Hofstra to Retire Jersey Numbers of 20 Former Student-Athletes
HEMPSTEAD, New York * In an effort to acknowledge the outstanding
accomplishments of numerous former student-athletes during the
University's 73 years of existence, Hofstra University has announced
that a group of 20 past Pride athletes will have their jersey numbers
retired. The list is highlighted by National Football League (NFL) star
Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints and National Basketball
Association (NBA) veteran Craig "Speedy" Claxton of the Atlanta
Hawks.
"The honoring of these 20 former student-athletes is a celebration of
the outstanding history of Hofstra Athletics," commented Hofstra
University Director of Athletics Jack Hayes.
The group encompasses a wide range of sports and accomplishments as 10
different teams are recognized and among the honorees are National
Champions, National Players of the Year, All-Americans and World
Champions.
Each person will be honored at a home game during their respective
sports season, unless schedules dictate otherwise. Detailed retirement
ceremony information will be announced in the coming weeks and months.
Earlier this year the athletics department began an online process that
resulted in more than 150 nominations being submitted. From that list
the group of 20 former student-athletes was selected by a committee of
alumni, athletics department administrators and Hofstra Pride Club
members.
This group will join the current list of retired jerseys, a trio that
includes Wayne Chrebet (#3) and Walter Kohanowich (#33) of the football
team, and Crystal Boyd (#13) of the softball team.
Football
Marques Colston (#89)
* Seventh round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints who broke the
NFL record for most receptions in a player's first two seasons
* Finished third in the voting for NFL Offensive Player of the Year in
2006
* Also broke the New Orleans Saints-record with 98 receptions for 1,202
yards and team record-tying 11 touchdowns in 2007
* Four-year letterman and three-year starter at Hofstra, who finished
his collegiate career by breaking Hofstra's career receiving yards
record with 2,834 yards (now second) in 44 games, and placed second (now
third) with 182 receptions
* Currently holds the Pride single game receiving yards record with 267
on seven catches at Liberty in 2003
* An All-Atlantic 10 first team selection as a senior (2005)
Dave Fiore (#74)
* Starter on the offensive line from 1992 through 1995
* First team All-America selection as a senior by the American Football
Coaches Association, the Associated Press and the Walter Camp
Foundation
* As a senior in 1995, Hofstra was 10-1 during the regular season and
advanced to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs for the first time
* Named to the All-ECAC team and received the Hempstead Mayor's
Trophy
* Anchored an offensive line that paved the way for the team to average
more than 200 yards per game rushing in 1994 and 1995 with 1995's
261.7 yards per game average ranking as the third best in program
history
* Signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers and went on to
enjoy an eight-year career in the National Football League
* While a member of the San Francisco 49ers, he received the NFL Unsung
Hero Award in 2001
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007
John Schmitt (#77)
* Member of the offensive line for the Pride from 1961 through 1963
* Named to All-America team as a senior
* Member of Hofstra's 1962 Cement Bowl team
* Enjoyed an 11-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the New York
Jets in 1969
* Was an All-Pro selection in 1968-69
* Inaugural inductee into the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006
Men's Basketball
Craig "Speedy" Claxton (#10)
* Finished his career with 2,015 points (sixth all-time), while setting
Hofstra records for career assists and steals
* Two-time America East Conference Player of the Year
* Earned the Haggerty Award as a senior
* Led Hofstra to the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 2000
* First round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers
* Member of the 2003 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs
Rich Laurel (#21)
* Finished his career with 2,102 points, fourth in program history
* Led the country in scoring as a senior (30.3 ppg), a Hofstra record
which still stands
* Earned the Haggerty Award as a senior
* Led Hofstra to its first two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances
* First round draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers
Steve Nisenson (#13)
* Scored 2,222 points during his three-year career, which ranks second
all-time
* Held school scoring record for 43 years
* Named to All-America Team in 1963 and 1964
* Holds school record for free throws made in a season (230) and free
throw percentage (.915)
* 26.8 career point per game average is second in program history
* Career free throw percentage of .879 ranks second in Division II
record book
* 1965 fifth round draft choice of the New York Knicks
Bill Thieben (#93)
* Finished his career with 2,045 points and 1,837 rebounds in three
seasons
* Ranks as Hofstra all-time leading rebounder and is the fifth all-time
leading scorer
* Career scoring and rebounding averages of 26.9 and 24.2,
respectively, are tops in program history
* Was an All-America selection in 1955 and 1956
* Won the Haggerty Award in 1956
* Drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons of the NBA in 1956
* Suffolk County Hall of Fame inductee in 1990
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006
Men's Lacrosse
Doug Shanahan (#26)
* Two-sport athlete who earned three All-America awards in lacrosse and
two in football
* 2001 Tewaaraton Award winner as College Lacrosse's Player of the
Year after posting 43 goals and 13 assists and leading the Pride to the
NCAA quarterfinals
* Also named to All-America first team and received the Lt. Raymond J.
Enners Award as Division I Outstanding Lacrosse Player of the Year in
Division I and the Lt. Donald McLaughlin Jr. Award as the Division I
Midfielder of the Year in 2001
* Tallied 95 goals, 44 assists, a school-record 450 ground balls, 347
shots and won 528-of-868 face-offs (.608) in 63 games at Hofstra
* During his Hofstra Football career he recorded 15 career
interceptions, returned five interceptions or fumbles for touchdowns and
was among the team leaders in tackles all four seasons. First team
All-America in football in 2000.
Jerry Simandl (#10)
* Scored 99 goals and added 107 assists during his three-year playing
career from 1953 to 1955
* Led the nation in scoring with 102 points (44 G, 58 A) in 1955
* His 58 assists in 1955 also led the nation
* Named to 1955 All-America team and was a North-South-All Star Game
selection
* Holds school records for points (102) and assists (58) in a season
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007
Men's Soccer
Gary Flood (#5)
* Led Hofstra to three straight CAA titles and NCAA Tournament berths
* Set school record for games played
* First team All-CAA selection as a senior
* CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2005
* Currently plays for the New England Revolution of Major League
Soccer
Michael Todd (#9)
* Named first Division I All-American in program history
* Scored 40 career goals, third in Hofstra history, and had 101 career
points, second in Hofstra history
* Led Hofstra to three straight CAA titles
* Two-time Academic All-American
* Earned CAA Player of the Year Award as a senior
Softball
Stacy Jackson (#19)
* Four-time all-region selection
* Four-time all-conference selection
* Holds school record for wins in a season (26 - twice) and career
(96)
* Helped Hofstra to its first NCAA appearance in 1993 and its first
NCAA win in 1995.
* Played professionally in Europe after graduation
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007
Alicia Smith (#23)
* Second team All-American selection
* First team Academic All-American selection
* Holds school record for career hits (271) and ranks third in pitching
victories (71)
* Four-time all-region selection and four-time all-conference
selection
* Played professionaly for the New York Juggernaut
Volleyball
Sue Gades (#14)
* Team Most Valuable Player in 1984 and 1985
* Four-time All-East Coast Conference selection
* 1985 ECC Most Valuable Player
* Hofstra's all-time leader in four categories (block solos-397,
block assists-386, total blocks-783, blocks per game-2.05) and ranks in
top 10 in 11 categories
* Holds six single season records
* Team was 111-48 with three ECC titles during her tenure
* Career hitting percentage of .392 ranks 10th in NCAA history
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006
Shellane Ogoshi (#4)
* Recorded 4,597 assists and 1,660 digs during her Hofstra career
* Holds school records for career assists and digs
* Helped lead Hofstra to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for
the first time in school history in 2006
* Was a two-time CAA Setter of the Year (2005 and 2006), the 2005 CAA
Player of the Year and the 2004 CAA Rookie of the Year
* Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on two occasions
Wrestling
Nick Gallo
* 1977 National Champion at 126 pounds
* 1977 NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Wrestler Award recipient
* Posted a 104-14 record in his four years at Hofstra
* Alternate on the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team
* Coached the Pride for three years, compiling a 34-19 record
* Member of the Suffolk County Hall of Fame and received Lifetime
Achievement Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Women's Basketball
Liz Irwin (#14)
* Hofstra's all-time leader in assists (828)
* Ranks sixth on career scoring list (1,455) and fourth in steals
(219)
* Holds record for most assists in a game with 13
* Two-time Metropolitan Basketball Conference All-Star
* Four-time Team Most Valuable Player
* Team posted a 92-40 record in her four years and were Eastern AIAW
Division II Champions in 1982 (Pre Division I era)
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006
Dia LaBella (#15)
* Played basketball from 1978 through 1982
* Career leader in points scored with 1,840 and ranks 10th in free
throws made with 279
* Ranks in the top 10 in four single season statistical categories
* Team posted a 92-40 record in her four years and were Eastern AIAW
Division II Champions in 1982 (Pre Division I era)
* 1978-79 New York State Tournament Most Valuable Player
* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007
Women's Lacrosse
Stephanie Clarke (#47)
* Played lacrosse from 1994 through 1997
* Three-time All-America selection (1994, 96, 97)
* Four-time team Most Valuable Player
* Two-time Regional All-American
* 1996 North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year
* Hofstra's Outstanding Senior Women's Athlete in 1997
* Starting goalie in the North-South Senior All-Star game
* Ranks second all-time in career saves (909)
* Member of the US National Team from 1996 through 1998
Women's Soccer
Sue Weber (#20)
* Two-time All-American selection
* Three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year
* Led Hofstra to its first two conference titles and NCAA Tournament
appearances
* First team Academic All-American
* Guided Hofstra to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2007
* Earned Defensive Player of the Year Award in her first season in the
women's professional league
Hofstra's Ruggirello Named to NWCA All-Academic Team
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra sophomore Lou Ruggirello has been named to the 2007-08 National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic wrestling team, NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer announced Thursday.
To be named to the 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.
Ruggirello, who received Hofstra's 2008 Dr. James M. Shuart Male Scholar-Athlete Award Thursday night, carries a 3.54 overall grade point average as a business major and in the fall of 2007 posted a 3.94 GPA. He has received the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award in each of his two years.
The Walden, New York native posted a team-best 38-7 record during the 2007-08 campaign and won his second consecutive CAA Championship at 133 pounds to once again qualify for the NCAA Championships. Lou posted a 4-2 mark at the NCAA's and was the recipient of the Manuel Gorrarian Award, which is presented to the wrestler with the most victories by fall in the least amount of time at the Championships.
In December 2007 Lou became Hofstra's first-ever top-ranked wrestler at his weight class as he was number one in both the Intermat/USA Today rankings and the W.I.N. Magazine rankings following his wins over then #1 and eventual national champion Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) and then #14 David Marble (Bucknell) at the Northeast Duals. Lou was also selected to compete in the prestigious National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic this past season, which pits two of the top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class against each other, and posted a 6-0 win over then #2 Mack Reiter of Minnesota.
A two-time CAA Wrestler of the Week selection in 2007-08, Lou was the 2007 CAA Rookie of the Year and owns a career mark of 69-16. He is the Pride's first NWCA All-Academic award winner since Paul Siemon was honored in 2004 and 2005 and the sixth Hofstra wrestler to receive he award.
Last season, 57 wrestlers were named to the NWCA All-Academic team. This year, that number increased to 88 total wrestlers. The 2007-08 All-Academic team was highlighted by 27 Division I All-Americans and three national champions - Brent Metcalf of Iowa (149), Jordan Leen of Cornell (157) and Mike Pucillo of Ohio State (184). Four other finalists also made the squad: Eric Tannenbaum (165) and Steve Luke (174) of Michigan, Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan (197) and J.D. Bergman of Ohio State (285). Five All-Americans were named to the All-Academic team at 197 pounds, the most of any weight single class. Nine of the 10 weights had at least two All-Americans represented on the All-Academic team. In all, 48 schools had at least one wrestler represented on the NWCA All-Academic Team, over half of all participating schools in NCAA Division I.
Hofstra's Griffin Earns Second CAA Wrestler of the Year Award
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra senior Charles Griffin has been named the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Year, the CAA announced Tuesday. It is the second straight year that Griffin has won the award.
A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, Griffin placed third at 141 pounds and earned All-American honors for the second straight year at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The three-time CAA champion posted a 5-1 record at the NCAA Championships to close out his senior season with a 37-5 record. Griffin, who was the CAA's 2005 Rookie of the Year, ends his Hofstra career with a 126-25 record.
Two Pride freshmen, Ryan Patrovich and Justin Danz, were named to the 2008 CAA All-Rookie team. Patrovich (Bohemia, NY) was a CAA Championship finalist at 165 pounds and made his first NCAA Championship appearance in 2008. He finished the season with a 19-14 record. Danz, a native of Placerville, California, placed third at 184 pounds at the CAA Championships.
The CAA also announced the 2008 awards for the conference coach and rookie of the year. Steve Martin, who led Old Dominion University to a top-20 national ranking and a top-35 finish at Nationals, was named the CAA Wrestling Coach of the Year. Freshman James Nicholson of ODU was named the CAA Rookie of the Year, after placing eighth in the nation at 125 pounds to earn All-America honors. Nicholson won three bouts at Nationals, including victories over the seventh and ninth seeds.
Hofstra's Ruggirello Wins Gorrarian Award at NCAA Championships
ST. LOUIS, MO - Hofstra University sophomore Lou Ruggirello was named the 2008 winner of the Manuel Gorrarian Award following the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center.
The Gorrarian Award is presented annually to the student-athlete who records the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships. Ruggirello (Walden, NY), who recorded three pins in a total of 4:54, posted the fifth-best three-pin time since records were kept in 1952. The record, three-pin time of 4:19 was recorded in 2004 by Virginia's Scott Moore, who placed third at 141 pounds that Championship.
Ruggirello, who posted a 4-2 record and fell just one win short of placing in the All-American round at the NCAA Championship, is the second 133-pound wrestler to win the award, following North Carolina's Evan Sola in 2005, since the weight class was created in 1998-99. He is only the fourth wrestler in a weight class in the 130s to capture the award following Sola, Iowa State's Dan Gable at 137 pounds in 1969, and Michigan's Norvard Nalen at 130 pounds in 1954. Ruggirello concluded his sophomore year with a season-best record of 38-7 to improve his career mark to 69-16.
Hofstra's Griffin and Lucas Earn All-American Honors at NCAA Championships
ST. LOUIS, MO - Hofstra senior Charles Griffin and junior Alton Lucas earned All-American honors Friday at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center. The two All-American honors in 2008 marks the third consecutive year that the Pride has recorded multiple honorees.
The Pride are in 15th place, with 33.5 points, after day two of the three-day NCAA Championships. The Iowa Hawkeyes, who have clinched their first National Championship since 2000, lead the pack heading into the final day with 102 points. Ohio State is second with 71 points and Iowa State is third with 68 points. Penn State (63.0) and Central Michigan (61.5) round out the top five in the standings.
Griffin, the second-seed at 141 pounds, earned his second straight All-American award in Friday‚s morning session when he advanced to the semifinals. In the night session, Griffin squared off against Ohio State‚s sixth seed J. Jaggers, a wrestler he defeated earlier this season and in last year‚s NCAA Championships. Jaggers jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the match only to see Griffin close to within 11-9 in the waning seconds of the match. Griffin‚s final shot took Jaggers down but not before time expired ending the Pride senior‚s quest for a national title. Griffin (35-5) will face Iowa State‚s ninth-seeded Nick Gallick in Saturday morning‚s consolation semifinals. If he wins he will wrestle the winner of the match between Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma and Matt Kyler for third place later in the morning.
Junior Alton Lucas, the sixth-seed at 174 pounds, earned his first All-American honor Friday night with a 9-5 victory over Nathan Lee from Boise State. Lucas then dropped a 3-1 decision to Central Michigan‚s Brandon Sinnott on a takedown with four seconds remaining in sudden victory. Lucas (29-6) will wrestle for seventh place Saturday morning against Navy‚s seventh-seed Matt Stolpinski.
Three other Pride wrestlers fell one win short of All-American honors and had their respective seasons ended. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello dropped a 5-1 decision to Iowa State‚s fifth-seed Nick Fanthorpe to get knocked out of the Championship. Ruggirello ends his season with a 38-7 record. Sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman was eliminated when he dropped a heart-breaking 7-6 decision to Iowa State‚s seventh-seed Cyler Sanderson at 157 pounds. Bonilla-Bowman ends his first season at Hofstra with a 19-13 record. Senior Joe Rovelli, the 12th-seed at 197 pounds, also fell one win short of All-American honors when he dropped a 7-0 decision to Nebraska‚s eighth-seeded Craig Brester in the consolation round. Rovelli, a four-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time CAA Champion, ends his final season with a 29-7 record and a career record of 112-36.
Hofstra's Griffin Captures Third, Lucas Finishes Eighth at NCAA Championships
ST. LOUIS, MO - Hofstra's two-time All-American senior Charles Griffin defeated Iowa State‚s Nick Gallick and Oklahoma State‚s Nate Morgan to capture third place at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center Saturday morning. Griffin placed third for the second consecutive year at 141 pounds.
As a team, the Pride is in 14th place with 38 points heading into the finals. The Iowa Hawkeyes, with 109.5, have clinched the team championship. Nebraska is second with 74 points, followed by Iowa State with 72 and Penn State and Ohio State with 71 points each.
Griffin, the second-seed who was knocked out of title contention Friday night with a loss in the semifinals, rebounded to post a 3-2 victory over Iowa State‚s ninth-seed Nick Gallick, and then take third place with 5-2 decision over fourth-seed Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State. Griffin‚s third place finish is only the eighth time in school history that a Hofstra wrestler has finished in third or better. Griffin (Reading, PA), a four-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time CAA Champion, ends his senior season with a 37-5 record and his college career with a 126-25 mark.
Junior All-American Alton Lucas was Hofstra‚s other athlete competing on Saturday morning. The sixth-seeded West Babylon, NY, native was pinned in the seventh-place match by Navy‚s seventh-seeded Matt Stolpinski in 4:07. Lucas, who earned his first All-American honor Friday night, finishes his junior season with a 29-7 record.
Team Scores Going into Finals
1. Iowa 109.5
2. Nebraska 74
3. Iowa State 72
4. Penn State 71
4. Ohio State 71
6. Michigan 69
6. Central Michigan 69
8. Oklahoma State 66
9. Cornell 63
10. Minnesota 61.5
(Note: Final team standings will be updated in this story on the Hofstra website at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship)
Hofstra Remains 15th in the W.I.N. Magazine Poll
HEMPSTEAD, NY * With less than two weeks remaining before hosting the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Championship, the Hofstra Pride wrestling team (13-8)remains in 15th place in the Wrestling International Newsmagazine's (W.I.N) 13th Division I Poll, as of February 25. Hofstra has been ranked 15th for four consecutive weeks.
Individually, Hofstra continues to have five nationally-ranked wrestlers led by senior Charles Griffin (29-3) who remains third at 141 pounds. Junior Alton Lucas (21-4) remained sixth at 174 pounds this week while sophomore Lou Ruggirello (30-5), slipped one place to sixth at 133 pounds. Senior Dave Tomasette (28-7) remains seventh at 125 pounds while senior Joe Rovelli (23-4) remained ranked 10th at 197 pounds. W.I.N also produces a Division I Tournament Team Power Index. The Pride remained in 12th in that poll this week.
In this week's CAA rankings the Pride has seven wrestlers ranked number one, one ranked third, one ranked fourth and one ranked fifth. Seniors Dave Tomasette at 125, Charles Griffin at 141, and Joe Rovelli at 197, junior Alton Lucas at 174, sophomores Lou Ruggirello at 133 and Jonny Bonilla-Bowman at 157, and freshman Ryan Patrovich at 165 are all ranked number one. Freshman Justin Danz is ranked third at 184, senior Tom Daddino is ranked fourth at 285 and sophomore Mitch Smith is ranked fifth at 149.
Hofstra, which has captured seven consecutive conference titles including six in the CAA, will host the 2008 CAA Wrestling Championships at the David S. Mack Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8. Competition begins on Friday at 1 p.m. with quarterfinals at 3 p.m. and first round consolations at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the second round consolations begin at 10 a.m. with semifinals at noon, third round consolations at 2 p.m. and finals at 5 p.m. A tournament ticket, allowing for admission to all sessions, is available for $15.00 with single day passes priced at $10 for general admission and $5 for students and children. To reserve tickets contact the Hofstra Athletic Box Office at (516) 463-TIXX (8499).
2007-08 W.I.N MAGAZINE NCAA DIV. I RANKINGS DUAL TEAM RANKING
Feb. 25, 2008
Rk. Team (Previous) Record
1. Iowa (1st) 21-1
2. Central Michigan (4th) 16-2
3. Nebraska (2nd) 14-3
4. Oklahoma State (3rd) 16-3-1
5. Minnesota (6th) 14-7
6. Iowa State (7th) 16-4
7. Ohio State (5th) 19-4
8. Illinois (11th) 12-4
9. Penn State (8th) 14-5
10. Wisconsin (10th) 14-4-1
11. Michigan (12th) 16-8
12. Northwestern (9th) 8-9
13. Missouri (13th) 9-4-1
14. Cornell (14th) 9-5
15. Hofstra (15th) 13-8
16. Edinboro (16th) 10-3
17. Oklahoma (17th) 14-5
18. Indiana (20th) 13-7
19. Old Dominion (18th) 17-3
20. Boise State (19th) 10-2
21. Kent State (21st) 14-5
22. UT-Chattanooga (22nd) 11-6
23. Pittsburgh (23rd) 13-4
24. Penn (24th) 13-5
25. Maryland (25th) 16-4
#2 Nebraska 25, #16 Hofstra 10
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman's tech fall victory at 157 pounds was one of three Pride victories as the second-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers posted a 25-10 victory over 16th-ranked Hofstra at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride, who had their two-match winning streak snapped, fall to 13-8 on the season while Nebraska, which recorded its fifth straight victory, improves to 14-2.
Bonilla-Bowman opened the match with 14 takedowns in Hofstra's highest scoring individual match of the season. Bonilla-Bowman recorded the rare four-point tech fall, without a near fall, in a 33-17 decision over #17 Chris Oliver (15-8). The Pride sophomore posted his second top 20 victory of the week to improve to 15-11.
But the young and talented Nebraska line-up, which featured a top 20-ranked wrestler in all 10 weight classes, would post victories in the next six matches to build a 21-4 lead. At 165 Nebraska's 10th-ranked sophomore Stephen Dwyer (27-6) tallied an 11-5 victory over Pride redshirt freshman Ryan Patrovich (17-11). In a top six match-up at 174 pounds, Husker junior Brandon Brown (28-2), ranked fifth, notched a late takedown to down Hofstra's sixth-ranked junior Alton Lucas (22-4), 8-6. Ninth-ranked Husker junior Vince Jones (21-10) pinned Pride freshman Justin Danz (9-19) in 5:58 at 184 pounds to boost the lead to 12-4. In another top 10 match-up at 197 pounds seventh-ranked sophomore Craig Brester (20-3) topped the Pride's 10th-ranked senior Joe Rovelli (23-4), 10-3. Nebraska senior heavyweight Jon May (18-8) made it five-in-a-row for the Huskers with a 6-3 victory over senior Tom Daddino (5-9) at heavyweight on a third period takedown and near-fall. Fourth-ranked junior Paul Donahoe (17-3), Nebraska's defending national champion at 125 pounds, jumped out to a 6-0 lead and cruised to an 11-5 victory over Hofstra's 13th-ranked senior Dave Tomasette (28-7) to end the Husker run.
Pride sophomore Lou Ruggirello (31-5), ranked sixth, blanked Husker eighth-ranked sophomore Kenny Jordan (13-5), 6-0, at 133 pounds. Hofstra's fourth-ranked senior Charles Griffin (30-3) posted a takedown in the final 30 seconds to edge 15th-ranked sophomore Mike Rowe (8-4) at 141 pounds. Griffin recorded his 15th straight win to close the Pride deficit to 21-10. Nebraska's eighth-ranked sophomore Jordan Burroughs (26-5) closed out the match with a 17-9 major decision over Hofstra sophomore Mitch Smith (6-13) at 149 pounds..
The Pride will return to action on Friday, March 7 when Hofstra hosts the two-day, Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Championships at the David S. Mack Sports Center.
#2 Nebraska 25, #16 Hofstra 10
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) tech fall #17 Chris Oliver (N), 33-17 (4-0)
165- #10 Stephen Dwyer (N) dec. Ryan Patrovich (H), 11-5 (4-3)
174- #5 Brandon Browne (N) dec. #6 Alton Lucas (H), 8-6 (4-6)
184- #9 Vince Jones (N) WBF Justin Danz (H), 5:58 (4-12)
197- #7 Craig Brester (N) dec. #8 Joe Rovelli (H), 10-3 (4-15)
285- #17 Jon May (N) dec. Tom Daddino (H), 6-3 (4-18)
125- #4 Paul Donahoe (N) dec. #13 Dave Tomasette (H), 11-5 (4-21)
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) dec. #8 Kenny Jordan (N), 6-0 (7-21)
141- #5 Charles Griffin (H) dec. #15 Mike Rowe (N), 3-1 (10-21)
149- #8 Jordan Burroughs (N) maj. dec. Mitch Smith (H), 17-9 (10-25)
Att.: 777
#16 Hofstra Sweeps Drexel, 39-0, to Boost Undefeated Conference Streak to 60
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman recorded an upset victory over the 11th-ranked wrestler in the country, and Lou Ruggirello and Tom Daddino posted victories by fall to lead the 16th-ranked Hofstra Pride to a 39-0 sweep of the Drexel Dragons in a Colonial Athletic Association match at the David S. Mack Sports Center Tuesday night. The Pride improve to 13-7 on the season and 6-0 in CAA matches while Drexel falls to 9-12 overall and 4-3 in conference action.
In addition Hofstra has now won 57 consecutive conference dual matches while extending its conference dual match undefeated streak to 60 (59-0-1). The Pride lost their last conference dual match on February 17, 1999 when the Broncs of Rider beat the Pride, 28-10 in an East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) match. Tuesday's shutout victory is the Pride's first since November 2006 when the Pride blanked Army, 41-0.
In the most exciting match of the night Tuesday, Hofstra's unranked Jonny Bonilla-Bowman rallied from behind in the third period to take a 17-14 victory over 11th-ranked senior Ryan Hluschak (26-3). Bonilla-Bowman recorded four takedowns in the final period for the victory. He has now won seven of his last eight matches to improve to 14-11 on the season.
Tuesday night's match opened up with a top 15 battle between Drexel's 11th-ranked junior Steve Mytech and Hofstra's 13th-ranked senior Dave Tomasette. The contest was scoreless heading into the third period with Tomasette holding almost two minutes of riding time. Mytech knocked down some of the riding time but Tomasette escaped with a little more than a minute to wrestle in the period and got the riding time point for a 2-0 victory.
At 133 in a battle of the sophomores, Hofstra's sixth-ranked Lou Ruggirello pinned Drexel's Jon Neafsey in 2:11 for his 10th pin of the season and a 9-0 lead in the match. Ruggirello improved to 30-5 on the season including 19-1 in duals and 6-0 in the CAA. Hofstra senior Charles Griffin (29-3) boosted the Pride lead to 13-0 with a 14-5 major decision over junior Morgan Remillard (5-16). At 149 Hofstra sophomore Mitch Smith (6-12) made his first appearance since a groin injury on January 12 at the NWCA National Duals and posted an 11-5 victory over Drexel freshman Lewis Baker (4-6).
After Bonilla-Bowman's victory, redshirt freshman Ryan Patrovich improved to 17-10 overall and 3-0 in the conference with a 6-0 blanking of Drexel junior Billy Haydt (14-14) at 165 pounds. Hofstra's sixth-ranked junior Alton Lucas tallied his ninth win in the last 10 matches with a 10-2 major decision over Scott Hunter at 174. Lucas, now 22-3 overall and 6-0 in the CAA, tallied his eighth major decision of the year. Pride freshman Justin Danz snapped a four-match losing skid with a 4-3 decision over freshman Justin Wieller (14-15) at 184 pounds. Danz improves to 9-18 on the year and 4-2 in the CAA.
Senior Joe Rovelli, ranked eighth at 197 pounds, cruised to his 13th consecutive victory with a 9-1 major decision over Brian Stouffer. With his ninth major decision of the year, Rovelli improves to 23-3 overall and 6-0 in the CAA. Senior newcomer Tom Daddino, a former New York State High School champion who returned to wrestling in January after a four-year football career at Hofstra, posted his third pin of the season in his victory over freshman Bryant Deinhardt (9-15). Daddino, who improved to 5-8 overall and 3-3 in the CAA, pinned his opponent in 1:31.
Hofstra will wrap up its regular season dual match schedule this Sunday, February 17 when the second-ranked Cornhuskers of Nebraska (12-2) come to the David S. Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m.
#16 Hofstra 39, Drexel 0
125- #13 Dave Tomasette (H) dec. #11 Steve Mytech (D), 2-0
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) WBF Jon Neafsey (D), 2:11
141- #5 Charles Griffin (H) maj. Morgan Remillard (D), 14-5
149- Mitch Smith (H) dec. Lewis Baker (D), 11-5
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. #11 Ryan Hluschak (D), 17-14
165- Ryan Patrovich (H) dec. Billy Haydt (D), 6-0
174- #6 Alton Lucas (H) maj. Scott Hunter (D), 10-2
184- Justin Danz (H) dec. Justin Wieller (D), 4-3
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) maj. Brian Stouffer (D), 9-1
285- Tom Daddino (H) WBF Bryant Deinhardt (D), 1:31
Att.: 214 (snow)
#16 Hofstra Soars By Lehigh 25-11
BETHLEHEM, PA - Senior Dave Tomasette posted a victory by fall and Joe Rovelli added a major decision win as the 16th-ranked Hofstra Pride cruised to a 25-11 victory over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at Grace Hall Friday night. The Pride, who captured seven of the 10 matches, improve to 12-7 on the season while Lehigh falls to 10-12.
The 13th-ranked Tomasette (27-6) opened the match with a bang, jumping on freshman Mitch Berger early and pinning the Lehigh freshman in 2:01. It is Tomasette‚s second win by fall this season. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello boosted the Hofstra lead to 9-0 with a 6-1 victory over sophomore Seth Ciasulli at 133 pounds. The sixth-ranked Ruggirello, who escaped two scary moments in the early going, improved to 29-5 on the year. Senior Charles Griffin made it three-in-a-row with an 11-5 victory over senior Jeff Santo. Griffin (28-3), who is ranked fifth at 141 pounds, had to settle for a three-point team win after Santo pulled out a late reversal.
Lehigh got on the scoreboard at 149 as junior Trevor Chinn jumped on Pride freshman Jeff Rotella for a 21-6 tech fall to close the deficit to 12-3. But Hofstra sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman pulled out a takedown in the final 30 seconds of his 157-pound match to post a 4-3 decision over senior Dave Nakasone. Bonilla-Bowman improved to 13-11 on the season.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Patrovich improved to 16-10 with a 4-1 decision over sophomore Mike Galante at 165 pounds. In the only top 20 match of the night Hofstra‚s sixth-ranked junior Alton Lucas hung on for a 5-3 decision over Lehigh‚s 20th-ranked freshman Alex Caruso at 174. Lucas improved to 21-3 on the season. At 184 pounds, Lehigh notched its second win of the night as sophomore Manuel Schubert posted a 6-4 decision over Justin Danz (8-18).
Pride senior Joe Rovelli tallied Hofstra‚s last win of the night with a 14-3 major decision over sophomore Alex Iacocca at 197 pounds. Rovelli, the eighth-ranked wrestler in the country, boosted his record to 22-3. In the final match of the night Lehigh sophomore Justin Allen was able to tie the match at 2-all at the end of regulation by posting a riding time point after riding out Tom Daddino in the third period, and then posted a takedown 42 seconds into sudden victory for a 4-2 decision.
The Pride return to action on Tuesday, February 12 when they host the Dragons of Drexel University at the David S. Mack Sports Complex at 7 p.m.
#16 Hofstra 25, Lehigh 11
125- #13 Dave Tomasette (H) WBF Mitch Berger (L), 2:01
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) dec. Seth Ciasulli (L), 6-1
141- #5 Charles Griffin (H) dec. Jeff Santo (L), 11-5
149- Trevor Chinn (L) tech fall Jeff Rotella (H), 21-6
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Dave Nakasone (L), 4-3
165- Ryan Patrovich (H) dec. Mike Galante (L), 4-1
174- #6 Alton Lucas (H) dec. #20 Alex Caruso, 5-3
184- Manuel Schubert (L) dec. Justin Danz (H), 6-4
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) maj. Alex Iacocca (L), 14-3
285- Justin Allen (L) dec. Tom Daddino (H), 4-2 sv
#12 Hofstra's Doubled Up By #18 Big Red
ITHACA, NY - The Big Red won seven of the 10 matches, including the top six match-up at 133 pounds, as #18 Cornell defeated the 12th-ranked Hofstra Pride, 28-14, at the Friedman Center Saturday night. The Big Red improve to 2-5 on the year in dual matches while the Pride, which had their six-match winning streak snapped, slip to 11-7.
Starting at 197 pounds, Hofstra's eighth-ranked senior Joe Rovelli (21-3) gave the Pride a 5-0 lead with a 15-0 tech fall over Cornell's Taylor Moore. But Cornell senior Zach Hammond put the Big Red ahead 6-5 with a pin of senior Tom Daddino (4-7) in 6:44. Pride senior Dave Tomasette (26-6), ranked 13th at 125 pounds, put Hofstra back in front with an 11-5 decision over senior Mike Rodriguez. But second-ranked freshman Mike Grey put Cornell ahead 9-8 with a 4-1 victory over sixth-ranked sophomore Lou Ruggirello (28-5) in the featured match of the contest. Gray allowed just a third period escape.
Hofstra senior Charles Griffin (27-3) recorded the Pride's final victory of the night with a win by forfeit at 141 pounds to give the visitors a 14-9 lead at the intermission. From that point on it was all Cornell as freshman D.J. Meagher pinned Pride freshman Jeff Rotella (0-13), who continues to wrestle up two classes in place of the injured Mitch Smith, in 4:27 at 149 pounds. Smith, who was practically wish-boned against Michigan at the National Duals on January 12, missed his eighth dual match since the injury. Ninth-ranked junior Jordan Leen jumped out to a 6-3 lead after the first period on the way to a 12-4 major decision over Pride sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (12-11) at 157 pounds.
At 165, fourth-ranked freshman Mack Lewnes allowed just a third period escape on the way to a 3-1 decision over redshirt freshman Ryan Patrovich (15-10). In the most exciting match of the night, at 174 pounds, Hofstra junior Alton Lucas (20-3), ranked fifth, took a 3-2 early in the third period over #10 junior Steve Anceravage. But the Big Red wrestler was able to record a takedown with just one second remaining to down Lucas, 4-3, snapping the Pride wrestler's seven-match winning streak. In the match finale at 184 pounds, Cornell junior Josh Arnone cruised to an 8-2 decision over Pride freshman Justin Danz (8-17).
The Pride will return to action next Friday, February 8 when they travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for a 7 p.m. match against the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University.
#18 CORNELL 28, #12 HOFSTRA 14
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) tech fall Taylor Moore (C), 15-0
285- Zach Hammond (C) WBF Tom Daddino (H), 6:44
125- #13 Dave Tomasette (H) dec. Mike Rodriquez (C), 11-5
133- #2 Mike Grey (C) dec. #6 Lou Ruggirello (H), 4-1
141- #5 Charles Griffin (H) win by forfeit
149- D.J. Meagher (C) WBF Jeff Rotella (H), 4:27
157- #9 Jordan Leen (C) maj. dec. Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H), 12-4
165- #4 Mack Lewnes (C) dec. Ryan Patrovich (H), 3-1
174- #10 Steve Anceravage (C) dec. #5 Alton Lucas (H), 4-3
184- Josh Arnone (C) dec. Justin Danz (H), 8-2
#12 Hofstra Wins Sixth Straight with 25-11 Victory Over Penn
HEMPSTEAD, NY - The Pride won seven of 10 matches including a win by fall by Tom Daddino and a top 10 victory by Dave Tomasette as 12th-ranked Hofstra posted a 25-11 victory over the University of Pennsylvania at the Physical Fitness Center Sunday. The Pride recorded their sixth consecutive dual match victory to improve to 11-6 on the season. The Quakers fell to 5-4.
Tomasette, the 13th-ranked senior at 125 pounds, opened the match with an 8-2 victory over Penn's seventh-ranked sophomore Rollie Peterkin (17-2). Tomasette, who improved to 25-6 on the year, took a 3-1 lead into the third period and blew the contest open with a two-point near-fall and another takedown. Daddino (4-6) closed out the match with a pin of Penn junior Trey McLean (12-8) in 3:26. It was the senior newcomers' second pin of the season.
After Tomasette's match-opening upset, sixth-ranked Lou Ruggirello won his 12th consecutive match, to improve to 28-4 on the year, with a 3-2 victory over Penn freshman Bryan Ortenzio (12-11) at 133 pounds. Pride senior Charles Griffin (26-3), ranked sixth at 141 pound, gave Hofstra a 10-0 lead in the match with a 15-6 victory over junior Andy Valenti (6-6).
The Quakers got on the board with a 23-8 tech fall victory by 14th-ranked Cesar Grajales (21-3) over Pride freshman Jeff Rotella at 149 pounds. But Hofstra sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (12-9) won his fifth straight match with a 10-5 decision over sophomore Rob Hitschler (10-3) at 157 pounds to boost the Pride lead to 13-5. Penn's 18th-ranked junior Zack Shanaman (16-5) brought the Quakers back to within five at 13-8 with a 4-2 decision over Ryan Patrovich (15-9) at 165.
Alton Lucas, Hofstra's fifth-ranked junior at 174 pounds, posted his seventh consecutive victory with a 5-3 decision over senior Jeff Zannetti (7-5). Lucas'20th victory of the season, with only two losses, boosted the Pride lead to 16-8. But Penn's 19th-ranked senior Lior Zamir (13-7) downed freshman Justin Danz (8-16), 6-1, at 184 pounds to close the deficit to 16-11. Joe Rovelli, Hofstra's eighth-ranked senior at 197 pounds, sealed the victory, before Daddino's pin, with a 7-4 decision over sophomore Thomas Shovlin (7-5). The victory was Rovelli's 20th of the year against just three losses.
Hofstra returns to action next Saturday, February 2 when they travel to Ithaca, New York for a match-up with the 16th-ranked Big Red of Cornell. Match time is 1 p.m.
#12 HOFSTRA 25, PENNSYLVANIA 11
125- #13 Dave Tomasette (H) dec. #7 Rollie Peterkin (P), 8-2
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) dec. Bryan Ortenzio (P), 3-2
141- #6 Charles Griffin (H) maj. Andy Valenti (P), 15-6
149- #14 Cesar Grajales (P) tech fall Jeff Rotella (H), 23-8
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Rob Hitschler (P), 10-5
165- #18 Zack Shanaman (P) dec. Ryan Patrovich (H), 4-2
174- #5 Alton Lucas (H) dec. Jeff Zannetti (P), 5-3
184- #19 Lior Zamir (P) dec. Justin Danz (H), 6-1
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) dec. Thomas Shovlin (P), 7-4
285- Tom Daddino (H) WBF Trey McLean (P), 3:26
Att.: 807
#12 Hofstra to Host Penn and Beat the Streets Clinic This Sunday
HEMPSTEAD, NY - The Hofstra Wrestling team, ranked 12th in this week's USA Today/Intermat/ NWCA Division I Poll, will host the Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania this Sunday, January 27 at the Hofstra Physical Fitness Center. Match time is 1 p.m.
Prior to Sunday's match, from 10 a.m. to noon, New York City's Beat the Streets Wrestling Program will conduct a clinic for 100 advanced wrestlers in middle school at the Physical Fitness Center. The purpose of the youth program is to provide experiences for future life activities by introducing the concepts and skills of a myriad of sports available in the United States. Wrestling, the oldest sport of all, is but one. The Beat the Streets Wrestling program was founded in 2005 with one team. Today, there are 65 middle school teams in the five boroughs of New York City.
Clinic directors include: Joe Dubuque, Hofstra assistant coach and a two-time NCAA Champion; Doug Blubaugh, a 1957 NCAA Champion for Oklahoma State University, 1959 Pan Am Games Gold Medalist and 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist and Outstanding Wrestler in the World after pinning seven- time World Champion Emamali Habibi from Iran; and Lou Giani, a teammate of Blubaugh on the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team and a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, who is currently the wrestling coach at Huntington (NY) High School.
Sunday's match against Penn will also mark the Pride's temporary return to their former home, the Physical Fitness Center, for the first time since 2000. Hofstra (10-6), which remained number 12 in this week's Intermat Poll, also continued to have five wrestlers ranked in the Top 15 of their respective weight classes. Leading the group is junior Alton Lucas (19-2), the fifth-ranked 174-pound wrestler in the country. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello, 27-4 at 133 pounds, and senior Charles Griffin, 25-3 at 141 pounds, are ranked sixth in their respective weight classes. Senior Joe Rovelli (19-3) is ranked eighth in the nation at 197 pounds, while senior Dave Tomasette (24-6) is ranked 13th at 125 pounds.
The Quakers of Penn (5-3) have four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes led by seventh-ranked sophomore Rollie Peterkin (17-1) at 125 pounds. Sophomore 149-pounder Cesar Grajales (20-3) is ranked 14th, junior Zach Shanaman (15-5) is ranked 18th at 165 pounds, and senior Lior Zamir (12-7) is ranked #19 at 184 pounds.
Hofstra's Ruggirello Named CAA Wrestler of the Week Again
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - Hofstra sophomore wrestler Lou Ruggirello, who posted a 5-0 record at the Colonial Athletic Association Duals this past weekend, has been named the CAA Wrestler of the Week, for the second consecutive week, for all competition between January 15 and 22.
Ruggirello, a native of Walden, New York, swept through all five of his matches last Friday and Saturday, recording two wins by fall, two tech falls and a major decision. The sixth-ranked wrestler in the country at 133 pounds, pinned Zach Cunliffe from Rider in 2:56, and Old Dominion's Kyle Hutter in 1:15; posted identical 17-0 tech falls over Binghamton's Michael Kleeman and Boston University's Ryan Goddu; and a 10-1 major decision over Joe Coughlin from George Mason. He helped boost Hofstra's conference dual match undefeated streak to 59 matches including 56 consecutive victories.
The Valley Central High School graduate has now won 11 consecutive matches to boost his record to 27-4 on the season including a 16-0 mark in dual matches and a 5-0 record in the CAA. Ruggirello shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week honor with Kevin Bidelspach from Campbell, who also posted a 5-0 record last weekend at the CAA Duals.
Old Dominion's James Nicholson, a 125-pounder from Des Moines, Iowa (Theodore Roosevelt High), was named the CAA Rookie of the Week. He went 4-1 at the CAA Duals last weekend.
Hofstra Win Three More to Sweep Through the CAA Duals
FAIRFAX, VA- The 12th-ranked Hofstra Wrestling team captured three more conference victories Saturday to sweep through the 2008 CAA Duals at the George Mason University Field House. The Pride defeated Boston University, 38-7, George Mason, 28-9, and Old Dominion, 22-19 to boost their season record to 10-6 overall and 5-0 in the CAA.
Hofstra also extended its conference dual match undefeated streak to 59 matches, and its conference dual match winning streak to 56.
In the first match of the day, Hofstra won eight of 10 matches including wins by fall by seniors Charles Griffin and Tom Daddino, as the Pride downed the Terriers of Boston University, 38-7. The sixth-ranked Griffin pinned Alex Cournoyer in 5:45 of the 141-pound match while Daddino pinned James Connors in 1:08 in the heavyweight match. The Pride jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind the „big little three‰ combination of Dave Tomasette, Lou Ruggirello and Charles Griffin. Tomasette received a forfeit win at 125, Ruggirello had a tech fall over Ryan Goddu and Griffin‚s pin.
Boston University closed the gap with a major victory by Mike Roberts over Jeff Rotella at 149, and a 7-5 sudden victory decision by Carlo Ferrandin over Anthony Tortora at 157. But the Pride swept the next five matches including a tech fall by Joe Rovelli at 197 and a major decision by Alton Lucas at 174.
In the second match of the day, the Pride also won eight of the 10 matches to down the host Patriots of George Mason, 28-9. Four Hofstra wrestlers posted major decisions as Dave Tomasette, Lou Ruggirello, Charles Griffin and Jonny Bonilla-Bowman tallied four-point victories. The Patriots were only able to muster victories at 149 and at heavyweight, where Harry Zander notched a win by fall. The Pride led 12-0 on major decisions by Tomasette, Ruggirello and Griffin before GMU‚s Aaron Keeton closed the gap with a 10-3 decision at 149. But Bonilla-Bowman‚s 18-8 major decision over James Kaden at 157 started the Pride‚s five match run that put Hofstra up 28-3 heading into the heavyweight match.
The final match of the day turned out, as expected, to be the Pride‚s closest conference contest since a 25-24 win at James Madison during the 2001-02 season. Like that match six years ago, the Pride went into the match missing two starters with Mitch Smith out at 149 with a groin injury suffered in the National Duals last week, and Ryan Patrovich, who gamely wrestled in only two matches this weekend, with an ankle sprain, out at 165.
The ODU match did not start off as usual for the Pride as #16 James Nicholson handed Hofstra‚s 10th-ranked Dave Tomasette his first loss of the CAA Duals with an 8-6 decision in sudden victory. But Ruggirello pinned ODU‚s Kyle Hutter in 1:15 at 133 pounds, and Griffin majored #13 Ryan Williams, 13-4, to take a 10-3 lead.
The Monarch‚s #17 Kaylen Baxter posted a victory by fall over Hofstra reserve Jeff Rotella in 2:10 to close the deficit to 10-9. But the Pride continued to use bonus point victories beginning with Bonilla-Bowman, who notched a 20-7 win over Dan Rivera at 157. Anthony Tortora battled ODU‚s Chris Brown at 165 before dropping a 6-4 decision but Hofstra‚s Alton Lucas recorded an 18-5 major decision over Nick Pullano to boost the lead to 18-12. Jesse Strawn then majored Hofstra freshman Justin Danz, 12-0, at 184 pounds to close to 18-16.
Hofstra senior Joe Rovelli‚s 8-0 major decision over David Mendoza at 197 gave the Pride a 22-16 lead which required a ODU victory by fall in the heavyweight match to tie the match. In that contest, Hofstra‚s Tom Daddino, giving up 50 pounds to his opponent, Andrew Tortusek, battled him to a 2-2 tie after three periods. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Totusek was able to post an escape in the tie-breaker for a 3-2 win.
The Pride return to action next Sunday, January 27 when they host the Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania at 1 p.m .
#12 Hofstra 38, Boston University 7
125- #10 Dave Tomasette (H) win by forfeit
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) tech fall Ryan Goddu (B), 17-0 (3:46)
141- #6 Charles Griffin (H) WBF Alex Cournoyer (B), 5:45
149- Mike Roberts (B) maj. Jeff Rotella (H), 17-4
157- Carlo Ferrandino (B) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 7-5sv
165- Ryan Patrovich (H) dec. Andrew Detweiler (B), 8-5
174- #5 Alton Lucas (H) maj. Blake Fusilier (B), 12-3
184- Justin Danz (H) dec. Elijah Vidal (B), 4-1
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) tech fall John Hall (B), 18-2
285- Tom Daddino (H) WBF James Connors (B), 1:08
#12 Hofstra 28 , George Mason 9
125- #10 Dave Tomasette (H) maj. Brian Wright (GM), 14-3
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) maj. Joe Coughlin (GM), 10-1
141- #6 Charles Griffin (H) maj. William Powers (GM), 17-6
149- Aaron Keeton (GM) dec. Jeff Rotella (H), 10-3
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) maj. James Kaden (GM), 18-8
165- Anthony Tortora (H) dec. Greg Scott (GM), 7-3
174- #5 Alton Lucas (H) dec. Randy Oates (GM), 8-4
184- Justin Danz (H) dec. William Widener (GM), 5-4
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) dec. Cayle Byers (GM), 8-6
285- Harry Zander (GM) WBF Tom Daddino (H), 2:29
#12 Hofstra 22, #22 Old Dominion 19
125- #17 James Nicholson (OD) dec. #10 Dave Tomasette (H), 8-6sv
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) WBF Kyle Hutter (OD), 1:15
141- #6 Charles Griffin (H) maj. #13 Ryan Williams (OD), 13-4
149- #17 Kaylen Baxter (OD) WBF Jeff Rotella (H), 2:10
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) maj. Dan Rivera (OD), 20-7
165- Chris Brown (OD) dec. Anthony Tortora (H), 6-4
174- #5 Alton Lucas (H) maj. Nick Pullano (OD), 18-5
184- Jesse Strawn (OD) maj. Justin Danz (H), 12-0
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) maj. David Mendoza (OD), 8-0
285- Andrew Totusek (OD) dec. Tom Daddino (H), 3-2 tb
Hofstra Extends Conference Undefeated Streak 56
FAIRFAX, VA - The Hofstra Pride wrestling team extended its conference dual match undefeated streak to 56 and conference winning streak to 53 with two wins Friday night after the first day of the two-day Colonial Athletic Association Duals at the George Mason University Field House. The Pride improved to 7-6 on the season and 2-0 in the CAA with a 31-4 victory over Binghamton, and a 27-18 win over Rider in the nightcap.
In the first match, the Pride won nine of the 10 weight classes, including tech falls by sophomore Lou Ruggirello and senior Joe Rovelli, as the Pride extended its conference dual match undefeated streak to 55, including 52 consecutive victories in a 31-4 victory over the Bearcats of Binghamton. Ruggirello, the sixth-ranked wrestler in the country at 133 pounds, blanked Michael Kleeman, 17-0, for his seventh straight victory. Rovelli, ranked eighth at 197 pounds, made quick work of Anthony Esposito with a 15-0 tech fall in just 2:10. He has won five straight matches.
As has been the case this season, the Pride jumped out to an 11-0 lead with decisions by seniors Dave Tomasette at 125 and Charles Griffin at 141 around the tech fall by Ruggirello. The Bearcats recorded their only points at 149 as 133-pound freshman Jeff Rotella, subbing for the injured Mitch Smith, battled valiantly but fell to Kyle Fried, 20-7. Jonny Bonilla-Bowman at 157, Alton Lucas at 174, Ryan Patrovich at 165, Justin Danz at 184 and Tom Daddino at heavyweight all posted decisions for the Pride. The freshman Patrovich returned to match competition for the first time since December 30 with a 7-0 decision over Brett Nelson. Patrovich accumulated 4:46 in riding time in the match.
In the nightcap against Rider, the Pride jumped out to a 16-0 lead as Tomasette improved to 22-5 with a pin of Thomas Lorenzo in 1:30 at 125, Ruggirello pinned Zach Cunliffe in 2:56 to improve to 24-4 this season, and Griffin (22-3) tallied a 15-7 major decision with 4:39 of riding time over Dustin Renelt. Rider‚s Don Fisch posted a 15-0 tech fall over Rotella at 149. But Bonilla-Bowman (9-9) captured a 7-6 win over Rob Morrison with a takedown in the final 15 seconds to boost the lead in the match to 19-5.
Lucas (16-2) recorded a 16-3 major decision over Joseph Ferber at 174 after Jason Lapham of Rider majored Anthony Tortora, 12-1, at 165 pounds. Rider‚s Doug Umberhauer brought the Broncs to within eight at 23-15 with a win by fall at 184 pounds over Justin Danz in 3:46. But Rovelli (16-3) sealed the match for the Pride with a 17-4 major win over Tim Morrison at 197. Rider‚s Eddie Bordas closed out the match by edging Tom Daddino (2-4), 2-0 at heavyweight.
The Pride will wrestle three times on Saturday, taking on Boston University at 11 a.m., George Mason at 1 p.m. and Old Dominion at 3 p.m.
#12 Hofstra 31, Binghamton 4
125- #10 Dave Tomasette (H) dec. Tyler Mainberg (B), 9-2
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) tech fall Michael Kleeman (B), 17-0
141- #6 Charles Griffin (H) dec. Anwar Goeres (B), 9-3
149- Kyle Fried (B) maj. Jeff Rotella (H), 20-7
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Nate Patterson (B), 9-4
165- Ryan Patrovich (H) dec. Brett Nelson (B), 7-0
174- #5 Alton Lucas (H) dec. #19 Josh Patterson (B), 10-5
184- Justin Danz (H) dec. Matt Berretta (B), 6-4
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) tech fall Anthony Esposito (B), 15-0
285- Tom Daddino (H) dec. Michael Patterson (B), 5-2
#12 Hofstra 27, Rider 18
125- #10 Dave Tomasette (H) WBF Thomas Lorenzo (R), 1:30
133- #6 Lou Ruggirello (H) WBF Zach Cunliffe (R), 2:56
141- #6 Charles Griffin (H) maj. Dustin Renelt (R), 15-7
149- Don Fisch (R) tech fall. Jeff Rotella (H), 15-0
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Rob Morrison (R), 7-6
165- Jason Lapham (R) maj. Anthony Tortora (H), 12-1
174- #5 Alton Lucas (H) maj. Joseph Ferber (R), 16-3
184- Doug Umbehauer (R) WBF Justin Danz (H), 3:46
197- #8 Joe Rovelli (H) maj. Tim Morrison (R), 17-4
285- Eddie Bordas (R) dec. Tom Daddino (H), 2-0
Hofstra Falls to #7 Michigan and #11 Ohio State at National Duals
CEDAR FALLS, IA - Coming off a thrilling 19-18 victory over #4 Iowa State late Saturday morning, the Hofstra Pride was knocked out of the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals later in the day with a 19-15 loss to #7 Michigan in the championship quarterfinals, and a 25-16 loss to #11 Ohio State in the second round of the consolations.
In the quarterfinal loss to the Wolverines, a loss that may prove to be more costly than in the win-loss column, the Pride, once again, jumped out to a comfortable lead only to see their opponent rally later in the match. Senior Dave Tomasette won his second 125-pound match of the day with a 12-5 decision over Michael Watts. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello followed with his second bonus point victory of the tournament with an 8-0 major decision over Chris Diehl. Senior Charles Griffin avenged a loss to top-ranked Kellen Russell in the Las Vegas Invitational semifinals with a 7-5 decision over the number one freshman.
Trailing 10-0, Michigan jumped on the comeback trail with five straight victories beginning with 10-1 major decision by #7 Josh Churella over Pride sophomore Mitch Smith. In the match, Smith suffered a serious groin injury that caused Hofstra to forfeit the 149-pound match against Ohio State and could keep the West Virginia native sidelined. Jeff Marsh decisioned Hofstra‚s Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, 8-5 at 157, and top-ranked Eric Tannenbaum majored Anthony Tortora, 12-4, at 165 to give Michigan a 10-9 lead. Michigan‚s second-ranked Steve Luke edged #6 Alton Lucas, 3-2, and #4 Tyrel Todd recorded a 21-6 tech fall over freshman Justin Danz at 184.
Needing a fall and a tech fall to win the match for the Pride, Hofstra senior Joe Rovelli tallied a 2-0 victory over #15 Anthony Biondo at 197 before senior Tom Daddino notched his first victory of the season with a 6-4 decision over Chad Bleske as Michigan improved to 12-1 with the 19-15 decision.
The consolation match against Ohio State was the Pride‚s first dual match-up against their former mentor Tom Ryan. The Pride opened the match with three straight victories including two over top 15 opponents. Tomasette (20-5) won his 20th match of the year by downing unranked Nikko Triggas, 6-2 to open the match at 125. Ruggirello (22-4) won his sixth consecutive match with a 7-4 decision over #14 Reece Humphrey, avenging a loss at the Las Vegas Invitational. Ruggirello posted a late takedown and added two back points for the victory. Charles Griffin boosted the lead to 9-0 with a 9-8 decision on riding time over #10 Jeff Jaggers. Griffin notched his 20th win of the year against three losses.
But, once again, the Pride middle weights faltered as Hofstra forfeited 149 pounds to #10 Lance Palmer, Jason Johnstone edged Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, 6-5, at 157, and Colt Sponseller majored Anthony Tortora, 13-3 at 165, to give the Buckeyes a 13-9 lead in the contest.
Hofstra junior Alton Lucas tied the match at 174 with a 15- major decision over Alex Picazo. But former Pride wrestler and current number five grappler in the country Mike Pucillo pinned Jon Rothman in 5:37 to give OSU a 19-13 lead that they would not relinquish. Hofstra senior Joe Rovelli brought the Pride back to within three with an 8-2 decision over John Weakley at 197 pounds before #2 ranked J.D. Bergman pinned Hofstra junior James Guerin in 2:32 to close out the action in the 25-16 decision. Hofstra fell to 5-6 on the season while Ohio State improved to 11-2.
The Pride will return to action next Friday and Saturday, January 18-19 when they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association Duals at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
#12 Hofstra to Face #4 Iowa State in First Round of NCWA/Cliff Keen National Duals Saturday
HEMPSTEAD, NY - The 12th-ranked Hofstra Pride will square off against the fourth-ranked Cyclones of Iowa State Saturday in the first round of the 2008 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/Cliff Keen National Duals at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, IA. Match time is 11 a.m. (CT).
The 86-team, six division tournament, including 16 Division I teams, begins at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and features many of the top teams in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, the NAIA, the NJCAA (junior colleges), the NCWA (club programs), and women's college wrestling. The Division I, double-elimination tournament includes: number one and top seed Penn State; number two Iowa; third-seed Iowa State; fifth-ranked and fourth-seed Central Michigan; sixth-ranked and fifth-seed Minnesota; number seven and sixth-seed Michigan; eighth-ranked and seventh-seed Missouri; ninth-ranked and eighth-seed Northwestern; 10th-ranked Nebraska; 11th-ranked Ohio State; 12th-ranked Hofstra; 15th-ranked Indiana; 16th-ranked UT-Chattanooga; 19th-ranked Cornell; number 24 Northern Iowa; and unranked West Virginia.
The Pride (4-4) will be meeting the Cyclones of Iowa State (7-1) for the second straight year in the National Duals after a 24-9 loss in last year's quarterfinals. The Cyclones, who were ranked number one earlier this season, are 13-0 against Pride. Iowa State, which has a super sophomore class, has seven wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes led by top-ranked sophomore Jake Varner (12-0) at 184 pounds. Sophomores Nick Fanthorpe (16-2) at 133 and David Zabriskie (12-2) at 285 are ranked fourth, while Cyler Sanderson (15-1) is fifth and Nick Gallick (14-6) is 18th at 141. Freshman Jon Reader (15-2) is ranked sixth at 165 pounds while senior David Bertolino (14-3) is ranked 17th at 197 pounds.
All five of Hofstra's ranked wrestlers are placed in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. Senior Charles Griffin (Reading, PA), who captured two matches last week, remained in fifth place at 141 pounds and is 17-3 on the season. Junior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY), who went 1-1 last week against two top 12 opponents, remains sixth at 174 pound. He is 12-1 on the year. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) posted two wins last week to remain eighth at 133 pounds. He is now 19-4 on the season. Senior Joe Rovelli (Wilkes-Barre, PA), who went 1-1 last week, remained ninth at 197 pounds and is 10-3 on the season. Senior Dave Tomasette (Sewell, NJ) also posted a 2-0 mark last week to hold on to 10th this week at 125 pounds. He is now 17-5 on the year.
The winner of the Hofstra-Iowa State match will advance to the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. against the winner of the Michigan-Northern Iowa contest. The losers of those two matches will meet in a consolation preliminary round match at 3 p.m. that will eliminate one team from the National Duals. The Pride faced Michigan in Ann Arbor last season and posted an 18-18 tie. Hofstra met Northern Iowa in the second round of the consolations at the National Duals last year and defeated the Panthers, 25-9. For up-to-date information from Cedar Falls, log on to the UNI-NWCA National Duals website at http://unipanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/niwa-08-nwca-main.html.
LiveSportsVideo.com will web cast the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals from the UNI Dome. Watch the full action Saturday and Sunday from multiple cameras. This free web cast, provided by Live Sports Video, is secondary to the continued sponsorship of Feldmier Equipment. Wrestling web cast action begins this Saturday, at 9am, and concludes Sunday, after the Division I finals. Log on to www.livesportsvideo.com to catch the action from the National Duals.
Hofstra Jumps to 12th in this Week's USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Poll
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Coming off a victory over then-13th-ranked Edinboro on Sunday, the Hofstra Pride wrestling team jumped four places to 12th this week in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Division I Team Rankings. Hofstra continues to have five wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
The Pride (4-4), who return to action on Saturday, January 12 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals sponsored by CSG Sports Coatings in Cedar Falls, Iowa, have equaled their highest Intermat ranking of the season. Hofstra was ranked 12th on November 13 and November 27. The Nittany Lions of Penn State have jumped from fourth last week to number one this week following Oklahoma State's victory over Iowa last Saturday. PSU, which is 5-0 on the year, defeated Oklahoma State in December. The Hawkeyes of Iowa fell to second followed by OSU, which jumped from sixth to third, Iowa State and Central Michigan. Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern and Nebraska round out the top 10. Ohio State is 11 and the Pride and Wisconsin share 12th place.
Individually, all five Hofstra wrestlers are now ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. Senior Charles Griffin (Reading, PA), who captured two matches last week, remained in fifth place at 141 pounds and is 17-3 on the season. Junior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY), who went 1-1 last week against two top 12 opponents, remains sixth at 174 pound. He is 12-1 on the year. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) posted two wins last week to remain eighth at 133 pounds. He is now 19-4 on the season. Senior Joe Rovelli (Wilkes-Barre, PA), who went 1-1 last week, remained ninth at 197 pounds and is 10-3 on the season. Senior Dave Tomasette (Sewell, NJ) also posted a 2-0 mark last week to hold on to 10th this week at 125 pounds. He is now 17-5 on the year.
USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
January 8, 2008
No. Team (First) W-L Pts. LW
1 Penn State (8) 5-0 468 4
2 Iowa (2) 7-1 457 1
3 Oklahoma State 6-1 456 6
4 Iowa State 7-1 442 2
5 Central Michigan (1) 7-0 441 5
6 Minnesota (1) 6-1 435 3
7 Michigan 10-1 405 7
8 Missouri 5-0 400 8
9 Northwestern 3-1 376 9
10 Nebraska 6-1 368 11
11 Ohio State 9-1 349 12
12 Hofstra 4-4 335 16
(tie) Wisconsin 8-1-1 335 14
14 Edinboro 4-2 318 13
15 Indiana 8-0 314 15
16 UT-Chattanooga 5-2 297 10
17 Illinois 2-0 282 18
18 Oklahoma 8-1 275 19
19 Cornell 0-2 271 17
20 Pittsburgh 6-1 256 20
21 Maryland 7-3 231 22
22 Navy 1-2 230 21
23 Old Dominion 3-1 184 24
24 Northern Iowa 1-2-1 173 NR
25 Boise State 1-0 119 25
Hofstra Moves Up to 16th in the W.I.N. Poll
NEWTON, Iowa - The Hofstra Pride moved up one place to 16th this week in W.I.N. Magazine’s eighth Dual Rankings of 2007-08. The team rankings are now based on dual-meet strength.
With Oklahoma State’s victory over previous number one Iowa last weekend, Minnesota has climbed back to the top spot in the country. Iowa slips to number two followed by Iowa State, Penn State and Oklahoma State, which jumps from ninth to fifth. Nebraska, Central Michigan, Missouri, Michigan and Ohio State all get pushed back one place to round out the top 10.
Individually, Hofstra continues to have five ranked wrestlers led by junior Alton Lucas, who remains third in the 174-pound weight class. Lucas (12-1) suffered his first loss of the season against Central Michigan this past Sunday after 11 victories to open the season. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello, who improved to 19-4 on the season with wins over Central Michigan and Edinboro this past weekend, moved up two places to fourth at 133 pounds. Senior Charles Griffin also posted two wins this past Sunday to improve to 17-3 on the year. He remains fifth at 141 pounds. Senior Joe Rovelli remained ranked 10th at 197 pounds with a 1-1 mark this past weekend. He is now 11-3 on the year. Senior Dave Tomasette was the Pride’s third and final wrestler who was 2-0 last weekend. He is now 17-5 on the season and remains ranked 12th in the 125-pound weight class.
W.I.N has also produced a Division I Tournament Team Power Index. The Pride are ranked 12th in that poll this week.
Hofstra returns to action this weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa when the Pride competes in the NWCA National Duals. Pairings for the 16-team Division I field have not been announced at press time. In addition to Hofstra the field includes: Minnesota; Iowa; Iowa State; Penn State; Nebraska; Central Michigan; Missouri; Michigan; Ohio State; Northwestern; Cornell; Indiana; UT-Chattanooga; Northern Iowa and West Virginia.
WRESTLING INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAGAZINE (W.I.N.) 2007-08 NCAA DIV. I DUAL TEAM RANKINGS
(Previous Rankings from Jan. 2, 2008)
1. Minnesota (2nd)
2. Iowa (1st)
3. Iowa State (3rd)
4. Penn State (4th)
5. Oklahoma State (9th)
6. Nebraska (5th)
7. Central Michigan (6th)
8. Missouri (7th)
9. Michigan (10th)
10. Ohio State (11th)
11. Northwestern (12th)
12. Cornell (8th)
13. Illinois (13th)
14. Indiana (14th)
15. Wisconsin (15th)
16. Hofstra (17th)
17. Edinboro (18th)
18. UT-Chattanooga (16th)
19. Old Dominion (19th)
20. Maryland (20th)
21. Boise State (21st)
22. Pittsburgh (22nd)
23. Kent State (23rd)
24. Oklahoma (24th)
25. Virginia (NR)
Hofstra's Lucas Named CAA Wrestler of the Week
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - Hofstra junior wrestler Alton Lucas, who captured the 174-pound title at the Southern Scuffle and split a pair of matches against ranked opponents this past Sunday, has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Week for all competition from December 18 through January 7.
Lucas, a West Babylon, NY native, won his first 11 matches of the season including five at the Southern Scuffle to win the 174-pound weight class. On his way to the title, he posted victories over the sixth, seventh and eighth ranked wrestlers in the country. This past Sunday, Lucas suffered his first loss of the season, dropping a 3-1 decision in sudden victory to third-ranked Brandon Sinnott from Central Michigan. He bounced back with a 5-3 victory over #12 Phil Moricone from Edinboro.
Lucas, who is now 12-1 on the season, is ranked third in the W.I.N. Poll and sixth in the Intermat Poll. He shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week Boston University’s Mike Roberts, who captured the 149-pound title and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Southern Scuffle.
Lucas Wins 174-Pound Title at Hofstra Places Third at the Southern Scuffle
GREENSBORO, NC - Junior Alton Lucas captured the 174-pound title and six other Pride wrestlers earned medals to lead Hofstra to a third-place finish at the 2007 UNCG Southern Scuffle at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.
The Pride, who entered the Scuffle with the third-highest ranking at number 15 in the 28-team field, tallied one champion in Lucas, a runner-up in senior Charles Griffin, a third-place finish by senior Joe Rovelli, two fifth-place finishes by senior Dave Tomasette and sophomore Lou Ruggirello, and two sixth-place finishes by sophomore Mitch Smith and freshman Ryan Patrovich.
Hofstra finished with 121 points and trailed Scuffle champions Minnesota (182) and Edinboro (130.5) in the standings. Cornell (94) placed fourth and Maryland (93.5) was fifth.
Lucas captured his first tournament title since winning the 2006 East Stroudsburg Open title. He defeated Maryland‚s second-seeded Mike Letts, 6-3, in the title match with a big third period. Earlier in the day, Lucas, the fifth-seed and ranked 14th in the nation, defeated Minnesota‚s fourth-seeded Gabe Dretsch in the quarterfinals and Navy‚s top-seeded Matt Stolpinski 7-4. Lucas remains undefeated this season at 11-0.
At 141 pounds, top-seed Charles Griffin was defeated in the championship match by Minnesota‚s second-seed Manny Rivera 5-3. Griffin, the number three ranked wrestler in the country, defeated Virginia Tech‚s Chris Diaz, 8-1, in the quarterfinals, and Kent State‚s fifth-seed Drew Lashaway, 11-6, in the semifinals before the title match loss to Rivera. Griffin is now 15-3 on the season.
At 197 pounds senior Joe Rovelli, who was seeded first, placed third with a 3-1 day on Sunday. Rovelli, who was 5-1 in the Scuffle defeated Bloomsburg‚s Eric Shaw 18-8 in the quarterfinals before dropping a 6-4 decision to Virginia‚s Brent Jones in the semifinals. In the consolation semifinals Rovelli edged Minnesota‚s Yura Malamura, 8-6, and then posted a 12-4 major decision over UNCG‚s third-seeded Daren Burns in the third place match. Rovelli is 9-2 on the season.
At 125, senior Dave Tomasette, who was seeded second, finished in fifth place after a 3-2 day on Sunday and a 5-2 Scuffle. Tomasette opened the day with a 9-5 loss to North Carolina‚s seventh-seed Drew Forshey in the quarterfinals. But Tomasette rebounded with a 15-1 major decision over George Mason‚s Brian Wright and an 8-2 decision over Virginia Tech‚s Justin Staylor before dropping a 4-2 decision to Old Dominion‚s Brian Nicholson in the consolation semifinals. Tomasette took fifth place when Forshey forfeited. Tomasette is now 15-5 on the season.
Sophomore Lou Ruggirello, also seeded first in the Scuffle, also placed fifth in the tournament. The second-ranked wrestler in the country advanced to the semifinals with a 9-3 victory over Edinboro‚s Ricky Deubel. But Ruggirello dropped a 3-1 decision to Cornell‚s fifth-seeded Mike Grey in the championship semifinals and a 4-0 decision to Boise State‚s Andrew Hochstrasser in the consolation semifinals. But the sophomore posted an 8-5 decision over Kent State‚s fourth-seeded Dan Mitcheff in the fifth-place match. Ruggirello is 17-4 on the year.
At 149, sophomore Mitch Smith placed sixth after posting a 4-3 tournament. Smith opened Sunday with a 7-1 loss to Boise State‚s fifth-seeded Adam Hall in the championship quarterfinals. But Smith posted a 3-1 decision over North Carolina‚s eighth-seeded Vincent Ramirez and an 8-2 decision over Navy‚s ninth-seeded Bryce Saddoris. Smith lost a heart-breaking 12-11 decision to CAA-foe, Old Dominion‚s sixth-seeded Kaylen Baxter in the consolation semifinals on a takedown in the waning seconds of the match. Smith then dropped a 9-4 decision to Appalachian State‚s fourth-seeded Scott Ervin in the fifth-place match. Smith previously defeated Ervin in the championship round on Saturday. After coming into the Scuffle with an 0-6 mark, he leaves with a 4-9 record on the season.
At 165, freshman Ryan Patrovich also finished in sixth place battling through the consolation round on Sunday. He opened the day with a 5-0 victory over Virginia Tech‚s Anthony Trongone, a 14-2 major win over Duke‚s Addision Nuding, a default victory over Minnesota‚s second-seeded Scott Glasser, and a medical forfeit win over Kent State‚s third-seeded Kurt Gross before suffering a 4-1 loss to Edinboro‚s fifth-seeded Jarrod King in the consolation semifinals. Patrovich then dropped a 5-3 decision to Minnesota‚s Tyler Safratowich in the fifth place match. Patrovich is now 13-8 on the year.
Earlier in the day four other Pride wrestlers were eliminated from the Scuffle with their second loss. At 157 sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman and junior Anthony Tortora both were knocked out on Sunday. Bonilla-Bowman was eliminated with an 8-7 loss to Lock Haven‚s Luke Lanno. Tortora, who went 2-1 on Saturday, defeated Navy‚s Joe Butcher, 12-4, and Old Dominion‚s Dan Rivera, 6-2 before losing to Bloomburg‚s fifth-seeded Matt Moxley by tech fall, 16-1. Tortora is 7-5 on the season. At 174, freshman Lawrence Beckman opened the day with a 14-3 major decision over Bloomsburg‚s Brian Shaw before being pinned in 54 seconds by Cornell‚s Justin Kerber. At heavyweight, James Guerin won by medical forfeit over VMI‚s Josh Wine before being knocked out by Cornell‚s Maciej Jochym, 5-1.
The Pride return to action next Sunday, January 6th at the David S. Mack Sports Complex when they host Central Michigan at 11 a.m. and Edinboro at 3 p.m. Central Michigan and Edinboro square off at 1 p.m.
Hofstra Signs Top Pennsylvania Heaveyweight to National Letter of Intent
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet today announced that Paul Snyder, a two-time Pennsylvania State Championships placer, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and wrestle at the University beginning in September 2008.
Snyder, a native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania and a senior at Mt. Pleasant Area High School outside of Pittsburgh, is currently the top-rated heavyweight high school wrestler in Pennsylvania, and is ranked the 10th-best scholastic heavyweight in the country as ranked by Wrestling International Newsmagazine (W.I.N.).
"We are excited about signing a student-athlete of Paul's caliber," Shifflet said. "He is talented, tough and aggressive, and still has great potential as a championship-caliber college wrestler."
Snyder posted a 43-6 record and placed third at the Pennsylvania High School State Championships in 2007 as a junior. The 6'0", 265-pound senior also placed seventh in the state championships as a sophomore in 2006 recording a 44-7 record. The Vikings of Mt. Pleasant placed third in the Pennsylvania Championships in 2006 and were fourth in 2005.
The Hofstra Pride, ranked 14th in the country with a 3-3 dual match record, return to action on December 29-30 when they compete in the 28-team Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Hofstra Remains 18th in the W.I.N. Poll
NEWTON, Iowa - Five Pride wrestlers remain in the top 20 of their respective divisions as Hofstra remained 18th-ranked in W.I.N. Magazine's fifth NCAA Division I wrestling rankings of the 2007-08 season. As in previous years, the W.I.N. rankings are based on the polling committee believes are currently the best individuals and tournament teams. Teams are not ranked on dual-meet strength.
Leading the ranked Pride wrestlers is senior Charles Griffin (11-2), who moved up two places to second at 141 pounds after a win against Harvard last Sunday. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello (13-2) moved up one place to fourth at 133 pounds this week. Junior Alton Lucas, who is undefeated this season at 6-0, remained at number eight at 174 pounds. Senior Dave Tomasette (10-3) remained in ninth place this week at 125 pounds. Senior Joe Rovelli, who has not wrestled since November 24 due to a knee injury, remained 10th at 197 pounds with a 4-1 record this year.
Iowa took over the top spot in this week's poll following their victory over Iowa State last weekend. The Cyclones of ISU slipped to number two while Minnesota was bumped down to number three. Penn State took the biggest jump in the poll after their win at Oklahoma State, going from 10th to fourth this week. OSU fell one to fifth. Michigan, Central Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State and Nebraska each fell one place to round out the top 10.
The Pride return to action on December 29-30 when they compete at The Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina.
WRESTLING INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAGAZINE (W.I.N.)
2007-08 NCAA DIV. I RANKINGS (Previous Rankings from Dec. 4, 2007)
1. Iowa (3rd)
2. Iowa State (1st)
3. Minnesota (2nd)
4. Penn State (10th)
5. Oklahoma State (4th)
6. Michigan (5th)
7. Central Michigan (6th)
8. Missouri (7th)
9. Ohio State (8th)
10. Nebraska (9th)
11. Northwestern (11th)
12. Cornell (13th)
13. Wisconsin (12th)
14. UT-Chattanooga (14th)
15. Indiana (15th)
16. Edinboro (16th)
17. Illinois (17th)
18. Hofstra (18th)
19. Oklahoma (19th)
20. Cal State Fullerton (20th)
21. Penn (21st)
22. Pittsburgh (22nd)
23. Navy (23rd)
24. Maryland (24th)
25. Northern Iowa (NR)
Griffin Moves Up as Hofstra is Ranked 15th in the Week's USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Poll
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra senior Charles Griffin moved up one place in the 141 pound weight class this week but the Pride slipped one spot to 15th this week in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Division I Team Rankings, announced this afternoon.
Hofstra, who is coming off a victory over former #25 Harvard this past Sunday to even their dual record at 3-3 this season, exchanged places with Edinboro, which will visit Hofstra on January 6 for a tri-match. With several "upsets" this weekend there was a shuffling in the top five as Iowa took over the top spot for the first time since 2000 following a victory over Iowa State, last week's number one. The Cyclones fell to number two. In addition, Penn State jumped two places to third and sent Oklahoma State back to their former position with a victory in Stillwater. Minnesota fell to number four from second last week. Central Michigan, who comes to Hofstra on January 6 as part of the tri-match, remains in sixth place, followed by Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern and UT-Chattanooga.
Individually five Hofstra wrestlers remain ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. Griffin, the Reading, Pennsylvania native, climbed one spot to fourth this week after his 11th win of the season in 13 outings last Sunday. Griffin also recorded his 100th career victory at Hofstra Sunday. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY), who is now 13-2 on the season, remained second in the country, behind Oklahoma State's Coleman Scott, at 133 pounds. Senior Joe Rovelli (Wilkes Barre, PA), who has not wrestled since November 24 due to a knee injury, slipped one place to eighth at 197 pounds. Rovelli is 4-1 on the year. Senior Dave Tomasette (Sewell, NJ) improved to 10-3 on the season with a win in the Harvard match and remained ninth in the country at 125 pounds. Junior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY), who remains undefeated this year at 6-0, slipped one place to 14th this week at 174 pounds.
The Pride will return to action on December 28-29 when they compete in the 28-team, Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina.
USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
December 11, 2007
No Team (1st pl. votes) W-L Pts LW
1 Iowa (12) 5-0 480 4
2 Iowa State 6-1 462 1
3 Penn State 4-0 457 5
4 Minnesota 6-1 449 2
5 Oklahoma State 5-1 431 3
6 Central Michigan 5-0 419 6
7 Michigan 4-1 407 7
8 Missouri 2-0 397 8
9 Northwestern 2-1 380 9
10 UT-Chattanooga 5-0 365 11
11 Nebraska 3-1 356 12
12 Ohio State 5-1 340 13
13 Wisconsin 4-1-1 334 10
14 Edinboro 3-0 325 15
15 Hofstra 3-3 323 14
16 Indiana 6-0 298 17
17 Cornell 0-1 294 16
18 Illinois 2-0 273 18
19 Oklahoma 4-1 262 20
20 Pittsburgh 2-0 260 19
21 Navy 0-0 238 21
22 Penn 1-0 223 22
23 Maryland 7-3 221 23
24 Old Dominion 3-1 187 24
25 Northern Iowa 0-0-1 138 NR
Hofstra 25, Harvard 12
HEMPSTEAD, NY - The Pride won seven of the 10 matches including a tech fall
victory by Lou Ruggirello as 14th-ranked Hofstra downed 25th-ranked Harvard,
25-12, before 1,045 fans at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday. The Pride
improved to 3-3 on the season while Harvard is 0-1 in dual matches.
Starting the match at 125 pounds, Hofstraís ninth-ranked senior Dave Tomasette
jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first period on the way to a 13-1 major
decision over unranked Crimson freshman Dan Kelly. Tomasette improved to 10-3 on
the season. At 133, sophomore Lou Ruggirello, the Prideís second-ranked
wrestler, improved to 13-2 on the season with a 17-2 tech fall victory over
Harvard junior Thomas Picarsic. Hofstra senior Charles Griffin, ranked fifth in
the country at 141 pounds, recorded the 100th victory of his Pride career with a
10-2 major decision over Crimson freshman Shay Warren. Griffin improved to 11-2
this season to boost the Hofstra lead in the match to 13-0.
Harvard got on the board at 149 pounds as the Crimsonís third-ranked sophomore
J.P. OíConnor earned a hard-fought 4-2 decision over Hofstra sophomore Mitch
Smith (0-6). OíConnor (10-1), who scored all of his points in the second period
to take a 3-1 lead. Smith posted an escape in the third and had OíConnorís ankle
in the waning seconds of the match but could not take him down to tie the match
with OíConnor adding the riding time point.
Hofstra boosted its lead to 16-3 at 157 pounds as sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman
evened his record at 4-4 on the season with a 12-7 decision over Harvard senior
Bobby Latessa (4-4). It was Bonilla-Bowmanís fourth victory in his last six
matches. Pride freshman Ryan Patrovich improved to 7-5 on the year with a 6-0
blanking of Harvard senior Matt Button (5-4) at 165. Junior Alton Lucas, ranked
13th in the country at 174 pounds, remained undefeated on the season with an 8-3
victory over Harvard sophomore Frankie Colletta for a 22-3 advantage in the
match.
The Crimson captured the next two matches as eighth-ranked junior Louis Caputo
(5-2) pinned Hofstra freshman Justin Danz (5-7) in 4:26 at 184 pounds to close
the deficit to 22-9. Senior Billy Colgan (2-1) rallied in the final minute to
record a 10-7 victory over Hofstra junior Richard Vitale (1-3) to close to
22-12. The final match of the afternoon was the closest, if not the most
exciting as Hofstra junior James Guerin (1-5) defeated Harvard sophomore Andrew
Knapp (3-4), 6-4 in the second sudden victory period. Guerin tied the match at
3-3 in the third period with an escape. Each wrestler had an escape in the first
overtime period before Guerin tallied a takedown with nine seconds remaining in
the second sudden victory period.
Hofstra is now off for semester finals before they return for the 28-team
Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina on December 29-30.
Hofstra 25, Harvard 12
125- #9 Dave Tomasette (Hofstra) maj. Dan Kelly (Harvard), 13-1
133- #2 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) tech fall Thomas Picarsic (Harvard), 17-2
141- #5 Charles Griffin (Hofstra) maj. Shay Warren (Harvard), 10-2
149- #3 J.P. OíConnor (Harvard) dec. Mitch Smith (Hofstra), 4-2
157- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra) dec. Bobby Latessa (Harvard), 12-7
165- Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra) dec. Matt Button (Harvard), 6-0
174- #13 Alton Lucas (Hofstra) dec. Frankie Colletta (Harvard), 8-3
184- #8 Louis Caputo (Harvard) FALL Justin Danz (Hofstra), 4:26
197- Billy Colgan (Harvard) dec. Richard Vitale (Hofstra), 10-7
285- James Guerin (Hofstra) dec. Andrew Knapp (Harvard), 6-4 in sv2
Hofstra's Griffin Named CAA Co-Wrestler of the Week
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra senior Charles Griffin has been named the CAA Co-Wrestler of the Week for all competition ending Sunday, December 3, the Colonial Athletic Association announced.
Griffin, a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, posted a 6-1 record to capture third place in the 141-pound weight class at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational last weekend. He had a seven-match winning streak snapped in the CKLV semifinals, dropping a 6-2 decision to 13th-seed Kellen Russell from Michigan. Griffin, who was the number two wrestler in the country in his weight class, bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Old Dominion's #17 Ryan Williams, and a 6-4 decision over #14 Joe Caramanica from North Carolina State. Griffin, who defeated then-#2 Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State on November 24, is now 10-2 on the season and will be going after his 100th career victory when the Pride entertain Harvard at the David S. Mack Sports Complex at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Ryan Hluschak (Slatington, PA/Northern Lehigh), a senior 157-pounder from Drexel University, shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week award with Griffin. He is currently ranked in the top seven in the nation, won the Bearcat Open and placed second in the Cornell Body Bar Invitational to begin the season 9-1.
This week's CAA Rookie of the Week award was also shared. Anwar Goeres (Holley, N.Y./John C. Birdelbough) from Binghamton, began his collegiate career by pinning the 14th-ranked 141-pounder in the nation in a dual meet with Iowa State. A transfer from Lock Haven, Goeres collected two more pins and a major decision at the Northeast Duals to begin the year 8-2. CayleByers (Chugiak, Alaska/Chugiak) from George Mason began his career with a 13-1 record, including a fall and two major decisions, and is 3-0 in duals. Byers won his 197 weight class at the Citadel Open and the Navy Classic and finished runner-up at the Pembroke Classic.
Griffin Places Third, Tomasette Fourth as Hofstra 10th at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, NV - Seniors Charles Griffin and Dave Tomasette placed third and fourth, respectively, and sophomore Lou Ruggirello was fifth to lead the Hofstra Pride to a 10th place finish at the 26th annual Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center Saturday night. The Pride finished with 61 points in the 50-team field. Michigan captured the team title with 127.5 points followed by Missouri with 125 and Ohio State with 121.
Griffin, the number three-ranked wrestler in the country and the top-seed in the Invitational, dropped a 6-2 decision to 13th-seed Kellen Russell from Michigan in the semifinals Saturday afternoon. He then defeated conference foe Ryan Williams from Old Dominion, 3-1 in sudden victory to advance to the third-place match against North Carolina State‚s Joe Caramanica. In that match, Griffin posted a 6-4 victory to post his highest-ever finish at the CKLV Invitational. Griffin was 6-1 in the tournament to improve to 10-2 on the year.
Tomasette posted a 3-1 record on Saturday to place fourth in the Invitational. After losing in the quarterfinals Friday night, Tomasette recorded a 9-2 victory over Tony Mustari from Northern Colorado, defeated Brandon Kinney from Columbia, 6-5, and won by default over top-seed Paul Donahoe from Nebraska to reach the third place match. In that match, Tomasette faced sixth-seed Rollie Peterkin from Penn for the second time in the tournament after a 9-5 loss in the quarterfinals. The score was closer but the result was the same as Peterkin notched a 4-3 victory on the riding time point. Tomasette was 5-2 in the tournament to improve to 9-3 on the year.
In action during the afternoon session, sophomore Lou Ruggirello placed fifth at 133 pounds. The top-ranked wrestler in the country opened the day with a victory by default over Raymond Dunning from Adams State. He then posted a 4-2 victory over the third-seeded Zach Tanelli from Wisconsin before being pinned, in overtime, at 7:53. Ruggirello then edged Jeff Hedges from UNC-Greensboro, 5-4, in the third place match. Ruggirello is now 12-2 on the year.
Sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman fell one round short of placing in the top eight with a 12-8 loss to seventh-seeded Zac Fryling from West Virginia. The transfer from Virginia Tech posted a 3-2 record at the Invitational to improve to 3-4 on the season. Freshman Ryan Patrovich also fell one round short of placing Saturday afternoon with a 6-5 loss to Kurt Swatz from Boise State. Patrovich recorded a 4-2 mark at the Invitational to improve to 6-5 on the year.
The Pride will host the Crimson of Harvard next Sunday, December 9 at the David S. Mack Sports Complex. Match time is 1 p.m. Tickets for the Harvard match as well as all remaining Pride home matches are still available. To purchase tickets click on the online tickets link on the homepage or call the Hofstra Athletic Ticket Office at (516) HOF-TIXX.
Hofstra's Griffin and Ruggirello Receive Top Seeds for Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational this Weekend
LAS VEGAS, NV - Hofstra senior Charles Griffin and sophomore Lou
Ruggirello received top seeds, and senior Dave Tomasette received the
third seed for the 26th annual Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Collegiate
Invitational that begins on Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The two-day, 48-team event begins at 9 a.m. (PST) on both Friday and
Saturday with quarterfinals scheduled for Friday night, semifinals on
Saturday morning, and finals set for 5 p.m. Saturday evening. Ten of the
top 20 teams in the country will be competing in the individual
tournament with team scoring. Brackets for the Invitational will be
announced Friday morning following weigh-ins at 7 a.m.
Griffin, who is 4-1 on the season and the third-ranked wrestler in the
country, is the number one seed in the tournament at 141 pounds.
Ruggirello, 5-0 on the year and the top-ranked wrestler in the nation,
is the top seed at 133 pounds. Tomasette, 4-1 and ranked eighth this
season, is the third seed at 125 pounds. Sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman
(0-2) at 157 pounds, and freshmen Ryan Patrovich (2-3) at 165 and Justin
Danz (1-2) are the non-seeded Pride wrestlers.
Hofstra will be making its four consecutive appearance in the Las Vegas
Invitational. The Pride placed third in the 2004 Invitational and 11th
in the 2005 tournament, both held at the Cashman Convention Center in
Downtown Las Vegas. Last year, Hofstra finished in 9th place in the
Invitational that was held in Primm, Nevada. In 2004 the Pride posted
their only champion in this tournament when Chris Skretkowicz captured
the 197-pound title.
Ruggirello is Ranked #1 as Hofstra Remains 18th in W.I.N. Poll
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Pride sophomore 133-pounder Lou Ruggirello became Hofstra's first-ever top-ranked wrestler, and senior Charles Griffin remained second at 141 pounds as the Pride remained 18th in the W.I.N. NCAA Division I Wrestling Poll.
Ruggirello, a native of Walden, New York, and a graduate of Valley Central High School, moved up one place to the top spot this week after defeating former number one, senior Coleman Scott from Oklahoma State, 3-2, at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, New York last Saturday. Ruggirello, who was 31-9, the Colonial Athletic Association champion at 133, the CAA Rookie of the Year, and an NCAA qualifier last year, is 5-0 on the season.
Griffin (Reading, PA), remained second-the former best individual ranking in school history-this week after a 3-0 mark at the Northeast Duals. He is now 4-1 on the season. In addition to Griffin, several other Pride wrestlers have achieved a number two national ranking over the years.
Senior Dave Tomasette (Sewell, NJ) moved up one place to seventh at 125 pounds this week with a 3-0 mark at the Northeast Duals to improve to 4-1 on the year. Junior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY) moved up two places to eighth at 174 pounds after a 3-0 Northeast Duals, including a 5-3 sudden victory win over former #3 Brandon Mason from Oklahoma State. Lucas is 5-0 on the season. Senior Joe Rovelli (Wilkes-Barre, PA) remained 10th at 197 pounds after a 3-0 record at the Duals Saturday. Rovelli is now 4-1 on the season. Freshman Ryan Patrovich (Bohemia, NY) is Hofstra's sixth and final ranked wrestler this week. He went 1-2 at the Northeast Duals and slipped from 16th to 19th at 165 pounds.
The top four teams in the W.I.N. poll remained the same as Minnesota, Iowa State, Iowa and Oklahoma State occupied the top four places. Central Michigan jumped up seven places to fifth while Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern and Missouri round out the top 10.
The Pride will travel to Nevada this weekend when they compete in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Friday and Saturday.
WRESTLING INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAGAZINE (W.I.N.) NCAA DIV. I RANKINGS
(Previous Rankings from Nov. 20, 2007)
1. Minnesota (1st)
2. Iowa State (2nd)
3. Iowa (3rd)
4. Oklahoma State (4th)
5. Central Michigan (12th)
6. Nebraska (7th)
7. Michigan (5th)
8. Penn State (9th)
9. Northwestern (11th)
10. Missouri (8th)
11. Cornell (6th)
12. Wisconsin (10th)
13. Ohio State (13th)
14. UT-Chattanooga (14th)
15. Indiana (15th)
16. Edinboro (16th)
17. Oklahoma (17th)
18. Hofstra (18th)
19. Illinois (19th)
20. Navy (20th)
21. Penn (21st)
22. Old Dominion (22nd)
23. Cal State Fullerton (NR)
24. Arizona State (24th)
25. Maryland (NR)
Hofstra Take Two of Three Matches at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals
TROY, NY - Sophomore Lou Ruggirello led five Pride wrestlers with perfect 3-0
records, including a victory over the top-ranked grappler in the country, as #13
Hofstra captured two of three matches at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals at
Hudson Valley Community College Saturday.
The Pride defeated #25 Bloomsburg, 30-12, and Bucknell, 24-15, around a 20-16
loss to #3 Oklahoma State. Hofstra, which recorded its first dual match
victories of the year, is now 2-3 on the young season.
Ruggirello, who entered the 14-team Northeast Duals, ranked fourth in the
country at 133 pounds, posted two victories by fall, pinning Bloomsburgís Jason
Guffey in 1:26, and Bucknellís 14th-ranked David Marble in 2:02, and edged #1
Coleman Scott from Oklahoma State, 3-2. Ruggirello (5-0) could be looking at the
number one ranking in the country next week.
Hofstra seniors Dave Tomasette (4-1), at 125, Joe Rovelli (4-1), at 197, and
junior Alton Lucas (5-0), at 174, joined Ruggirello with 3-0 marks with two
major decisions each. Tomasette ranked eighth in the nation recorded majors over
Bloomsburgís 12th-ranked Mike Sees, 13-3, and Bucknellís Jose Matos, 11-3.
Rovelli posted major decisions over Oklahoma Stateís Jared Shelton, 15-4, and
Bucknellís Sean LoCurto. Lucas, who is undefeated this season and ranked 16th in
the nation, defeated OSUís third-ranked Brandon Mason, 5-3 in sudden victory
with a takedown just eight seconds into the overtime. Lucas also posted major
decisions over Bloomsburgís Nathan Graham, 15-4, and Bucknellís Rob Waltko,
11-2.
Griffin, ranked fourth in the nation at 141, also went 3-0 in the Duals and
posted a 7-5 decision over Oklahoma Stateís second-ranked Nathan Morgan, to go
with a 15-3 major win over Bloomsburgís George Hickman. Hofstra's sole returning
All-American is 4-1 on the season.
Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet shook up the line-up a bit for the
Duals, replacing sophomore transfer Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (0-2) with junior
Anthony Tortora at 157 pounds, and freshman Jeff Siciliano (0-2) with classmate
Justin Danz at 184. Tortora went 1-2 in the three matches with a 4-3 victory
over Bucknellís Ryan Ochalek, as did Danz with a 4-0 win over Bloomsburgís Jesse
Hasseman. Freshman Ryan Patrovich (2-3) also went 1-2 in the Duals with a win by
fall over Bloomsburgís Rickey Schmelyan in 2:57.
The Pride will head to Nevada next weekend for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas
Invitational Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1.
Hofstra 30, Bloomsburg 12
Saturday, November 24, 2007
125- #8 Dave Tomasette (HU) maj. Mike Sees (BU) 13-3
133- # 4 Lou Ruggirello (HU) WBF Jason Guffey, 1:26
141- #4 Charles Griffin (HU) maj. George Hickman (BU) 15-3
149- Dennis Bermudez (BU) dec. Mitch Smith (HU), 8-6
157- Matt Moley (BU) dec. Anthony Tortora (HU), 7-3
165- Ryan Patrovich (HU) WBF Ricky Schmelyun (BU), 2:57
174- #16 Alton Lucas (HU) maj. Nathan Graham (BU), 15-4
184- Justin Danz (HU) dec. Jesse Hasseman (BU), 4-0
197- #6 Joe Rovelli (HU) dec. P.J. DiStefano (BU), 5-0
285- Mike Spaid (BU) WBF James Guerin (HU), 3:45
Oklahoma State 20, Hofstra 16
Saturday, November 2007
125- #8 Dave Tomasette (HU) dec. Ben Ashmore (OSU) 8-6
133- # 4 Lou Ruggirello (HU) dec. #1 Coleman Scott (OSU), 3-2
141- #4 Charles Griffin (HU) dec. Nathan Morgan (OSU), 7-5
149- Quenten Fuentes (OSU) maj. Mitch Smith (HU), 17-9
157- Newly McSpaden (OSU) dec. Anthony Tortora (HU), 8-2
165- Jake Dieffenbach (OSU) WBF Ryan Patrovich (HU), 1:46
174- #16 Alton Lucas (HU) dec. #3 Brandon Mason (OSU), 5-3
184- Cody Hill (OSU) maj. Justin Danz (HU), 18-4
197- #6 Joe Rovelli (HU) maj. Jared Shelton (OSU), 15-4
285- Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. James Guerin (HU), 6-0
Hofstra 24 Bucknell 15
Saturday, November 24, 2007
125- #8 Dave Tomasette (HU) maj. Jose Matos (BU), 11-3
133- # 4 Lou Ruggirello (HU) WBF #14 David Marble (BU), 2:02
141- #4 Charles Griffin (HU) dec. Luke Chohany (BU), 7-4
149- Kevin LeValley (BU) dec. Mitch Smith (HU), 6-1
157- Anthony Tortora (HU) dec. Ryan Ochalek (BU) 4-3
165- #16 Andy Rendos (BU) WBF Ryan Patrovich (HU), 4:01
174- #16 Alton Lucas (HU) maj. Rob Waltko (BU), 11-2
184- David Thompson (BU) dec. Justin Danz (HU), 4-2
197- #6 Joe Rovelli (HU) maj. Sean LoCurto (BU), 8-0
285- George Hingson (BU) dec. James Guerin (HU), 6-2
#12 Hofstra Falls at #10 Penn State, 28-11
STATE COLLEGE, PA - Despite a 15-0 tech fall victory by sophomore Lou Ruggirello
at 133 pounds, the #12 Hofstra Pride wrestling team dropped a 28-11 decision to
#10 Penn State before 1,965 fans at the Rec Hall Saturday afternoon. The loss
drops Hofstra's record to 0-2 this season while the Nittany Lions improved to
2-0. The Pride, who defeated the Nittany Lions in Hempstead last December,
captured just three of the 10 matches Saturday afternoon.
Beginning the match at 197 pounds, Penn Stateís second-ranked senior Phil Davis
(2-0) avenged a loss to Hofstraís Chris Weidman last season by posting a 12-1
major decision over sixth-ranked Pride senior Joe Rovelli (1-1) for a 4-0 lead
in the contest. Sophomore Stefan Tighe (2-0) pinned Hofstra junior James Guerin
(0-2) in 5:19 of the heavyweight match to boost the lead to 10-0. In a battle of
top 10-ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds, 10th-ranked Penn State senior Mark
McKnight (2-0) tallied all three of his points in the second period and held on
to defeat Hofstraís seventh-ranked senior Dave Tomasette (1-1), 3-2, as the
Nittany Lions took a 13-0 lead.
The Pride got on the board at 133 as fourth-ranked sophomore Lou Ruggirello
(2-0) notched a 15-0 tech fall victory over Penn State freshman Mike Eagen
(0-2). Ruggirello, who will be going to Eugene, Oregon on Monday to compete in
the NWCA All-Star Classic, jumped out to a 10-0 lead after one period before
posting the victory at 4:04 of the match. In another top 10-match-up at 141
pounds, Hofstraís second-ranked senior Charles Griffin (1-1) dropped a 6-1
decision to seventh-ranked Nittany Lion junior Jake Strayer (2-0). Griffin will
also go to Oregon on Monday to compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Strayerís
win gave Penn State a 16-5 lead at the intermission.
Bubba Jenkins, the Nittany Lionsí seventh-ranked sophomore, improved to 2-0 on
the season with a 5-2 victory over Hofstra sophomore Mitch Smith (0-2) at 149
pounds. Sophomore Dan Vallimont (2-0), ranked 12th at 157 pounds, decisioned
Pride sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, 6-3, as Penn State opened up a 22-5
advantage. Pride freshman Ryan Patrovich (1-1) snapped the PSU three-match
winning streak with a 3-1 over 16th-ranked sophomore Dave Rella (1-1) at 165
pounds to cut the deficit to 22-8. Hofstra junior Alton Lucas (2-0) made it
two-in-a-row with a 12-7 decision over sophomore David Erwin at 174 pounds to
inch closer at 22-11. In the final match of the day Penn Stateís 20th-ranked
junior Phil Bomberger improved to 2-0 with a win by fall over Pride freshman
Jeff Siciliano (0-2) in 1:52.
The Pride will return to action next Saturday, November 24th when they will face
Bloomsburg, Oklahoma State, and Bucknell at the Brute/Journeyman Northeast Duals
at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York.
197: #2 Phil Davis PSU, maj. dec. #6 Joe Rovelli HOF, 12-1
4-0
HWT: Stefan Tighe PSU pinned James Guerin HOF, WBF (5:19) 10-0
125: #10 Mark McKnight PSU dec. #7 Mike Tomasette HOF, 3-2 13-0
133: #4 Lou Ruggirello HOF tech. fall Mike Eagen PSU, 15-0 (4:04)
13-5
141: #7 Jake Strayer PSU dec. #2 Charles Griffin HOF, 6-1
16-5
149: #7 Bubba Jenkins PSU dec. Mitch Smith HOF, 5-2 19-5
157: #12 Dan Vallimont PSU dec. Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, 6-3 22-5
165: Ryan Patrovich HOF dec. #16 Dave Rella PSU, 3-1 22-8
174: Alton Lucas HOF dec. David Erwin PSU, 12-7 22-11
184: #20 Phil Bomberger PSU pinned Jeff Siciliano HOF, WBF (1:52)
28-11
#13 Hofstra Falls to #7 Missouri, 22-21, in Season Opener
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Missouri sophomore Mark Ellis recorded a tech fall in the final
match of the evening to give the seventh-ranked Tigers of Missouri (2-0) a 22-21
victory over the 13th-ranked Pride of Hofstra (0-1) before 2,017 fans at the
David S. Mack Sports Complex Saturday night.
Pride sophomore Lou Ruggirello pinned Missouriís second-ranked senior Tyler
McCormick in 5:30 at 133 pounds, while teammates Charles Griffin at 141, Dave
Tomasette at 125, and Alton Lucas at 174 posted major decision victories to lead
Hofstra.
The Pride jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the match after three bouts. Tomasette,
the seventh-ranked Hofstra senior from Sewell, NJ, tallied a 15-2 major decision
over Missouri red-shirt freshman Tony Pescaglia at 125. Ruggirello, ranked ninth
at 133 in the preseason poll, built a 5-1 lead over the second-ranked Tiger
senior Tyler McCormick before recording the pin at 5:30. Hofstraís lone
returning All-American, senior Charles Griffin, ranked second in the country at
141, cruised to a 13-0 major victory over Missouriís unranked junior Marcus
Hoehn.
But the Tigers came roaring back in the middle weights as ninth-ranked senior
Josh Wagner tallied a 5-2 win over Hofstraís unranked sophomore Mitch Smith at
149 pounds. Missouri junior Michael Chandler, ranked 13th, closed the match gap
to 14-7 with a 15-6 major win over the Prideís unranked sophomore Jonny
Bonilla-Bowman. Tiger sophomore Nick Marable, ranked 18th at 165, rolled to a
major win over Hofstra freshman Ryan Patrovich, 10-2, to close to 14-11 at the
intermission.
Hofstraís unranked junior Alton Lucas snapped the Tigersí three-match winning
streak with a 10-1 victory over senior James Williamson at 174 to boost the
Hofstra lead to 18-11. But Missouriís sixth-ranked junior Raymond Jordan pinned
Hofstra freshman Jeff Siciliano in 4:20 at 184 to close to within one at 18-17.
Joe Rovelli, Hofstraís 10th-ranked senior who moved up a weight class to 197
this year, upset Missouriís fourth-ranked sophomore Max Askren, 4-2, making
four, first period points stand up for the win and a 21-18 lead heading into the
finale. Ellis, ranked 14th in the heavyweight class, jumped out to a 5-1 first
period lead over Hofstra junior James Guerin on the way to a 22-5 five-point,
tech fall win that gave the Tigers their margin of victory.
The Pride will return to action next Saturday, November 17 when they travel to
State College, PA to face the 11th-ranked Nittany Lions of Penn State at 1 p.m.
Former National Champion Nick Gallo to Speak at Hofstra Wrestling Luncheon
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Nick Gallo, the only national champion in school history, will be the guest speaker at the Hofstra Wrestling Luncheon on Saturday afternoon, November 10 at the Hofstra University Club in David S. Mack Hall on the North Campus.
The Luncheon, which begins at 1:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and a lunch at 2 p.m., will precede the Pride's season-opening match against the University of Missouri at 7 p.m. at the David S. Mack Sports Complex. Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet, who is entering his second season with the Pride, and Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith will also speak at the Luncheon. Tickets for the Luncheon are $100 each and can be reserved by calling (516) 463-6615.
Gallo, a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier from 1975 through 1977, placed fourth in the 1975 Championships at 118 pounds before winning the national title in 1977 at 126 pounds by defeating Iowa's Keith Mourlam in the championship match. He was also named the tournaments Outstanding Wrestler for his performance in what many observers declared the best weight class at the championships. Gallo was also a member of the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Teams. He captured a silver medal in the 1980 World Cup, and was the Pan American Trials Champion in 1979. Gallo wrestled for the NYAC and National Wrestling Hall of Fame Coach Bill Farrell during his post college career and became the National Director of the Dan Gable / ASICS Tiger Wrestling Camps.
Gallo became the head coach at Hofstra for the 1979-80 season and led the team to five conference titles during his coaching career. He was a member of the inaugural class of the Hofstra University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, and was also inducted into the Long Island chapter of the Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame. He is currently Vice President of TW Promotions.
The Tigers of Missouri, who finished third in the NCAA Championships last March are ranked seventh in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Preseason Poll, while the Pride, who finished seventh at the 2007 Championships, are ranked 13th heading into the 2007-08 season.
Four Pride Wrestlers are Reconized as Hofstra is Ranked 13th in USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Preseason Poll
HEMPSTEAD, NY * With four Pride wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 of their respective weight classes, the Hofstra Pride wrestling team is ranked 13th in the 2007-08 USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Division I Preseason Team Rankings. Hofstra, which posted an 18-4-2 record last season and placed seventh in the NCAA Division I Championships, garnered 341 points in the poll. Hofstra is one of just two private universities ranked in the Top 15. Northwestern is the other.
The poll is headed up by defending national champion Minnesota, 19-1 last season, which picked up 480 points in the voting done by a representative from each Division I wrestling conference and one wild card voter. Perennial contender Oklahoma State (14-5 in 2006-07), a Hofstra opponent later this month at the Northeast Duals in Troy, New York, placed second in the preseason rankings with 442 points. Iowa State (13-3 last year) with 439 points, Iowa (14-5) with 433, and Michigan (2-10-1) with 429 follow closely behind. Northwestern (13-8), which placed fourth at the NCAA Championships last March, is sixth. Missouri (12-3), Hofstra's season-opening opponent on November 10 at the Mack Sports Complex, is seventh in the preseason poll after placing third at last year's Championships. Ohio State (8-7), Cornell (9-5) and Central Michigan (16-4-1), all top 15 finishers in the NCAA Championships and 2007-08 Hofstra opponents, round out the Top 10.
Penn State (14-5), which placed 11th last season and another Pride opponent this season, comes in at 11, followed by Wisconsin (18-3), a 13th place finisher last year, Hofstra, Nebraska (10-7-1), another Hofstra opponent this year and a 16th place finisher last March, and Indiana (13-5). The final 10 in the top 25 includes several Hofstra opponents to keep an eye on including #16 Edinboro (17-1), which placed ninth last year, #22 Harvard (4-9-1), and #23 Pennsylvania (8-7-1).
Individually, four of Hofstra's six returning starters from last season are ranked in the Intermat/NWCA/NWMA Individual Rankings. Leading the four is All-American and CAA Wrestler of the Year, senior Charles Griffin (35-6). The three-time conference champion, NCAA qualifier and returning All-American placed third at 141 pounds in the NCAA Championships last March. He is ranked second in the 141-pound preseason poll behind Northwestern's Ryan Lang.
Three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time conference champion, senior Dave Tomasette (20-7) will be looking for national honors this season and is ranked seventh at 125 pounds in the preseason poll. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello (31-9), who captured the conference title at 133 pounds and was named the CAA Rookie of the Year as a true freshman last season, is ranked ninth at 133 entering 2007-08. Three-time conference champion and NCAA qualifier Joe Rovelli (32-7) moves up to 197 pounds this season after winning three consecutive conference titles at 184. He enters the season ranked 10th at 197 pounds.
Hofstra University All-American Wrestler Charles Griffin to Wrestle in NWCA All-Star Classic
Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University All-American wrestler Charles Griffin has been selected to participate in the 42nd Annual National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic at the University of Oregon's McArthur Court in Eugene, Oregon. The Classic will be held on Monday, November 19 at 7 p.m. and will be televised on College Sports Television (CSTV).
The NWCA All-Star Classic features the top two available wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes in an exhibition that kicks off the regular season, and sometimes previews the NCAA Championships four months later. Griffin is the first Pride wrestler to participate as a featured competitor since Nick Gallo, Hofstra's only national champion, faced Kenny Nelson from Oklahoma in 1977. Joel Kislin, another Hofstra All-American, made two appearances in the All-Star Classic, facing Iowa State's Chris Taylor in both 1972 and 1973.
Griffin, a senior from Reading, Pennsylvania, earned All-American honors at the 2007 NCAA Championships at Auburn Hills, Michigan last March with a third-place finish at 141 pounds. The three-time Colonial Athletic Association champion and NCAA qualifier posted a 35-6 overall record, including a 6-1 mark at the NCAA Championships, in 2006-07. Griffin has posted an 89-20 career record including a perfect 14-0 mark in the conference matches. He will face two-time All-American Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State. Morgan, ranked third immediately behind Griffin in the preseason poll, placed fourth at las