Wrestling: 2010-11 Season Review
April 07, 2011 03:06 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – In the wake of a 3-10 season from the prior year, the West Virginia wrestling program improved leaps and bounds during the 2010-11 season to secure its name as one of the top programs in the country.
After all, the Mountaineers finished with a respectable 9-6 overall mark, including an upset win over No. 8 Illinois, sent five individuals to the NCAA Championships and went 4-2 in the Eastern Wrestling League, widely regarded as one of the toughest conferences in the nation.
“Looking from an overall standpoint, I think tremendous progress was made over the course of the year,” said WVU coach Craig Turnbull. “In reference to the season before, I thought we were fortunate to not have to deal with as many injuries this year and our guys were healthy for the majority of the season.”
The strong year was capped off with the team sending five grapplers to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, where redshirt seniors Donnie Jones and Brandon Rader and teammates Matt Ryan, Nathan Pennesi and Shane Young represented the program well. Jones and Ryan advanced the furthest into the tournament, reaching the third and fourth rounds, respectively, of the wrestlebacks consolation bracket.
Although none reached the podium for placement at the event, Turnbull is confident the experience was a positive one for the team to build on heading into next year.
“We sent five guys to nationals believing that all of them had the potential to be standing on the podium at the end of the tournament,” he said. “It didn’t go according to plan, but I think the three guys returning (Ryan, Pennesi, Young) gained tremendous experience from it and left knowing what they have to improve on for next year.”
The highlight of the year came in early January as the team traveled to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to take on No. 8-ranked Illinois. After Ryan defeated No. 17-ranked Illini grappler Tony Dallago, avenging a loss to him at the Las Vegas Invitational earlier in the year, the squads found themselves tied at six apiece as the match had started at the 157-pound class. The Illini slowly pulled ahead 15-9 with two bouts remaining before freshman 141-pounder Michael Morales trimmed it to 15-12 with a 4-0 decision over Illinois’ John Deneen.
Rader, a two-time All-American, stepped onto the mat knowing what was at stake as he faced a difficult opponent in the Illini’s No. 7-ranked Eric Terrazas, whom he had lost to in December at the Las Vegas Invitational by a 9-4 decision. Unfazed, he quickly put Terrazas in a difficult position on the floor roughly 35 seconds into the bout and had him pinned at the 49-second mark as the team jumped in elation for Rader having earned the 18-15 come-from-behind victory over a top-10 program, its first such victory since 1994.
“We worked hard and competed toward achieving the goals we had set forth to accomplish,” Turnbull said. “We were a team that could compete at the top 15 level. With the win we had over Illinois, we showed we could compete with the best and wrestle at that level.”
In EWL play, the Mountaineers put together a solid 4-2 record with runaway victories over Clarion (39-4), Lock Haven (33-5) and Cleveland State (46-0) and a tough win over Bloomsburg by a 19-12 score. The team took a break from league action midway through to add a solid victory over a difficult Ohio team by a 24-13 margin. Although the team finished third in the league standings following the regular season dual meets, it rebounded with a second-place mark at the EWL Championships with 116.5 points behind Pitt’s 132.5.
For as many significant victories the team earned, there were plenty of should-have opportunities that were squandered at key times in matchups with ranked opponents. At the Sprawl & Brawl in Binghamton, N.Y., WVU lost a 25-14 match with No. 24 Rutgers and also had close losses in EWL play, falling to No. 20 Pitt, 21-14, and two weeks later to No. 20 Edinboro by a 22-15 score. In the first-ever “Beauty and the Beast” event for the WVU wrestling and gymnastics teams in a competition with Michigan State, the wrestling squad lost a close 21-18 match to the Spartans.
“Against Pittsburgh and Michigan State, it came down to the last match with the heavyweights that we lost by a slim margin to equal opponents,” Turnbull said. “There were some goals that were not met this season, but I think we showed at different points of the year that we do belong with the nation’s best wrestling programs.”
At two of the nation’s premier wrestling tournaments, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Reno Tournament of Champions, the Mountaineers represented themselves well with 23rd- and 10th-place finishes, respectively. In Reno, Pennesi came in second place overall, falling only to No. 2-ranked Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State in the championship match. Young also placed at the tournament, coming in fourth overall having wrestled a total of nine matches in the one-day event.
Like the end of every season, the program loses a group of seniors that gave their full effort to the program for four to five years. For Rader and Jones, it was stretched to six years as they were granted a sixth year by the NCAA to compete one last year having faced medical hardships throughout their Mountaineer careers.
Rader completed his time in a WVU singlet with 70 career wins while Jones finished with 65 over four competitive seasons.
“For (Brandon) Rader and Donnie (Jones), it was a solid run they had in their final year competing with the team,” Turnbull said. “Brandon finished as one of the fiercest competitors to ever don a Mountaineer uniform and forever left a mark on the program with his achievements. Before incurring serious injuries which slowed him throughout his career, he was a two-time All-American and showed tremendous heart and character to battle back.
“Donnie (Jones) is in a similar position. Having lost two years to injury, he kept battling back and was a great example for the team for displaying great character on top of great wrestling. He was also faced with different levels of adversity throughout his time here and did his best to work around injuries and prepare the best he could to compete.
“They’re both great examples of how you handle rough situations with honor and you do the best you can despite the circumstances. We’ll miss both of them not just from their wrestling performances but the character they always displayed.”
Also lost to graduation are redshirt juniors Matt Weston, Christian Mory, Kyle Eason and Robert DeSano, who made large contributions to the team since their arrival in 2007.
The Mountaineers gained valuable experience throughout the season after facing some of the top wrestlers in their respective weight classes at both the national tournaments and EWL competition. Up-and-coming wrestlers such as sophomore Young, redshirt freshman Pennesi, freshman Morales and redshirt sophomore Alex Meade discovered what it takes to perform at the highest level. Redshirt junior Ryan Goodman, senior Kyle Rooney and heavyweight Philip Mandzik progressed nicely over the course of the year and played solid roles for the team.
“There are some very good younger wrestlers in the program that gained tremendous experience this season and will be even better next year because of what they learned over the course of this season,” Turnbull said.
Other notables from the year include three first-place finishes and three second-place marks at the Washington & Jefferson College Open, and one second-place and two third-place finishes at the Navy Classic in November.
After a season of much improvement and with several wrestlers set to return, the Mountaineers are on their way to additional success in the 2011-12 season.
2010-11 Superlatives
Most Wins
Shane Young – 28
Nathan Pennesi – 24
Matt Ryan – 22
Best Dual record
Donnie Jones, 11-1 (.916)
Nathan Pennesi, 13-2 (.860)
Shane Young, 12-3 (.800)
Best EWL record
Donnie Jones, 8-1 (.889)
Young, Pennesi, Rader, Meade – 7-2 (.777)
Decision wins
Shane Young – 12
Ryan Goodman – 11
Donnie Jones – 11
Major Decision wins
Nathan Pennesi – 11
Shane Young – 8
Michael Morales – 6
Technical Falls
Nathan Pennesi – 3
Shane Young – 2
Brandon Rader – 2
Wins over Ranked Opponents
Donnie Jones – 5
Matt Ryan – 5
Shane Young – 3
Longest Win streaks
Donnie Jones – 11
Nathan Pennesi – 10
Matt Ryan – 9
Most Near-fall points
Nathan Pennesi – 101
Shane Young – 53
Matt Ryan – 48
Most Takedowns
Shane Young – 75
Donnie Jones – 75
Nathan Pennesi – 57
Most Dual points
Brandon Rader – 52
Matt Ryan – 49
Shane Young – 47
Most Falls
Matt Ryan – 10
Shane Young – 7
Brandon Rader – 5
Cameron Gallaher - 5
Fastest Fall
Matt Ryan – 0:43
Donnie Jones – 0:45
Brandon Rader – 0:49
After all, the Mountaineers finished with a respectable 9-6 overall mark, including an upset win over No. 8 Illinois, sent five individuals to the NCAA Championships and went 4-2 in the Eastern Wrestling League, widely regarded as one of the toughest conferences in the nation.
“Looking from an overall standpoint, I think tremendous progress was made over the course of the year,” said WVU coach Craig Turnbull. “In reference to the season before, I thought we were fortunate to not have to deal with as many injuries this year and our guys were healthy for the majority of the season.”
The strong year was capped off with the team sending five grapplers to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, where redshirt seniors Donnie Jones and Brandon Rader and teammates Matt Ryan, Nathan Pennesi and Shane Young represented the program well. Jones and Ryan advanced the furthest into the tournament, reaching the third and fourth rounds, respectively, of the wrestlebacks consolation bracket.
Although none reached the podium for placement at the event, Turnbull is confident the experience was a positive one for the team to build on heading into next year.
“We sent five guys to nationals believing that all of them had the potential to be standing on the podium at the end of the tournament,” he said. “It didn’t go according to plan, but I think the three guys returning (Ryan, Pennesi, Young) gained tremendous experience from it and left knowing what they have to improve on for next year.”
The highlight of the year came in early January as the team traveled to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to take on No. 8-ranked Illinois. After Ryan defeated No. 17-ranked Illini grappler Tony Dallago, avenging a loss to him at the Las Vegas Invitational earlier in the year, the squads found themselves tied at six apiece as the match had started at the 157-pound class. The Illini slowly pulled ahead 15-9 with two bouts remaining before freshman 141-pounder Michael Morales trimmed it to 15-12 with a 4-0 decision over Illinois’ John Deneen.
Rader, a two-time All-American, stepped onto the mat knowing what was at stake as he faced a difficult opponent in the Illini’s No. 7-ranked Eric Terrazas, whom he had lost to in December at the Las Vegas Invitational by a 9-4 decision. Unfazed, he quickly put Terrazas in a difficult position on the floor roughly 35 seconds into the bout and had him pinned at the 49-second mark as the team jumped in elation for Rader having earned the 18-15 come-from-behind victory over a top-10 program, its first such victory since 1994.
“We worked hard and competed toward achieving the goals we had set forth to accomplish,” Turnbull said. “We were a team that could compete at the top 15 level. With the win we had over Illinois, we showed we could compete with the best and wrestle at that level.”
In EWL play, the Mountaineers put together a solid 4-2 record with runaway victories over Clarion (39-4), Lock Haven (33-5) and Cleveland State (46-0) and a tough win over Bloomsburg by a 19-12 score. The team took a break from league action midway through to add a solid victory over a difficult Ohio team by a 24-13 margin. Although the team finished third in the league standings following the regular season dual meets, it rebounded with a second-place mark at the EWL Championships with 116.5 points behind Pitt’s 132.5.
For as many significant victories the team earned, there were plenty of should-have opportunities that were squandered at key times in matchups with ranked opponents. At the Sprawl & Brawl in Binghamton, N.Y., WVU lost a 25-14 match with No. 24 Rutgers and also had close losses in EWL play, falling to No. 20 Pitt, 21-14, and two weeks later to No. 20 Edinboro by a 22-15 score. In the first-ever “Beauty and the Beast” event for the WVU wrestling and gymnastics teams in a competition with Michigan State, the wrestling squad lost a close 21-18 match to the Spartans.
“Against Pittsburgh and Michigan State, it came down to the last match with the heavyweights that we lost by a slim margin to equal opponents,” Turnbull said. “There were some goals that were not met this season, but I think we showed at different points of the year that we do belong with the nation’s best wrestling programs.”
At two of the nation’s premier wrestling tournaments, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Reno Tournament of Champions, the Mountaineers represented themselves well with 23rd- and 10th-place finishes, respectively. In Reno, Pennesi came in second place overall, falling only to No. 2-ranked Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State in the championship match. Young also placed at the tournament, coming in fourth overall having wrestled a total of nine matches in the one-day event.
Like the end of every season, the program loses a group of seniors that gave their full effort to the program for four to five years. For Rader and Jones, it was stretched to six years as they were granted a sixth year by the NCAA to compete one last year having faced medical hardships throughout their Mountaineer careers.
Rader completed his time in a WVU singlet with 70 career wins while Jones finished with 65 over four competitive seasons.
“For (Brandon) Rader and Donnie (Jones), it was a solid run they had in their final year competing with the team,” Turnbull said. “Brandon finished as one of the fiercest competitors to ever don a Mountaineer uniform and forever left a mark on the program with his achievements. Before incurring serious injuries which slowed him throughout his career, he was a two-time All-American and showed tremendous heart and character to battle back.
“Donnie (Jones) is in a similar position. Having lost two years to injury, he kept battling back and was a great example for the team for displaying great character on top of great wrestling. He was also faced with different levels of adversity throughout his time here and did his best to work around injuries and prepare the best he could to compete.
“They’re both great examples of how you handle rough situations with honor and you do the best you can despite the circumstances. We’ll miss both of them not just from their wrestling performances but the character they always displayed.”
Also lost to graduation are redshirt juniors Matt Weston, Christian Mory, Kyle Eason and Robert DeSano, who made large contributions to the team since their arrival in 2007.
The Mountaineers gained valuable experience throughout the season after facing some of the top wrestlers in their respective weight classes at both the national tournaments and EWL competition. Up-and-coming wrestlers such as sophomore Young, redshirt freshman Pennesi, freshman Morales and redshirt sophomore Alex Meade discovered what it takes to perform at the highest level. Redshirt junior Ryan Goodman, senior Kyle Rooney and heavyweight Philip Mandzik progressed nicely over the course of the year and played solid roles for the team.
“There are some very good younger wrestlers in the program that gained tremendous experience this season and will be even better next year because of what they learned over the course of this season,” Turnbull said.
Other notables from the year include three first-place finishes and three second-place marks at the Washington & Jefferson College Open, and one second-place and two third-place finishes at the Navy Classic in November.
After a season of much improvement and with several wrestlers set to return, the Mountaineers are on their way to additional success in the 2011-12 season.
2010-11 Superlatives
Most Wins
Shane Young – 28
Nathan Pennesi – 24
Matt Ryan – 22
Best Dual record
Donnie Jones, 11-1 (.916)
Nathan Pennesi, 13-2 (.860)
Shane Young, 12-3 (.800)
Best EWL record
Donnie Jones, 8-1 (.889)
Young, Pennesi, Rader, Meade – 7-2 (.777)
Decision wins
Shane Young – 12
Ryan Goodman – 11
Donnie Jones – 11
Major Decision wins
Nathan Pennesi – 11
Shane Young – 8
Michael Morales – 6
Technical Falls
Nathan Pennesi – 3
Shane Young – 2
Brandon Rader – 2
Wins over Ranked Opponents
Donnie Jones – 5
Matt Ryan – 5
Shane Young – 3
Longest Win streaks
Donnie Jones – 11
Nathan Pennesi – 10
Matt Ryan – 9
Most Near-fall points
Nathan Pennesi – 101
Shane Young – 53
Matt Ryan – 48
Most Takedowns
Shane Young – 75
Donnie Jones – 75
Nathan Pennesi – 57
Most Dual points
Brandon Rader – 52
Matt Ryan – 49
Shane Young – 47
Most Falls
Matt Ryan – 10
Shane Young – 7
Brandon Rader – 5
Cameron Gallaher - 5
Fastest Fall
Matt Ryan – 0:43
Donnie Jones – 0:45
Brandon Rader – 0:49
Mountaineer Invitational Recap
Thursday, April 16
College Basketball Crown Recap
Thursday, April 16
Andrew Powdrell | April 15
Thursday, April 16
Coach Pat Kirkland | April 15
Thursday, April 16
