ST. MARY WRESTLING BUILDING TO GREATNESS, TRIO OF YOUNG STARS LEAD THE WAY

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St. Mary, a small Catholic high school in Rutherford, New Jersey (arguably the toughest wrestling state in the country) – who just reinitiated their wrestling program last year after an over-a-decade hiatus – is in the process of re-building its program. The team, which was a 4-time state champion program, seems to be on the fast track in its re-building under the leadership of head coach Rickey Redd, who had impressive college wrestling successes at Centenary University.

In its first year back, the 2022-2023 season, it was a difficult campaign, with St. Mary having a 1 – 16 dual team record. The lone notable accomplishment was netted by the team’s 144-pounder, Anthony Moreno, who was named the North Jersey Wrestler of the Week by one of New Jersey’s leading newspapers, The Record (part of NorthJersey.com) after he won a District Title. In an article about this honor, the publication wrote:

“Moreno became the Gaels’ first district champion since their varsity return with a successful run as the 4th seed at 144. He completed it in dramatic fashion by outlasting Phillipsburg’s Patrick Day, 7-6, in sudden victory.”

Building on this, the 2023-2024 Gaels’ season has seen noticeable growth. This upward movement, which yielded 7 dual team victories (and a few near-miss wins) is rooted in an almost full lineup (only a hole at 150 lbs), with three standout wrestlers at its core: freshmen Mario Del Vecchio (126 lbs) and Christian Stocker (106 lbs) have joined Moreno. Collectively, the trio have pounded out nearly 110 victories already this season. Here’s a breakdown on this powerful trio:

OUTSTANDING RECORDS

In the 2023-2024 season, the following records have been accumulated:

Mario Del Vecchio: 39 – 7

Anthony Moreno: 39 – 8

Christian Stocker: 30 – 9

STATE LEADER IN PINS

In January, NJ.com (which includes The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest circulated newspaper), published an article with the headline, “St. Mary (Ruth.) freshman leads state in pins.” That freshman – who is actually a true freshman – is Mario Del Vecchio, the team’s 126-pounder. At the time of the publication of that article, Del Vecchio was leading all New Jersey high school wrestlers – from every weight class – with 17 pins. By the end of the season, Del Vecchio increased his state-leading pin total to 35 pins.  He had the most pins in the State of New Jersey, for all high school wrestlers; tying him for that statewide lead was Joshua Baeza, a 12th grader from the Town of Kearny.

It seems that practically no one can get out of the first period with Del Vecchio, as according to TrackWrestling, he has the following pins this season:

9 sec, 11 sec, 12 sec, 12 sec, 15 sec, 18 sec, 18 sec, 19 sec, 21 sec, 23 sec, 26 sec, 26 sec, 31 sec, 35 sec, 38 sec, 38 sec, 40 sec, 41 sec, 45 sec, 48 sec, 50 sec, 51 sec, 1:01, 1:02, 1:08, 1:13, 1:30, 1:45, 2:06, 2:22, 2:26, 2:32, 2:42, 2:46, 3:09

In a social media post, Ken DeStefanis, a member of the United States Wrestling Hall of Fame who was a standout college wrestler and a 15-year head coach of a Division 1 program (the University of Central Connecticut), had this to say about Del Vecchio’s statewide pin-leading accomplishment: “Leading the state in pins is almost as good as being a state champ. It’s at least in the same category as a state placer.”

Ricky Marcus, the publisher of The Florida Wrestling Room (that state’s most widely read wrestling website/Facebook page), which covered Del Vecchio when he wrestled in Florida last season, said in a social media post, “To think he has more pins than any other wrestler in the entire state of NJ is mind boggling. But it really doesn’t surprise me…He placed in Florida [high school states] as a TRUE 8th grader…The best part about it is the fact that even in Florida last season, everyone knew what Mario Del Vecchio does but still could not stop it.”

It should be noted that Moreno and Stocker have also accumulated a significant number of pins this season.

Moreno pinned 24 of his opponents.

And Stocker pinned 18 of his opponents.

DEFEATING STATE PLACERS/STATE QUALIFIERS & RANKED OPPONENTS  

MARIO DEL VECCHIO

Since the beginning of last season (approximately the last 15 months), Del Vecchio has defeated an astounding 45 high school State Champs, State Placers, and State Qualifiers. In a press release ESN reviewed, it listed all of these 45 victories (which ESN verified on TrackWrestling & FloArena)—and which are listed below:

(1) Major 9-0 Kai Plinski (West Virginia State Champ) – Columbus Day Duals; (2) Major 11-1 Lincoln Kelley (Virginia State Champ /Placed 7th at NHSCA) – Columbus Day Duals; (3) TF 16-0 Malachi Ortiz (Florida State Champ; Placed 8th at Fargo) – Big Man Duals; (4) Pinned Jack Oliver (Placed 2nd at Florida States) – Cradle Cancer; (5) Pinned Nathanial Overman (Placed 2nd at Florida States) – Big Man Duals; (6) Pinned Gian Ortiz (Placed 32nd at Florida States) – FL State Championships; (7) Dec 3-2 Topher Pearson (Placed 2nd at Florida States) – Suwanee Gator Cup; (8) Pinned Blaine Reed (Placed 4th at Florida States) – FL Region Finals; (9) Dec 4-1 Eli Jolicoeur (Placed 4th at Florida States) – Suwanne Gator Cup; (10) Pinned Alex Oberc (Placed 5th at Connecticut States) – Waterway Duals; (11) Major 10-2 Alex Giglietti (Placed 5th at Florida States) – Cape Coast Conference; (12) Dec 9-2 Jasper Croom (Placed 5th at Florida States) – Addidas Nationals; (13) Major 9-0 Alex Giglietti (Placed 5th at Florida States) – ECW Championships; (14) Dec 5-0 Kyle Brown (Placed 6th at Florida States) – Ironman Tournament; (15) Pinned Kamren Griffen (Placed 7th at Maryland States) – East Coast Catholic Classic; (16) Pinned Gustavo Ferreira (Placed 7th at Florida States) – Kiwanis Invitational; (17) Pinned Al’zaveon Harris  (Placed 7th at Florida States) – FL State Championships; (18) Pinned Gustavo Ferreira (Placed 7th at Florida States) – Cape Coast Conference; (19) Pinned Jason Ramirez (Placed 8th at Florida States) – FL State Championships; (20) Pinned James Oliver (Placed 8th at Florida States) – Suwanne Gator Cup; (21) Maj 11-1 Brody Bogues (New Jersey State Qualifier) – NJ Officials Association Tournament; (22) Pinned Joseph Keeler (New Jersey State Qualifier) – New Jersey Regions; (23) Dec 3-2 Cole Rose (New Jersey State Qualifier/Nuway National Champ) – Columbus Day Duals; (24) Dec Joseph Keeler 7-0 (New Jersey State Qualifier) – Bergen County Tournament; (25) Pinned Ashton Kriss (Pennsylvania State Qualifier) – Waterway Duals; (26) Dec 14-13 Chris Manganiello (Connecticut State Qualifier) – East Coast Catholic Classic; (27) Pinned Kyle Pearson (Florida State Qualifier) – Kiwanis Invitational; (28) Pinned Brennan Ferguson (North Carolina State Qualifier) – Body Armor State Games; (29) Pinned James Aguilar (Florida State Qualifier) – Brandon Tournament; (30) Dec 12-5 Connor Harris (Florida State Qualifier) – Cradle Cancer; (31) Pinned Aaron Horr (Florida State Qualifier) – Florida District Finals; (32) Pinned Isaak Rodriguez (Florida State Qualifier) – Kiwanis Invitational; (33) Pinned Ethan Reilly (Florida State Qualifier) – Gauntlet on the Grove; (34) Major 10-1 Kyle Pearson (Florida State Qualifier) – Florida Regions; (35) Pinned Nick Lamery (Virginia State Qualifier) – Columbus Day Duals; (36) Pinned Dylan Dangle (Florida State Qualifier) – Brandon Tournament; (37) Pinned Ashton Swanson (Florida State Qualifier) – Florida Districts; (38) Dec 5-1 Ethan Reilly (Florida State Qualifier) – Adidas Nationals Prelim-Matches; (39) Pinned Kaden Barrial (Florida State Qualifier) – Merrit Island Dual; (40) Dec 7-0 Jacob Economon (North Carolina State Qualifier) – Body Armor State Games; (41) Pinned Ethan Reilly (Florida State Qualifier) – Florida Regions; (42) Dec 10-4 Vincenzo Lee (Florida State Qualifier) – Brandon Tournament; (43) TF 15-0 Stunner Hutchinson (Georgia State Qualifier) – Brunswick Tournament; (44) Pinned Ethan Warchol (Florida State Qualifier) – Knockout Summer Slam; (45) and (46) Pinned Coleman Finn (Connecticut State Qualifier) – Waterway Duals.

From the above list and beyond it, Del Vecchio has defeated several currently-ranked wrestlers in New Jersey: #8 at 126 lbs (Cole Rose); #21 at 132 lbs (Joseph Keeler); #25 at 126 lbs (CJ Anzaldo); #27 at 126 lbs (Jaton Wellington); #30 at 126 lbs (Lucas Silvestre); #30 at 120 lbs (Brody Bogues); and #32 at 126 lbs (Santino Leon). After pinning Maryland State Placer Kamren Griffen in the semi-finals at the East Coast Catholic Classic (a national tournament in Virginia) in January, Del Vecchio handed Connecticut’s #1 ranked 126-pounder Chris Manganiello his only season’s loss in a raucous 14-13 finals match victory.

ANTHONY MORENO

Since the beginning of last season (approximately the last 12 months), Moreno has defeated 6 State Qualifiers: (1) Dec 7-3 Xavier Ortega (New Jersey State Qualifier) – Waterway Duals; (2) Dec 3-2 Waylan Winnseman (New York State Qualifier) – Waterway Duals; (3) Dec 3-1 Patrick Day (New Jersey State Qualifier) – NJ District Finals; (4) Major 10-1 Walter Smith (Virginia State Qualifier) – East Coast Catholic Classic; (5) Dec 3-1 James Conklin (New Jersey State Qualifier) – Garfield Tournament 2022; and (6) Dec 7-5 Chris Fojon (New Jersey State Qualifier) – Bergen County Tournament, enacting a retribution win after Fojon had pinned Moreno earlier in the same tournament.

From the above list and beyond it, Moreno has defeated multiple currently-ranked wrestlers in New Jersey: #11 at 132 lbs (Xavier Ortega); #19 at 150 lbs (James Conklin); #20 at 144 lbs (Chris Fojon); #28 at 157 lbs (Patrick Day); #31 at 144 lbs (Brady Dransfield); and #31 at 157 lbs (Tommy Kousis).

CHRISTIAN STOCKER

Stocker wrestled in middle school last season. This season, he has defeated – 3 different times – #31 ranked Johnny Emes (106 lbs); two of those wins were by pins. Also, at the Columbus Day Duals, he majored 8-0 Tyler Campbell (Massachusetts State Qualifier)—and at the Waterway Duals, he pinned Bennet Palmeri (New York State Qualifier).

TOURNAMENT SUCCESSES THIS SEASON

Del Vecchio – a State Qualifier – took 3rd Place in the Regions in New Jersey this season. Winning the 1st place medal at the East Coast Catholic Classic (national tournament in Virginia), Del Vecchio also made it to the semi-finals (and took 5th place) at the Bergen County Tournament (perhaps most difficult county tournament in the country), won 1st place at the Rumble in the Pines Tournament, and took 2nd place at the Garfield Holiday Tournament.

Moreno – a State Qualifier – placed 2nd  at the East Coast Catholic Classic (national tournament in Virginia), took 3rd place at the Bergen County Tournament (perhaps most difficult county tournament in the country), took 4th Place in the Regions, won 1st place at the Garfield Holiday Tournament, and won 1st place at the Rumble in the Pines Tournament.

Stocker took home a 5th place medal at the East Coast Catholic Classic (national tournament in Virginia), to go along with a 7th place medal at the Bergen County Tournament (perhaps most difficult county tournament in the country), and a 2nd place medal at the Rumble in the Pines Tournament.

LAST SEASON’S ACCOMPLSIHMENTS

In the 2022-2023 season – as an 8th grader – Del Vecchio placed 6th in the High School States in Florida. He was also a High School Region Champ, County Champ, and District Champ, with a 40 – 8 record (with 32 pins). Del Vecchio was also named First Team High School All-County by the Florida Today/USA Today newspaper (only 8th grader named).

In the 2022-2023 season, Moreno was 25 – 5 (11 pins). He added a District Champ title to that season.

Stocker wrestled in the New Jersey Middle School States in the 2022-2023 season, netting two victories in that tournament.

RANKINGS (NATIONAL & STATE)

Del Vecchio is ranked both on the national level and the state level…Nationally, he is ranked #6 in the nation for freshmen at 126 lbs on MatScouts’ Big Board; he is ranked #87 in the country overall – for freshmen in all weight classes – on MatScouts’ Big Board…On the state level in New Jersey, he was ranked #9 in his 126 lbs weight class – for all high school wrestlers, of all grades, in New Jersey – in NJ Wrestling Times’ Top 32. And he was ranked in the top 20 for his 126 lbs weight class – for all high school wrestlers, of all grades, in New Jersey – on Full Circle/Rokfin…And before he moved to New Jersey this past August, he was ranked #1 in the Florida 2023/2024 H.S. pre-season rankings at 120 lbs 1A by both Florida ranking organizations (The Florida Wrestling Room & Kabra Wrestling).

Moreno was ranked #22 in his 144 lbs weight class – for all high school wrestlers, of all grades, in New Jersey – in NJ Wrestling Times’ Top 32. And he was ranked in the top 20 for his 144 lbs weight class – for all high school wrestlers, of all grades, in New Jersey – on Full Circle/Rokfin.

Stocker was ranked #26 in his 106 lbs weight class – for all high school wrestlers, of all grades, in New Jersey – in NJ Wrestling Times’ Top 32.

OVERALL TEAM OUTLOOK

A few other St. Mary wrestlers to note: this season, Alfredo Bermudez (157 lbs) had a 22 – 16 record. Bermudez took home a 6th place medal at the East Coast Catholic Classic (national tournament in Virginia) and added a 2nd place medal at the Rumble in the Pines Tournament; he was also a Region Qualifier. Nasir Owens (175 lbs) was 13 – 7, D’Var David (113 lbs) was 15 – 16 (and placed 5th at Rumble in the Pines Tournament), and Landon Pena (285 lbs) was 14 – 15.

St. Mary placed 15th (out of 41 teams) at the Bergen County Tournament. The team also made it to the Non-Public B State Sectional Tournament this season (seeded 8th), but took a loss in the first round, in a close dual meet, to Holy Cross High School. With that – and the accomplishments of the star power detailed in this article – Coach Redd has seen a lot of successes for St. Mary’s re-minted wrestling program in a very short period of time. There are a lot of wrestling successes to look forward to from these individuals and this team.

COACH SPOTLIGHT: DREXEL UNIVERSITY’S MATT AZEVEDO

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Drexel University had a 10 – 8 team record during the 2022- 2023 season. Drexel wrestling head coach Matt Azevedo’s bio, as found on the Drexel Wrestling Team’s website (this may not be updated to include 2022 – 2023 statistics):
 
Matt Azevedo, the Mert and Joanne Hill Head Coach of Wrestling, is in his 12th season as head coach of Drexel Wrestling after joining the Dragons in April 2011 following successful coaching stints at Cornell and Cal Poly. Azevedo has led the program’s resurgence and ushered in a new era of Drexel Wrestling in the EIWA. The 2020 inductee into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame is the eighth head coach in the school’s history and replaced Jack Childs, who retired after 35 seasons at Drexel.
 
The Dragons have climbed onto the national scene and into the national rankings under Azevedo. The Dragons earned their first USA Today/NWCA DI Coaches Poll national ranking under Azevedo and remained ranked in the Top 25 for six weeks during the 2016-17 season. The following year, the Dragons finished the 2017-18 regular season ranked in the top 25 of four separate polls – USA Today/NWCA DI Coaches, FloWrestling, Intermat tournament and Intermat dual – for the first time in program history.
 
On the mat, the Dragons have won 84 matches, including 10-win seasons under Azevedo’s guidance. In 2016-17, Drexel finished with 13 dual victories, its most since the 2006-07 season. The Dragons have taken down ranked nationally ranked opponents in three of the last seven years – No. 21 Rider, 18-14, in Feb. 2018; No. 25 Princeton in Dec. 2016; and No. 20 Northwestern, 21-20, in Nov. 2015. Drexel also dramatically came back to tie the overall score at 20-20 on a late third-period pin against No. 5 Lehigh in Dec. 2017, despite the Mountain Hawks winning on criteria. The Dragons also recorded major victories over Penn in 2016, their first since 1989, against Hofstra in 2013, their first since 1997, and against Binghamton in 2020, their first since 2006.
 
Azevedo has coached 41 NCAA Wrestling Championships qualifiers in his first 12 seasons at the helm.  In 2023, three Dragons qualified for the national tournament in Tulsa, Okla. Mickey O’Malley earned his fourth consecutive appearance and Evan Barczak his third. Brian Bonino, automatically qualified, collecting his first ticket and came within one win of All-American status. Despite having the 2019-20 season cut short and the 2020-21 season shortened due to the pandemic, the Dragons had all 10 wrestlers place at the EIWA Championships for the first time in program history and sent a program-best (tied with 2002 season) six wrestlers  to the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis. Parker Kropman (157) Michael O’Malley (174), and Bryan McLaughlin (197) each qualified for their second appearance in tournament while Julian Flores (141), Luke Nichter (149) and Evan Barczak (165) each received their first automatic bid to NCAA’s. During the 2022 season, O’Malley made his third-straight NCAA appearance and came within one win of All-American status. He was joined at the NCAA Championships by Barczak for the second straight year. In 2020, Antonio Mininno (125), O’Malley (174) and Bryan McLaughlin (197) earned automatic bids to their first-ever championships, and Ebed Jarrell (165) received an at-large selection to the tournament. Additionally, Parker Kropman (157) was named the first alternate at his weight class. In 2019, Drexel qualified four Dragons for the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh: Kropman (149), Jarrell (165), Stephen Loiseau (197) and Joey Goodhart (285). In 2018, the Dragons sent a then program-best five wrestlers to Cleveland, Ohio for NCAAs.

Four Dragons have gone on to win conference championships during Azevedo’s tenure, including three since the school joined the EIWA. O’Malley was the school’s latest winner after taking home the EIWA title at 174 in 2022. Matt Cimato won the EIWA title at 149 pounds in 2016, the year after Kevin Devoy won the EIWA title at 133 pounds in 2015. In 2013, 197-pounder Brandon Palik became Drexel’s final CAA champion. The Dragons have seen the EIWA podium become commonplace over the last eight years as 51 wrestlers have placed at the conference tournament. In 2021, Drexel had all 10 wrestlers place at EIWA’s, passing the previous program-record eight in 2018. The Dragons performance was highlighted by a second-place finish by O’Malley (174), a third place finish by Nichter (149) and three fourth-place finishes by Flores (141), McLaughlin (197) and Barczak (165).

In the classroom, Drexel Wrestling has been a standout academic program in the nation. Drexel finished as an NWCA DI Top 30 All-Academic Team eight of the last nine seasons and has boasted the nation’s best team GPA twice. In 2021, the Dragons earned a spot as the seventh highest GPA in the nation at 3.46 and led the list of individual honorees. In 2020, the Dragons claimed high honors with a 3.59 GPA. The year prior, the Dragons were the top academic DI wrestling team in the country with a program-best 3.63 GPA. The Dragons have had 32 NWCA Academic All-America individual selections during that time, including 10 in 2021. They have also had 47 wrestlers have earned EIWA All-Academic Team selections since the award began in 2016, including eight in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Also, 11 wrestlers have been named Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area At-Large Team selections, including Jarrell in 2020 when he was named a co-performer of the year. Jarrell capped a stellar five-year career in University City with an appearance on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 Men’s At-Large Team.

While at Cornell, Azevedo helped the Big Red earn nine All-America honors, nine EIWA champions and seven Academic All-Americans. He also guided the team to back-to-back second-place finishes at the NCAA championships, which marked the best performance in school history. Prior to his time at Cornell, Azevedo spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Cal Poly, where he coached seven All-Americans and eight Pac-10 champions. He also helped guide Cal Poly to its highest finish in school history at the Pac-10 championships by placing second in 2004 and 2006.

Azevedo wrestled collegiately at Arizona State and Iowa State, each for two seasons. He advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons. Azevedo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Iowa State in 2002. He continued his wrestling career after graduation and went on to be a seven-time U.S. National place winner, two-time U.S. National Team member and won the 2008 U.S. Open National Championship.

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WRESTLER SPOTLIGHT: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN’S CAMERON AMINE

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  • University of Michigan’s Cameron Amine, who made it to semi-finals in 2023 Division 1 NCAA Championships at the 165 pounds weight class, ultimately finished 4th in that prestigious tournamnet this season. This earned him his third All-American honors, after being seeded 11th when he entered the tournament. Below is Amine’s bio, as found on the University of Michigan wrestling website (note that it may not be updated to include the 2023 – 2024 statistics):

    Senior/Junior (2022-23)
    • Academic All-Big Ten; NWCA All-Academic Team
    • NCAA All-American, 165 pounds
    • Claimed fourth place at the NCAA Championships (March 16-18) with a 4-2 record
    • Earned a 3-2 decision over Wisconsin’s #3 Dean Hamiti in the NCAA quarterfinals; also defeated Stanford’s #9 Shane Griffith, 2-1 SV, in the consolation semis
    • Took fourth place at Big Ten Championships (March 4-5) with a 2-2 mark
    • Posted a 16-5 record, going 7-1 in duals; missed several duals due to injury
    • Earned ranked dual wins at home against Ohio State’s #9 Carson Kharchla (fall, 9:21) on Jan. 27 and against Wisconsin’s #5 Dean Hamiti, 5-3, on a late takedown (Jan. 15)
    • Missed most of the first semester with injury; went 3-1 and took second at the Cleveland State Open (Dec. 11) in season debut
    • Served as one of four 2023-24 team captains

    Junior/Sophomore (2021-22)
    • Academic All-Big Ten; NWCA All-Academic Team
    • NCAA All-American, 165 pounds
    • Claimed fourth place at the NCAA Championships (March 17-19) with a 4-2 record
    • Earned a 3-1 overtime decision over Iowa’s #3 Alex Marinelli in the NCAA quarterfinals; also defeated Wisconsin’s #4 Dean Hamiti, 7-5, in the consolation semis
    • Placed second at Big Ten Championships (March 4-5) with a 3-1 mark; fell to Iowa’s #2 Alex Marinelli, 2-1, in the championship match
    • Defeated Ohio State’s #4 Carson Kharchla, 3-1 SV, in the Big Ten semifinals
    • Earned a career-best 20 wins; went 9-2 in dual meets, including a 5-2 Big Ten mark
    • Placed fifth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 3-4) with a 3-2 mark
    • Earned two overtime wins over Harvard’s #12 Philip Conigliaro, 3-1 SV and by fall 7:29, at CKLV

    Sophomore/Freshman (2020-21)
    • Academic All-Big Ten; NWCA All-Academic Team
    • U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award
    • NCAA All-American, 165 pounds
    • Claimed seventh place at the NCAA Championships (March 18-20) with a 5-2 record
    • First Wolverine freshman to earn All-America honors in four seasons (2017)
    • Placed third at the Big Ten Championships (March 6-7) with a 4-1 mark
    • Defeated Nebraska’s #19 Peyton Robb, 4-1, in the third-place match
    • Shared the team wins lead with a 14-4 record, including a 5-1 mark in dual meets
    • Used a third-period ride and turn to defeat Penn State’s #6 Joe Lee, 4-1 (Feb. 14)
    • Beat Rutgers’ Brett Donner, 10-4, in varsity debut (Jan. 8)

    Freshman (2019-20)
    • Redshirted season; competed unattached in four open tournaments
    • Captured the 165-pound title at the Edinboro Open (Feb. 1) with a 5-0 record
    • Runner-up at the Purple Raider Open (Jan. 19) with a 2-1 mark
    • Went 4-2 at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
    • Placed fifth at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 2) 4-2 record
    • Defeated Northern Illinois’ Izzak Olejnik, 2-1, in collegiate debut at the MSU Open

    Prep
    • Graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School (2019)
    • Captured three Michigan state titles, winning at 152 pounds (2019), 145 pounds (2017) and 125 pounds (2016)
    • Four-time Michigan state finalist; claimed runner-up honors at 152 pounds as a junior (2018)
    • Named the MHSAA 2019 Male Wrestler of the Year
    • Michigan recipient of the 2019 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award
    • Posted a career prep record of 167-15, including a 40-0 mark as a senior
    • Contributed to three straight DCC Michigan team state titles (2017, ’18, ’19)
    • Six-time Fargo All-American; reeled off five straight wins, outscoring his opposition, 53-2, to reach the semifinals in 2018 before an injury forced him to default out of the tournament
    • Two-time Super 32 placewinner (2017, ’18), including a runner-up finish as a senior
    • Honor Roll
    • Ranked as the No. 17 overall recruit by FloWrestling and No. 2-ranked 152-pound wrestler

    Personal
    • Enrolled in the School of Kinesiology, majoring in sport management
    • Born on August 3, 2000
    • Son of Sam and Tonya Amine; dad wrestled at Michigan (1988-90)
    • Has two siblings, Jordan and Breanna; Jordan wrestled at Michigan (2015-18)
    • Uncle, Mike Amine (1986-89) and cousins, Malik (2016-19) and Myles (2017-22), also wrestled at Michigan

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COACH SPOTLIGHT: PURDUE UNIVERSITY’S TONY ERSLAND

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•

2023 was a banner year for the Ersland era of Purdue Wrestling. After coming close on numerous occasions, the Boilermakers finally broke through the All-American barrier and put two on the podium at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa. Matt Ramos and Parker Filius became the 60th and 61st All-Americans in program history after wrestling to second and seventh place finishes on the national stage. Their efforts helped the Boilermakers to a t-20 finish, tied for the best team finish since 2003. Ramos was Purdue’s ninth NCAA runner-up and the first Boiler to make a final since 2006. 

• Has sent 56 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships … has matched a program high with eight qualifiers four times in the last eight years … Purdue previously qualified eight in 1993 and 2003 … the eight qualifiers in 2015 were the most since 2010 … has taken at least seven wrestlers in six of his nine seasons. 
• Forty-nine Boilermakers have placed at the Big Ten Championships under Ersland, with eight earning podium finishes in 2020 and 2021 … the eight placewinners match the program record and are the most since 2004 … Purdue placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships in 2020 (83.0 points), marking the Boilermakers’ best conference finish since 1992, and their most points since points 89 in 2004 … the Boilermakers finished sixth in 2021 (76.0 points), marking the first time Purdue finished in the top-six in back-to-back seasons since placing fifth in 1991 and 1992. 

In nine years, Ersland has secured 18 top-100 recruits and six top-25 recruiting classes … the class of 2016 was ranked No. 6 by FloWrestling, No. 7 by InterMat and No. 8 by WIN Magazine … the class of 2017 was ranked No. 13 by FloWrestling, No. 18 by InterMat and No. 22 by TheOpenMat.com … the InterMat ranking is the third highest for Purdue with records dating to 2004 … Ersland is credited with two of those top three recruiting classes: 2016 and 2017 … the class of 2018 was ranked 18th by FloWrestling and 25th by TheOpenMat.com … the class of 2020 was ranked No. 13 by FloWrestling, No. 20 by InterMat and No. 22 by MatScouts … the class of 2021 was ranked 17th by WIN Magazine, No. 20 by InterMat and No. 22 by MatScouts… the 2023 class was one of the best of the lot, earning a No. 13 ranking from Intermat, FloWrestling and MatScouts. 
 
• Ersland’s squad had ranked in 38 straight NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll’s, dating from Nov. 12, 2019 to October 28, 2022, and had received votes in 73 consecutive polls, every week since the final poll of the 2016-17 season until the 2022 season … the Boilermakers have climbed as high as No. 12 in the nation during the streak, the program’s highest ranking in 23 years (1/27/1999) … Purdue finished the 2019-20 season ranked 15th in the country, the best final ranking for an Ersland-coached team and the top end-of-season mark for the Boilermakers since 2012-13 (No. 14) … The Boilermakers were tabbed 18th in the 2018-19 preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking since 1991-92.
 
• For three straight years (2019-22), Purdue has had as many as eight nationally ranked wrestlers at one time … it was the first time on record in program history the feat had been accomplished when the team did it during the 2019-20 season … all three of those seasons, nine wrestlers earned a national ranking at some point during the season. 
 
• 94 Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors have been earned by 41 Boilermaker wrestlers … has twice broken program highs in number of honorees, first with 10 in 2015-16 and then 13 in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
 
• The 2018-19 squad was ranked 18th on the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s Top-30 Scholar All-American Teams list … it was the first time since 2013 Purdue made the list and was the second highest ranked team among six Big Ten Conference programs among the top 30 … the team repeated its top-30 showing in 2019-20, ranking 28th, and was again 1-of-2 Big Ten teams.
 
• Five Boilermakers were named NWCA Division I Scholar All-American Award winners in 2018-19 and 2021-22, setting a new standard for Purdue wrestling … Max Lyon became the second wrestler in Purdue history to be a four-time Scholar All-American and the first under Ersland … during Ersland’s tenure, 11 Boilermakers have been named NWCA Division I Scholar All-American Award winners a combined 20 times.
 
• Four of Ersland’s wrestlers have received the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, a $7,500 scholarship to be used towards graduate degree education: Andrew Hoselton (2016), Ben Thornton (2019), Dylan Lydy (2020), and Thomas Penola (2023). 
 
• Coach Matt Ramos to the 2023 U.S. Open Senior Freestyle Championship at 57 kg … Coached Kendric Maple to the 2017 U.S. Open Men’s Freestyle National Championships title at 61 kg … coached Griffin Parriott to the 2017 UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships title at 70 kg.
 
• Put two Boilermakers on the top of the podium at the 2019 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, marking the first time in program history as Dylan Lydy won the 174-pound championship and Christian Brunner earned the 197-pound crown … coached 2015 Midlands 165-pound title winner Chad Welch to give Purdue its first Midlands champ since 1963 … coached the first two-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Week in Purdue history in Danny Sabatello (2014-15).
 
• At the 2017 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships a program-record seven wrestlers placed, crushing the previous high of four from 2008, 2006 and 1990 … as a team, the Boilermakers totaled 84 points to place seventh … the 84 points are the most they have ever scored at Midlands, topping 2008’s performance of 82.5 points … they combined to score 367 total match points, which was the fifth most among all teams.
 
• Matched the program’s best team finish at the 2019 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, placing fifth with 92.5 points, the most ever for the Boilermakers since they began attending the tournament in 2002 … had three individuals advance to the finals as Dylan Lydy won the 174-pound championship, while Devin Schroder and Christian Brunner were runner-up at 125 and 197, respectively … had five individuals place, matching the program’s best mark set in 2004.
 
• In 2015, Tony Ersland was one of nine head coaches that were in their first season as a Division I head coach and one of 13 coaches that were in their first year at the helm of their respective program … his eight NCAA qualifiers were the most among both groups … he was also the only coach among both groups to have his team in the final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.

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WRESTLER SPOTLIGHT: INDIANA TECH UNIVERSITY’S CONNER GIMSON

• Features, National News, Wrestlers Corner • 0
  • Class:  Junior
  • Weight Class:  133
  • Hometown:  Elkhart, Ind.
  • High School: Jimtown HS
  • Major:  Criminal Justice

2020-21: Went 8-2 as a sophomore…recorded eight two falls…NAIA National Champion at 133-lbs…WHAC Runner-Up to twin brother Matt at 133-lbs…took first place at the Adrian Invite…WHAC All-Academic Team…NWCA Scholar All-American…CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.

2019-20: Went 26-10 as a freshman…recorded eight falls, two tech falls and two major decisions…earned NAIA All-America honors with an seventh-place finish at the NAIA National Championships, defeating twin brother Matt in a match of rock-paper-scissors…Sooner Athletic Conference champion, defeating Matt in the finals…took third at the Patriot Open, Trine Invitational and Indiana Little State Championships…NWCA Scholar All-America Team selection… Selected to the Academic All-SAC Team.

High School: Four-time varsity letter winner for the Jimmies…also played football.

Major: Criminal Justice

Personal: Twin brother Matthew also wrestles for Tech.

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COACH SPOTLIGHT: LEHIGH UNIVERSITY’S PAT SANTORO

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He played an integral role in the renaissance of the Lehigh wrestling program in the late 1990s. In his first year back, he led the Mountain Hawks to a school-record 23 dual wins, a second place EIWA finish, and was named EIWA Coach of the Year. In his 10th season, Bethlehem native Pat Santoro led the Mountain Hawks to the top of the EIWA, winning the program’s first EIWA title since 2006 and 35th overall. That accomplishment, plus a 12-3 dual season that resulted in a No. 8 final dual meet ranking, led to Santoro to earn NWCA National Coach of the Year honors. Santoro enters his 14th season looking to maintain Lehigh’s perch at the top of the EIWA, while molding the Mountain Hawks into a perennial top ten team and national championship contender. Santoro was hired in April, 2008 as just the eighth head coach in program history. He holds the title as the Lawrence White Head Coach of Wrestling at Lehigh.
A six-time EIWA Coach of the Year, Santoro has mentored two NCAA Champions at Lehigh, the second of which, Darian Cruz won the 125-pound title in 2017. He has led 20 individuals to a total of 31 EIWA titles, while guiding 17 men to 31 total All-American honors. Santoro finished the 2020-21 season with a dual meet record of 159-60-1 at Lehigh.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-21 was the most unusual of seasons. Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks through several preseason training starts and stoppages. COVID related cancellations shorted an already abbreviated season to seven duals, but the Mountain Hawks performed at their best at the end of February. Lehigh pulled away from the field to win its fourth consecutive EIWA team championship at Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa. The Mountain Hawks crowned four individual champions, including heavyweight Jordan Wood who became a four-time EIWA champion, and qualified all 10 entrants for the NCAA Championships. For his efforts, Santoro captured his sixth EIWA Coach of the Year award.
Santoro led Lehigh to its third straight EIWA team title in 2019-20, capping a strong 12-3 dual meet season that saw Santoro reach a pair of personal milestones. Lehigh’s 19-14 victory at Cornell on Jan. 11 was Santoro’s 150th as the Mountain Hawks’ head coach. A week later, Lehigh defeated Navy 23-9 for the 200th head coaching victory of Santoro’s career.
The 2019-20 season saw Lehigh defeat a pair of top five opponents in duals, as the Mountain Hawks opened the dual season with a criteria win over No. 4 Oklahoma State and closed it with a victory over No. 5 Arizona State.
A tight battle was expected at the EIWA Championships at Stabler Arena, but the Mountain Hawks rose to the challenge. Lehigh had nine place winners, five finalists and three champions on the way to its third straight team title. All three individual champions were repeat titlists, as Jordan Kutler and Jordan Wood won their third consecutive conference titles and Josh Humphreys won his second straight. For his efforts, Santoro was named EIWA Coach of the Year for the fifth time.
Despite the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament in Minnesota, five Mountain Hawks were recognized as All-Americans by the NWCA: conference champions Humphreys, Kutler and Wood plus juniors Brandon Paetzell and Chris Weiler.
For the 2018-19 Mountain Hawks, it was a matter not of how they started, but how they finished. A rash of early-season injuries and a challenging schedule led to an 0-7 dual start, but the Mountain Hawks rebounded winning nine of their last 11 duals. Lehigh knocked-off EIWA rival Cornell during the dual season and then beat the Big Red again at the EIWA Championships to secure the program’s second straight EIWA team title and 36th overall.
Junior Jordan Kutler and sophomore Jordan Wood won their second consecutive EIWA titles, while freshman Josh Humphreys also won an individual championship. The Mountain Hawks qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh and continued their strong finish to the season, crowning three All-Americans, while having two others fall just one win short of All-America status as part of a 13th place finish. Kutler earned his second straight podium finish while Wood and senior Ryan Preisch earned All-America honors for the first time.
The Mountain Hawks also achieved off the mat, with Lehigh ranking 15th among Division I wrestling programs in terms of GPA of their postseason starting lineup and six of Lehigh’s NCAA qualifiers were named to the NWCA All-Academic Team.
Santoro led Lehigh to its 35th EIWA team title and first since 2006 with an impressive 164.5 point performance in 2018. The Mountain Hawks crowned five individual EIWA champions and had all 10 wrestlers earn berths for the NCAA Championships. After leading Lehigh to its first league title in 12 seasons, Santoro was named EIWA Coach of the Year for the fourth time. He also led Lehigh to a top 10 dual meet finish as the Mountain Hawks posted a 12-3 dual record that included a convincing win over then-No. 4 Michigan while also pushing No. 1 Penn State to the bring in a 23-19 loss in front of a Lehigh home dual record crowd of 9,896 at PPL Center in Allentown.
Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Santoro was named NWCA National Coach of the Year, for Lehigh’s performance during the dual season and EIWA Tournament. At the national tournament, Santoro’s Lehigh team produced three All-Americans, with Darian Cruz becoming a three-time All-American, Scott Parker earning his second medal and Jordan Kutler reaching the podium for the first time. Three other Lehigh wrestlers finished one win short of All-America honors.
Darian Cruz’s national title capped a successful campaign for the Mountain Hawks in 2016-17. Lehigh went 10-4 in duals and finished third at the Southern Scuffle during the regular season. The Mountain Hawks competed in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series for the second consecutive season, avenging a loss to Rutgers a year prior with a 23-10 win inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Darian Cruz and Scott Parker won individual EIWA titles at the first two weights and both wrestlers went on to earn All-America honors, with Parker finishing eighth at 133 in addition to Cruz’s national title. Three other wrestlers fell just short of All-America honors as Lehigh finished 12th at the NCAA Championships. Seven Mountain Hawks qualified for the NCAA Championships with all seven winning at least one match.
Santoro earned his third EIWA Coach of the Year award in 2015-16. He led the Mountain Hawks to a 13-3 dual record that included Lehigh’s first win over rival Cornell since 2011. Lehigh went 7-0 against EIWA opponents and represented the conference in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Mountain Hawks finished second at the EIWA Championships with lineup bookends Darian Cruz and Max Wessell winning their first career titles. All 10 Mountain Hawks placed at the EIWA Tournament while nine wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Lehigh crowned three All-Americans at the NCAA Championships for the third straight year with Wessell and Randy Cruz earning their first career All-America medals, while Nathaniel Brown became a two-time All-American. The Mountain Hawks finished 14th as a team at Madison Square Garden.
In 2014-15, Santoro earned his 100th victory as Lehigh’s head coach when the Mountain Hawks upset eventual NCAA Champion Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the NWCA National Duals. The win over Ohio State was one of the highlights of a season that saw the Mountain Hawks go 14-6 in duals.
Lehigh’s lineup featured just two seniors but a strong core of sophomores and juniors continued to impress. Randy Cruz won his second EIWA title to help lead Lehigh to a second place conference finish. Nathaniel Brown reached the NCAA finals at 184 while Mason Beckman and Mitch Minotti earned All-America honors for the second straight year. As a team the Mountain Hawks finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.
Santoro led the 2013-14 Lehigh squad through the ups and downs that come with a young roster.
The Mountain Hawks’ regular lineup featured just one senior and no juniors but a young talented group managed to win ten duals. Lehigh enjoyed a strong EIWA tournament, with Mason Beckman winning an individual title to lead the Mountain Hawks to a second place finish. The young Mountain Hawks soared at the NCAA Championships with freshmen Darian Cruz and Mitch Minotti joining Beckman in earning All-America honors, giving Lehigh at least three All-Americans for the third time in four years. Cruz and Minotti were Lehigh’s first freshmen All-Americans since 2003 with Cruz also becoming Lehigh’s first true freshman All-American in 34 years.
In 2012-13, Santoro worked with a young team that battled through injuries and a string of bad luck and helped guide the Mountain Hawks to ten dual meet wins. Three individuals won individual EIWA titles including Randy Cruz, who became Lehigh’s first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. Under Santoro’s guidance Robert Hamlin became Lehigh’s 16th three-time All-American and reached the NCAA finals for the second time in his career.
Under Santoro’s direction, Lehigh continued to make strides in 2011-12. The Mountain Hawks finished eighth at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and once again had two finalists in Zack Rey and Brandon Hatchett. Lehigh crowned four All-Americans, its most since having five in 2004. At the EIWA Championships, Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks within a mere 2.5 points of the team title. Hamlin won his second straight EIWA title, while Hatchett won his first. Shane Welsh was the surprise of the tournament, capturing the title at 149 from the No. 6 seed. Lehigh’s three championships were its most since 2006. For his efforts, Santoro was voted EIWA Coach of the Year for the second time.
Santoro’s third season in Bethlehem proved to be his best to date on the national level. Lehigh returned to the top ten at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2006 with an eighth place finish. The Mountain Hawks crowned three All-Americans for the first time in five years and placed two wrestlers in the NCAA finals for the first time since 2003. Rey became Santoro’s first national champion and the 27th in Lehigh history with his triumph in Philadelphia. Lehigh enjoyed another strong dual meet season, going 15-6 and finishing eighth in the national rankings. The Mountain Hawks took second at the EIWA Championships with Hamlin winning an individual title, a precursor to his second place NCAA finish.
In 2009-10, Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks to a 16-3-1 dual record and a top-ten national dual meet ranking for most of the season. Lehigh had a record six place-winners at the Midlands Championships and reached the finals at the Virginia Duals for the second straight season. In March, Santoro guided Rey to an EIWA title and All-America honors with a third place finish at the NCAA Championships, the program’s first All-American in four years.
Santoro produced an immediate turnaround in his first season back in Bethlehem. The Mountain Hawks won their first 15 duals to start the season, including victories over the likes of Maryland, Michigan, Penn State and Lehigh’s first-ever dual win over Oklahoma State. The team’s 23-1 dual mark surpassed the school record for dual wins in a season. Santoro guided Seth Ciasulli and David Craig to individual EIWA Championships, while the Mountain Hawks finished second in the conference and qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.
Before returning to Lehigh, Santoro spent the previous five years as the head coach at the University of Maryland where he helped resurrect the Terrapins program, which in 2008 captured its first ACC title in 35 years; a feat which earned Santoro ACC Coach of the Year honors. That year, the Terps went 16-4 and entered the national rankings for the first time since 1993, climbing as high as No. 21. Under Santoro’s guidance, Maryland crowned its first All-American since 1997 en route to a top-25 team finish at the NCAA Championships. Santoro posted a 48-41-1 record in five seasons at College Park, including an impressive 33-9 dual mark his last two seasons.
Prior to his stint at Maryland Santoro served as an assistant at Lehigh for nine years, including eight seasons as the top assistant on Greg Strobel’s staff. During his initial tenure, Santoro was part of some of the most successful teams in school history. In 2003, Santoro was named the national Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, after helping guide the Brown and White to its third EIWA title in four years, and a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships, at the time the program’s best finish in 24 years.
Before coming to Lehigh, Santoro spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach at Duquesne and the two seasons prior to that as a graduate assistant at Penn State.
Regarded throughout the community as one of the sport’s top teachers and recruiters, Santoro has enjoyed success at every level of wrestling, both as a coach and a competitor. After wrestling for Bethlehem Catholic High School and taking a post-graduate year at Blair Academy, Santoro wrestled collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, where he became the Panthers’ only four-time All-America while capturing national titles in 1988 and 1989 at 142 pounds. A three-time Eastern Wrestling League Champion, he was the recipient of Pittsburgh’s Golden Panther Award in 1989, recognizing the outstanding athlete of the year.
On the international scene, Santoro enjoyed a stellar career which spanned nearly a decade. He was a four time member of the U.S. National Team between 1995 and 1999 and served as an alternate for the 1996 Olympic Team and the 1999 World Team. Santoro placed fourth at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, third at the 1992 Olympic Trials and was runner-up in the 1992 U.S. Open Freestyle Championships.
Santoro earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pittsburgh in 1992. In addition to his Bethlehem roots and previous coaching stint at Lehigh, Santoro’s father, uncle and brother all wrestled for the Brown and White.
Santoro and his wife Julie have a daughter, Leah and a son, Mack.

Career Milestones
2021……. Led Lehigh to fourth straight EIWA title
…………… Named EIWA Coach of the Year for the sixth time
2020……. Named EIWA Coach of the Year for the fifth time
…………… Led Lehigh to third consecutive EIWA title
2019……. Led Lehigh to back-to-back EIWA team titles
2018……. Guided Lehigh to first EIWA title in 12 years
…………… EIWA Coach of the Year
…………… NWCA National Coach of the Year
2017……. Coached second NCAA Champion (Darian Cruz)
2016……. EIWA Coach of the Year
2012……. EIWA Coach of the Year
2011……. Coached first NCAA Champion (Zack Rey)
2009……. EIWA Coach of the Year
…………… Led Lehigh to school single-season record 23 dual wins
2008……. ACC Coach of the Year
…………… Guided Maryland to first ACC title in 35 years
2007……. Led Maryland to school record-tying 17 dual wins
2003……. NWCA National Assistant Coach of the Year
1995-03… Coached four EIWA Championship teams and four
…………… NCAA top ten teams as Lehigh assistant coach
1993-94… Duquesne assistant coach
1991-93… Penn State assistant coach
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INTERVIEW WITH BREWTON PARKER COLLEGE’S COACH DEVANE DODGENS

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Director of the Mens and Womens wrestling teams for Brewton Parker College, Coach Devane Dodgens is a young coach building a solid team with a system and methodology built on a strong foundation of learning from some of the best coaches in the sport and experience. He comes to us with coaching experience from 3 top 10 NAIA programs and is building a strong program in BPC. We are excited to have him over. Our interview with him is below.

After a competitive career with being a 2x AA you jumped right into the coaching, can you give us a breakdown of your experience after graduating and the lead up to BPC Director.

Coach D – My experience jumping straight into coaching was a fantastic one and set me up to be a great coach. I got to work under 3 college head coaches and did my time before taking a head coaching job. I worked under Jeff Bedard who is the Reinhardt men’s head coach ( they are 4x conference champs and qualified all 12 wrestlers to the national tournament the last 2 years, along with finishing in the top 15 of NAIA. Coach B taught me a lot about being confident in what I was teaching and getting to know the people that you are coaching better. Next, I got to learn under Jameel Bryant who is the head coach at Lindsey Wilson College. They are also a top 10 NAIA program and before Jameel got there he had help coach SEU to their best finish at nationals with 2 national champs. I learned that you can be fun and work hard at the same time under Bryant. I also learned everything about hand fighting and head outsides shots from him. Then I got to coach under the great Omi Acosta. (NAIA national champs and was voted coach of the year recently, funny side note I was his first All-American when I was actually good at wrestling !) Coach O reached you how to motivate someone to literally run through walls for you. He believes in setting the right structure and organization. The #LUCHA lifestyle isn’t just a phase, it’s a lifestyle and Omi truly believes in living it and passing it along to everyone he works with. Lastly, Nate Ethridge was someone I got to train and work under. I was a 2x state champ for him in high school. A lot like Coach Omi coach Ethridge cares more about just being a wrestler. He wants whoever he works with to be accountable and to grow in their personal lives.  The amount of time and technique he puts into each and every person he works with motivates me daily to continue to do better and do more.  taking my time and learning under these guys before I went to be a head coach is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Now going into what is I believe your 3rd year at BPC and 1st year as Director of both the mens at the women’s programs, what can you tell us about what to expect for the coming years?
‍
Coach D – Our guys team is in great hands under Coach Kenny Mason and I fully am expecting them back in the top 20 this year in terms of wrestling. I also am expecting them to compete in the duals and finish in the top 6. I think with the young guys we have it is very doable. From there I would like coach Kenny to keep building and instilling the culture that he thinks is necessary. I expect us in the top 10 by 2022-2023 in terms of grades and wrestling. I expect us to be one of the three great college men’s teams in Georgia. i.e Us, Reinhardt, and Life !!

And for our Ladies program, the time to use the “we are a young team” as an excuse is over. I expect 3/4 of my team to be academic all Americans and I fully expect us to finish in the top 10 this year. We have all the tools here with coach Cruz, Emily, and Jonchuck working closely with both programs so there are no excuses. My hope is to place ladies at UWW, U23, and have some national champs/ all Americans this year. We already got off to a good start but we need to do better and keep growing on and off the mat. My hope is to build a dynasty where young ladies from all over (especially Florida) can come and get an education all the while competing with the nation’s best and growing as people.

Along with coaching are you also looking for a run on the senior circuit?

Coach D – I am actually even if it’s just competing. The biggest drawback that coaches like coach Sword from life have is that they have competed in the main event. That experience alone is so useful in coaching and I just have not been able to get that yet. But I do have plans to make a run when the circuit restarts at the end of this year.

We are looking forward to having you over, what can you tell us about what you have lined up for us October 10th?


Coach D – I have our men’s coach coming down along with some of the ladies and men.  We plan on showing a different viewpoint on hand fighting, drills, and of course getting live wrestling in. We are basically going to try to take these young men and women through a college-level warm-up, drill, and get some matches in, so they know what they are expecting when they get to the next level.

‍‍Coach, where can student athletes who are interested in Brewton Parker being their next step reach you guys or get more info?

Women’s Head Coach and Wrestling Director

Devane Dodgens
231-580-6458
ddodgens@bpc.edu

Men’s Head Coach

Kenny Mason
229-300-7608
kmason1@bpc.edu

BPC recruit me
Women | Brewton-Parker College (Georgia) Athletics (bpcathletics.com)

BPC visitation- If times or dates don’t work please reach out to coaches
BPC Visit Page

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NEW STANFORD COACH KOLL ADDS ASSISTANT COACHES FRANCOIS AND JOSEPH

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By Daniel Sonninshine

New Stanford University head coach Rob Koll has added two assistant coaches to his staff. Dr. Enock Francois and Vincent Joseph will join him as part of the new leadership for the recently-revived Stanford wrestling program.

Francois has served as the Buffalo Stempeders Wrestling Club Director, based out of The Villages Charter School in Florida, where he also serves as associate head wrestling coach. Francois maintained an excellent wrestling career,  as described on the Stanford University website:

“Dr. Francois was a member of the U.S. Senior National Greco Team in 2017 and a Senior Nationals placewinner in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He spent time with Koll while training fulltime with the Cornell wrestling program from 2014-18 within the regional training center, and served as a coach with the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC). A 2016 Olympic Trials U.S. qualifier, he placed fourth at the 2015 USA Wrestling World Team Trials challenge tournament. In 2020, Dr. Francois was the Pan Am Games Ju-Jitsu Blue Belt Masters 1 champion and placed second at the Ju-Jitsu Blue Belt Masters 1 World Championships.”

In addition to his accomplishments in wrestling, Francois is also a dedicated educator, having earned a Ph.D. in education leadership from University of Cumberlands, Williamsburg, Kentucky. Besides coaching at The Villages Charter School, he has also served as the Special Services Coordinator for the past three years.  

Joseph also brings talent and wrestling accolades to the Stanford coaching staff. The Pittsburgh native is a 2020 graduate of Penn State. As described on Stanford’s website, “A three-time NCAA All-American, Joseph won the 165-pound national title as a freshman (2017) and sophomore (2018) before falling in the finals as a junior (2019). His senior year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships. He finished his illustrious career with the Nittany Lions with an 89-9 overall record, including 25 falls.” 

With these additions to the coaching staff, the future of Stanford wrestling is looking both promising and exciting. 

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NY Immigrant Clinton & NY Native Trump Clash Over Syrian Refugees

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By Jimmy The Saint

The Democrat’s leading presidential candidate is no stranger to emigrating from one locale to another in an effort to better her political position. After leaving her cushy First Lady post in Washington D.C., Hillary Clinton did a midnight flight to New York in order to carry out a last second run for the U.S. Senate. With boatloads of special interest money, biased mainstream media and uniformed, out-of-touch Hollywood support, Clinton easily shed the correctly appointed carpetbagger label and settled into the Empire State as if she were a real state resident.

This is perhaps why she is so sympathetic to allowing undocumented, Syrian refugees to float into American ports and fly into American airports – and stay on U.S. soil without proper, if any, investigation into their backgrounds, agendas, and motives. She got away with little scrutiny over her slip-into-town-unnoticed-trot-plot. So, why not laud others for doing the same.

Clinton said, “We have always welcomed immigrants and refugees. We have made people feel that if they did their part, they sent their kids to school, they worked hard, there would be a place for them in America.” She added that shutting out the 10,000 Syrian refugees that President Obama wants to permit (and the extended 65,000 she wants to allow in) would subterfuge “who we are as Americans.”

Clinton is, thus, a fan of permitting these masses of Syrian refugees into the U.S. Donald Trump, who has no illicit immigration past, says not so fast.

The Republican’s top ranked presidential candidate stated, “I’m looking at this migration, it’s a terrible thing. I have a tremendous heart, I want to take care of people,” but, Trump continued, “We have no documentation on these people.”

Trump’s concern is a valid one. How can U.S. officials determine the political, moral, and ethical views of these thousands of people when they don’t even know their identities?

One may argue that the U.S. government has no right to ascertain such personal views. That’s true if these individuals were already American citizens – and where their views do not rise to the level of engaging in criminal conduct (i.e. terrorism). Even an American citizen can be lawfully detained and questioned – and arrested – if law enforcement has probable cause to believe that views have transcended into criminal conduct. But, ahh, yes, there isn’t an assertion that all, most, or maybe even any of the Syrian refugees are engaging in criminal, much less terrorist conduct.

But another “but” – they are NOT American citizens. They did not even go through the process of getting visas. Their arrival in the United States has occurred without any vetting – and in a very volatile time. The hard, cold reality is that they come from a country where many of its residents hate Americans – and where many want to kill Americans. Syria is a nation that currently is infested with ISIS and other radicals. Therefore, it is quite rational to insist, at minimum, that before any of these refugees walk freely into and about the United States, they are thoroughly investigated by the U.S. government. It is rather confounding that Democrats like Clinton and her former boss Barack Obama – who so fervently want the government involved in voluminous unwarranted manners in U.S. citizens’ lives – don’t want the government to carry out one of its only true constitutional mandates: to protect our borders.

In other words, some of these Syrian refugees could be ISIS members pretending to be refugees. Such a fear isn’t “fear mothering” as many liberals babble. It is a logical, reasonable fear. And it is logical and reasonable to resolve this issue by not permitting these refugees unfettered entrance into the United States, but instead to do what New York native Donald Trump suggests: send them back to Syria and build a “safe zone” for them in their own nation.

Trump proffered, “In Syria, take a big swatch of land…and build a big beautiful safe zone.”

The American government, in concert with allied countries, can allocate funds toward creating and supporting this safe zone area. In doing this, the refugees can live in their own country. Such a plan would be much cheaper for U.S. taxpayers than carrying the significant costs of harboring the Syrians on American soil. And, simply and realistically, while it’s not the politically correct solution that Clinton espouses, it’s the much safer solution – for Americans.

 

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