Dec. 3, 2008

Contact: Ryan Mulford

Setting the Scene: The Cleveland State wrestling team will return to open competition this week as they travel to State College, PA to compete in the Penn State Open. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and will run throughout the day.

Previewing the Vikings: The Vikings are coming off their second win of the season defeating John Carrol, 25-17 on November 25. Cleveland State has continued to recieve strong performances from their young grapplers. Freshman Jordan Keller (8) and Corey Carlo (7) have combined for 15 victories, while sophomores Josh Palivoda (5) and Lawrence Cavello (5) have totaled 10 victo ries. Not to be outdone, seniors Antonio Nichol- son (7) and Rashard Goff (10) have combined for 17 wins.

Recapping Last Week: The Vikings defeated John Carroll, 25-17, on Tuesday (11/25) in University Heights, Ohio. The Vikings got off to a quick 9-0 lead with victories by Jordan Keller, Josh Palivoda and Lawrence Cavello. After a pair of tough losses and exchanging forfeits, the Blue Streaks narrowed the gap to three (13-10). JT Miller then came up and gave the Vikings some breathing room with a major decision of his own giving the Vikings a 19-10 lead. The Blue Streaks however were not done, after earning their own major decision victory they pulled within two (19-17). The Vikings then turned to Rashard Goff to close the door. The senior tallied four takedowns within the first two periods before pinning Tim Lambert at 4:47.

Goff Continues Success: Senior Rashard Goff has amassed 82 victories throughout his Viking career, 10 of those coming this season. Goff began the year by posting a 3-1 record to earn a second place finish at the Eastern Michigan Open, and followed that up with a 3-0 record at the Michigan State Open bringing home a first place title. He continued his success at the Ohio State duals, pinning Cumberlands Jacob Brady at 3:59 and defeating Ohio State's Jason Cook 17-7. He added another pin to his resume on Tuesday (11/25), taking down John Carroll's Tim Lambert at 4:47. Goff is currently ranked 11th by InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I Individual Rankings (as of 11/18).

Lower Weight Classes Setting the Pace: Jordan Keller (125), Josh Palivoda (133) and Lawrence Cavello (141) have combined for 18 victories this season. Keller began his collegiate career earning a second place finish at the Eastern Michigan Open and has yet to slow down earning eight victories. Palivoda meanwhile, has earned five victories and is halfway to his 10 win total of a year ago. Cavello, who redshirted last season has collected five victories. Palivoda and Cavello are both sophomores, while Keller is just a freshman.

...and Senior Leadership: The three seniors in the starting line-up have given the Vikings 20 victories this season. Led by three-time NCAA tournament qualifier Rashard Goff, who has eaned 10 of those 20 decisions. Antonio Nicholson has also been a consistent wrestler for Cleveland State posting seven victories of his own including one pin. JT Miller has also tallied three victories including one pin after missing the first tournament this season due to injury.

Stehura on the Vikings: "I am very happy with the way the team has progressed over the first half of the season. We are excited to go to Penn State this weekend and compete against some tough competition as we prepare for our EWL opponents."

The Head Coach: Ben Stehura (Lock Haven, 2000) Overall: 28-51-1

Former Viking graduate assistant coach Ben Stehura is in his first season as head coach. Stehura is only the third head coach for the Viking wrestling program after serving the last five years as the head coach at Division II Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. The only head coach in Limestone history, Stehura quickly built the program and has already coached one NCAA National Champion, three NCAA All-Americans, five NCAA National qualifiers and eight NCAA All-Academic team members. A 2000 graduate of Lock Haven University with a Bachelor's of Science in Secondary Education, Stehura was a three-year starter, earning fourth and fifth place finishes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.

Up Next: The Vikings will host the Cleveland State Open on Sunday December 14th. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Woodling Gym.