New to the Pack

Joe DeAngelo and Keegan Cerwinski both transferred into NCSU this semester and have both competed in the line-up.  Joe is a junior while Keegan is a freshman.  Here is a little background on their wrestling careers…

Joe DeAngelo – 125 Pounds

Transferred in from Nassau Community College

• 2012 Junior College All-American (7th Place)
• 2012 NJCAA Regional Champion
• 2012 NY State Collegiate All-State (8^th Place)
• 2011 FILA Junior National All-American (6^th Place)
• 2011 Wilkes Open 4^th Place

Southern Alamance High School, NC

• 186-15 Career Record
• 2010 NC State Champion
• 2009 3^rd at NC State Championships
• 2008 2^nd at NC State Championships
• 2007 NC State Qualifier
• 2010 NHSCA Senior Nationals All-American (4^th Place)
• 2009 Super 32 (4^th Place)
• 2008 FILA Cadet All-American

Keegan Cerwinski – 184 Pounds

Greene High School, NY

• 199-38 Career Record
• 40-4 Senior Record (22 Pins & 10 Tech Falls)
• 2012 NY State Runner-Up
• 2011 NY State 5^th Place
• 2X Section 4 Champion & 4X Section 4 Finalist
• 2012 Eastern States 5^th Place
• 2011 Eastern States 6^th Place
• NHSCA Freshman All-American

Don't forget - tomorrow night the Pack takes on rival UNC at Carmichael Arena. Hope to see you there!

Rivalry.

ri·val

  [rahy-vuhl]

noun

• a person or thing who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor.

Come out and support the Wolfpack as they take on the Tar Heels Friday night at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill! GO PACK! 

Pat's Pop Ins

Mentality Monday

Pack Preview: UVA Dual

Sam Speno (133 lbs)

We take on the University of Virginia Cavaliers Sunday in Charlottesville, VA. The Hoos are led by Steve Garland in his seventh season as the head coach. His assistants are Alex Clemsen, Jordan Leen, and Nate Carr, Jr. They have nine of their ten starters ranked in the latest NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings. As a team, they are ranked eleventh in the country with an 11-3 record. They recently finished second at the Virginia Duals. They have an All-American as well as seven other returning national qualifiers in their line-up. Here is a look at their line-up…

125 Pounds – Matt Snyder is a fifth-year senior and two-time National Qualifier. He is currently ranked seventh in the country. He has finished in the top sixteen and top twelve at the NCAA Championships the last two seasons. He is a three-time ACC finalist and was the ACC Champion last season. He has ninety career wins. He placed second at the Southern Scuffle this year. Fun fact: He is also Coach Beasley's brother-in-law.

133 Pounds – George DiCamillo is a freshman who is currently ranked tenth in the country. He was one of the top recruits in the country last season winning multiple Ohio State Championships and Ironman Tournament Titles in high school. He is 24-6 so far this season. He placed fifth at both the Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle this season.

141 Pounds – Joe Spisak is a redshirt sophomore and former national qualifier. He redshirted last season; placing second at the Edinboro Open and winning the Newberry Open. As a freshman, he was an ACC Finalist with twenty-three wins. He is 16-2 on the season and won the Cleveland State Open this season. He is ranked twenty-second in the country.

149 Pounds – Derek Valenti is a fifth-year senior and former All-American. He is a two-time national qualifier and was an ACC runner-up two season ago when he made the All-American podium. He redshirted last season, winning both the Mat Town and Edinboro Opens while finishing as the runner-up at the Wolfpack Open. He was top twelve at the Las Vegas Invitational and is 11-6 on the season. He has eighty-six career wins and is ranked nineteenth in the country.

157 Pounds – Jedd Moore is a fifth-year senior and former National Qualifier. He is having a breakout year after winning nineteen matches last year. He won the Southern Scuffle, the Cleveland State Open, and finished second at the Las Vegas Invitational this season. He is 25-5 so far this season and is ranked tenth in the country. He has eighty-two career wins.

165 Pounds – Nick Sulzer is a redshirt sophomore and returning national qualifier. Last season, he won twenty-seven matches and split four matches at the NCAA Tournament. He is currently ranked seventh in the country with a 19-6 record. He finished third at the Las Vegas Invitational and fourth at the Southern Scuffle this season.

174 Pounds – Jon Fausey is a redshirt junior and two-time national qualifier. He wrestled at 184 pounds before dropping down a weight this season. Last year, he won the ACC Championships and finished in the top twelve at the NCAA Tournament. He already has seventy-eight career wins. He won the Cleveland State Open, finished fourth at the Southern Scuffle, and finished in the top twelve at the Las Vegas Invitational. He is ranked fifteenth in the country.

184 Pounds – Stephen Doty is a redshirt junior coming off of his redshirt year. He has competed anywhere from 174 to 197 pounds over the last few years. Last season, he won both the Appalachian State and Mat Town Opens and finished third at the Edinboro Open. He is 11-7 on the season and finished in the top twelve at the Southern Scuffle. He is currently ranked twenty-eight in the country.

197 Pounds – Mike Salopek is a fifth-year senior and former ACC Champion. He was the ACC Champion and national qualifier in 2010, winning twenty-eight matches. He went just 16-9 over the last two seasons in limited action. So far this season, he is 10-1 and won the Cleveland State Open. He is also ranked twenty-eighth in the country.

285 Pounds – Derek Papagianopoulos is redshirt sophomore and returning starter. He was 11-2 last season before suffering an injury. As a redshirt, he won twenty-two matches and placed in five open tournaments (second at the Wolfpack Open, second at the Shorty Hitchcock Open, third at the Appalachian Sate Open, third at the Edinboro Open, and fifth at the Clarion Open).

Follow @PackWrestle for results, or keep up with the dual via live stats here.

First 2013 Coach's Poll Released

Check out the video below to see the Wolfpack's ranked wrestlers...

Pat's Pop In: Special Guest Jamill Kelly

Mentality Monday

Pack Preview: Virginia Tech Dual

Mardel Gabriel vs. VMI

Tonight we take on American University at home in Reynolds Coliseum.  Match time is 7:00 - you can watch FREE here (live stats also available). 

Sunday we face what is quite possibly our toughest test of the dual meet season.  We take on conference rival, Virginia Tech at 2PM on Sunday.  Virginia Tech enters the weekend ranked ninth in the country.  Virginia Tech’s head coach, Kevin Dresser, has been at the helm for the last seven years.  He has built the program into national prominence.  Last season, the Hokies finished tied for eleventh place at the NCAA Championships with two All-Americans.  Currently, they are 9-2 in dual meets and are coming off a championship at the Virginia Duals.  They also finished second recently at the Midlands Championships.  They have four wrestlers ranked in the top twelve and another wrestler in the top fifteen (intermatwrestle.com).  Wrestlingreport.com has nine of Tech’s ten starters ranked in the top thirty-three.  Tony Robie is the associate head coach and has also helped guide the program for seven seasons.  The other assistants are Dave Hoffman and Eric Morrill.  Here is a look at their lineup…

125 Pounds – Jarrod Garnett (18-1) is a fifth-year senior and Virginia Tech’s highest ranked wrestler.  He is currently ranked fourth in the country.  He has one-hundred and twelve career wins (sixth-most in school history).  Garnett has won two ACC Titles and has been in the finals three times.  In addition, he has never lost an ACC dual meet in his career (14-0).  He has finished in the top twelve at the NCAA Tournament but is seeking his first All-American bid.  He won the Midlands Championships earlier this season.

133 Pounds – Erik Spjut (9-7) is a redshirt junior.  He finished third earlier this year at the Hokie Open.  He is ranked twenty-third in the country.  Last season, he won twenty-five matches and qualified for the NCAA Championships where he won a match.  He finished fourth in the ACC last season and is a three-year starter.

141 Pounds – Zach Neibert (15-6) is a redshirt junior.  He enters the dual meet ranked twelfth in the country.  He is 8-3 in dual meets this season.  He took fifth at the Hokie Open this season and also holds a win over returning All-American Tyler Graff this year.  He is in his second year as a starter and won twenty-two matches each of the last two seasons.  Last season, he finished in the top twelve at the NCAA National Tournament after finishing third at the ACCs.

149 Pounds – Nick Brascetta (19-2) is a sophomore who is ranked sixth in the country.  Last season he was the ACC Rookie of the Year after winning the conference championships and a match at the national championships.  He went 22-6 last season.  Earlier this season, he won the Midlands Championships and was named the Champion of Champions after defeating three returning All-Americans at the tournament.  He also placed third at the Hokie Open this season and is also 10-1 in dual meets so far this year.

157 Pounds – Jesse Dong (14-2) is ranked seventh in the country and is a fifth-year senior.  He has a hundred career wins (eight most in school history).  Dong is a two-time ACC Champion and three time finalist.  He missed almost all of last season with an injury but has been wrestling well this year and looks fully recovered.  He placed fifth this season at the Midlands Championships and is a perfect 9-0 in dual meets this season.

165 Pounds – Peter Yates (20-1) is a redshirt senior and a returning All-American (fifth).  He is ranked fifth in the country and is 10-0 in duals this season.  He is the third Hokie in the line-up with over a hundred wins.  He currently has one-hundred and seventeen wins (third most in school history).  Yates is a three-time national qualifier and was the ACC Champion last season.  This season, he won the Hokie Open and placed third at the Midlands Championships.

174 Pounds – Austin Gabel (12-7) is a redshirt freshman.  He finished second at the Hokie Open in his best outing of the season.  Last season, he placed in the Wolfpack Open (second), the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Tournament (fourth), and the Southern Scuffle (seventh).  He has won six dual meets so far this year.

184 Pounds – Nick Vetterlein (10-8) is a redshirt junior who is ranked thirty-first in the country.  He finished fourth at the Hokie Open earlier this season.  He has won six dual meets so far this season and won twenty-four matches last season.  Last season, Vetterlein won the Wolfpack Open, finished second at the Hokie Open, and sixth at the Penn State Open.

197 Pounds – Derrick Borlie (12-7) is a redshirt junior.  Borlie sat out last season after transferring from Wisconsin.  As a redshirt freshman, he finished 21-8 overall.  He took fifth earlier this season at the Hokie Open.  He is currently ranked twenty-fourth in the country.

285 Pounds – David Marone (9-6) is a sixth-year senior as he was granted a medical hardship for last season.  He is a two-time national qualifier and has finished in the top twelve at the NCAA Championships.  He was 5-0 last season before getting injured.  He was an ACC Runner-Up two seasons ago and finished with a 20-10 record.  He has won eighty-three career matches including forty-five dual meets.  He has won five dual meet matches this season.  Currently, he is ranked twentieth in the country.

The match will be live streamed on the Virginia Tech Website.  You can also follow our results on twitter @packwrestle.

Pack Preview: American University Dual

Joe DeAngelo 125 lbs.

American University is coached by Former NCAA National Champion Teague Moore.  Moore is in his second season at American.  Last year, he guided them to a 19^th place finish at the NCAA Championships with five national qualifiers and two All-Americans.  AU’s assistant coaches are Kyle Borshoff, Pete Friedl, and Luke Manuel.  The Eagles have won two of their last three dual meets and sit at 3-3 on the season.  They have posted wins over Harvard, Stanford, and George Mason this season.  Here is a look at their projected line-up…

125 Pounds – David Terao is one of AU’s best wrestlers.  He has a judo background so watch for trips and throws from him.  Terao is just a redshirt freshman but leads the team in wins (18) and falls (8).  So far this season, he has finished 2^nd at the Oklahoma Gold Classic, 4^th at the Keystone Classic, 5^th at the Las Vegas Invitational, and 8^th at the Southern Scuffle.  Last season, he posted a 22-6 record winning two open tournaments.

133 Pounds – Esteban Gomez-Rivera is a freshman starter for the Eagles.  He currently has nine wins and finished 4^th at the Oklahoma Gold Classic.  He was a two-time Florida State Champion and four-time state finalist.

141 Pounds – John Boyle is a freshman from New Jersey.  He finished 4^th at NHSCA Senior Nationals last year.  So far this season, he has 10 wins including a win at the Las Vegas Invitational over nationally ranked Cameron Jackson of Michigan.  His best shot is a single to the right leg.

149 Pounds – Kevin Tao is one of three redshirt seniors in the AU line-up.    He has been nationally ranked in various polls most of the season.  So far this season, he has 16 wins (3^rd most on the team), 6 pins (2^nd most on the team), and 5 major decisions (most on the team).  Tao placed 5^th at the Oklahoma Gold Classic earlier this season and also finished in the top 12 at the Southern Scuffle this year.  He is a returning National Qualifier that won a bout at the national tournament last season.  In the last three years, he has 70 career wins (not including his freshman year when he started for Columbia University).  He is good defensively and tough to score on.

157 Pounds – Mark Cirello is a redshirt sophomore for the Eagles and second-year starter.  He won five matches last season and has four wins so far this year.  Cirello is a leg rider on top.

165 Pounds – Phillip Barreiro is a redshirt senior who dropped down from 174 pounds this season.  Last year, he won eight matches.  Barreiro is having a breakout season as he finished 2^nd at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and is 5-1 in dual meets on the season.  He currently has 10 wins and is a four-year starter.  He wrestles very hard and is physical.

174 Pounds – Keithen Cast is a former junior college national finalist.  He transferred into AU this season from Northwest College.  Cast is a junior with 12 wins so far this season.  He placed a solid 2^nd at the Oklahoma Gold Classic.  Cast is a well-rounded wrestler.

184 Pounds – Thomas Barreiro is Phillip’s twin brother.  The redshirt senior has been a fixture in AU’s line-up nearly his whole career.  He has placed 3^rd at the Oklahoma Gold Classic both of the last two seasons.  Three of his twelve wins this season have come in dual meets.  Much like his brother, he wrestles a very hard and physical style.

197 Pounds – Devon Bradley is in his first year starting for American.  He is a junior from Florida.  He has wrestled in every competition for AU this season.

285 Pounds – Blake Herrin is redshirt junior in his first year as a full-time starter as he was behind three-time All-American Ryan Flores prior to this season.  Herrin won the Oklahoma Gold Classic and finished in the top twelve at the Las Vegas Invitational.  He has the second most wins on the team (seventeen) and the best winning percentage (.773).  His record is 17-5 and 6-0 in duals this season.  He has 62 career wins and was 17-11 last season.  He finished third at both the National Collegiate Open and the Oklahoma Gold Classic last season.  He has a good blast double.

Check out the GoPack.com press release on tomorrow's dual here.

Ranking Roundup

Check out this week's Ranking Roundup!

Amateur Wrestling News / The Open Mat 01.15.2013
#18 Nijel Jones (165)

D1CW 01.15.2013
#23 Sam Speno (133)
#24 Nijel Jones (165)

Wrestling Report NCAA D-1 Ranking 01.14.2013
#19 Sam Speno (133)
#21 Nijel Jones (165)

Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index 01.14.2013
#24 Sam Speno (133)
#22 Tommy Gantt (149)
#46 Matt Nereim (157)
#21 Nijel Jones (165)
#37 Patrick Davis (174)
#56 Mike Kosoy (HWT)

Wrestling Report Atlantic Regional Div. 1 Rankings 01.08.2013
#5 Sam Speno (133)
#12 Tommy Gantt (149)
#24 Matt Nereim (157)
#12 Nijel Jones (165)
#25 Patrick Davis (174)

Pat's Pop Ins

Mentality Monday

Mark your calendars for our first home dual of the season! THIS FRIDAY AT 7:00 THE PACK TAKES ON AMERICAN UNIVERSITY - Admission is free!

Gardner-Webb Dual Meet Preview

We take to the mats against Gardner-Webb tomorrow evening at 6:30PM.  This will be our third dual meet of the season and is in Boiling Springs, NC.  The Runnin’Bulldog wrestling team is led by Daniel Elliott in his first season as the head coach.  Coach Elliott has been an integral part of the GWU wrestling program for a dozen years, first as a wrestler, then as an assistant before becoming the associate head coach for two seasons, and ultimately as the head coach.  They have two dual meet wins on the season over George Mason and Belmont Abbey.  GWU is expected to start five seniors in the dual meet.  Here is a look at their line-up…

125 Pounds – Tyler Ziegler is a freshman from Ohio.  He has started in every dual meet so far this season for GWU.  He has two dual meet wins and eight wins on the season.  He finished in the top six at the Citadel Open earlier this season.

133 Pounds – Robbie Golde is local product from Charlotte.  He is a redshirt sophomore that is in his second year as a starter.  He has more than twice as many matches as he did last season and has improved a lot.  He is tied for fourth on the team in wins with thirteen so far this season with three of those coming from dual meets.  He placed sixth at the Brute Invite and was in the top eight at the Cleveland State Open.

141 Pounds – Davante Andujar is a sophomore from nearby Concord.  He has also improved a lot as he won eleven matches last season and has already won fourteen matches this season.  He is third on the team in wins and is also tied for the most dual meet wins on the team with five.  In addition, he won the early season Citadel Open.  He is 14-6 overall and 5-2 in dual meets this season.

149 Pounds – Ryan Medved is a fifth-year senior leader for GWU.  He was a National Qualifier two seasons ago after winning the conference championships.  He suffered a season ending injury last year and was unable to compete in the post season.  He has posted two twenty win seasons in his collegiate career.  He currently is riding a five match win streak.  He has six wins on the season in limited action and a 5-1 dual meet record.

157 Pounds – Alex Medved is Ryan’s twin brother.  He is a redshirt senior and leader on the team.  He was also a NCAA Qualifier two seasons ago after winning the conference.  He has eighty-eight career wins.  This season, he again leads the team in wins with eighteen (18-7 overall) with four of those coming from dual meets.  This season, he finished fourth at the Hokie Open, third at the Brute Invitational, and second at the Cleveland State Open.

165 Pounds – Justin Guthrie is one of the seniors on the team.  He is in his fifth year at GWU.  Currently, he has five wins on the season and two dual meet wins.  Last season, he finished 4^th in the SoCon.  He has been a fixture in the GWU line-up for a few years and posted nineteen wins last season.

174 Pounds – The Runnin’ Bulldogs have two wrestlers that could see the line-up tomorrow.  Freshman Hunter Gamble has been very successful as a true freshman.  Aaron Rabin offers a little bit more experience as a redshirt sophomore.  Rabin has started in most of the dual meets while Gamble has yet to wrestle in a dual meet.  Gamble is second on the team in wins and has placed in the most tournaments of any starter this season.  He finished fourth at the Brute Invitational, third at the King College Open, and third at the Citadel Open.  Rabin has one win on the season.

184 Pounds – Gray Jones is a freshman with eleven wins.  He is tied for the most dual meet wins on the team with five.  Earlier this season, he placed second at the Citadel Open.

197 pounds – Blake Slayer is a fifth-year senior.  He has ten wins so far this season.  This season, he has placed fifth at the Brute Invitational and third at the Cleveland State Open.

285 Pounds – Travis Porter anchors the team at the heavyweight spot.  He is a redshirt-senior with thirteen wins and he is tied for a team high five dual meet wins.  He has sixty-eight career wins and was an NCAA National Qualifier two years ago.  Last season, he finished third in the SoCon.  He took fourth at the Brute Invite last week and finished in the top twelve at the Hokie Open.

Photos from Campbell & VMI Duals

I finally got caught up on posting photos to the Photos page.  Full albums from the Wolfpack Open, Southern Scuffle, VMI Dual, and Campbell Dual are now linked.  Below is a small collection of photos, in addition to the GoPack press release from last night's victories.

Nereim vs. VMI (157)

Davis vs. VMI (174)

Peltier vs. VMI (184)

Cook vs. VMI (197)

Kosoy vs. VMI (HWT)

Gabriel vs. VMI (165)

Gantt vs. Campbell (149)

Jones vs. Campbell (184)

DeAngelo vs. VMI (125)

Speno vs. Campbell (133)

Hunt vs. VMI (141)

Jan. 9, 2013

Buies Creek, N.C. -

After starting the 2012-13 season with five straight tournaments, the NC State wrestling team competed in its first dual meets of the season Wednesday night. The Pack got the season off to a 2-0 start, first defeated VMI 35-6 and then downing host Campbell 27-13 at Gore Arena in Buies Creek.

In the Pack’s two victories, NC State collected two falls and eight major decisions in winning 16 of the 20 matches on the evening.

NC State (2-0) started its evening winning nine of 10 matches in its 35-6 win over VMI (0-4) . The Pack recorded one fall and five major decision wins in its nine wins for six bonus point victories.

The Pack got off to a fast start against VMI, winning its first four matches and jumping out to an 18-0 lead, with all four matches being controlled by NC State wrestlers from the start.

The meet started at 149 pounds, with sophomore Thomas Gantt getting the scoring started with a fall at 2:36 and giving the Pack a quick 6-0 lead and a lead it would never surrender.

The Pack then recorded three straight major decisions, and five in the next seven matches overall.

2012 NCAA qualified Matt Nereim recorded a 15-5 major decision at 157 pounds, then redshirt-freshman Mardel Gabriel jumped up one weight class to 165 pounds and brought home a 13-4 major decision, followed by freshman Patrick Davis’ 16-5 major decision win at 174 pounds to give the Pack an 18-0 lead.

Redshirt-freshman Bret Peltier, at 184 pounds, suffered the Pack’s first set-back, getting pinned and VMI was on the board at 18-6.

Sophomore Bill Cook got the Pack going again at 197 pounds, winning 7-4 to increase the Pack’s lead to 21-6.

NC State then recorded back-to-back major decisions. Feshman Mike Kosoy earned a 12-2 major decision at 285 pounds, and then junior Joe DeAngelo made his Wolfpack debut with a 16-4 major decision at 125 pounds.

The Pack closed out the win over VMI with freshman Sam Speno winning 8-3 at 133 pounds, and classmate Tyler Hunt also making his Wolfpack debut with a 8-2 win at 141 pounds.

NC State and Campbell (2-5) also opened at 149 pounds, with NC State’s Gantt started the Pack off strong once again with his 15-6 major decision to give the Pack an early 4-0 lead.

Nereim at 157 pounds also picked up his second win of the night, with a 6-4 win pushing the lead up to 7-0 after two bouts.

Campbell got on the board with a major decision at 165 pounds over Gabriel, 14-4 to close the score to 7-4.

The Pack answered with back-to-back wins. Davis also recorded his second win of the night at 174 pounds, a 15-5 major decisions. Junior Nijel Jones jumped up two weight classes to 184 pounds, and won 8-4 to push the Pack’s lead to 14-4 after five bouts.

Campbell would record a fall at 197 pounds over State’s Cook and close the gap to 14-10.

At 285 pounds, Kosoy continued the Pack’s winning ways with a 2-1 win in extra time. After no takedowns in overtime, Kosoy earned an escape to pick up three team points and push the lead up to 17-10.

Campbell answered right back with a 4-3 win at 125 pounds over DeAngelo to bring the score to 17-13.

Speno clinched the match for the Pack with a 14-3 major decision increasing the Pack’s lead to 21-13. NC State closed out the evening just as it start, with Hunt picking up a fall at 4:58 for the decisive score of 27-13.

The Pack will return to action this Saturday, traveling to Gardner-Webb for a dual meet against the Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m.

NCSU 35, VMI 6
149: Gantt (NCSU) pin Stewart; 2:36
157: Nereim (NCSU) MD Gottwald; 15-5 
165: Gabriel (NCSU) MD Darr; 13-4
174: Davis (NCSU) MD Dommert; 16-5
184: Jones (VMI) pin Peltier; 3:29 
197: Cook (NCSU) dec. Garcia; 7-4 
285: Kosoy (NCSU) MD LaPrade; 12-2
125: DeAngelo (NCSU) MD Herrera; 16-4
133: Speno (NCSU) dec. Onufruyenko; 8-3
141: Hunt (NCSU) dec. Goodsell; 8-2

NCSU 27, Campbell 13
149: Gantt (NCSU) MD Jorge; 15-6
157: Nereim (NCSU) dec. Rex; 6-4
165: Duggan (Cam) MD Gabriel; 14-4
174: Davis (NCSU) MD Cox; 15-5
184: Jones (NCSU) dec. McGiffen’ 8-4
197: Merickel (Cam) pin Cook; 1:04
285: Kosoy (NCSU) SV3 Nolan, 2-1
125: Montoya (Cam) dec. DeAngelo; 5-4
133: Speno (NCSU) MD Bidelspach; 14-3
141: Hunt (NCSU) pin Dahlstrom; 4:58

Dual Meet Season is Here! VMI & Campbell Preview

Tonight we wrestle VMI and Campbell University.  Here is a look at both teams…

VMI has been led by John Trudgeon for twenty-six seasons.  Chris Skretkowicz has been his top assistant for the past seven years.  New on staff this year is Ben Sprunger.  Coach Trudgeon has won 153 dual meets at VMI and the team finished 5^th in the Southern Conference (SoCon) last season.  They have only wrestled two duals so far this year.  Here is a look at their line-up.

125 Pounds – Armando Herrera-Dos Reis is the Cadet’s starter.  He is a true freshman with three wins so far this season.

  
133 Pounds – Andriy Onufriyenko is a starter as a freshman for VMI.  He currently has five wins.

141 Pounds – Ryan Goodsell is a multiple-year starter for VMI.  He is a senior with six wins on the season.  Last year he finished his season with seven wins.

149 Pounds – Zeb Stewart is a returning starter for the Cadet and is a sophomore.  He has five wins so far this year and won seventeen matches last season.  Also, he took fourth in the SoCon last season.

157 Pounds – Ted Gottwald is in his third year as a starter.  He won seven matches last season and has three wins so far this year.  He was named as a member of the SoCon All-Freshman Team two years ago.

165 pounds – Mark Darr is a freshman who is having a good year for the cadets.  He has nine wins already this season.

174 Pounds – John Dommert is a multiple-year starter and a senior.  He currently has five wins on the season and won nine matches last year.

184 Pounds – Johnathan Jones is a sophomore for the Cadets.  He has five wins so far this season.  Last year, his top finish was second at the Rat Rumble Open.

197 Pounds – Urayoan Garcia is a sophomore with eight wins on the season.  Garcia is one of the Cadet’s top performers and took third at the Wolfpack Open earlier this season.  He is a two-year starter and finished fourth in the SoCon last season. 

285 Pounds – Juan Adams is a junior and the top grappler on the team.  He has a team leading twelve wins so far this season after producing just nine wins in the last two years combined.  He has placed in the top six this season in both the Wolfpack Open and the Hokie Open.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Campbell’s head coach is Joe Boardwine and his assistant is C.C. Fisher.  Coach Boardwine has greatly improved the program in his three years at Campbell.  Last season, they won eleven dual meets and finished 4^th in the SoCon. Here is a preview of their expected line-up.

125 Pounds – Eric Montoya is Campbell’s top wrestler.  He is a freshman from New Mexico, where he was a four-time state champion.  Montoya has almost twice as many wins as anyone else on the team.  He has a 22-10 record so far this season.  Just last week, he placed seventh at the Southern Scuffle.  Also this season, he placed eighth at the PSU Open, won the Citadel Open, and finished in the top eight at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

133 Pounds – Tanner Bidelspach is a redshirt junior and is in his third year as the starter for the Camels.  He finished fourth in the SoCon last season.  He has started in every event this year and has competed at the Southern Scuffle, PSU Open, and the Reno Tournament of Champions.  Also, he finished in the top twelve at the Hokie Open this season.

141 Pounds – Brent Jorge is a redshirt junior and one of the top wrestlers on the team.  He had some early injuries that prevented him being on the mats for some of the early competition, but has returned to form.  He has seven wins so far this season all coming from tournament competition.  He is a very dangerous wrestler as he is capable of beating some of the best in the country.  Last season during his redshirt year, he beat NCSU All-American Darius Little.  Another option for the Camels is freshman, Michael Dahlstrom.  Dahlstrom started off the season at 133 pounds but has since moved up to 141 pounds.  He won three matches at the Wolfpack Open earlier this season.

149 Pounds – Daniel Luty looks as though he has established himself as the starter after seeing time in the line-up last year.  This is a deep weight class for Campbell as they have wrestled a few different wrestlers in dual meets at this weight.  He has four wins on the season and is a sophomore.

157 Pounds – Either Nick Rex or Brad Merriman could start for the Camels.  Rex is one of the top wrestlers on the team but has not competed since placing third at the Hokie Open and has a 5-1 record.  The redshirt junior won twenty-five matches last year and finished second in the SoCon.  If healthy, he will be a force for the Camels.  Merriman has started in three matches for Campbell this season and is also a redshirt junior with four wins on the season.  Merriman has been in the starting line-up a lot over the last three years.

165 Pounds – Paul Duggan is a sophomore with the second most wins on the team.  He has a 12-10 record this season and has started every competition.  He took second at the Citadel Open and finished in the top eight at the Reno Tournament of Champions.  He also saw time in the starting line-up last season.

174 Pounds – This is an interesting weight for Campbell.  Taylor McGiffen (freshman), Matthew Cox (redshirt senior), and Cody Ryba (redshirt freshman) could either be here or at 184 pounds.  McGiffen appears to be the cream of the crop and is third on the team in wins with a 10-8 record.  He won the Citadel Open at 184 pounds earlier this season but has since dropped to 174 pounds.  McGiffen is a freshman and started in four duals up at 184 pounds.  Ryba has six wins on the season.  He has started in every dual meet so far at 174 pounds.  He won the Citadel Open earlier this season at 174 pounds.  Cox has eight wins on the year with a top six finish at the Citdel Open at 184 pounds.  Cox, like McGiffen, started the season at 184 pounds and started in an early season dual at 184 pounds before dropping to 174 pounds.

184 Pounds – James Cook is a redshirt sophomore with three wins on the year.  He has yet to wrestle in a dual meet this season but has competed in three tournaments.  He won twenty-two matches last season and finished second in the SoCon.  Do not be surprised to see McGiffen, Cox, or Ryba up at 184 for the dual meet.

197 Pounds – John Merickel is the only senior on the team.  He is a four-year starter and enters the dual with seven wins on the season.  Last year, he finished fourth in the SoCon Championships.  Earlier this season, he finished in the top six at the Citadel Open.

285 Pounds – Joe Nolan is a sophomore and a returning starter for the Camels.  He has only wrestled in limited competition this season but has two wins.  Last season, he won 16 matches and finished fourth in the SoCon Championships.

Campbell wrestles VMI at 5PM tonight.  NCSU will wrestle VMI immediately after that dual meet.  Then, the last dual of the evening will be NCSU against Campbell.  Follow our results on twitter @packwrestle.  The Campbell University website will also livestream the dual meets for a fee of $3.95 (click here).

Click here for the GoPack.com press release on tonight's duals.