EWL Preview
March 07, 2008 11:06 AM | General
March 7, 2008
EWL CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
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| Jared Villers |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team will look to earn multiple NCAA qualifying bids this weekend as it competes in the Eastern Wrestling League tournament on Saturday, March 8, at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa.
After sending seven qualifiers to the NCAA Championships last season, the Mountaineers (8-5, 4-2 EWL) are anticipating another successful run in the league tournament as they return five wrestlers that have competed on collegiate wrestling’s biggest stage.
“I think it’s attainable,” says WVU Head Coach Craig Turnbull, who believes that this year’s squad can match last season’s success. “Our guys are prepared and got better as the year went on. They’ve wrestled very well in the latter part of the season.”
The EWL consists of seven schools that will be represented by 10 starters in each weight class. The top two finishers in each class will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in St. Louis, Mo., on March 20-22. After the tournament, 12 wild card selections decided by all seven coaches will determine the remaining wrestlers that will qualify for the NCAA field.
Last season, WVU finished second behind Edinboro with 104.5 points and had two individual champions in Brandon Rader (141) and Jared Villers (197).
During this year’s dual match season the Mountaineers finished third in the EWL despite losing two-time All-American Rader to a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 3 in WVU’s victory at Cal Poly.
A 21-16 defeat to No. 14 Edinboro and an 18-17 loss to No. 22 Pitt give the Mountaineers a second chance to put themselves atop the league if they can garner an EWL championship for the first time since 2004. Villers has enjoyed one of the most dominating seasons in recent WVU history. The Akron, Ohio, native finished with a 17-2 record in the regular season, highlighted by four consecutive technical falls against Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Pitt and Ohio. The three-time NCAA qualifier followed with a pin fall over Edinboro’s Pat Bradshaw and a major decision at Cleveland State to close out the regular season.
No. 14 Villers is the favorite at 197 pounds after going 6-0 in league action and outscoring his EWL opponents, 72-5. Perhaps his most notable achievement is winning the EWL Most Points Award after racking up a league-best 29 dual points.
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| Zac Fryling |
Zac Fryling hopes to finish his five-year career strong with another bid to the NCAA tournament. Fryling, along with Villers, will try to become the 10th and 11th wrestlers in the WVU wrestling program to make a fourth appearance at the NCAA tournament.
The 157-pounder had another solid season after going 11-6 overall, including 8-5 in dual meets. Wrestling in arguably the toughest division in the EWL, Fryling enters the postseason battle-tested after facing seven Top 20 grapplers this season, including a recent 1-0 defeat against top-ranked and defending national champion Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro.
Sporting a 79-33 career record, Fryling looks to add to his legacy as one of WVU’s strongest and most competitive wrestlers. He enjoyed a noteworthy stretch that gave him his second career EWL Wrestler of the Week award after defeating nationally-ranked Matt Moley of Bloomsburg in overtime, followed by a 13-6 decision over Clarion’s Travis Uncapher. Junior Kurt Brenner will try to earn his third bid to the Big Dance as he comes in untarnished against EWL foes with a 6-0 record. The Freedom, Pa., native won an EWL title his freshman season and is capable of duplicating that feat as he rides a seven-match winning streak.
Brenner climbs into the latest InterMat poll with a No. 18 ranking as he recently defeated No. 19 Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro in an 8-5 decision. A possible rematch is in store for Brenner if he can once again work his way toward the EWL finals at 184 pounds. The highly ranked recruit finished 14-3 overall by winning the close matches, as 13 of his wins came by decision.
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| Dustin Rogers |
Heavyweight Dustin Rogers faces a daunting task as he tries to work his way through a competitive weight class and earn his first EWL title. With five EWL grapplers ranked in the Top 20, the heavyweight class is perhaps the deepest and most challenging in the league.
Rogers is coming off back-to-back victories against nationally ranked foes. On Feb. 22 he defeated No. 18 Joe Fendone of Edinboro, 6-5, followed by a 2-1 decision over No. 17 Rashard Goff of Cleveland State.
The senior earned a bid to last season’s NCAA tournament as a wild card, and made a startling run as he fell one win shy of becoming an All-American. Perhaps his greatest achievement was defeating heavy favorite Ed Pendergast of Navy in an 8-3 decision in his 2007 tournament run. Having carried the reputation as one of the country’s best heavyweights, Rogers is no longer a dark horse in this season’s conference tournament.
“Every wrestler has a degree of difficulty in their weight class,” says Turnbull. “With Dustin, it is very competitive because there are four or five wrestlers in the heavyweight class who can really beat up on each other.”
Rogers went 2-2 this season against nationally-ranked EWL foes. His path to the title may have to go through No. 9 Mike Spaid of Bloomsburg, who holds a 36-5 overall record and defeated Rogers in their last matchup. Another match against Pitt’s Zach Sheaffer is possible as well, as he carries a No. 12 ranking and a 31-10 mark.
Junior David Jauregui (149) has qualified for the NCAA tournament twice and looks to make his third appearance if he can continue his success in the EWLs. Jauregui is 8-2 in the conference tournament in the past two seasons, but has never been crowned EWL champion.
Jauregui finished at 4-2 in the league and has the experience and talent to win his division. The Santa Ana, Calif., native faces a challenge from Edinboro’s Daryl Cocozzo, who decisioned him 10-5. Chance Litton (174) enjoyed another fine season after going 12-5 overall, including 4-2 in league action. The junior is third in the latest EWL rankings behind NCAA runner-up Keith Gavin of Pitt and Edinboro’s Phil Moricone, and possesses a relentless, aggressive style on the mat.
Litton finished third in the 2007 EWL tournament, falling victim to the new rule in which only the top two finishers in each weight class could automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament. But after another strong regular season, Litton has the opportunity to garner his first trip to the NCAAs if he can perform up to par in the postseason.
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| Donnie Jones |
Donnie Jones had a whirlwind season for the Mountaineers after struggling through the first half of the regular season. However, a 5-1 finish down the stretch against EWL competition puts him in good position to earn a bid to St. Louis if he can sustain his run.
Jones is quick on the mat and has made an impressive turnaround en route to a 9-8 finish overall. He is coming off a 5-4 decision over Marcus Effner of Cleveland State, who was picked as the second best wrestler in the 165-pound division in the preseason EWL rankings. If Jones continues to use his athleticism to his advantage and out-hustle his opponents, the once-injury plagued sophomore will have the opportunity to showcase his talents in front of a much larger audience at the NCAAs.
“I think Donnie has an excellent chance to qualify,” admits Turnbull. “I believe we have several athletes who can perform well in the tournament. It’s about getting your best wrestling in at this point of the season.”
