WVU Wins EWL Opener
January 11, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. * The 12th-ranked West Virginia University (2-2, 1-0) wrestling team opened Eastern Wrestling League action with a 32-7 victory over Bloomsburg University (2-6, 0-2) on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.
"We wrestled pretty well today," said head coach Craig Turnbull. "Winning our EWL opener is always important. The team was very focused and excited to wrestle."
The Mountaineers swept through the opening four matches to start the dual meet. Sophomores Nathan Kendjorsky (125) and Seth Lisa (133) posted 7-2 and 5-2 decisions to give West Virginia an early 6-0 team lead.
At 141 and 149 pounds, WVU turned to seniors Joe Clarke (133) and Mike Torriero (149) to extend their lead. Clarke used three near falls in defeating Bloomsburg's Scott Heckman, 16-5, for a major decision. Torriero also scored a major decision win against the Huskies' Brad Forbes. Torriero scored five takedowns in period one to dominate the match before settling with a 17-9 victory.
WVU dropped two matches at the 157 and 174 weight classes. Junior Drew Joseph (157) nearly went the distance against BU's Josh Loew. The two grapplers wrestled to a 4-4 tie with :31 seconds remaining. Loew then turned Joseph on his back, scoring five points, to take a 9-4 decision. Sophomore Doug Studenic (174) fell to the Huskies No. 20 ranked Justin Johnson, 15-7.
True-freshman Zac Fryling (165) scored three takedowns for an early 6-2 lead over Ryan Garner before finishing with an 11-7 decision.
The Mountaineers won the final three matches of the afternoon, starting with NCAA champion Greg Jones (184). Jones posted his first fall of the season in just 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Jones led 4-1, before pinning Ryan Chulada.
Matt Daddino (197), like teammate Fryling, tallied three takedowns for a 6-2 lead after one period. Daddino scored a reversal with under a minute remaining in the match to secure the 11-5 decision Chad Hoare.
In one of the most impressive WVU wrestling debuts in history, Lanfer Simpson (285) needed just :38 seconds to pin Aaron Ferrance. Simpson's fall was the first victory of his Mountaineer career.
West Virginia's 32-7 victory is their fifteenth consecutive EWL win. Turnbull's Mountaineers are the defending back-to-back regular season EWL champions, going 14-0 in those two seasons.
"Hopefully this win against Bloomsburg can give us some momentum heading into next weekend's National Duals," said Turnbull.
The Mountaineers travel to Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, January 16, to participate in the 2004 Cliff Keen NWCA National Duals. Wrestling action begins Saturday morning and the finals are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday.
West Virginia 32 (2-2, 1-0)
Bloomsburg 7 (2-6, 0-2)
125: Nathan Kendjorsky (WVU) Dec Brian Sellers (BU) 7-2
133: Seth Lisa (WVU) Dec Bryan Hart (BU) 5-2
141: #14 Joe Clarke (WVU) Major Scott Heckman (BU) 16-5
149: Mike Torriero (WVU) Major Brad Forbes (BU) 17-9
157: Josh Loew Dec Drew Joseph (WVU) 9-4
165: Zac Fryling (WVU) Dec Ryan Garner (BU) 11-4
174: #20 Justin Johnson (BU) Major Doug Studenic (WVU) 15-7
184: #2 Greg Jones (WVU) Fall Ryan Chulada (BU) 2:35
197: #18 Matt Daddino (WVU) Dec Chad Hoare (BU) 11-5
285: Lanfer Simpson (WVU) Fall Aaron Ferrance (BU) 0:38
Attendance: 385
Referee: Merle Tournay
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