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Hofstra Pride Open Season With 16-16 Tie Against

Hempstead, NY - Each team won five matches but freshman Andrew Schutt's come-from-behind victory in the final 15 seconds in the final match of the day allowed the Bulls of Buffalo to tie the Hofstra Pride, 16-16, at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Bulls improved to 1-0-1 on the season while the Pride is 0-0-1.

Schutt trailed 3-0 in the 141-pound finale after Hofstra red-shirt freshman Tyler Banks' takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the third period. But the newcomer reversed the Pride wrestler three seconds later and then added three back-points for a 5-4 victory after Banks took the riding time point.

Sunday's contest opened up at 149 pounds with Buffalo's 16th-ranked Desi Green posting an escape with 1:51 in the third period to take a 3-2 victory over Hofstra sophomore Justin Accordino. Ninth-ranked Hofstra senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman started a four-match Pride winning streak and tied the match at 3-3 with a 10-5 victory over Andrew Stella at 157 pounds. Sophomore P.J. Gillespie posted a 5-2 win over John Martin Cannon at 165 before junior Ryan Patrovich, ranked 10th by Intermat, cruised to a 10-3 victory over Matt Bogardus at 174 pounds. Sophomore Ben Clymer's 8-0 major decision over Buffalo's Josh Peters gave the Pride a 13-3 lead at the intermission. Accordino, Gillespie and Patrovich made their debuts at their new weights Sunday.

But 20th-ranked Jimmy Hamel put Buffalo back on the winning track with an 8-6 decision over Pride senior Anthony Tortora at 197 pounds and sophomore Brett Correll posted a second period escape to snap a 3-3 tie and go on to a 5-3 decision over Hofstra red-shirt freshman Paul Snyder at 285 to close the deficit to 13-9.

Hofstra freshman Jamie Franco, who moved down a weight class to 125 pounds to fill in for the injured starter Steve Bonanno, recorded an escape with 53 seconds remaining to post a 1-0 victory over sophomore Dylan Dabolt and boost the Pride lead to 16-9. But Buffalo sophomore Kevin Smith tallied a 27-12 tech fall win over Hofstra junior Jeff Rotella at 133 pounds but didn't have any back-points for a four-point victory to close the deficit to 16-13 setting up Schutt's match-tying win.

The Pride return to action next Saturday, November 21 when they compete in the North Carolina State Wolfpack Open in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Hofstra 16, Buffalo 16
149 - #16 Desi Green (UB) dec. Justin Accordino (HU), 3-2
157 - #9 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (HU) dec. Andrew Stella (UB), 10-5
165 - P.J. Gillespie (HU) dec. John Martin Cannon (UB), 5-2
174 - #10 Ryan Patrovich (HU) dec. Matt Bogardus (UB), 10-3
184 - Ben Clymer (HU) dec. Josh Peters (UB), 8-0
197 - #20 Jimmy Hamel UB) dec. Anthony Tortora (HU), 8-6
285 - Brett Correll (UB) dec. Paul Snyder (HU), 5-3
125 - Jamie Franco (HU) dec. Dylan Dabolt (UB), 1-0
133 - Kevin Smith (UB) tech fall Jeff Rotella (HU), 27-12 (6:56)
141 - Andrew Schutt (UB) dec. Tyler Banks (HU), 5-4
Three Sign National Letters of Intent for 2010-11 Hofstra Pride

Hempstead, NY - Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet today announced that three student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University and be part of the Pride program for the 2010-11 season. The three student-athletes are Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY), Cody Ruggirello (Walden, NY) and Nick Terdick (East Northport, NY).

Loew, a senior captain at Wantagh High School this season, recorded a 39-1 record, was the Section VIII champion and New York State High School Championships finalist in 2009. He has recorded a career scholastic record of 119-33 with 61 pins heading into his final season this year. Loew was a Fila Cadet All-American in 2009, placing first in Freestyle and third in Greco-Roman, and placed sixth at the Junior Nationals to earn All-American honors there, as well. He was a Fargo All-American placing fourth in Freestyle, and was an All-American and national finalist at the Junior Nationals in 2008. Loew, a National Honor Society member as well as Wantagh's Symphonic and Marching Band, was also a member of Wantagh's two-time Nassau County championship teams and the Warrior's New York State Championship team in 2009.

Ruggirello, brother of Pride senior Lou Ruggirello, is a four-time Section champion who placed in the top three in the New York State Championships all four years at Valley Central High School in Montgomery, New York. He captured the state title in 2007, placed second on 2008 and was third in 2006 and 2009. He posted a 54-1 record as a junior in 2008-09, a 48-2 mark as sophomore, a 47-2 record in 2006-07 and a 44-4 mark as an eighth-grader. Ruggirello, a four-time scholar-athlete and a Honor Society member, holds the Section IX all-time record for career victories. Ruggirello was a member of Valley Central's four-time Section IX championship team and the Vikings' New York State Championship team in 2005.

Terdick, a senior at John Glenn High School in Elwood, New York, recorded a 41-2 record and was a finalist at the 2009 New York State Championships. He also captured the New York State Freestyle champion in 2009. As a sophomore, he posted a 38-3 record, placed third in the sectionals and went on to earn Greco-Roman All-American honors at the Cadet Duals. Terdick was 21-6, a sectional finalist and a NHSCA All-American in 2007. He was a member of John Glenn's Section XI championship team in 2009.

The Pride open their 2009-10 regular season this Sunday, November 15 when they host the Bulls of the University at Buffalo at the Mack Sports Complex at 1 p.m.
Four Hofstra Pride Wrestlers Placed in the Intermat Preseaon Rankings

Hempstead, NY - As the Pride wrap-up their second week of preseason
practice in preparation for the 2009-10 season opener on Sunday,
November 15 against Buffalo at the Mack Sports Complex, four Hofstra
wrestlers have been named to the Intermat Preseason NCAA Division I
wrestling rankings.

Leading the Hofstra foursome is senior Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, who is
ranked ninth at 157 pounds. The Pomona, New York native, who earned an
ACC title at Virginia Tech in 2007 before transferring to Hofstra,
earned his second CAA title last season. He posted a 24-9 record and
missed All-American honors by one match at the NCAA championships last
season.

Junior Ryan Patrovich is ranked 10th at 174 pounds in Intermat's
preseason rankings. The Bohemia, New York native finished second in the
CAA last season and finished the year with a 22-10 record. Sophomore
Steve Bonanno, who also finished second in the CAA Championships last
March, is ranked 15th at 125 pounds in the preseason poll. A native of
Wantagh, New York, Bonanno recorded a 29-15 overall mark and was named
to the CAA All-Freshman team last year. Sophomore Justin Accordino, who
also placed second at the CAA Championships last year, is ranked 20th at
149 pounds by Intermat in this season's preseason poll. The
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native posted a 25-13 record and was also
named to the CAA All-Freshman team.

In the Intermat Preseason Top 25 Team Poll, two-time defending NCAA
champion Iowa begins the season ranked number one. The Hawkeyes have
eight wrestlers ranked including 2008 NCAA champion Brent Metcalf, who
is ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds. The Iowa State Cyclones, under the
direction of first-year head coach Kevin Jackson, come in at number two
and have nine wrestlers ranked. Jake Varner, a defending NCAA champion
and 2009 U.S. Freestyle World Team member, is ranked No. 1 at 197
pounds. Ohio State, who has had NCAA runner-up finishes the past two
seasons, is ranked number three. The Buckeyes return seven starters and
have two top-ranked wrestlers in Reece Humphrey (141) and Mike Pucillo
(184).

Defending NCAA champion Troy Nickerson (125) leads fourth-ranked
Cornell, which has finished in the top 20 every year since 2002,
including three top-five finishes. Minnesota, a program that has won
three national titles since 2001, is ranked fifth. The Golden Gophers
have seven wrestlers ranked, including No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter
(165), a 2006 NCAA champion and 2009 U.S. Freestyle World Team member.
Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Missouri, Boise State, and Maryland round out
the top 10.

The Big Ten has the most representation of any conference in the team
rankings with seven schools ranked. Those schools include Iowa (No. 1),
Ohio State (No. 3), Minnesota (No. 5), Wisconsin (No. 11), Penn State
(No. 14), Indiana (No. 15), and Michigan State (No. 21).

Six 2009 NCAA champion are back to defend their titles: Nickerson
(125), Franklin Gomez of Michigan State (133), Jordan Burroughs of
Nebraska (157), Jarrod King of Edinboro (165), Jake Varner of Iowa State
(197), and Mark Ellis of Missouri (285). Additionally, four past NCAA
champions return, including Angel Escobedo of Indiana (125), a 2008 NCAA
champion; Metcalf (149), a 2008 NCAA champion; Schlatter (165), who won
the NCAA title at 149 pounds in 2006; and Pucillo (184), a 2008 NCAA
champion.
Hofstra Adds Wisconsin All-American Zach Tanelli to Coaching Staff

Hempstead, NY - Three-time NCAA Championship qualifier and 2009
All-American Zach Tanelli has been named an assistant coach on the
Hofstra Wrestling coaching staff, Pride head coach Tom Shifflet
announced Thursday.

A University of Wisconsin graduate Tanelli placed fourth at the 2009
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri in March.
The Short Hills, New Jersey native recorded a 6-2 record, including five
straight victories, in the National Championships to earn his first
All-America honor. Tanelli, who was the top-ranked wrestler at 141
pounds for eight weeks through the conference tournament, placed second
in the Big 10 Championships. The 2008 Midlands champion finished the
year with a 31-6 record, including a 15-1 mark in duals and a 7-0 record
in the Big 10 and ranked second in the country.

Tanelli earned his first NCAA Championship bid in 2007 as a wildcard
after placing eighth in the Big Ten Championships. He recorded a 21-10
overall record including a 19-3 mark in dual matches and a 5-3 record in
the Big 10. Tanelli also led the Badgers in dual points with 80. As a
junior in 2007-08, he earned his second NCAA Championship bid by
finishing fifth in the Big 10 Championships. Tanelli posted a 3-2 record
at Nationals to finish the season with a 28-12 record including a 13-5
mark in duals and a 5-3 record in conference action.

A two-time New Jersey State Championship runner-up out of Millburn High
School, Tanelli notched an 8-3 record and captured the Pointer Open
title as a red-shirt freshman at Wisconsin in 2005-06. During his
four-year career at Wisconsin, Tanelli posted an 88-31 overall record
including a 49-10 mark in duals and a 17-6 record in the Big 10.

Tanelli holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Wisconsin. He
replaces Joe Dubuque, who left Hofstra in June to become an assistant at
his alma mater, Indiana University.

For Immediate Release
July 9, 2009
Contact: Jim
Sheehan
(516) 463-6764

Hofstra wrestlers was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic TeamNational Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team

Hempstead, NY - Hofstra junior wrestler Lou Ruggirello was named to the
National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team and the Pride
team was named one of the 2009 Division I All-Academic Top 30 teams, the
NWCA announced recently.

To be eligible for the NWCA All-Academic Team wrestlers must have at
least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of
his total schedule * and must have competed in at least 60 percent of
said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is
have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American.

The 2008-09 individual All-Academic Team is highlighted by a total of
51 NCAA Qualifiers, 17 NCAA All-Americans, 8 NCAA Finalist and 5 NCAA
Champions. In total 73 individuals representing 45 schools are being
honored this year on the All-Academic Team.

Ruggirello, a Walden, New York native, earned his second NWCA
All-Academic team honor after receiving it in 2008. A three-time Hofstra
Athletics Academic Honor Roll selection and Dean's List student, he is a
three-year CAA Commissioner's Academic Award recipient and was named the
2009 CAA Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Ruggirello majors in
marketing with a 3.55 cumulative grade point average

On the mat, Ruggirello is a three-time CAA champion at 133 pounds. A
three-time national qualifier, he was seeded ninth at 133 pounds in the
2009 NCAA Championships and went 2-2, falling just one win short of
All-America honors. He finished the year with a 30-5 overall record,
including a 15-1 mark in dual matches, and was undefeated (6-0) in CAA
duals. Ruggirello won the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic and was second
at the Missouri Open and Southern Scuffle this season. For his career,
he owns an impressive 99-21 record.

“The student-athletes on this All-Academic Team exemplify what we are
looking for in the sport of wrestling. You see teams and individuals
from the largest institutions that sponsor wrestling to the smaller
colleges listed. There is diversity here that you do not always get to
see when it comes to compiling these types of teams,” said Jim
Beichner NWCA President.

The Hofstra wrestling team earned its second NWCA All-Academic Top 30
Team honor in the last seven years after earning the award in 2003. For
teams to be eligible for consideration, the team GPA is comprised of 12
student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in
the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10
entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with
wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.
The Pride wrestling team posted a 2.89 team GPA in 2008-09.

“We are finding that year in and year out, coaches strive to have
their team’s listed as an All-Academic Team. This is another measure
of success for these programs,” said Executive Director Mike Moyer.
“There is so much more to wrestling than what is done on the mat
and we see just one part of that here with the All-Academic Team.”

“As a coaches association, we look forward to recognizing the
accomplishments of our coaches and wrestlers each year. This is just
another way to showcase our sport’s close alignment with educational
values,” said Moyer.

Hofstra to Send Eight Wrestlers to NCAA Championships Next Week

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra sophomore Ryan Patrovich and red-shirt freshman
Justin Accordino have each received at-large bids to participate in the
2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri next
week, the NCAA Wrestling Committee announced this afternoon.

The latest two Pride wrestlers to get bids brings the Hofstra total of
NCAA Championships participants to eight this year. Three Pride
wrestlers, juniors Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) at 133 pounds and Jonny
Bonilla-Bowman (Pomona, NY) at 157 pounds, red-shirt freshman P.J.
Gillespie (Long Beach, NY), earned NCAA bids as CAA Champions. Three
more, senior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY) second at 174 pounds,
sophomore Joe Fagiano (Chicago, IL) fourth at 197 pounds, and Steve
Bonanno (Wantagh, NY) second at 125 pounds, earned CAA Championship
Tournament qualifying bids.

Accordino, a native of Wilkes-Barre, PA, placed second at last
weekend's CAA Championship. He is now 23-11 on the season.
Patrovich, from Bohemia, NY, placed third at the conference
championships and enters his second NCAA Championship with a 20-8
record.

The 2009 NCAA Championships mark the ninth consecutive year that
Hofstra will be sending seven or more wrestlers to the national
championships. Previously, the Pride sent eight wrestlers to the
national championships in 1951, 2003 (21st place), 2004 (20th place) and
2006 (11th place). The Hofstra school record for national championship
participants is nine, set in 2005. The Pride placed 17th in the final
standings that year. Hofstra's best team finish came in 2007 when the
Pride placed seventh with seven wrestlers including a school-record four
All-Americans. Last year, Hofstra placed 15th in the final national
championship standings with seven participants and two All-Americans
(Charles Griffin and Altom Lucas).

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held at the
Scottrade Center in St. Louis from Thursday, March 19 through Saturday,
March 21. The first session begins at 11 a.m. (CDT) on Thursday with the
nationally-televised finals scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.
Gillespie Named CAA Rookie of the Year; Hofstra Prep for NCAA Championships Next Week

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Hofstra red-shirt freshman P.J. Gillespie has been
named the Colonial Athletic Association's Wrestling Rookie of the Week
for his performance at the CAA Championships in Chesapeake, Virginia
last weekend.

The Pride captured their eighth consecutive CAA team championship and
their ninth straight conference title Saturday, topping second-place Old
Dominion, 106.5-86.5. Rider was third with 57.5 points followed by
Binghamton (44), George Mason (40), Drexel (27.5), Boston University
(26) and Sacred Heart (5.5).

Gillespie, a 149-pounder from Long Beach, New York, defeated the third,
second and top seeded wrestlers to capture his first CAA championship
and earn his first bid to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in
St. Louis, Missouri March 19-21. Gillespie defeated third-seeded Anthony
Priore from Sacred Heart, 4-3, in the first round; second-seeded Joey
Metzler from Old Dominion, 5-3, in the semifinals; and top-seeded and
19th-ranked (AWN) Mike Roberts from Boston University, 3-2 in the second
tie-breaker, in the championship match.

The Long Beach High School graduate, who is one of at least six Hofstra
wrestlers who will be making his way to St. Louis next week, improved to
19-13 on the season. Gillespie will be joined by teammates and fellow
CAA champions juniors Lou Ruggirello (Walden, NY) at 133 pounds, and
Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Pomona, NY) at 157 pounds. Freshman Steve Bonanno
(Wantagh, NY) at 125 pounds, senior Alton Lucas (West Babylon, NY) at
174 pounds, and sophomore Joe Fagiano (Chicago, IL) at 197 pounds all
earned conference qualifying bids as well. Bonanno and Lucas finished
second while Fagiano placed fourth. The NCAA will announce their list of
wild cards in all 10 weight classes on Wednesday.

Hofstra had sent seven or more wrestlers to the NCAA Division I
Wrestling Championships every year since 2001. In 2000 the Pride sent
six.