeton 11
Wt Winning Wrestler (School) WinType Losing Wrestler (School) Score
125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra ) DEC Garrett Frey (Princeton ) 3 - 2
133 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra ) DEC Richard Krop (Princeton ) 9 - 3
141 Vicente Varela (Hofstra ) DEC Zachary Bintliff (Princeton ) 8 - 3
149 Zach Clemente (Hofstra ) FALL Gregory Ott (Princeton ) 4:32
157 Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton ) TF5 Matt Spataro (Hofstra ) 16 - 0 ( (5:10))
165 Tyler Banks (Hofstra ) FALL Seth Hazleton (Princeton ) 2:58
174 Paul Gillespie (Hofstra ) FALL Andrew Lowy (Princeton ) 4:32
184 Michael Erdman (Princeton ) FALL Pat Murphy (Hofstra ) (1:56)
197 Matt Loew (Hofstra ) DEC Daniel Santoro (Princeton ) 7 - 5
285 Paul Snyder (Hofstra ) DEC Charles Fox (Princeton ) 3-2
Hofstra Downs Rider, 25-12
Hempstead, NY - Senior Lou Ruggirello tallied his 11th pin of the year and sophomore Steve Bonanno added a major decision to lead seven Pride winners as Hofstra defeated Rider, 25-12 in a CAA contest at the Mack Sports Complex Wednesday night. The Pride won their third straight match and the eighth in the last nine outings to improve to 12-4-1 overall and 5-1 in the CAA. Rider, which had its three match winning streak snapped, slips to 8-11 on the year including 2-3 in the CAA.
The Pride jumped out to a 10-0 lead behind 20th-ranked Bonanno (20-10) and fourth-ranked Ruggirello (24-3) as the sophomore from Wantagh tallied his 20th win of the season with a 12-3 decision over Rider freshman Chuck Zeisloft at 125. Bonanno posted a nine-point third period. Ruggirello celebrated senior night with a pin of junior Jimmy Kirchner in 1:21.
Rider closed the deficit to 10-9 as junior Aaron Nestor pinned Pride junior Vince Varela (17-11) in 5:30 at 141 pounds, and sophomore Zac Cibula tallied a 4-0 decision over red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente (12-12) at 149 pounds.
Hofstra sophomore Tyler Banks (17-14) held on to a 5-4 second period lead for the decision by the same score over red-shirt freshman Ramon Santiago at 157 pounds, and 16th-ranked junior P.J. Gillespie (22-6) recorded a takedown midway through the third period for a 3-1 decision over sophomore Jim Resnick at 165 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 16-9.
Rider senior Rob Morrison, ranked second in the CAA at 174 pounds, downed 18th-ranked Hofstra senior Ryan Patrovich (13-5), ranked first in the CAA, 6-4 in sudden victory. Morrison caught Patrovich with a takedown just four seconds into the extra period to close the score to 16-12.
But the Pride closed out the match with three straight decision victories. Junior Ben Clymer (17-8) rebounded from being bounced on his head in the first period to post a 6-5 win on the riding time point over red-shirt freshman James Brundage at 184 pounds. Freshman Matt Loew (11-21), the CAA Rookie of the Week, posted a reversal with three seconds remaining in the match to down senior Joe Ferber, 6-5 at 197 pounds. Sophomore Paul Snyder (20-14) made a first period takedown and an escape in the third stand up in a 3-1 victory over freshman Evan Craig at 285 pounds.
The Pride return to action on Saturday, February 19 when they travel to New Jersey to face the Tigers of Princeton University at 1 p.m.
Hofstra 25, Rider 12
Wt Winning Wrestler (School) Res Losing Wrestler (School) Score
125 #20 Steve Bonanno (HU) MD Chuck Zeisloft (RU) 12 - 3
133 Lou Ruggirello (HU) FALL Jimmy Kirchner (RU) (1:21)
141 Aaron Nestor (RU) FALL Vicente Varela (HU) 5:30
149 Zac Cibula (RU) DEC Zach Clemente (HU) 4 - 0
157 Tyler Banks (HU) DEC Ramon Santiago (RU) 5 - 4
165 Paul Gillespie (HU) DEC Jim Resnick (RU) 3 - 1
174 Rob Morrison (RU) DEC Ryan Patrovich (HU) 6 - 4
184 Ben Clymer (HU) DEC James Brundage (RU) 6 - 5
197 Matt Loew (HU) DEC Joseph Ferber (RU) 6 - 5
285 Paul Snyder (HU) DEC Evan Craig (RU) 3 - 1
Hofstra Pride Cruise By Harvard, 39-8
Cambridge, MA - Lou Ruggirello and Matt Loew posted wins by fall to lead seven Pride wrestlers with bonus-point victories as Hofstra cruised by Harvard, 39-8 at the Malkin Athletic Center Saturday afternoon. The Pride won their second straight and seventh dual match in their last eight outings to improve to 11-4-1 on the season. The Crimson fall to 2-13 on the year.
Sophomore Steve Bonanno, ranked 20th in the nation by InterMat, started off the Pride with a major decision victory over Harvard sophomore Steven Keith, 12-3, at 125 pounds. It was Bonanno's sixth win in his last seven matches as he improves to 19-10 on the year. Senior Lou Ruggirello (23-3), ranked fourth this week at 133 pounds, won his ninth consecutive match and posted his 10th pin of the season, stopping sophomore Shay Warren in 1:36. Junior Vince Varela improved to 17-10 on the year with a 19-3 tech fall win over freshman Joe Marino at 141. It was Varela's first tech fall of the season and boosted the Hofstra lead to 15-0.
After Zach Clement (12-11) posted a win by forfeit at 149 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 21-0, Harvard got on the board behind sixth-ranked sophomore Walt Peppelman, who notched an 18-0 first period tech fall over junior Matt Spataro (7-14), who was wrestling up a class over his usual 149 pound division.
But the Pride came right back with four straight victories to close the match. Junior P.J. Gillespie improved to 21-6 with a 15-0 tech fall win over sophomore Nick Brazeau at 165 pounds. It was Gillespie's first tech fall of the year and boosted the Pride lead to 26-5. Senior Ryan Patrovich, ranked 18th at 174 pounds, followed with a 16-3 major decision over senior Michael Sadler. Patrovich, who has won four of his five matches since returning from a knee injury, is now 13-4 on the season. Junior Ben Clymer gave the Pride a 33-5 advantage with a 6-0 decision over freshman Cameron Croy at 184 pounds.
Freshman Matt Loew posted the first win by fall of his college career with a pin of junior Bryan Panzano in 2:07 at 197 pounds. Loew improves to 10-21 on the year and gave Hofstra a 39-5 lead. In the match finale, senior Andrew Knapp posted a takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the first sudden victory period to give him a 3-1 win over Pride sophomore Paul Snyder (19-14).
The Pride return to action on Wednesday, February 16 when the Broncs of Rider come to the Mack Sports Complex for a 7 p.m. CAA-match. Hofstra will honor its three graduating seniors in pre-match ceremonies.
Hofstra 39, Harvard 8
125- #20 Steve Bonanno (HOF) MAJ Steven Keith (HAR), 12-3 (4-0)
133- #4 Lou Ruggirello (HOF) WBF Shay Warren (HAR), 1:36 (10-0)
141- Vince Varella (HOF) TF Joe Marino (HAR), 19-3 (15-0)
149- Zach Clemente (HOF) win by forfeit (21-0)
157- #6 Walt Peppelman (HAR) TF Matt Spataro (HOF), 18-0 (21-5)
165-#16 P.J. Gillespie (HOF) TF Nick Brazeau (HAR), 15-0 (26-5)
174-#18 Ryan Patrovich (HOF) MAJ Michael Sadler (HAR), 16-3 (30-5)
184- Ben Clymer (HOF) DEC Cameron Croy (HAR), 6-0 (33-5)
197- Matt Loew (HOF) WBF Bryan Panzano (HAR), 2:07 (39-5)
285- Andrew Knapp (HAR) DEC Paul Snyder (HOF), 3-1 in SV (39-8)
Hofstra Rolls Over Lock Haven, 26-6
Lock Haven, PA - Ryan Patrovich and P.J. Gillespie each had major decision wins as the Pride won eight of 10 matches on the way to a 26-6 victory over Lock Haven at Thomas Fieldhouse Wednesday night. The Pride, which captured their sixth dual match victory in their last seven outings, improved to 10-4-1 on the season. Lock Haven, which dropped its third straight match, fell to 5-9 on the year.
The Pride jumped out to a 12-0 lead after four matches with four straight wins by decision. Redshirt sophomore Steve Bonanno opened up with a hard-fought 10-9 decision over senior Nick Hyatt at 125. Bonanno improved to 18-10 on the year. Fourth-ranked senior Lou Ruggirello climbed into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time Hofstra career victories list with a 3-1 win over junior John Trumbetti. It was Ruggirello's (22-3) 121st victory of his Pride career breaking a tie with Eric Schmiesing (1996-01), who posted 120 during his career.
Junior Vince Varela made it 9-0 with a 9-3 victory over junior Justin Loudon at 141 pounds for his 16th win of the season against 10 defeats. Junior Matt Spataro kept the run going with a 3-1 decision over senior Owen Wilkinson at 149 pounds. Spataro improved to 7-13 on the year. Junior Seth Creasy put the Bald Eagles on the board with a 4-2 decision over Tyler Banks (16-14) at 157 pounds to close the Lock Haven deficit to 12-3.
But the Pride won the next four matches including consecutive major decisions by Gillespie and Patrovich at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Gillespie posted his fourth major of the year with a 9-1 decision over freshman Dylan Caprio to improve to 20-6 on the season. Patrovich notched his seventh major decision with a 12-2 victory over freshman Mike Khoury to improve to 12-4 this year.
Junior Ben Clymer just fell short of making it three majors in a row with a 10-3 decision over freshman Jacob Bachman at 184. Clymer boosted his record to 15-8 on the year. Freshman Matt Loew ended the Pride's second four-match run with a 6-3 victory over senior Derek Caldwell at 197 pounds. Loew improved to 9-21 this year.
Lock Haven sophomore Harry Turner closed out the match with a 5-3 victory over sophomore Paul Snyder (19-13) at 285 pounds for the final score of 26-6.
The Pride return to action on Saturday, February 12 when they travel to Cambrideg, Massachusetts to face Harvard at 2 p.m.
Hofstra 26, Lock Haven 6
Wt Winning Wrestler (School) WinType Losing Wrestler (School) Score
125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra ) DEC Nick Hyatt (Lock Haven ) 10 - 9
133 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra ) DEC John Trumbetti (Lock Haven ) 3 - 1
141 Vicente Varela (Hofstra ) DEC Justin Loudon (Lock Haven ) 9 - 3
149 Matt Spataro (Hofstra ) DEC Owen Wilkinson (Lock Haven ) 3 - 1
157 Seth Creasy (Lock Haven ) DEC Tyler Banks (Hofstra ) 4 - 2
165 Paul Gillespie (Hofstra ) MD Dylan Caprio (Lock Haven ) 9 - 1
174 Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra ) MD Michael Khoury (Lock Haven ) 12 - 2
184 Ben Clymer (Hofstra ) DEC Jacob Bachman (Lock Haven ) 10 - 3
197 Matt Loew (Hofstra ) DEC Derek Caldwell (Lock Haven ) 6 - 3
285 Henry Turner (Lock Haven ) DEC Paul Snyder (Hofstra ) 5 - 3
Hofstra Pride Travel To Philadelphia For Matches At Penn And Drexel Sunday
Hempstead, NY - After Wednesday night's postponement of the Army match, the Hofstra Pride return to dual match action this Sunday, January 30 when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Penn Quakers at the Palestra at 1 p.m. and the Drexel Dragons at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 4 p.m.
Hofstra (7-3-1, 3-1) is coming off a fifth-place finish in the 42nd annual New York State Collegiate Wrestling Championships at Binghamton University last weekend. Sophomore Steve Bonanno captured the 125-pound title and Ben Clymer and Paul Snyder placed second at 184 and 285 pounds, respectively, to lead the Pride. The Pride, who wrestled without four starters, finished in fifth place with 92.5 points. The host Bearcats of Binghamton won the state title with 149.5 points, followed by Columbia (132.5), Army (126) and Nassau Community College (110). Nineteen universities competed in this year's championship. Red-shirt freshman Tim Murphy placed fifth at 197, freshman Matt Loew placed seventh at 197, and sophomores Matt Spataro and Tyler Banks each placed eighth at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively.
As a team, Hofstra is coming off a fifth-place finish in the 42nd annual New York State Championships. In addition to Bonanno's fine performance, junior Ben Clymer and sophomore Paul Snyder placed second at 184 and 285 pounds, respectively to help lead Hofstra. The Pride, who wrestled without four starters, finished with 92.5 points. The host Bearcats of Binghamton won the state title with 149.5 points, followed by Columbia (132.5), Army (126) and Nassau Community College (110). Nineteen universities competed in this year's championship. Also placing for the Pride were: red-shirt freshman Tim Murphy in fifth at 197; freshman Matt Loew in seventh at 197; and sophomores Matt Spataro and Tyler Banks in eighth at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively.
While still among the three schools that are also receiving votes in the NWCA-USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, the Pride is not ranked in the top 25 in any of the polls this week. Individually, Hofstra has six wrestlers ranked this week by the five polls. Leading the Pride is Ruggirello, who is ranked fifth by Division I College Wrestling (DICW), sixth by InterMat, Amateur Wrestling News (AWN), and the Wrestling Report (TWR) and ninth by WIN magazine. Ruggirello is 19-3. Junior P.J. Gillespie, who is 18-4 on the year, is ranked ninth by DICW, 10th by InterMat and TWR, 12th by AWN and 13th by WIN at 165 pounds. Patrovich, who is 9-3 in 2010-11, is ranked 11th by WIN, 15th by AWN and 16th by InterMat at 174 pounds. Junior Vince Varela, who is 14-8 on the year, is ranked 18th by AWN, 20th by InterMat, TWR, and 22nd by DICW. Sophomore Steve Bonanno, the CAA Wrestler of the Week this week, is ranked 26th by TWR while Clymer, who is 12-7, is ranked 31st by TWR.
The Quakers of Penn, ranked 16th by TWR, 17th by WIN, and 18th by InterMat this week, are 5-3 on the season with wins over Sacred Heart (48-0), Stanford (31-7), Rider (23-18), VMI (33-6) and Virginia (18-16) and losses to Pittsburgh (16-15), Maryland (25-10) and Bloomsburg (25-23).
Penn, which will wrestle Bucknell on Saturday before their match with the Pride, has six wrestlers ranked led by 133-pound senior Rollie Peterkin, who is 19-1 on the year and ranked fourth by InterMat, DICW and TWR and fifth by AWN. Senior Zach Kemmerer, who is 25-5 on the year, is ranked ninth by InterMat and DICW and 10th by TWR and AWN. Sophomore 197-pounder Micah Burak, who is 19-3 on the season, is ranked fourth by TWR, fifth by AWN and sixth by InterMat and DICW. Junior Mark Rappo, 18-5 this season, is ranked 17th by AWN, 18th by DICW and 19th by InterMat and TWR at 19th at 125 pounds. Senior Gabe Burak, who is 19-3 on the year, is ranked 17th by DICW and 18th by InterMat and TWR at 165 pounds. Freshman Kyle Cowan, who is 13-9 on the season, is ranked 33rd by TWR at 285 pounds.
The Dragons of Drexel enter Sunday's match with a 6-12 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the CAA with wins over Campbell (36-13), Citadel (21-15), East Stroudsburg (28-6), Princeton (18-17), Davidson (26-21), and George Mason (25-9). Their losses have come against Lehigh (45-0), Army (26-13), North Carolina (46-0), Lock Haven (23-21), Bloomsburg (23-17), Buffalo (26-9), Bucknell (34-9), Pittsburgh (42-3), Northwestern (45-3), Binghamton (22-12), Old Dominion (22-18), and American (28-16).
The Dragons are led by sophomore Joe Booth, who is 17-7 at 165 pounds. He is ranked 29th in the first NCAA Coaches Panel rankings. Red-shirt freshman Brandon Palik, who is 14-9 at 197 pounds, is ranked 31st in the NCAA Coaches Panel rankings. Both Booth and Palik are ranked third in the CAA in their respective weight classes.
Hofstra Pride Place Fifth at NYS Championship
Bonanno Wins State Title
Binghamton, NY - Sophomore Steve Bonanno captured the 125-pound title and Ben Clymer and Paul Snyder placed second in their divisions to lead the Hofstra Pride to a fifth-place finish at the 42nd annual New York State Collegiate Championships at Binghamton University's West Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
The Pride, who wrestled without four starters, finished in fifth place with 92.5 points. The host Bearcats of Binghamton won the state title with 149.5 points. Followed by Columbia (132.5), Army (126) and Nassau Community College (110). Nineteen universities competed in this year's championship.
Bonanno, the second seed, defeated Columbia's fifth-seed Penn Gottfried, 8-3 in the 125-pound championship match. With the score tied at 2-2 after two periods, Bonanno opened with an escape and added two takedowns and the riding time point for the win. He advanced to the final with a 10-2 victory over the third seed Travis Coffey from Army. Bonanno is now 17-9 on the season.
Clymer, the third seed, dropped a 6-3 decision to his CAA-nemesis and top-seed Nate Schiedel from Binghamton in the 184-pound title match. The match was tied at 2-2 after two periods before Schiedel escaped in the third, posted a takedown and then added the riding time point for the final margin. Clymer advanced to the final with a hard-fought 5-3 tie-breaker victory over the second seed Jimmy Hamel from Buffalo. Regulation ended with the two wrestlers tied at 3-3. After a scoreless sudden victory period and no change in the top of the first tie-breaker, Clymer was able to score two points in his half on a stall penalty and an escape for the 5-3 win. Clymer is now 12-7 on the year.
Snyder, the number two seed, also faced the top seed in Columbia's Kevin Lester in the 285-pound championship match. Lester rode out Snyder in the second period and tallied an escape and a takedown in the third to add to the riding time point for a 4-0 win and the title. Snyder advanced to the final with a 5-3 victory over the sixth seed Matt Mahon from Ithaca jumped out to a 5-2 second period lead and held on for the victory.
On the consolation side, red-shirt freshman Tim Murphy placed fifth, freshman Matt Loew placed seventh, and sophomores Matt Spataro and Tyler Banks each placed eighth at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively.
Red-shirt freshman Tim Murphy had a busy Sunday with three matches although only two were wrestled. He opened with a 5-4 victory over Columbia's fifth-seed Mike Pushpak, scoring all of his points in the first period. He then faced sixth-seed Carl Korpi from Cortland State and gave up a third period takedown and lost on the riding time point, 6-5. He was then expected to face top-seed Tom Voorhuis from Brockport in the fifth-place match. But Brockport forfeited the match giving Murphy fifth-place. He is now 4-8 on the season.
Freshman Matt Loew, the seventh seed, opened the day with a 3-2 loss to Nassau's Musa DeReese on a third period escape. Loew rebounded to take an 8-1 victory over the fifth-seed Mike Pushpak from Columbia in the seventh-place match. Loew, who was 3-2 in the tournament, improves to 8-18 on the season.
Spataro dropped a 4-3 decision to Nassau Community College's Mike Malderelli before losing a heart-breaking, 7-5 loss to Oneonta's Dan Graff on a two-point nearfall as time expired and the riding time point. Spataro is now 6-10 on the year.
Banks took an injury default loss after suffering a knee injury, in his match with Nassau's Brian Herold. Banks returned in the seventh-place match and dropped a 3-0 decision to Cornell's Jesse Shanaman to finish in eighth. Banks is now 14-12 on the season.
The Pride return to action this Wednesday, January 26 when they host the Cadets of Army at the David S. Mack Sports Complex at 7 p.m.
Hofstra Pride Go 3-1 At The Ninth Annual CAA Duals
Fairfax, VA - After an opening round loss to defending CAA champions Binghamton, the Hofstra Pride Wrestling team recorded convincing victories over Boston University, Old Dominion and George Mason to post a 3-1 day at the ninth annual CAA Duals at the George Mason Field House Saturday afternoon.
Hofstra defeated Boston University, 28-10; Old Dominion, 24-9; and George Mason, 34-3 and dropped a 23-15 decision to the Bearcats of Binghamton. The Pride improved to 7-3-1 on the season with the three victories.
Four Pride wrestlers, senior Lou Ruggirello at 133, juniors Vince Varela at 141 and P.J. Gillespie, and sophomore Paul Snyder at 285 each posted 4-0 records in the Duals. Red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente recorded a 3-0 mark on the day. Junior Ben Clymer was 3-1 at 184 pounds.
In the opening match of the day against Binghamton, the Pride won four of the 10 matches including a pin by Ruggirello. Hofstra led the match 9-3 after Varela's 7-5 victory over Anwar Goeres at 141. But the Bearcats captured five of the next six matches to build a 23-12 lead. Gillespie was the lone Pride winner during the six matches, downing Justin Lister, 6-3 at 165. Snyder downed Daniel Bittner, 7-2, in the heavyweight match to post the final score.
In the Pride's second match of the day, Hofstra won seven of the 10 matches, including five of the first six, to cruise to the easy 18-point victory. Varela and Snyder each had pins in the contest and Bonanno tallied a major decision. Varela pinned Jordan Frease in 4:43 while Snyder pinned Bran Crudden in 4:45. It was the second pins of the season for each wrestler.
In the third match of the day against Old Dominion, the Pride split the first four matches as Hofstra and the Monarchs stood tied at 6-6. But Clemente started a four-match winning streak with a pin of Micah Blair in just 46 seconds to lead the Pride to the 24-9 victory. Tyler Banks and P.J. Gillespie, who each bumped up a weight class to 165 and 174 pounds, respectively for the contest, followed with decision wins, as did Ben Clymer at 184. Snyder closed out the match with a solid 4-0 win over Michael Chapman at 285.
In the finale of the day, the Pride tackled the injury-riddled Patriots of George Mason and dropped just one match-at 149- on the way to a 34-3 victory. Ben Clymer recorded his first pin of the season in 4:37 against Seth Robertson at 184. Varela tallied a 13-2 major decision over Brian Benton at 141 and Ruggirello posted a win by forfeit for the Pride.
Hofstra's 3-1 record at this year's CAA Duals marks the third consecutive year that the Pride has posted a 3-1 slate in the Duals. Hofstra also boosted its all-time record in the Duals to 28-3.
The Pride will return to action next weekend (January 22-23) when they compete in the New York State Collegiate Championships at Binghamton University. Competition begins Saturday morning.
Binghamton 23 - Hofstra 15
125: Derek Steeley (Binghamton) dec. Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 11-8
133: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) fall Dan Riggi (Binghamton), 0:56
141: Vince Varela (Hofstra) dec. Anwar Goeres (Binghamton), 7-5
149: Donald Vinson (Binghamton) tech. fall Matt Spataro (Hofstra), 16-0 (3:59)
157: Matt Kaylor (Binghamton) dec. Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 8-5
165: Paul Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. Justin Lister (Binghamton), 6-3
174: Ryan McGarity (Binghamton) wins by forfeit
184: Nathan Schiedel (Binghamton) dec. Ben Clymer (Hofstra), 2-0
197: Cody Reed (Binghamton) dec. Matt Loew (Hofstra), 8-5
HWT: Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec. Daniel Bittner (Binghamton), 7-2
Hofstra 28 - Boston University 10
125: Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) maj. dec. Chris MGinley (Boston U.), 12-4
133: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) dec. Fred Santaite (Boston U.), 4-0
141: Vince Varela (Hofstra) fall Jordan Frease (Boston U.), 4:43
149: Nestor Taffur (Boston U.) dec. Matt Spataro (Hofstra), 11-5
157: Zach Clemente (Hofstra) dec. Nick Tourville (Boston U.), 7-4
165: Paul Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. Kyle Czarnecki (Boston U.), 4-0
174: Hunter Meys (Boston U.) dec. Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 4-1
184: Ben Clymer (Hofstra) dec. Brock Mantella (Boston U.), 4-1
197: John Hall (Boston U.) maj. dec. Matt Loew (Hofstra), 15-1
HWT: Paul Snyder (Hofstra) fall Bran Crudden (Boston U.), 4:45
Hofstra 24 - ODU 9
125: James Nicholson (ODU) dec. Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 8-3
133: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) dec. Kyle Hutter (ODU), 4-0
141: Vince Varela (Hofstra) dec. Brennan Brumley (ODU), 4-2
149: Joey Metzler (ODU) dec. Matt Spataro (Hofstra), 10-3
157: Zach Clemente (Hofstra) fall Micah Blair (ODU), 0:46
165: Tyler Banks (Hofstra) dec. Dan Rivera (ODU), 4-2
174: Paul Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. Warner, Tristan (ODU), 3-2
184: Ben Clymer (Hofstra) dec. Joe Budi (ODU), 6-3
197: Jacob Henderson (Old Dominion) dec. Matt Loew (Hofstra), 5-3
HWT: Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec. Michael Chapman (ODU), 4-0
Hofstra 34- George Mason 3
125: Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) dec. Zachory Huxford (GMU), 10-4
133: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) wins by forfeit
141: Vince Varela (Hofstra) maj. dec. Brian Benton (GMU), 13-2
149: Donald Takagi (GMU) dec. Matt Spataro (Hofstra), 11-8
157: Zach Clemente (Hofstra) dec. Jaaziah Bethea (GMU), 9-2
165: Paul Gillespie (Hofstra) dec. Jimmy Kaden (GMU), 1-0
174: Tyler Banks (Hofstra) dec. Aaron Keeton (GMU), 6-1
184: Ben Clymer (Hofstra) fall Seth Robertson (GMU), 4:37
197: Matt Loew (Hofstra) dec. Jimmy Webb (GMU), 6-3
HWT: Paul Snyder (Hofstra) dec. Hunter Manspile (GMU), 6-0
Spataro's Decision Gives Hofstra Pride A 19-17 Win Over North Carolina
Hempstead, NY - Sophomore Matt Spataro posted a 2-0 victory in the final match of the day at 149 pounds to cap a furious comeback and give the Hofstra Pride a 19-17 win over North Carolina at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Saturday afternoon. The Pride improved to 4-2-1 on the season while the Tar Heels slipped to 4-3.
Hofstra was able to pull out the victory despite not having three starters in the line-up as senior Ryan Patrovich at 174 and sophomore Justin Accordino at 149 were out with injuries and junior Vince Varela was out with the flu. Spataro (Garfield, NJ), a transfer from Western New England College who was making his home dual match debut for the Pride, tallied a second period escape and picked up the riding time to post the decision over UNC sophomore Daniel Helena and give Hofstra the final margin of victory. Spataro is 4-3 on the year.
But the Pride comeback from a 14-6 deficit after six matches was keyed by sophomore Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), who posted a 16-3 major decision over sophomore Nick Shields at 125 pounds and senior Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY), who notched his seventh pin of the season with a fall over freshman Pat Owens at 133 pounds and give the Pride their first lead of the contest at 16-14. Bonanno is 12-7 in 2010-11 while Ruggirello is now 15-3 on the season.
North Carolina senior Danny Lopes took the lead right back with a 9-3 decision over Pride junior Michael Doria (Massapequa, NY), who was also making his Pride home debut setting up Spataro's decisive match. Doria is 3-4 this season
The match opened at 157 pounds with UNC freshman Corey Mock posting an 8-2 decision over Pride sophomore Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT). Banks slipped to 11-7 on the year. Tar Heel senior Thomas Scotton gave UNC a 6-0 lead in the match with a 10-4 decision over Pride red-shirt freshman Zack Clemente (Troy, NY), who bumped up a weight class due the Patrovich's injury. Clemente fell to 7-11 on the season.
Hofstra junior P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), who also bumped up a weight class filling in for Patrovich, tallied an escape and a takedown in the third period to post a 4-3 victory over UNC freshman Andre Petroski at 174 pounds to close the deficit to 6-3. Gillespie improved to 14-4 on the year. Pride junior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) tied the match at 6-6 with a 4-2 decision over junior Nick Tenpenny on a second period escape and takedown and the riding time point. Clymer bumped his record to 6-5 this season.
But UNC freshman Antonio Giorgio tallied a 16-1 tech fall in 3:46 over Pride freshman Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) at 197 before red-shirt freshman Zac Bennett, UNC's 197-pounder, downed Pride sophomore Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA), 9-6 at 285 pounds for a 14-6 advantage.
Hofstra, which has now won three consecutive dual matches, returns to action next Saturday, January 15 when the Pride will face four conference foes at the CAA Duals at Fairfax, Virginia. Hofstra will face Old Dominion at 10 a.m., Binghamton at noon, George Mason at 2 p.m. and Boston University at 4 p.m.
Hofstra 19, North Carolina 17
Wt Winning Wrestler (School) WinType Losing Wrestler (School) Score
125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra ) MD Justin Shields (North Carolina) 16 - 3
133 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra ) FALL Patrick Owens (North Carolina) (1:43)
141 Danny Lopes (North Carolina) DEC Michael Doria (Hofstra ) 9 - 3
149 Matt Spataro (Hofstra ) DEC Daniel Helena (North Carolina) 2 - 0
157 Corey Mock (North Carolina) DEC Tyler Banks (Hofstra ) 8 - 2
165 Thomas Scotton (North Carolina) DEC Zach Clemente (Hofstra ) 10 - 4
174 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra ) DEC Andre Petroski (North Carolina) 4 - 3
184 Ben Clymer (Hofstra ) DEC Nick Tenpenny (North Carolina) 4 - 2
197 Giorgio, Antonio (North Carolina) TF5 Matt Loew (Hofstra ) 16 - 1 (3:46)
285 Bennett, Zachary (North Carolina) DEC Paul Snyder (Hofstra ) 9 - 6
Hofstra Climbs to 16th in InterMat Poll; Seven Pride Grapplers Are Ranked
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Wrestling team has climbed into 16th place in this week's InterMat NCAA Division I Team Poll, InterMat announced on Tuesday. The Pride moved up two places from last week's poll.
The Pride, 3-2-1 on the season heading into the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina on December 29-30, is coming off a 22-17 victory over the University of Maryland at the Hofstra Physical Education Building last Saturday. Hofstra, which is ranked in the top 25 in four of the six weekly polls,is also receiving votes in a fifth. The Pride is ranked 16th by InterMat, 17th by the Wrestling Report (TWR), 24th by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN) and 25th by WIN Magazine. Hofstra is also receiving votes in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Individually, seven Pride wrestlers are ranked in the weekly polls conducted by InterMat, Division I College Wrestling (DICW), Amateur Wrestling News (AWN), the Wrestling Report (TWR) and WIN this week. Leading Hofstra is senior Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY), off to a 10-1 start with four pins and ranked fourth by InterMat, DICW, AWN, and TWR, and fifth by WIN at 133 pounds. Junior P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), 8-2 on the season at 165 pounds, is ranked fifth by InterMat, DICW, AWN, and TWR and eighth by WIN. Senior Ryan Patrovich (Bohemia, NY), 7-3 on the season at 174, is ranked 13th by AWN, 14th by and DICW and TWR, and 15th by InterMat and WIN. Sophomore Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), 7-5 on the season at 125 pounds, is ranked 16th by InterMat, AWN and TWR, 17th by DICW and 19th by WIN. Sophomore Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA), 8-5 at 149 pounds, is ranked 18th by TWR and 19th by InterMat and DICW. Junior Vince Varela (Rio Rancho, NM), 7-6 on the year at 141 pounds, is ranked 14th by AWN and 25th by TWR. Junior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), who is 2-3 on the year, is ranked 30th by TWR.
InterMat Tournament-Strength Poll
As of December 14, 2010
1. Cornell 93.5
2. Oklahoma State 72.5
3. Wisconsin 63.5
4. Iowa 58.5
5. Boise State 57.5
6. Minnesota 54.5
7. Penn State 41.5
8. Virginia Tech 41
9. Northwestern 39
10. American 38.5
11. Illinois 38
12. Lehigh 37
13. Oklahoma 36
14. Rutgers 34
15. Michigan 33
16. Hofstra 30.5
17. Pittsburgh 30
18. Arizona State 29
19. Kent State 27.5
20. Iowa State 26.5
21. Wyoming 25
22. Cal Poly 24.5
23. Nebraska 23
24. Missouri 22.5
24. Virginia 22.5
Patrovich's Pin Propels Hofstra Pride to 22-17 Victory Over Maryland
Hempstead, NY - Seniors Ryan Patrovich and Lou Ruggirello recorded victories by pin to lead the Hofstra Pride to a 22-17 victory over the Maryland Terrapins at the Hofstra Physical Education Building Saturday afternoon. The Pride improved to 3-2-1 on the season while the Terrapins slipped to 5-2-0.
Patrovich's pin at 174 pounds stopped a two-match winning streak by Maryland and boosted the Hofstra lead to 19-10 after seven matches on the day. The Bohemia, Long Island native recorded his first pin of the season in 1:49 over ninth-ranked Mike Letts. With the pin, Patrovich, ranked 16th by InterMat, improves to 7-3 on the season.
Hofstra jumped out to a 13-3 lead after four matches in the contest, Opening up at 125 pounds, red-shirt sophomore Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) erupted for 10 points in the third period and added a riding time point to post a 13-2 major decision over freshman Shane Gentry. Bonanno boosted his season record to 7-5. Senior Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) gave the Pride a 10-0 lead at 133 pounds with a pin of senior Lou Ruland in 1:26. It was Ruggirello's team-leading fourth pin of the season and boosted his record to 10-2 on the year. Maryland got on the board at 141 pounds when senior Jon Kohler posted a five-point second period on the way to a 6-3 victory over Vince Varela (Rio Rancho, NM) to close the deficit to 10-3.
Hofstra red-shirt sophomore Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) bumped the lead back to 10 points at 13-3 with a strong 8-3 decision over Terrapin freshman Ben Dorsay at 149 pounds. Accordino improved to 8-5 on the season. Pride red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente ran into a buzz saw at 157 pounds in junior Kyle John, ranked 15th by Division I College Wrestling, John recorded his 16th win in 19 decisions with a 13-4 major decision.
In one of the featured matches, at 165 pounds, Maryland's third-ranked sophomore Josh Asper squared off against Hofstra junior P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), ranked fifth in the country. A tough battle ensued with Asper posting a third period escape and taking the riding time point for a 2-0 victory to improve to 16-0. It was the second time in a week that Gillespie lost to a top three wrestler on an escape and riding time after losing to top-ranked Andrew Howe of Wisconsin last Saturday in Las Vegas. Gillespie slipped to 8-2 on the year.
But Patrovich boosted a three-point Hofstra lead to a nine-point advantage with his pin at 174-pounds. Hofstra junior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), who returned from a foot injury sustained on November 21, made a second period reversal stand up in a 2-1 victory over junior Corey Peltier and a 22-10 lead in the contest. At 197, Maryland red-shirt freshman Christian Boley notched a 17-6 major decision over Pride freshman Matt Loew (Wantagh) before freshman Spencer Myers made a third period escape stand up for a 1-0 victory over Hofstra sophomore Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) at 285 pounds to close out the match.
The Pride will break for semester examinations and the Christmas holidays before returning to action on December 29-30 at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Hofstra 22, Maryland 17
Wt Winning Wrestler (School) WinType Losing Wrestler (School) Score
125 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) MD Shane Gentry (Maryland) 13 - 2
133 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) FALL Lou Ruland (Maryland) (1:26)
141 Jon Kohler (Maryland) DEC Vince Varela (Hofstra) 6 - 3
149 Justin Accordino (Hofstra) DEC Ben Dorsay (Maryland) 8 - 3
157 Kyle John (Maryland) MD Zach Clemente (Hofstra) 13 - 4
165 Josh Asper (Maryland) DEC Paul Gillespie (Hofstra) 2 - 0
174 Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra) FALL Mike Letts (Maryland) (1:49)
184 Ben Clymer (Hofstra) DEC Corey Peltier (Maryland) 2 - 1
197 Christian Boley (Maryland) MD Matt Loew (Hofstra) 17 - 6
285 Spencer Myers (Maryland) DEC Paul Snyder (Hofstra) 1 - 0
#18 Hofstra Host Maryland Saturday at 2 p.m.
Hempstead, NY - The 18th-ranked Hofstra Wrestling team returns to dual match action this Saturday, December 11 when the Pride host the Terrapins of the University of Maryland at the Physical Education Building (formerly Physical Fitness Center). Match time is 2 p.m.
Hofstra, 2-2-1 in dual matches this season, has victories over Edinboro (26-8) and Lindenwood (35-12), a tie with Oregon State (19-19) and losses to Purdue (28-6) and Missouri (19-15). The Pride is coming off a strong 11th-place finish at the 29th annual Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational last weekend. The Pride had five wrestlers place in one of the premier regular season tournaments led by senior Lou Ruggirello, who finished third at 133 pounds. Juniors Vince Varela and P.J. Gillespie each finished sixth at 141 and 165 pounds, respectively. Red-shirt sophomores Steve Bonanno and Justin Accordino placed eighth at 125 and 149 pounds, respectively. Hofstra was just 3.5 points out of eight place in the final 36-team CKLV standings.
Currently ranked 18th by InterMat and The Wrestling Report, Hofstra has six wrestlers ranked this week by the various ranking agencies. Leading the pack is Ruggirello, who is ranked fourth by Division I College Wrestling (DICW), The Wrestling Report (TWR) and Amateur Wrestling News (AWN), and fifth by InterMat. Ruggirello is 9-2 on the season. Gillespie, who is 7-1 on the year, is ranked fifth across the board by InterMat, DICW, TWR and AWN. Senior Ryan Patrovich is ranked 14th at 174 pounds by DICW and AWN, and 16th by InterMat and TWR. He is 6-3 on the season.
Vince Varela made a big jump into the top 25 at 141 pounds following his performance in Las Vegas. The Arizona State-transfer, who is 7-5 on the year, is ranked 13th by AWN, 18th by InterMat, 21st by TWR and 22nd by DICW. Bonanno is now ranked 17th by InterMat and TWR, and 18th by DICW and AWN. He is 6-5 on the year at 125 pounds. Accordino, who is 7-5 on the season, is ranked 18th by TWR and 19th by InterMat.
The Terrapins of Maryland are led by Long Island native Kerry McCoy, a former three-time All-American, including two national titles, at Penn State as well as a two-time Olympian. The Terps enter the Pride match with a 5-2 dual match record and are coming off an impressive performance at the Nittany Lion Open last weekend. Ten Maryland wrestlers placed including two, senior Mike Letts at 174 and sophomore Josh Asper at 165, who captured individual titles. Junior Kyle John and freshman Kyle Gentry placed third at 157 and 125 pounds, respectively. Red-shirt freshman Christian Boley finished fourth at 197 pounds, junior Corey Peltier (184) claimed fifth while freshman Jenkins Monzey and senior Lou Ruland taking sixth at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Freshmen Mark Hartenstine (141) and Spencer Myers (285) each placed seventh.
The Terps have recorded dual match victories over McDaniel (40-3), Johns Hopkins (41-3), West Virginia (27-13), Pennsylvania (25-10) and Northern Iowa (19-16). Their losses have come against Liberty (21-17) and Missouri (18-12). Maryland is ranked 24th by The Wrestling Report. Like the Pride, the Terrapins have six wrestlers who are currently ranked in their respective weight classes. Leading Maryland is Asper, who is 15-0 at 165 pounds and ranked third by InterMat, DICW and TWR, and fourth by AWN. Letts (15-1) is ranked sixth by AWN and TWR, seventh by DICW and ninth by InterMat. John, who is 15-3 at 157 pounds, is ranked 15th by DICW, 20th by AWN and 23rd by TWR. Senior Jon Kohler, who is 6-3 at 141 pounds, is ranked 14th by AWN and 29th by TWR. Peltier, who is ranked 29th at 184 pounds by TWN, is 9-3 on the year while Myers, who is 7-5, is ranked 31st by TWR.
Saturday's match will be preceded by the Hofstra Wrestling Brunch at the David S. Mack Hall (University Club) on the North Campus) at 11 a.m. Featured speakers at the brunch include Pride Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet, Maryland coach Kerry McCoy and 2010 FILA Hall of Fame inductee Vince Zuaro. Proceeds from the brunch will benefit the Teague Ryan Memorial Fund.
Hofstra Down #23 Edinboro, Fall to #23 Purdue at Edinboro Duals
Edinboro, PA - The Hofstra Pride captured eight of 10 matches to post a 26-8 victory over #23 Edinboro (0-1-1) and gain a split at the Comfort Suites Duals at Edinboro University's McComb Field House Saturday night. The Pride (1-1) opened the Duals with a 28-6 loss to #23 Purdue (1-0-1).
Hofstra was led by a pair of double-winning juniors in P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) at 165 pounds and Vince Varela (Rio Rancho, NM) at 141 pounds
In the nightcap against the host Fighting Scots of Edinboro, the Pride looked much sharper in their second match of the evening, losing only the matches at 157 and 197 pounds. Hofstra opened up the Edinboro match with four straight wins as red-shirt sophomore Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), blew his match open with a seven-point third period plus the riding time point for a 10-3 victory over freshman Evan Yenolevich to even his record at 1-1. At 133 pounds, senior Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) recorded his 100th victory at Hofstra with a 4-2 victory over senior Eric Morrill on a takedown in the last 35 seconds of the match.
Varela, the transfer from Arizona State, posted his second win of the season with a commanding 12-4 major decision victory over junior Vinny Pisani. Varela yielded just four escapes in the contest to boost the Pride lead to 10-0.
At 149 pounds, red-shirt sophomore Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) took a 1-0 lead into the third period against #6-ranked junior Torsten Gillespie and then added a takedown and a two-point near-fall for a 5-1 victory over the 2010 All-American. Accordino is now 1-1 on the season.
Edinboro got on the board at 157 pounds as sophomore Johnny Greisheimer downed red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente (Troy, NY), 12-6. But the Pride rebounded to capture the next three matches as Gillespie won his second of the day with a 7-4 decision over red-shirt freshman Matt Laird at 165 pounds. Pride senior Ryan Patrovich (Bohemia, NY) evened his season record at 1-1 with a strong 6-2 decision over junior Chris Hrunka at 174 pounds. Junior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) also evened his season record with a 7-0 blanking of junior Ken Massey at 184 pounds to give the Pride a 22-3 lead.
Hofstra freshman Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) suffered his second loss of the day at 197 pounds, losing by tech fall to junior Shawn Fendone, 15-0 in 5:18 to close the lead to 22-8. But Hofstra sophomore Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) closed out the affair with a 9-0 major decision victory over red-shirt freshman Ernest James at 285 pounds.
In the first match of the day, the Pride met the Boilermakers of Purdue University, who are tied with Edinboro for 23rd place in the InterMat preseason poll. Only juniors Vince Varela and P.J. Gillespie were able to record decision victories as the Pride fell, 28-6. Starting at 125 pounds, Hofstra red-shirt sophomore Steve Bonanno's two-point near-fall at the start of the third period gave him a 3-2 lead over Purdue freshman Camden Eppert. But Eppert's reversal a short time later gave the Boilermaker wrestler a 4-3 victory.
At 133, sixth-ranked Hofstra senior Lou Ruggirello returned to the Pride line-up after red-shirting the 2009-10 season and dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Purdue junior Jake Fleckenstein on a takedown with 30 seconds remaining in the third period. Junior Vince Varela, a transfer from Arizona State, made his Hofstra debut with a 5-2 victory over senior Akif Eren at 141 pounds. Varela scored all of his points in the second period and held Eren to escapes in the second and third periods.
Red-shirt sophomore Justin Accordino returned to the Hofstra line-up after wrestling in just four matches and red-shirting after a knee injury last year. The 18th-ranked Accordino was defeated by senior Sam Patacsil, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period on the way to a 9-3 victory at 149 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente, a transfer from Virginia, also made his Hofstra debut and dropped an 11-6 decision to #16 senior Colton Salazar at 157 pounds.
Gillespie, ranked 10th at 165 pounds, closed the gap in the match to 12-6 with a 6-1 victory over freshman Patrick Kissel. Gillespie took a 2-1 lead after one period and then added an escape, takedown and earned the riding time point in the third period. In another hard-fought battle, Hofstra senior and 15th-ranked Ryan Patrovich squared off against Purdue's 12th-ranked senior Luke Manuel at 174 pounds. Each wrestler recorded escapes in regulation sending the match into overtime tied at 1-1. After a scoreless first sudden victory period and escapes by each wrestler in their tie-breaker periods, Manuel was able to pull out the victory on a takedown with 34 seconds remaining in the second sudden victory period for the 4-2 decision and a 15-6 lead in the match.
At 184 pounds, Hofstra junior Ben Clymer allowed just a first period takedown but could only muster a third period escape as Purdue's seventh-ranked junior A.J. Kissel recorded a 2-1 decision. At 197 pounds, Hofstra freshman Matt Loew made his collegiate debut against ninth-ranked Purdue senior Logan Brown. Brown rolled to a rare four-point tech fall (no near falls) victory, downing the Pride newcomer, 25-10 at the 6:34 mark. In the match finale at 285 pounds, Purdue senior Roger Vukobratovich tallied an escape and a takedown in the third period for a 3-0 decision over Pride sophomore Paul Snyder and the 28-6 victory in the match.
In the middle match of the Duals, Purdue, behind a victory by Vukobratovich, tied Edinboro, 16-16.
The Pride will return to action on Sunday, November 21 when they travel to Columbia, Missouri for the University of Missouri Duals. Hofstra will face Oregon State, the host Tigers of Missouri and NAIA power Lindenwood.
World Medalists Herbert, Dlagnev Headline Strong U.S. Team Against Russia at Hofstra on Nov. 19
Hempstead, NY - The United States will have a very strong lineup in its freestyle wrestling dual against Russia, presented by the New York Athletic Club and the Friends of Long Island Wrestling, at the Hofstra University's Mack Sports Complex on November 19.
Six of the seven U.S. team members have represented the United States at the Senior World Championships and all seven are serious hopefuls for the 2012 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team. The team features 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert (Evanston, Ill./New York AC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. and 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Herbert was also a member of the 2010 U.S. World Team.
Other 2010 U.S. World Team members in the dual meet are Brent Metcalf (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and J.D. Bergman (Columbus, Ohio/New York AC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Other 2009 U.S. World team members on the U.S. team are Shawn Bunch (Columbus, Ohio/Gator WC) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Trent Paulson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. Also competing on the team is 2010 University World Team member Angel Escobedo (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 55 kg/121 lbs.
All of the team members were outstanding college wrestlers. Two-time NCAA Div. I champions on the team are Metcalf (Iowa) and Herbert (Northwestern). Both won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler.
Escobedo won a Division I NCAA title at Indiana. Dlagnev was a two-time Division II NCAA champion at Nebraska-Kearney.
NCAA Division I runners-up on the team include Bunch (Edinboro) and Bergman (Ohio State). Paulson was a three-time All-American at Iowa State.
The Russian lineup is not set at this time, and will be announced soon.
Tickets are priced at $20 and will be available in advance or at the door. Those who wish to pre-purchase tickets can do so at the following link: http://nyacwrestling.ticketleap.com/usa-vs-russia-freestyle-dual-meet/#
Doors open for those who pre-purchase tickets at 6:00 p.m. Doors open for general admission tickets sold at the door at 6:30 p.m. There will be a pre-match kickoff at 7:30 p.m. followed by the USA vs. Russia match at 8:00 p.m.
For more information on the Nov. 19 USA vs. Russia dual meet, contact Noel Thompson at NYACwrestling@gmail.com
USA vs. RUSSIA DUAL MEET
At Hempstead, NY, Nov. 19
U.S. freestyle team lineup
55 kg/121 lbs. - Angel Escobedo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Brent Metcalf, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Trent Paulson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill. (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
Hofstra Set Starting Line-up Following Wrestle-offs
Hempstead, NY - Most questions were answered but still one remains following the Hofstra Wrestle-offs, before a crowd of approximately 500, at the Physical Education Building Thursday night. The Pride open their 2010-11 season next Saturday, November 6 when they travel to Edinboro (PA) University to face the host Fighting Scots and Purdue University.
All but one of the expected starters heading into last season if they weren't injured or red-shirted, held their spots giving the Pride an experienced line-up for the upcoming season. Red-shirt sophomore Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) will return to his starting spot at 125 pounds after wrestling in just one match last season due to knee and arm injuries. Bonanno defeated sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY), who posted a 6-16 record while filling in last season, 3-1, in the wrestle-off. Bonanno was 29-15, a CAA finalist and a NCAA qualifier as a true freshman in 2008-09.
At 133 pounds, senior Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) will also return to the starting spot that he held for three years before red-shirting last season. He won by fall over sophomore Daniel Manley in the wrestle-off Thursday night. Ruggirello was 30-5 in 2008-09 and is a three-time CAA champion and NCAA qualifier.
Junior Vince Varela (Rio Rancho, NM), a transfer from Arizona State University, gets the starting nod at 141 pounds after defeating junior newcomer Michael Doria (Massapequa, NY) and sophomore incumbent Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN). The featured showdown with Vaith, who was 16-18 for the Pride last season, went to sudden victory with Varela recording a takedown 43 seconds into the period. Varela posted a 20-12 record with the Sun Devils last season.
Red-shirt sophomore Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) will return to the starting spot at 149 pounds that he vacated after four matches last season due to a knee injury after defeating red-shirt freshman and Virginia-transfer Zach Clemente (Troy, NY), 6-5 Thursday night. Accordino, a NCAA qualifier in 2008-09 after a 25-13 season, was 3-1 last season before his knee injury at the North Carolina State Open.
The one question to the starting line-up is at 157 pounds where sophomore Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) and Zach Clemente will wrestle-off this week. Banks, who was 11-19 last season at 141 and 149, edged freshman Nick Terdick (East Northport, NY) Thursday night.
Two-time NCAA qualifier and 2009 CAA champion P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) returns to his starting job at 165 pounds after a 31-15 season last year. Gillespie won by fall over sophomore newcomer Matt Spataro (Garfield, NJ). Another two-time NCAA qualifier, senior Ryan Patrovich will also return to his starting job at 174 pounds, which he vacated to a knee injury in early January of last season, with a win by fall over sophomore Pat Murphy (Nazareth, PA). Patrovich, who was enjoying the best start of a season in his career last year, was 16-7 at the time of his injury.
Junior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA) earned his first NCAA Championship bid last season and will return to the starting spot at 184 pounds this season after a tech fall win over red-shirt freshman and Edinboro-transfer Tim Murphy (Nazareth, PA) in the wrestle-offs finale. Clymer was 23-9 for the Pride in 2009-10.
At 197 pounds, freshman Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY) earned the starting spot with a major decision victory over Murphy. Loew will be one of three new starters in the line-up next week at Edinboro. At 285 pounds, sophomore Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) will return to his starting role after a 6-2 victory over freshman Zeal McGrew (Glenville, NY) Thursday night. Snyder posted an 11-16 record in his red-shirt freshman season last year.
Wrestle-Off Results
Match 1 - Cody Ruggirello (Fr.) dec. Jeff Rotella (Sr.), 8-0
Match 2 - Vince Varela (Jr.) dec. Michael Doria (Jr.), 7-2
Match 3 - Jamie Franco (So.) dec. Pete DeTore (Fr.), 5-1
Match 4 - Tyler Banks (So.) dec. Nick Terdick (Fr.), 5-4
Match 5 - Justin Accordino (RSo.) dec. Zach Clemente (RFr.), 6-5
Match 6 - Matt Loew (Fr.) dec. Tim Murphy (RFr.), 14-5
Match 7- Lou Ruggirello (Sr.) WBF Daniel Manley (So.), 1:12
Match 8 - P.J. Gillespie (Jr.) WBF Matt Spataro (So.), 4:44
Match 9 - Ryan Patrovich (Sr.) WBF Pat Murphy (So.), 0:42
Match 10 - Paul Snyder (So.) dec. Zeal McGrew (Fr.), 6-2
Match 11 - Vince Varela (Jr.) dec. Luke Vaith (So.), 5-3 in SV (0:43)
Match 12 - Steve Bonanno (RSo.) dec. Jamie Franco (So.), 3-1
Match 13 - Ben Clymer (Jr.) Tech Fall Tim Murphy (RFr.), 16-1
Hofstra Receives Votes in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Pride Wrestling team is among the schools also receiving votes in the first NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll for the 2010-11 season, released Tuesday.
The Pride is one of three Colonial Athletic Association teams in the poll, all of which are in the also receiving votes category. There are eight 2010-11 Hofstra opponents in the preseason poll including #1 Cornell (Feb. 5), #11 Missouri (Nov. 21), #20 Purdue (Nov. 6), #22 Oregon State and also receiving votes teams Binghamton (Jan. 15), Edinboro (Nov. 6), Maryland (Dec. 11) and Old Dominion (Jan. 15).
Hofstra, which will conduct its 2010-11 wrestle-offs Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Physical Education Building, opens the new season on November 6 at the Edinboro University Duals against #20 Purdue and the host Fighting Scots. The Pride's first home match is on December 11 against Maryland at the Physical Education Building.
After a second-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships, Cornell University starts the pre-season ranked number one by a unanimous vote. They are the first Ivy League team to hold the number 1 ranking. The Big Red are returning three All-Americans including one National Champion.
The NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll Committee is made up of one coach from each conference. A number one ranking is worth 25 points and a number 25 ranking is worth one point. Overall five conferences are represented in the top 10 and seven conference represented in the top 25. A new poll will be released every Tuesday from now until the week of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament and can be found at www.nwcaonline.com.
Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Shifflet Given Four-Year Contract Extension
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet has been given a four-year contract extension to coach the Pride through the 2013-14 season, Director of Athletics Jack Hayes announced Monday.
Shifflet, who became the 10th head wrestling coach in University history in May, 2006, has recorded a 47-30-4 record in four seasons with the Pride. In addition, Hofstra has captured three Colonial Athletic Association championships with 13 student-athletes claiming individual conference titles. He has also coached a total of 24 Pride wrestlers to the NCAA Championships including seven or more Pride wrestlers in three of the four years. As a team, Hofstra has placed in the top 15 in two of the championships and Pride wrestlers have earned All-America honors six times during his tenure.
His first season as the Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach in 2006-07 was one for the record books. Shifflet directed the Pride to an 18-4-2 dual record, a final record season ranking of ninth, the program's sixth straight Colonial Athletic Association championship and the school's seventh consecutive conference title, an upset victory of top-ranked Minnesota in November, a sixth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals and, most importantly, a seventh-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Along the way, the Pride developed four All-Americans, seven conference champions including the CAA Wrestler of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. For Shifflet's efforts, he was named the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year.
In 2007-08 Shifflet directed the program to its 11th consecutive winning season with a 13-8 overall record and a 6-0 conference while leading Hofstra to its seventh straight CAA wrestling championship and eighth consecutive conference title. Along the way the Pride faced 13 Top 25 opponents and posted victories over #4 Iowa State, #13 Edinboro and #22 Old Dominion. Hofstra placed third at the Southern Scuffle, 10th in the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational, first in the CAA Championships with three conference champions and seven national qualifiers, and 15th in the NCAA Championships with two All-Americans and the Gorrarian Award winner.
In 2008-09, Shifflet, faced with a rebuilding season, captured the University's ninth consecutive conference championship with three individual champions, posted a 10-6 dual record and a 5-1 mark in the CAA and sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. He was also named CAA Coach of the Year. Last season was a year filled with injuries to starters in three weight classes while a fourth was red-shirted as the Pride struggled through a 6-12-2 season. Nonetheless, three Pride wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2010.
Shifflet came to Hofstra after four seasons as head wrestling coach at UNC Greensboro. His tenure at UNCG was marked by annual improvements in recruiting, recognition and success. He also created and organized the annual 35-team Southern Scuffle wrestling tournament, which is one of the largest and more competitive Division I regular season tournaments in the country. During his tenure at UNC Greensboro Shifflet recorded a 32-32 dual meet record and had nine wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships.
A three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier as a student-athlete at national powerhouse Edinboro University from 1992 through 1995, Shifflet began his coaching career as an assistant at Georgia State University in1995, helping the Panthers post back-to-back winning seasons, and develop three conference champions and four NCAA qualifiers.
In 1997 Shifflet left Georgia State to begin a five-year tenure as an assistant coach at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. During his time with the Big Red, Shifflet coached 24 NCAA qualifiers, three NCAA All-Americans and helped head coach Rob Koll to a pair of Ivy League championships in 1999 and 2001. More importantly, Cornell was also consistently ranked among the nation's top-15 programs. His final Big Red recruiting class placed fifth at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City.
Hofstra Pride Announce 2010-11 Newcomers
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet today announced his Pride newcomers for the 2010-11 season. The class includes five freshmen, three of whom signed during last November's early signing period, and four transfers. The Hofstra Wrestling newcomer class of 2010-11 is as follows:
Name
Wt.
Cl.
Hometown/High School/Last School
Zach Clemente
149/157
RFr.
Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute/U. of Virginia
Pete DeTore
133
Fr.
East Moriches, NY/Westhampton Beach
Michael Doria
141
Jr.
Massapequa, NY/Massapequa/Nassau CC
Matt Loew *
197
Fr.
Wantagh, NY/Wantagh
Zeal McGrew
285
Fr.
Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake
Cody Ruggirello *
141
Fr.
Walden, NY/Valley Central
Matt Spataro
149
So.
Garfield, NJ/Bergen Catholic/Western New England Coll.
Nick Terdick *
157
Fr.
East Northport, NY/John Glenn
Vince Varela
141
Jr.
Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho/Arizona State U.
* - Announced during November, 2009 early signing period
Zach Clemente - 149/157, RFr., Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute/University of Virginia
Comes to Hofstra from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where he red-shirted in 2009-10…Posted a 10-6 record at 149 pounds for the Cavaliers…Placed third at the Virginia Tech Hokie Open, going 4-1…Recorded a 3-2 record at the Bearcat Open…Notched a 2-1 mark with a major decision at the East Stroudsburg Open…Went 1-2 at the Edinboro Open…High School: Was a five-year member of the wrestling team at LaSalle Institute in Troy, New York…New York State champion in both 2008 and 2009…Was a five-time Fargo All-American and two-time finalist…National High School Senior champion as a sophomore and runner-up as a senior…Was ranked second in the nation at 145 pounds as a senior…Posted a 209-25 record in high school…2008 Junior National Runner-Up in Greco Roman and placed fourth in freestyle…Personal: Born November 7, 1990…Has one brother and one sister…Enjoys fishing and hunting in his free time…Undecided major.
Pete DeTore - 133, Fr., East Moriches, NY/Westhampton Beach
Comes to Hofstra from Westhampton Beach (NY) High School where he wrestled and played soccer…Placed sixth in 2009 at the New York State Public High School Championships…Four-time all sectional/All-Suffolk Country selection…Two-time league champion…Personal: Born October 5, 1991…Has two sisters…Enjoys going to the beach and being with friends…Undecided major.
Michael Doria - 141, Jr., Massapequa, NY/Massapequa/Nassau CC
Comes to Hofstra from Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York where he wrestled one year…Phi Theta Kappa member and was named to Dean's List…Received a Hofstra Academic Scholarship…High School: 2008 graduate of Massapequa (NY) High School where he was a four year varsity captain in wrestling…Placed fourth in the New York State Public School High School Championships as a senior…Also placed third in the Eastern States Classic as a junior and a senior…Three-time all-Nassau selection including winning county championship in 2007 and 2008…Three-time (2005-07) All-New York selection as a member of the New York State National Freestyle Team…All-New York State in Greco-Roman in 2006…Posted a 113-30 record in high school… Personal: Born March 28, 1990… Has two brothers and one sister…Enjoys surfing and judo in his free time…Placed third at the Junior World Judo Trials…Aspires to be a lawyer…Political Science major.
Zeal McGrew - 285, Fr., Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake
Comes to Hofstra from Burnt Hills Ballston Lake High School in Burnt Hills, New York where he wrestled, and played football and rugby…Three-time New York State Tournament qualifier and two-time New York State place-winner, finishing second at 285 as a senior in 2010, and third at 215 as a junior in 2009…Two-time Section II champion…Recorded a school record 45 victories as a junior and was named Burnt Hills Most Outstanding Wrestler…Tallied 133 victories in his three year career…Personal: Born January 1, 1992…Has one brother…Enjoys movies, paintball, weight-lifting and running in his free time…Engineering major.
Matt Spataro - 149, So., Garfield, NJ/Bergen Catholic/Western New England Coll.
Comes to Hofstra from Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts…Posted a 2-2 record for the Golden Bears during the 2009-10 season…Placed fifth with a 2-1 mark at the Roger Williams College Invitational…High School: Wrestled all four years at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey…Finished his scholastic career with a 119-32 mark…Three-time regional finalist and three-time county champion…Placed sixth in the New Jersey State Championships in 2007 and 7th/8th in 2008…Was sixth in the Junior Nationals and placed sixth in the Super 32 Tournament…Two-time all-league, three-time all-county and two-time all-area selection…Named Most Outstanding Wrestler in both the county and district tournaments…Was the 12th student-athlete to record 100 career wins at Bergin Catholic…Named to the Cadet National Freestyle All-Dual Team in 2006…Personal: Born November 17, 1990…Has one sister…Enjoys drawing in his free time…Served as a volunteer wrestling coach at Garfield High School and Garfield's recreation team…Undecided major.
Vince Varela - 141, Jr., Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho/Arizona State U.
Comes to Hofstra after three years at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona…At ASU: 2009-10: Posted a 20-13 overall record and a 10-6 mark in duals in 2009-10…Tallied three wins by fall, one by tech fall and five by major decision… Placed sixth in the Pac-10 Championships…Was 5-1 in the Pac-10…Received the Biggest Heart and Hardest Worker awards at ASU…Named to Pac-10 Academic Team…2008-09: Posted a 10-13 record as a red-shirt freshman…Was 4-7 in duals and 2-4 in Pac-10 matches…Placed seventh in the Pac-10 Championships…Academic All-Pac 10 honorable mention…2007-08: Red-shirted as a true freshman…Placed eighth in the 2008 FILA Junior National Championships in Las Vegas at 66kg (145.5)…High School: Was a four-time New Mexico State champion at Rio Rancho (NM) High School…Posted a 56-0 record with 52 pins-both school records- as a senior…Named New Mexico High School Athlete of the Year in 2007…Selected as the 18th-ranked recruit in the nation in 2007 and ranked second among the All-Class National Rankings…2006 National High School champion…Placed third at the 2007 High School Senior Nationals earning All-America honors…Finished third in Fargo in 2006 to also earn All-America honors…Personal: Born August 21, 1988…Has two sisters…Enjoys hunting, fishing and playing Xbox in his spare time…Aspires to be a lawyer…Sociology major.
Hofstra Season Comes to a Close at NCAA Championships
Omaha, NE - The 2009-10 Hofstra Wrestling season came to a close Friday afternoon when sophomore P.J. Gillespie was knocked out of the NCAA Championships with a loss in the third round of the consolations at the Qwest Center.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) dropped a 4-0 decision to Cornell’s Justin Kerber at 165 pounds to end his season with a 31-14 record. In Friday’s match, the contest remained scoreless through two periods before Kerber escaped to start the third. Later in the period, Kerber took Gillespie down for a 3-0 advantage and then copped the bonus point with 1:57 of riding time. Kerber’s victory, his third of the season over Gillespie, improved his record to 20-10 on the season.
Hofstra's Bonilla-Bowman Named CAA Wrestler of the Week
Lawrenceville, NJ - Hofstra University senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week for all competition from February 15-21.
Bonilla-Bowman, a 157-pounder, won a pair of CAA major decisions last week against Rider and Drexel. The Pomona, New York native, who has now won 10 of his last 11 matches, defeated Rider's Zac Cibula, 24-11 on Wednesday, and Drexel's Joe Booth, 21-11 on Saturday. He is ranked second in the CAA and 17th in the nation, Bonilla-Bowman improved to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in the CAA.
Bonilla-Bowman shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week award with Steve Mytych of Drexel University. Mytych, a senior 133 pounder from Wyoming, PA (Northampton), defeated the 20th ranked wrestler in the nation from Rutgers and won a major decision over the fourth ranked wrestler in the CAA from Hofstra. Currently ranked first in the CAA and 14th in the nation, Mytych improved to 30-6 overall, 7-0 in CAA duals.
The CAA also announced that Nestor Taffur of Boston University and Jim Resnick of Rider University are the CAA Rookies of the Week. Resnick, a freshman 174 pounder from Media, Pennsylvania (Penncrest), won all four of his matches last week, including three CAA decisions and two pins, to improve to 5-2 in CAA duals. Resnick is ranked fourth in the CAA and now has 16 collegiate victories.
Taffur, a freshman 149 pounder from Bound Brook, New Jersey (Bound Brook), defeated the top ranked 149 in the CAA from Rider in a 2-0 week. Ranked fifth in the CAA, Taffur improved to 4-2 in CAA duals with 16 wins on the season.
The CAA Championships are March 5-6 at Rider University.
Hofstra 21, Drexel 17
Hempstead, NY - Tyler Banks, Jonny Bonilla-Bowman and P.J. Gillespie posted major decision victories and the Pride received a final match forfeit win as Hofstra defeated Drexel, 21-17, in a CAA match at the Hofstra Physical Fitness Center Saturday afternoon.
The Dragons of Drexel jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two matches as junior Michael Gomez (3-3) defeated Pride freshman Jamie Franco (5-14), 2-1, on a third period takedown at 125 pounds, and 15th-ranked senior Steve Mytych (30-6) posted a 10-2 major decision over freshman Luke Vaith (15-17) at 133 pounds. Hofstra got on the board at 141 pounds when red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks (10-17) rolled to a 13-0 major decision over Dragon freshman Josh Yurasits (2-8). Drexel boosted the lead to 10-4 at 149 when senior Brett McCurdy (10-12) downed Pride junior Jeff Rotella (3-19).
But the Pride rallied with major decisions in the next two matches to take a 12-10 lead in the contest. Senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (16-4), ranked 19th in the country, jumped out to a 9-5 lead after one period and rolled to a 21-11 major decision over Joe Booth (19-6) at 157 pounds. It was Bonilla-Bowman's fourth straight win and the ninth in his last 10 matches. Pride sophomore P.J. Gillespie (28-12) gave Hofstra a 12-10 advantage with a 14-6 major win over sophomore Alex Rinaldi (8-20) at 165 pounds.
Drexel regained the lead at 174 pounds as junior Dave Woodall edged Pride senior Jon Rothman (2-17), 6-5 at 174 pounds, on the riding time point after Rothman pulled off a late escape to tie the match. But Hofstra sophomore Ben Clymer (23-6) gave the Pride the lead right back, recording a second period escape for a 1-0 victory over junior Justin Weiller (12-15). Clymer has won 12 of his last 14 matches.
At 197 pounds, Drexel sophomore Shawn Fausey (3-6) recorded a 10-0 major decision over Pride red-shirt freshman Patrick Murphy (1-5), who was filling in for senior starter Anthony Tortora, who was injured at Rider last Wednesday, giving the Dragons a 17-15 advantage heading into the match finale. A battle between Drexel junior Kyle Frey (27-8), ranked second in the CAA, and Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (10-14), ranked fourth in the CAA, was expected at 285 pounds, But Frey, who suffered a hand injury in a recent match, forfeited the match giving Hofstra the 21-17 victory.
The Pride, who snapped a seven-match losing streak, ended their dual match schedule with a 6-12-2 mark and a 4-3 mark in the CAA. Drexel ended its regular season with a 9-12-0 mark and a 3-4 record in the CAA. Both teams will now prepare for the 2010 CAA Championships at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on March 5-6.
Hofstra 21, Drexel 17
125- Mike Gomez (DU) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 2-1
133- Steve Mytych (DU) maj. dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 10-2
141- Tyler Banks (HU) maj. dec. Josh Yurasits (DU), 13-0
149- Brett McCurdy (DU) dec. Jeff Rotella (HU), 10-3
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) maj. dec. Joe Booth (DU), 21-11
165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) maj. dec. Alex Rinaldi (DU), 14-6
174- Dave Woodall (DU) dec. Jon Rothman (HU), 6-5
184- Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Justin Weiller (DU), 1-0
197- Shawn Fausey (DU) maj. dec. Patrick Murphy (HU), 10-0
285- Paul Snyder (HU) win by forfeit
Rider 21 , Hofstra 16
Lawrenceville, NJ - The Pride won five matches but Rider captured the final two matches of the night to post a 21-16 CAA victory over Hofstra at Alumni Gymnasium Wednesday night. Rider improved to 12-6 on the season and 4-1 in the CAA while Hofstra fell to 5-12-2 overall and 3-3 in conference action.
Senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman recorded a major decision, sophomores P.J. Gillespie and Ben Clymer, and freshmen Jamie Franco and Luke Vaith tallied decisions for the Pride.
Starting at 125 pounds, Pride freshman Jamie Franco (5-13) posted an escape and a takedown in the second period and fought off a takedown attempt in the waning seconds of the match to post a 5-2 victory over Rider's fourth-ranked Ilyass Elmsaouri. The 133-pound match featured Rider's Jimmy Kirchner, ranked second in the CAA and Hofstra freshman Luke Vaith (15-16), ranked fourth in the league. Vaith, the newcomer from Minnesota, took it to Kirchner, jumping out to a 4-2 lead after one period and added four points in the third on the way to an 8-2 victory.
In a fiercely contested match at 141 pounds, Rider's Matt Bradley posted a late escape and amassed 1:39 in riding time to post a 5-3 victory over Hofstra freshman Tyler Banks (9-17). At 149 pounds, Rider's Mike Kessler, ranked number one in the CAA, jumped out to a 7-1 lead after one period and rolled to a 19-5 major decision over Pride junior Jeff Rotella (3-18) to give the Broncs their first lead of the match at 7-6.
At 157 pounds, Hofstra senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, ranked second in the CAA, got some of the points back with a 24-11 major decision over Zac Cibula to put the Pride back ahead, 10-7. Bonilla-Bowman won for the ninth time in his last 10 matches to improve to 15-4. In a battle between the number two and three ranked wrestlers in the CAA at 165 pounds, Hofstra sophomore P.J. Gillespie took a 5-4 lead into the third period over Rider's Rob Morrison. Morrison escaped to tie the match but Gillespie posted 1:16 in riding time to post the 6-5 victory. Gillespie improved to 27-12 and boosted the Pride lead in the match to 13-7.
At 174 pounds, Rider's Jim Resnick, ranked fourth in the CAA, cruised to a 16-1 tech fall in 4:39 over Hofstra senior Jon Rothman (2-16) to bring the Broncs within one at 13-12. At 184 pounds, Hofstra sophomore Ben Clymer, ranked second in the CAA, gave the Pride a 16-12 advantage with a 7-2 win over Mike Ward, ranked fifth in the CAA. Clymer improved to a career best 22-6 on the season.
Rider's Tyler Smith, ranked first in the CAA at 197 pounds, gave the Broncs an 18-16 lead in the match after a takedown at the 2:43 mark of the match injured Pride senior Anthony Tortora (8-18). In the final match of the night, Rider's Ed Bordas, ranked number one in the CAA at 285 pounds, posted an escape in the third period and added a takedown with 17 seconds remaining for a 3-0 victory over Pride red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (9-14). The Broncs snapped a 10-match losing streak to the Pride, dating back exactly 11 years.
The Pride close out the regular season this Saturday, February 20 when they host Drexel University at the Hofstra Physical Fitness Center at 1 p.m. Hofstra will honor its three graduating seniors, Bonilla-Bowman, Jon Rothman and Anthony Tortora in pre-match ceremonies.
Rider 21 , Hofstra 16
125- Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Ilyass Elmsaouri (RU), 5-2
133- Luke Vaith (HU) dec. Jimmy Kirchner (RU), 8-2
141- Matt Bradley (RU) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 5-3
149- Jimmy Kirchner (RU) tech fall Jeff Rotella (HU), 20-5
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) maj. Dec. Zac Cibula (RU), 24-11
165- P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Rob Morrison (RU), 6-5
174-Jim Resnick (RU) tech fall Jon Rothman (HU), 16-1
184- Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Mike Ward (RU), 7-2
197- Tyler Smith (RU) inj. def. Anthony Tortora (HU), 2:43
285- Ed Bordas (RU) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 3-0
Hofstra Pride Fall at Binghamton and Cornell
Ithaca, NY - The Hofstra wrestling team went to frigid upstate New York Saturday and received a frosty greeting as their hosts Binghamton (28-8) and Cornell (37-6) cruised to easy victories over the Pride.
In the first match of the day at CAA-foe Binghamton (12-6-1), freshman Luke Vaith, sophomore P.J. Gillespie and senior Anthony Tortora recorded Hofstra decisions but the Bearcats captured the rest including a fall and two tech falls for a 28-8 victory. The Pride loss snapped a nine-match winning streak over Binghamton and was just the third conference loss that Hofstra has suffered in its last 71 league dual matches (67-3-1).
In the opening match featuring freshmen at 125 pounds, Binghamton's James Inghram (5-4) defeated Jamie Franco (4-11), 3-1. Pride freshman Luke Vaith (14-14) tied the match at 3-3 with a 9-8 decision over junior Tyler Malmberg (3-5). But the Bearcats won the next three matches to build a 14-3 advantage. At 141 pounds, junior Anwar Goeres (28-6), who is ranked first in the CAA, defeated junior Jeff Rotella (3-16), 5-2. At 149, Binghamton red-shirt freshman Donnie Vinson (27-10) recorded a 23-5 tech fall in 4:36 over Pride red-shirt freshman Ryan Colmer (0-3). At 157 pounds, Bearcat sophomore Justin Lister (21-6), ranked third in the CAA, upset Hofstra's 16th-ranked senior and the CAA's best in the weight class, Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (12-4), 10-8, snapping the Pride wrestler's six-match winning streak.
Hofstra sophomore P.J. Gillespie (26-10), ranked second in the CAA and 17th in the nation, edged sophomore Matt Kaylor (27-15), 6-4, in sudden victory to cut the deficit to 14-6. But the Bearcats picked up bonus point wins in their next two matches as senior Josh Patterson (18-5), ranked first in the CAA and 13th in the country at 174 pounds, posted a 17-0 tech fall in 4:29 over senior Jon Rothman (2-13) and red-shirt freshman Nate Schiedel (21-6), ranked fourth in the CAA at 184 pounds, recorded an upset pin of the CAA's top-seeded Ben Clymer (20-5) in 3:09 for a 25-6 lead in the contest. It was Clymer's first loss by fall in 58 college matches and his first dual match loss (14-1) of the year.
Pride senior Anthony Tortora (8-15) decisioned red-shirt freshman Patt Walsh (2-2) at 197 pounds, 3-1 before Binghamton senior Corey Waite (29-13), ranked third in the CAA at 285 pounds, defeated red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (9-11), who was making his first start since suffering a knee injury 17 days ago, 3-1. Hofstra fell to 5-9-2 overall and 3-2 in CAA matches.
At Cornell, the Pride (5-10-2) was dominated by the seventh-ranked Big Red (5-4-1). Only a Bonilla-Bowman win by injury default at 157 pounds prevented a Cornell shutout victory. The Big Red, which has six nationally-ranked wrestlers including two number one ranked wrestlers and a number two, posted two wins by fall, two by major decision, one tech fall and four decisions in the contest.
The most exciting match of the contest was at 165 pounds where Hofstra's 17th-ranked sophomore P.J. Gillespie squared off against unranked junior Justin Kerber. After a scoreless first period, each wrestler recorded escapes in the ensuing periods, Gillespie in the second and Kerber in the third, to send the match into sudden victory. Hofstra's Long Beach, New York native, who was wrestling in his second straight sudden victory match, wouldn't be as lucky in this one as Kerber recorded a takedown with 30 seconds remaining for the 3-1 decision.
The Pride will return to action on Wednesday, February 10 when they travel to Lawrenceville, New Jersey for a CAA match against Rider University. Match time is 7 p.m.
Binghamton 28, Hofstra 8
125: James Inghram (BU) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 3-1
133: Luke Vaith (HU) dec. Tyler Malmberg (BU), 9-8
141: Anwar Goeres (BU) dec. Jeff Rotella (HU), 5-2
149: Donnie Vinson (BU) tech fall Ryan Colmer (HU), 23-5, 4:36
157: Justin Lister (BU) dec. #16 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU), 10-8
165: #17 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Matt Kaylor (BU), 6-4 SV
174: #13 Josh Patterson (BU) tech fall Jon Rothman (HU), 17-0, 4:29
184: Nate Schiedel (BU) WBF Ben Clymer (HU), 3:09
197: Anthony Tortora (HU) dec. Pat Walsh (BU), 3-1
285: Corey Waite (BU) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 3-1
Hofstra penalized one team point
#7 Cornell 37, Hofstra 6
125: #2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) dec. Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 6-0
133: #11 Mike Grey (Cornell) maj. dec. Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 18-7
141: #1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) tech fall Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 15-0
149: Corey Manson (Cornell) maj. dec. Ryan Colmer (Hofstra), 14-5
157: #16 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra) inj def. John Basting (Cornell), 1:39
165: Justin Kerber (Cornell) dec. #17 PJ Gillespie (Hofstra), 3-1 SV
174: #1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) WBF Jon Rothman (Hofstra), 1:01
184: #17 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. Ben Clymer (Hofstra), 4-1
197: #5 Cam Simaz (Cornell) WBF Anthony Tortora (Hofstra), 6:47
HWT: Josh Arnone (Cornell) dec. Paul Snyder (Hofstra), 6-0
Hofstra Ties Harvard, Falls to Brown
Hempstead, NY - Sophomores P.J. Gillespie and Ben Clymer and red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder each had two wins as Hofstra tied Harvard, 20-20, and fell to Brown, 18-17, in non-conference wrestling action at the Mack Sports Complex Saturday evening. Hofstra is now 2-5-2 on the season while Brown is 2-1 and Harvard is 2-3-1.
In the first match against Brown, the Bears jumped out to a 12-0 behind an opening forfeit at 125 pounds for Greg Einfrank, a 13-6 decision by Cortlandt Choate over junior Jeff Rotella at 133 and a 3-1 decision by Steve DeLorenzo over Pride freshman Luke Vaith at 141.
But red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks started a Hofstra run of three straight wins with a 6-0 victory over Phil Marano at 149 pounds to close the deficit to 12-3. The Pride's 19th-ranked 157-pounder Jonny Bonilla-Bowman recorded a 12-6 victory over Brian Tracy and sophomore P.J. Gillespie brought the Pride to within two at 12-10 with a 13-4 major decision over Gabriel Brotzman at 165 pounds. It was Gillespie's 20th victory of the season.
Brown's Jeff Lemmer gave the Bears some breathing room with a 10-4 decision over senior Jon Rothman at 174 pounds to boost the lead to five but Hofstra sophomore Ben Clymer won his third straight match and closed the deficit to two with a 2-0 win over Bran Crudden at 184 pounds. Brown senior Branden Stearns edged Pride senior Anthony Tortora, 3-2, at 197 pounds to give the Bears an 18-13 lead heading into the final match of the contest at 285 pounds. Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder needed a tech fall over Larry Otsuka to tie or a pin to win the match. Snyder dominated but Otsuka held off the Pride aggressor as Hofstra had to settle for an 11-3 major decision that preserved the Brown victory.
In the nightcap against Harvard, the visitors from Massachusetts took the first two matches as Chadwick Eason took a forfeit win at 125 and freshman Stephen Keith notched a 12-2 major decision over the Pride's Jeff Rotella (1-10) at 133 pounds for a 10-0 lead. Luke Vaith and Tyler Banks brought the Pride back with wins as Vaith (7-9) edged Tony Buxton, 4-2, at 141, and Banks (8-10) won his second of the day with a 6-2 decision over freshman Nick Brazeau at 149 to close the deficit to 10-6.
In the featured match of the contest, Harvard's top-ranked J.P. O'Connor topped Hofstra's 19th-ranked senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (6-3), 6-1 at 157 pounds to bump the lead to 13-6. The Crimson added to the lead at 165 when Michael Sadler tagged Pride red-shirt freshman Ryan Colmer (0-2) with a 13-6 victory. Hofstra sophomore P.J. Gillespie (21-8), who moved up one weight class to 174 for the match, posted a 12-4 major decision over Bryan Panzano to bring the Pride to within six at 16-10.
But Harvard's 10th-ranked senior Louis Caputo's 9-1 major decision win over the Pride's Anthony Tortora (4-12) at 184 pounds doubled up the Pride at 20-10. With the Crimson forfeiting the 285-pound match, the contest came down to the 197-pound bout between Hofstra sophomore Ben Clymer, who went up one weight class, and Harvard's Sean Murphy. Clymer (15-4) jumped out to an 8-0 lead with riding time after two periods. But Murphy prevented the Pride's tech fall bid as Clymer had to settle for a 13-0 major decision. The Crimson forfeit allowed the Pride to tie the match at 20-20.
Hofstra returns to action next Saturday, January 16 when the Pride face Sacred Heart, George Mason, Boston University and Old Dominion at the CAA Duals in Fairfax, Virginia.
Brown 18, Hofstra 17
125 - Greg Einfrank (B) win by forfeit
133 - Cortlandt Choate (B) dec. Jeff Rotella (H), 13-6
141 - Steve DeLorenzo (B) dec. Luke Vaith (H), 3-1
149 - Tyler Banks (H) dec. Phil Marano (B), 6-0
157 - #19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Bryan Tracy (B), 12-6
165 - P.J. Gillespie (H) maj. dec. Gabriel Brotzman (B), 13-4
174 - Jeff Lemmer (B) dec. Jon Rothman (H), 10-4
184 - Ben Clymer (H) dec. Bran Crudden (B), 2-0
197 - Branden Stearns (B) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 3-2
285 - Paul Snyder (H) maj. dec. Larry Otsuka (B), 11-3
Hofstra 20, Harvard 20
125 - Chadwick Eason (Harvard) win by forfeit
133 - Steven Keith (Harvard) maj. dec. Jeff Rotella (Hofstra),12-2
141 - Luke Vaith (Hofstra) dec. Tony Buxton (Harvard), 4-2
149 - Tyler Banks (Hofstra) dec. Nick Brazeau (Harvard), 6-2
157 - J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) dec. #19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra), 6-1
165 - Michael Sadler (Harvard) dec. Ryan Colmer (Hofstra), 13-6
174 - P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra) maj. dec. Bryan Panzano (Harvard), 12-4
184 - Louis Caputo (Harvard) maj. dec. Anthony Tortora (Hofstra), 9-1
197 - Ben Clymer (Hofstra) maj. dec. Sean Murphy (Harvard), 13-0
285 - Paul Snyder (Hofstra) wins by forfeit.
Army 28, Hofstra 9
West Point, NY - Pride wrestlers Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, P.J. Gillespie and Ben Clymer each claimed victories but the Black Knights captured the other seven matches, including five with bonus points, as Army defeated visiting Hofstra, 28-9, at the Gillis Field House Friday night. Army improves to 1-2 on the season while the Pride fall to 2-4-1.
The injury-riddled Pride fell behind 18-0, dropping the first four matches of the night, including forfeiting the opening 125-pound match. Army sophomore Travis Coffey (6-6) boosted the Black Knights lead to 10-0 with a 10-3 victory over Pride junior Jeff Rotella (1-8) at 133 pounds. Junior Casey Thome (6-3) gave Army a 14-0 advantage with an easy 13-2 major decision win over Hofstra freshman Luke Vaith (6-8) at 141 pounds. Army senior Matt Kyler (15-2), ranked eighth in the nation at 149 pounds, rolled to a 15-4 major decision over Pride red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks (6-10) for a 18-0 advantage.
Hofstra senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (5-2), ranked 19th at 157 pounds, put the Pride on the board with an 11-8 victory over Army freshman Daniel Young (6-3) to cut the deficit to 18-3. Sophomore P.J. Gillespie (19-8) made it two straight wins for the Pride with a 5-0 victory over Eric Gobin (9-12). But Army junior Jacob Vetter (5-5) ended the Pride run with a 12-4 major decision over Pride senior Jon Rothman (0-3), who is filling in for the injured Ryan Patrovich in the weight class.
Pride sophomore Ben Clymer (13-4) posted a 4-1 decision over Army freshman Collin Wittmeyer (10-7) at 184 pounds to close to 22-9 in the match. But Cadet senior Richard Starks (7-0), ranked 17th in the nation at 197 pounds, battled Pride senior Anthony Tortora (4-10) for a 4-0 decision. In the closest match of the night, junior Ryan Cook (6-6) recorded a third period escape to tied the match at 1-1 and then took Pride red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (4-10) down with five seconds remaining in the sudden victory period for a 3-1 victory to close out the match.
On Saturday, the Pride will host Brown University at 3 p.m. and Harvard University at 5 p.m. at the Mack Sports Complex on the Hofstra campus.
Army 28, Hofstra 9
125 - Lance Penhale (A) win by forfeit
133 - Travis Coffey (A) maj. dec. Jeff Rotella (H), 18-6
141 - Casey Thome (A) maj. dec. Luke Vaith (H), 13-2
149 - #8 Matt Kyler (A) maj. dec. Tyler Banks (H), 15-4
157 - #19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Daniel Young (A), 11-8
165 - P.J. Gillespie (H) dec. Eric Gobin (A), 5-0
174 - Jacob Vetter (A) maj. dec. Jon Rothman (H), 12-4
184 - Ben Clymer (H) dec. Collin Wittmeyer (A), 4-1
197 - #17 Richard Starks (A) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 4-0
285 - Ryan Cook (A) dec. Paul Snyder (H) in SV, 3-1
Hofstra to Honor Three CAA 25th Anniversary Selections Saturday
Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Athletic Department will honor two alums and one current student-athlete, who were chosen to the Colonial Athletic Association 25th Anniversary Wrestling Team, in pre-match ceremonies before the Pride's encounter with Brown University on Saturday at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 3 p.m. The Pride will also take on Harvard on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Wrestling alums Jon Masa (Long Beach, NY) and Michael Patrovich (Islip, NY) and current student-athlete Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) will be recognized for being selected to the CAA honorary team. As part of the 25th Anniversary of the Colonial Athletic Association, the CAA is honoring silver anniversary teams in each of its sports during this academic year. These teams consist of the 25 top players in CAA history in each sport, as voted on by a panel of coaches. On Saturday, Hofstra will honor three of its eight student-athletes who were chosen to the CAA 25th Anniversary wrestling team.
Masa is the only three-time All-American in Hofstra history. He posted a record of 126-25 during his career at Hofstra. The Long Beach High School graduate is also one of only two Hofstra wrestlers who captured four conference championships, winning in 2002 at 141 pounds, and in 2003, 2005 and 2006 at 149 pounds. Masa was selected the CAA Wrestler of the Year in 2005 after a 26-10 record, and the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the CAA Championships in 2006. He earned All-American honors at the NCAA championships by placing seventh in 2003, fifth in 2006 and third in 2005.
Patrovich was a four-time NCAA qualifier for the Pride and recorded a career record of 106-30 between 2001 and 2007. The Islip High School product captured CAA championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and was named the CAA Wrestler of the Year in 2006 following a 34-5 season. He was selected the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2007 CAA Championships. Patrovich earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships by placing fourth at 174 pounds in 2006 and sixth at 165 pounds in 2007.
Ruggirello is currently a red-shirt on the 2009-10 Pride wrestling team and will return to intercollegiate competition next season. In his three seasons with the Pride, he is a three-time CAA champion at 133 pounds and a three-time NCAA qualifier. The Valley Central High School graduate in Montgomery, New York has recorded a career record of 99-21 since arriving at Hofstra in 2006. Ruggirello was named the CAA Rookie of the Year after posting a 31-9 overall mark, a 20-4 record in duals and a 7-0 mark in conference matches in 2007. In 2008, he was awarded the Manual Gorrarian Award at the NCAA Championships after recording the most pins in the quickest amount of time. Ruggirello is also a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team member and was voted the 2009 CAA Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Hofstra's five other alums who were named to the CAA 25th Anniversary Wrestling Team, Jason DeBruin, Charles Griffin, Chris Skretkowicz, James Strouse and Chris Weidman, will be honored at a later time when schedules permit.
The Brown match is the middle match of a busy weekend for the Pride that has them facing Army Friday night (7:30 p.m.) at West Point, Brown Saturday at 3 p.m. and Harvard at 5 p.m. Hofstra, 2-3-1 on the season, had its run of bad luck continue in last Sunday's loss to #3 Ohio State. The Pride, who lost sophomore starters Steve Bonanno (125) and Justin Accordino (149) earlier this season, lost junior 165-pounder, Ryan Patrovich for the season with a knee injury. In addition, freshman, 133-pounder Jamie Franco, who is filling in for the three-time CAA champion Lou Ruggirello, who is red-shirting this season, went down with a shoulder injury that will cause him to miss at least four weeks.
Patrovich (16-7), who was ranked 10th in the nation at 174 pounds before last Sunday's loss to Ohio State's Dave Rella dropped him to 20th this week, ends a promising season that saw him place fifth at both the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle last month, and capture the North Carolina State Open in November. Bonanno and Accordino, like Patrovich, were also nationally ranked at the time of their injuries.
Senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (4-2), ranked 19th at 157 pounds, is now Hofstra's lone ranked wrestler this week by InterMat. Sophomore P.J. Gillespie (18-8), who leads the team in victories, fell out of the top 20 this week at 165 pounds after being ranked 16th, as did classmate Ben Clymer (12-4), who was 20th at 184 pounds in the last poll.
All three of Hofstra's opponents this weekend also have busy schedules this weekend. The Black Knights of Army, who will host the Pride at Gillis Field House at West Point will also host the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Boston University and Rutgers on Sunday. Army is 0-2 in dual matches this season and are led by senior Richard Starks, who is ranked 17th at 197 pounds with a 6-0 record.
The Bears of Brown University, like Hofstra, will also have three dual matches this weekend. Brown will begin its dual match season on Friday at Rutgers with duals against the Scarlet Knights and Franklin and Marshall before coming to Hofstra Saturday afternoon. The Bears placed seventh at the Keystone Classic and 38th at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational earlier this season.
The Crimson of Harvard University is following the same schedule as Brown this weekend. Harvard heads into Friday's matches with a 1-2 dual match record with a win over Sacred Heart and losses to Penn State and Northern Iowa. Harvard, which placed 18th at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational in December, has two ranked wrestlers in seniors J.P. O'Connor (14-0), who is ranked number one at 157 pounds, and Louis Caputo (5-2), who is ranked 10th at 184 pounds.
#3 Ohio State 32, Hofstra 6
Hempstead, NY- Hofstra senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman and sophomore Ben Clymer each posted decision victories but the Buckeyes won the rest as #3 Ohio State defeated the Pride, 32-6, at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday. The Buckeyes improve to 6-0 on the season while Hofstra falls to 2-3-1 this year.
The Buckeyes won the first four matches to jump out to a commanding 20-0 lead. Starting at 125 pounds, Ohio State junior Nikko Triggas (16-9) took home a forfeit win for a 6-0 lead. The Pride, who have already lost their starters at both 125 and 149 pounds to season-ending injuries this season, lost their 133-pounder, freshman Jamie Franco for at least one week with a shoulder injury in his match against sophomore Ian Paddock (11-4). Franco (4-8) was forced to take a medical default at the 5:40 mark. OSU senior Reece Humphrey (16-0), ranked number one at 141 pounds, gave the Buckeyes a 16-0 advantage with an 18-7 major decision over Pride freshman Luke Vaith (6-7). Buckeye senior Lance Palmer (16-1), ranked fourth at 149 pounds, boosted the Ohio State lead to 20-0 with a 12-4 major decision over Hofstra red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks (6-9).
Hofstra got on the scoreboard at 157 pounds behind senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (4-2). Following a 6-6 tie after one period, the 19th-ranked Bonilla-Bowman took the lead in the second with an escape and two takedowns on the way to an 18-11 victory over sophomore Sean Nemac (10-4).
But the Buckeyes would bounce back to with consecutive victories at 165 and 174. At 165, seventh-ranked Colt Sponseller (12-2) posted a third period escape and a takedown and benefitted from riding out Pride sophomore P.J. Gillespie (18-8) in the second period for a 4-0 victory. Senior Dave Rella (11-4) notched a third period escape and held on for a 3-2 victory over Hofstra's 10th-ranked junior Ryan Patrovich (16-7) at 174 pounds.
The Pride posted their second and final victory of the day at 184 pounds when 20th-ranked sophomore Ben Clymer (12-4) escaped with 1:07 to play in the third period to snap a 3-3 tie and held on for a 4-3 win over sophomore T.C. Pendleton. The Buckeyes captured the last two matches with sophomore C.J. Magrum (9-5) cruising to a 6-1 victory over Pride senior Anthony Tortora (4-9) at 197 pounds, and OSU senior Corey Morrison (9-6) posting a 10-3 win over Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (4-9) at 285 pounds.
The Pride will return to action next Friday night, January 8 when they travel to West Point, New York to face the Black Knights of Army at 7:30 p.m. Hofstra will host Ivy League members, Brown and Harvard, on Saturday, January 9 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, at the Mack Sports Complex.
#3 Ohio State 32, Hofstra 6
125 - Nikko Triggas (OS) win by forfeit
133 - Ian Paddock (OS) win by medical forfeit over Jamie Franco (H) at 5:40
141 - #1 Reece Humphrey (OS) maj. dec. Luke Vaith (H), 18-7
149 - #4 Lance Palmer (OS) maj. dec. Tyler Banks (H), 12-4
157 - #19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Sean Nemac (OS), 18-11
165 - #7 Colt Sponseller (OS) dec. #16 P.J. Gillespie (H), 4-0
174 - Dave Rella (OS) dec. #10 Mike Patrovich (H), 3-2
184 - Ben Clymer (H) dec. T.C. Pendleton (OS), 4-3
197 - C.J. Magrum (OS) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 6-1
285 - Corey Morrison (OS) dec. Paul Snyder (H), 10-3
Patrovich Placed Fifth, Gillespie Placed Eighth at Southern Scuffle
Greensboro, NC – Hofstra junior Ryan Patrovich placed fifth at 174 pounds and sophomore P.J. Gillespie placed eighth at 165 pounds to lead the Pride wrestling team to a 23rd place finish at the 2009 Southern Scuffle at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center Wednesday.
Patrovich, ranked 10th in the country at 174 pounds, recorded a 5-2 decision over Indiana’s Trevor Perry, in Wednesday morning’s quarterfinals. He was then sent to the consolation bracket with a 4-0 loss to Virginia’s fourth-ranked Chris Henrich in the semifinals. Patrovich then dropped a 6-5 decision to Minnesota’s Scott Glasser, placing him in the match for fifth place, which he won when George Mason’s Bagna Tovuujav gave a medical forfeit. Patrovich is now 16-6 on the season.
Gillespie, ranked 16th in the nation at 165 pounds, dropped a 4-2 decision to Old Dominion’s 10th-ranked Chris Brown in the championship quarterfinals. He then defeated North Carolina’s Kyle Kiss, 9-2, in the fifth round of the consolation bracket before dropping a 5-2 decision to Cornell’s ninth-ranked Justin Kerber. Gillespie then dropped a 3-1 decision to Penn’s Stephen Burak in the seventh-place match. Gillespie is now 18-7 on the year.
The Pride, who competed with just five wrestlers at the Scuffle, finished with 24.5 points as the Big Red of Cornell captured the team title with 164 points. Minnesota (151.5) was second followed by Indiana (131.5), Edinboro (97.5) and Virginia (96.5).
Hofstra will return to action this Sunday, January 3 when the Pride entertain the third-ranked Buckeyes of Ohio State in the annual Teague Ryan Memorial Fund match at the Mack Sports Complex at 11 a.m. Teague Ryan, the youngest son of former Pride coach and current Ohio State coach Tom Ryan, passed away suddenly at age five in 2004. A portion of the ticket sales for this match will benefit Hofstra’s Teague Ryan Fund
Festivities for the Ohio State match will kick-off on Saturday night, January 2 at the 2010 Hofstra Wrestling Banquet from 7-9 p.m. at David S. Mack Hall (Hofstra University Club). Hofstra will unveil and formally dedicate the Teague Ryan Memorial Wrestling Complex during the banquet. The cost of the Banquet ticket is $100 in advance or $125 at the door.
Patrovich Fifth, Gillespie Sixth as Hofstra Pride Place 24th at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational
Primm, NV - Junior Ryan Patrovich placed fifth and sophomore P.J. Gillespie finished sixth at the 2009 Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational at the Star of the Desert Arena Saturday
Patrovich, the fifth seed in the tournament, opened the second day with a win by medical forfeit over Navy's Luke Rebertus in the fifth round of the consolations. He was then pinned by the sixth seed, Purdue's Luke Manual in 1:27. Patrovich then defeated Justin Zeerip from Michigan, 4-1, in the fifth-place match. He is now 11-4 on the season.
Gillespie, who was unseeded in the tournament, opened his second day with a 9-5 decision over Navy's Oscar Huntley, who was seeded 11th. He then dropped a 3-2 decision on the riding time point to Wyoming's seventh-seeded Shane Onufer. Gillespie then dropped an 8-5 decision to fifth-seed Paul Young from Indiana in the fifth-place match. He is 14-4 on the season.
The Pride finished with 30.5 points in 24th place as Ohio State won the tournament with 122.5 points. Cornell was second with 121.5 points and Oklahoma was third with 109.5.
Hofstra returns to action on Sunday, December 13 when the Pride host Lock Haven University at the Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 3 p.m.
Hofstra Post A 1-2 Record at the Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals
Troy, NY - Sophomore Ben Clymer remained undefeated on the season with three more victories as the Hofstra Pride recorded a 1-2 record at the Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals at the McDonough Center on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College Saturday.
The Pride defeated Northern Colorado, 27-9 but dropped decisions to #18 Virginia (28-6) and #8 Nebraska (29-6). Clymer, the only Hofstra wrestler to go undefeated in the Northeast Duals, is now 8-0 on the season. The Pride is 1-2-1 on the season. Hofstra wrestled without sophomore starters Steve Bonanno at 125, who is recovering from a knee injury, and Justin Accordino at 149, who will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury sustained last week.
In the Pride's first match against Northern Colorado, Hofstra jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Freshman Jamie Franco (4-2) posted a reversal in overtime for a 2-0 victory over #15 Tony Mustari and junior Jeff Rotella (1-3) won by injury default over Casey Cruz. The Bears came back as Kenny Hashimoto notched a 4-1 victory over Pride freshman Luke Vaight (5-3) at 141 and Justin Gonzales downed red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks (4-3), 6-2 at 149 pounds to close to 9-6.
But Hofstra captured five of the next six matches to win going away. Senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman downed Justin Gaethje, 9-5 at 157-pounds before Tanner Weiks brought Northern Colorado back to within three at 12-9 with a 4-3 decision on a third period escape over Pride sophomore P.J. Gillespie at 165 pounds. But Hofstra junior Ryan Patrovich (6-0) started four straight victories with a 10-2 major decision over Brandon Kamerzell at 174. Sophomore Ben Clymer (6-0) posted a 12-0 major decision over Eric Brennan at 184 and senior Anthony Tortora (3-3) followed with an 11-3 major win over Ed Matthews at 197. Red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder (3-3) closed the match with a 5-2 victory over Justin Tuell at 285.
In the second match, the Cavaliers of Virginia won eight of the 10 matches and displayed their superb riding ability on the way to victory. Virginia won the first five matches, including an tech fall upset by Danny Gonsor over # 8 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman at 157 pounds. Sophomore P.J. Gillespie put Hofstra on the board with a 5-1 victory over Mike Chaires at 165 to close the deficit to 19-3. But 2009 All-American and #6 Chris Henrich defeated #10 Ryan Patrovich, 7-0, at 174-pounds before Clymer posted Hofstra's last victory of the match with a 4-2 decision over Mike Salopek at 184. Virginia All-American and #15 Brent Jones defeated Anthony Tortora, 7-5 and Jack Danilkowicz downed Paul Snyder, 5-2, at 285 to close out the match.
The Pride's final match of the day, against #8 Nebraska, was similar to the Virginia match with the Cornhuskers winning eight of the 10 matches. Once again, the Pride dropped the first five matches of the contest to jump out to a 17-0 lead with C.J. Napier posting a 12-4 major decision over Jeff Rotella at 133 and defending national champion and top-ranked Jordan Burroughs posting a 22-9 major decision over Bonilla-Bowman. Gillespie posted his second win of the day with a 10-3 decision over Alex Ward at 165 pounds, blowing the match open with a big third period. After All-American and #6 Stephen Dwyer downed Ryan Patrovich, 5-0 at 174, to boost the Nebraska lead to 20-3, Clymer notched his third win of the day with a 5-2 decision over Josh Ihnen at 184. Hofstra senior Anthony Tortora was pinned by second-ranked Craig Brester in 1:31 of the 197-pound match and Pride red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder was defeated by seventh-ranked Tucker Lane, 4-1, at 285 pounds.
The Pride will next compete at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational next Friday and Saturday, December 4-5 at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nevada.
Hofstra 27, Northern Colorado 9
125 - Jamie Franco (HU) dec. #15 Tony Mustari (NC), 2-0 in OT
133 - Jeff Rotella (HU) win by injury default
141 - Kenny Hashimoto (NC) dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 4-1
149 - Justin Gonzales (NC) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 6-2
157 - #8 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) dec. Justin Gaethje (NC), 9-5
165 - Tanner Weiks (NC) dec. #18 P.J. Gillespie (HU), 4-3
174 - #10 Ryan Patrovich (HU) maj. dec. Brandon Kammerzell (NC), 10-2
184 - Ben Clymer (HU) maj. dec. Eric Brennan (NC), 12-0
197 - Anthony Tortora (HU) maj. dec. Ed Matthews (NC), 11-3
285 - Paul Snyder (HU) dec. Justin Tuell (NC), 5-2
Hofstra 6, #18 Virginia 28
125 - Matt Snyder (UV) maj. dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 8-0
133 - Matt Cubillos (UV) dec. Jeff Rotella (HU), 6-5
141 - Derek Valenti (UV) dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 3-0,
149 - Kellon Balum (UV) maj. dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 9-1
157 - Danny Gonsor (UV) tech fall #8 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU), 15-0 (3:51)
165 - #18 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Mike Chaires (UV), 5-1
174 - #6 Chris Henrich (UV) dec #10 Ryan Patrovich (HU), 7-0
184 - Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Mike Salopek (UV), 4-2
197 - #15 Brent Jones (UV) dec.Anthony Tortora (HU),7-5
285 - Jack Danilkowicz (UV) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 5-2
Hofstra 6, #8 Nebraska 29
125 - David Klingsheim (NU) dec. Jamie Franco (HU), 10-4
133 - C.J. Napier (NU) maj. dec. Jeff Rotella (HU),12-4
141 - Michael Koehnlein (NU) dec. Luke Vaith (HU), 7-4
149 - Chris Hacker (NU) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 5-1
157 - #1 Jordan Burroughs (NU) maj. dec. #8 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU), 22-9
165 - #18 P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. Alex Ward (NU), 10-3
174 - #5 Stephen Dwyer (NU) dec. #10 Ryan Patrovich (HU), 5-0
184 - Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Josh Ihnen (NU), 5-2
197 - #2 Craig Brester (NU) WBF Anthony Tortora (HU), 1:31
285 - #7 Tucker Lane (NU) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 4-1
Hofstra Pride Open Season With 16-16 Tie Against
Hempstead, NY - Each team won five matches but freshman Andrew Schutt's come-from-behind victory in the final 15 seconds in the final match of the day allowed the Bulls of Buffalo to tie the Hofstra Pride, 16-16, at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Bulls improved to 1-0-1 on the season while the Pride is 0-0-1.
Schutt trailed 3-0 in the 141-pound finale after Hofstra red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks' takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the third period. But the newcomer reversed the Pride wrestler three seconds later and then added three back-points for a 5-4 victory after Banks took the riding time point.
Sunday's contest opened up at 149 pounds with Buffalo's 16th-ranked Desi Green posting an escape with 1:51 in the third period to take a 3-2 victory over Hofstra sophomore Justin Accordino. Ninth-ranked Hofstra senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman started a four-match Pride winning streak and tied the match at 3-3 with a 10-5 victory over Andrew Stella at 157 pounds. Sophomore P.J. Gillespie posted a 5-2 win over John Martin Cannon at 165 before junior Ryan Patrovich, ranked 10th by Intermat, cruised to a 10-3 victory over Matt Bogardus at 174 pounds. Sophomore Ben Clymer's 8-0 major decision over Buffalo's Josh Peters gave the Pride a 13-3 lead at the intermission. Accordino, Gillespie and Patrovich made their debuts at their new weights Sunday.
But 20th-ranked Jimmy Hamel put Buffalo back on the winning track with an 8-6 decision over Pride senior Anthony Tortora at 197 pounds and sophomore Brett Correll posted a second period escape to snap a 3-3 tie and go on to a 5-3 decision over Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder at 285 to close the deficit to 13-9.
Hofstra freshman Jamie Franco, who moved down a weight class to 125 pounds to fill in for the injured starter Steve Bonanno, recorded an escape with 53 seconds remaining to post a 1-0 victory over sophomore Dylan Dabolt and boost the Pride lead to 16-9. But Buffalo sophomore Kevin Smith tallied a 27-12 tech fall win over Hofstra junior Jeff Rotella at 133 pounds but didn't have any back-points for a four-point victory to close the deficit to 16-13 setting up Schutt's match-tying win.
The Pride return to action next Saturday, November 21 when they compete in the North Carolina State Wolfpack Open in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Hofstra 16, Buffalo 16
149 - #16 Desi Green (UB) dec. Justin Accordino (HU), 3-2
157 - #9 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) dec. Andrew Stella (UB), 10-5
165 - P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. John Martin Cannon (UB), 5-2
174 - #10 Ryan Patrovich (HU) dec. Matt Bogardus (UB), 10-3
184 - Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Josh Peters (UB), 8-0
197 - #20 Jimmy Hamel UB) dec. Anthony Tortora (HU), 8-6
285 - Brett Correll (UB) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 5-3
125 - Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Dylan Dabolt (UB), 1-0
133 - Kevin Smith (UB) tech fall Jeff Rotella (HU), 27-12 (6:56)
141 - Andrew Schutt (UB) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 5-4
Three Sign National Letters of Intent for 2010-11 Hofstra Pride
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet today announced that three student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University and be part of the Pride program for the 2010-11 season. The three student-athletes are Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY), Cody Ruggirello (Walden, NY) and Nick Terdick (East Northport, NY).
Loew, a senior captain at Wantagh High School this season, recorded a 39-1 record, was the Section VIII champion and New York State High School Championships finalist in 2009. He has recorded a career scholastic record of 119-33 with 61 pins heading into his final season this year. Loew was a Fila Cadet All-American in 2009, placing first in Freestyle and third in Greco-Roman, and placed sixth at the Junior Nationals to earn All-American honors there, as well. He was a Fargo All-American placing fourth in Freestyle, and was an All-American and national finalist at the Junior Nationals in 2008. Loew, a National Honor Society member as well as Wantagh's Symphonic and Marching Band, was also a member of Wantagh's two-time Nassau County championship teams and the Warrior's New York State Championship team in 2009.
Ruggirello, brother of Pride senior Lou Ruggirello, is a four-time Section champion who placed in the top three in the New York State Championships all four years at Valley Central High School in Montgomery, New York. He captured the state title in 2007, placed second on 2008 and was third in 2006 and 2009. He posted a 54-1 record as a junior in 2008-09, a 48-2 mark as sophomore, a 47-2 record in 2006-07 and a 44-4 mark as an eighth-grader. Ruggirello, a four-time scholar-athlete and a Honor Society member, holds the Section IX all-time record for career victories. Ruggirello was a member of Valley Central's four-time Section IX championship team and the Vikings' New York State Championship team in 2005.
Terdick, a senior at John Glenn High School in Elwood, New York, recorded a 41-2 record and was a finalist at the 2009 New York State Championships. He also captured the New York State Freestyle champion in 2009. As a sophomore, he posted a 38-3 record, placed third in the sectionals and went on to earn Greco-Roman All-American honors at the Cadet Duals. Terdick was 21-6, a sectional finalist and a NHSCA All-American in 2007. He was a member of John Glenn's Section XI championship team in 2009.
The Pride open their 2009-10 regular season this Sunday, November 15 when they host the Bulls of the University at Buffalo at the Mack Sports Complex at 1 p.m.
Four Hofstra Pride Wrestlers Placed in the Intermat Preseaon Rankings
Hempstead, NY - As the Pride wrap-up their second week of preseason
practice in preparation for the 2009-10 season opener on Sunday,
November 15 against Buffalo at the Mack Sports Complex, four Hofstra
wrestlers have been named to the Intermat Preseason NCAA Division I
wrestling rankings.
Leading the Hofstra foursome is senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, who is
ranked ninth at 157 pounds. The Pomona, New York native, who earned an
ACC title at Virginia Tech in 2007 before transferring to Hofstra,
earned his second CAA title last season. He posted a 24-9 record and
missed All-American honors by one match at the NCAA championships last
season.
Junior Ryan Patrovich is ranked 10th at 174 pounds in Intermat's
preseason rankings. The Bohemia, New York native finished second in the
CAA last season and finished the year with a 22-10 record. Sophomore
Steve Bonanno, who also finished second in the CAA Championships last
March, is ranked 15th at 125 pounds in the preseason poll. A native of
Wantagh, New York, Bonanno recorded a 29-15 overall mark and was named
to the CAA All-Freshman team last year. Sophomore Justin Accordino, who
also placed second at the CAA Championships last year, is ranked 20th at
149 pounds by Intermat in this season's preseason poll. The
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native posted a 25-13 record and was also
named to the CAA All-Freshman team.
In the Intermat Preseason Top 25 Team Poll, two-time defending NCAA
champion Iowa begins the season ranked number one. The Hawkeyes have
eight wrestlers ranked including 2008 NCAA champion Brent Metcalf, who
is ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds. The Iowa State Cyclones, under the
direction of first-year head coach Kevin Jackson, come in at number two
and have nine wrestlers ranked. Jake Varner, a defending NCAA champion
and 2009 U.S. Freestyle World Team member, is ranked No. 1 at 197
pounds. Ohio State, who has had NCAA runner-up finishes the past two
seasons, is ranked number three. The Buckeyes return seven starters and
have two top-ranked wrestlers in Reece Humphrey (141) and Mike Pucillo
(184).
Defending NCAA champion Troy Nickerson (125) leads fourth-ranked
Cornell, which has finished in the top 20 every year since 2002,
including three top-five finishes. Minnesota, a program that has won
three national titles since 2001, is ranked fifth. The Golden Gophers
have seven wrestlers ranked, including No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter
(165), a 2006 NCAA champion and 2009 U.S. Freestyle World Team member.
Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Missouri, Boise State, and Maryland round out
the top 10.
The Big Ten has the most representation of any conference in the team
rankings with seven schools ranked. Those schools include Iowa (No. 1),
Ohio State (No. 3), Minnesota (No. 5), Wisconsin (No. 11), Penn State
(No. 14), Indiana (No. 15), and Michigan State (No. 21).
Six 2009 NCAA champion are back to defend their titles: Nickerson
(125), Franklin Gomez of Michigan State (133), Jordan Burroughs of
Nebraska (157), Jarrod King of Edinboro (165), Jake Varner of Iowa State
(197), and Mark Ellis of Missouri (285). Additionally, four past NCAA
champions return, including Angel Escobedo of Indiana (125), a 2008 NCAA
champion; Metcalf (149), a 2008 NCAA champion; Schlatter (165), who won
the NCAA title at 149 pounds in 2006; and Pucillo (184), a 2008 NCAA
champion.
Hofstra Adds Wisconsin All-American Zach Tanelli to Coaching Staff
Hempstead, NY - Three-time NCAA Championship qualifier and 2009
All-American Zach Tanelli has been named an assistant coach on the
Hofstra Wrestling coaching staff, Pride head coach Tom Shifflet
announced Thursday.
A University of Wisconsin graduate Tanelli placed fourth at the 2009
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri in March.
The Short Hills, New Jersey native recorded a 6-2 record, including five
straight victories, in the National Championships to earn his first
All-America honor. Tanelli, who was the top-ranked wrestler at 141
pounds for eight weeks through the conference tournament, placed second
in the Big 10 Championships. The 2008 Midlands champion finished the
year with a 31-6 record, including a 15-1 mark in duals and a 7-0 record
in the Big 10 and ranked second in the country.
Tanelli earned his first NCAA Championship bid in 2007 as a wildcard
after placing eighth in the Big Ten Championships. He recorded a 21-10
overall record including a 19-3 mark in dual matches and a 5-3 record in
the Big 10. Tanelli also led the Badgers in dual points with 80. As a
junior in 2007-08, he earned his second NCAA Championship bid by
finishing fifth in the Big 10 Championships. Tanelli posted a 3-2 record
at Nationals to finish the season with a 28-12 record including a 13-5
mark in duals and a 5-3 record in conference action.
A two-time New Jersey State Championship runner-up out of Millburn High
School, Tanelli notched an 8-3 record and captured the Pointer Open
title as a red-shirt freshman at Wisconsin in 2005-06. During his
four-year career at Wisconsin, Tanelli posted an 88-31 overall record
including a 49-10 mark in duals and a 17-6 record in the Big 10.
Tanelli holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Wisconsin. He
replaces Joe Dubuque, who left Hofstra in June to become an assistant at
his alma mater, Indiana University.
For Immediate Release
July 9, 2009
Contact: Jim
Sheehan
(516) 463-6764
Hofstra wrestlers was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic TeamNational Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra junior wrestler Lou Ruggirello was named to the
National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team and the Pride
team was named one of the 2009 Division I All-Academic Top 30 teams, the
NWCA announced recently.
To be eligible for the NWCA All-Academic Team wrestlers must have at
least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of
his total schedule * and must have competed in at least 60 percent of
said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is
have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American.
The 2008-09 individual All-Academic Team is highlighted by a total of
51 NCAA Qualifiers, 17 NCAA All-Americans, 8 NCAA Finalist and 5 NCAA
Champions. In total 73 individuals representing 45 schools are being
honored this year on the All-Academic Team.
Ruggirello, a Walden, New York native, earned his second NWCA
All-Academic team honor after receiving it in 2008. A three-time Hofstra
Athletics Academic Honor Roll selection and Dean's List student, he is a
three-year CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and was named the
2009 CAA Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Ruggirello majors in
marketing with a 3.55 cumulative grade point average
On the mat, Ruggirello is a three-time CAA champion at 133 pounds. A
three-time national qualifier, he was seeded ninth at 133 pounds in the
2009 NCAA Championships and went 2-2, falling just one win short of
All-America honors. He finished the year with a 30-5 overall record,
including a 15-1 mark in dual matches, and was undefeated (6-0) in CAA
duals. Ruggirello won the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic and was second
at the Missouri Open and Southern Scuffle this season. For his career,
he owns an impressive 99-21 record.
“The student-athletes on this All-Academic Team exemplify what we are
looking for in the sport of wrestling. You see teams and individuals
from the largest institutions that sponsor wrestling to the smaller
colleges listed. There is diversity here that you do not always get to
see when it comes to compiling these types of teams,” said Jim
Beichner NWCA President.
The Hofstra wrestling team earned its second NWCA All-Academic Top 30
Team honor in the last seven years after earning the award in 2003. For
teams to be eligible for consideration, the team GPA is comprised of 12
student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in
the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10
entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with
wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.
The Pride wrestling team posted a 2.89 team GPA in 2008-09.
“We are finding that year in and year out, coaches strive to have
their team’s listed as an All-Academic Team. This is another measure
of success for these programs,” said Executive Director Mike Moyer.
“There is so much more to wrestling than what is done on the mat
and we see just one part of that here with the All-Academic Team.”
“As a coaches association, we look forward to recognizing the
accomplishments of our coaches and wrestlers each year. This is just
another way to showcase our sport’s close alignment with educational
values,” said Moyer.
Hofstra to Send Eight Wrestlers to NCAA Championships Next Week
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra sophomore Ryan Patrovich and red-shirt freshman
Justin Accordino have each received at-large bids to participate in the
2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri next
week, the NCAA Wrestling Committee announced this afternoon.
The latest two Pride wrestlers to get bids brings the Hofstra total of
NCAA Championships participants to eight this year. Three Pride
wrestlers, juniors Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) at 133 pounds and Jonny
Bonilla-Bowman (Pomona, NY) at 157 pounds, red-shirt freshman P.J.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), earned NCAA bids as CAA Champions. Three
more, senior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY) second at 174 pounds,
sophomore Joe Fagiano (Chicago, IL) fourth at 197 pounds, and Steve
Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) second at 125 pounds, earned CAA Championship
Tournament qualifying bids.
Accordino, a native of Wilkes-Barre, PA, placed second at last
weekend's CAA Championship. He is now 23-11 on the season.
Patrovich, from Bohemia, NY, placed third at the conference
championships and enters his second NCAA Championship with a 20-8
record.
The 2009 NCAA Championships mark the ninth consecutive year that
Hofstra will be sending seven or more wrestlers to the national
championships. Previously, the Pride sent eight wrestlers to the
national championships in 1951, 2003 (21st place), 2004 (20th place) and
2006 (11th place). The Hofstra school record for national championship
participants is nine, set in 2005. The Pride placed 17th in the final
standings that year. Hofstra's best team finish came in 2007 when the
Pride placed seventh with seven wrestlers including a school-record four
All-Americans. Last year, Hofstra placed 15th in the final national
championship standings with seven participants and two All-Americans
(Charles Griffin and Altom Lucas).
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held at the
Scottrade Center in St. Louis from Thursday, March 19 through Saturday,
March 21. The first session begins at 11 a.m. (CDT) on Thursday with the
nationally-televised finals scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.
Gillespie Named CAA Rookie of the Year; Hofstra Prep for NCAA Championships Next Week
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra red-shirt freshman P.J. Gillespie has been
named the Colonial Athletic Association's Wrestling Rookie of the Week
for his performance at the CAA Championships in Chesapeake, Virginia
last weekend.
The Pride captured their eighth consecutive CAA team championship and
their ninth straight conference title Saturday, topping second-place Old
Dominion, 106.5-86.5. Rider was third with 57.5 points followed by
Binghamton (44), George Mason (40), Drexel (27.5), Boston University
(26) and Sacred Heart (5.5).
Gillespie, a 149-pounder from Long Beach, New York, defeated the third,
second and top seeded wrestlers to capture his first CAA championship
and earn his first bid to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in
St. Louis, Missouri March 19-21. Gillespie defeated third-seeded Anthony
Priore from Sacred Heart, 4-3, in the first round; second-seeded Joey
Metzler from Old Dominion, 5-3, in the semifinals; and top-seeded and
19th-ranked (AWN) Mike Roberts from Boston University, 3-2 in the second
tie-breaker, in the championship match.
The Long Beach High School graduate, who is one of at least six Hofstra
wrestlers who will be making his way to St. Louis next week, improved to
19-13 on the season. Gillespie will be joined by teammates and fellow
CAA champions juniors Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) at 133 pounds, and
Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Pomona, NY) at 157 pounds. Freshman Steve Bonanno
(Wantagh, NY) at 125 pounds, senior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY) at
174 pounds, and sophomore Joe Fagiano (Chicago, IL) at 197 pounds all
earned conference qualifying bids as well. Bonanno and Lucas finished
second while Fagiano placed fourth. The NCAA will announce their list of
wild cards in all 10 weight classes on Wednesday.
Hofstra had sent seven or more wrestlers to the NCAA Division I
Wrestling Championships every year since 2001. In 2000 the Pride sent
six.