2009 NCAA Division II Softball Tournament

February 3, 2004
Bald Eagles Host Cleveland State and #10 Penn State This Weekend

A LOOK AT CLEVELAND STATE: 
        The Vikings of Cleveland State have built a 6-7 overall ledger under the guidance of sixth year head coach Jack Effner. In a similar dual meet situation as Lock Haven, the Vikings will be in the hunt to snap a five-match losing streak and to grab their first win in the Eastern Wrestling League after suffering losses to Edinboro, 24-15, in December and Pittsburgh, 24-15, on the 22nd of January. 
        One Cleveland State grappler carries a national ranking, senior heavyweight and 2003 nationals qualifier Russ Davie. Davie, ranked 14th in the nation, sports a 17-5 overall ledger. Another returning national qualifier remains in the lineup, senior Anthony Coleman at 141 pounds. Coleman is currently 13-11 on the season. 
        Making up the lower weight contingent is a pair of freshmen in DeAngelo Penn (11-10) at 125 pounds and Tom O’Brien (1-11) at 133 pounds. The Vikings mat several veteran grapplers from 149 through 165 pounds including senior Matt DePolo (25-13) at 149 pounds, senior Jason Effner (10-10) at 157 pounds and junior Matt Klinger (15-10) at 165 pounds. 
        Cleveland State could go with youth in freshman Matt Kallai (9-6) or experience in senior Derek Pace (10-8) at 174 pounds. The Vikings utilize sophomore Ron Howard (4-12) at 184 pounds and go with junior Joe Phillips (14-6) at 197 pounds.

	Listen to LHU Wrestling  vs. Penn State on WBPZ (1230 AM) or at www.nsnsports.com  on Sun., Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.
	View live stats online  at LHU vs. CSU or LHU vs. PSU

**InterMat rankings.

A LOOK AT PENN STATE: 
      The No. 10-ranked Nittany Lions of Penn State are scheduled to arrive in Thomas Fieldhouse on Sunday after matching up with Big Ten opponents Northwestern on Friday evening and Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Penn State is currently 9-4 overall and owns a 2-2 ledger in Big Ten action. 
        Five ranked wrestlers could potentially take the mat for the Nittany Lions including the dangerous upper weight tandem of No. 2-ranked Pat Cummins (HWT) and No. 7-ranked Eric Bradley (184 lbs.). Cummins is the nation’s wins leader at heavyweight with a 30-1 record, losing for the first time at the NWCA All-Star Classic in a 3-1 overtime decision versus Ohio State’s Tommy Rowlands. Cummins also ranks third among Division I heavyweights with nine pins. Bradley is 24-3 on the season and is also among the nation’s wins leaders. 
        Three more ranked wrestlers reside at 125, 133 and 149 pounds, bolstering an already powerful lineup. Junior Adam Smith is ranked tenth with a 23-8 ledger. At 133 pounds, senior and fifth-ranked Josh Moore is also tops in the country in wins with a record of 32-5. No. 11-ranked Matt Storniolo has logged a 23-7 mark at 149 pounds.
        Other potential starters for the Nittany Lions include DeWitt Driscoll (8-11) at 141 pounds, James Woodall (16-8) at 157 pounds and Jeremy Hart (5-6) at 165 pounds. Rounding out the lineup are Rich Brooks (10-8) at 174 pounds and Joel Edwards (17-9) at 197 pounds.

Below is the LHU weight-by-weight preview:

125: Sophomore Jim Collins (Jonestown/Northern Lebanon) captured his first PSAC title this past weekend and is now one of four Haven wrestlers with 15 or more wins standing at 15-6 overall. In dual meet action versus Cleveland State and Penn State last season, Collins lost to PSU’s Adam Smith, 15-7, and also suffered a loss in the Cleveland State dual meet to Rocco Mansueto. 

133: Senior Dave Predko (Ridgway/Ridgway) entered his first PSAC championships as the third seed at 133 pounds and advanced all the way to the finals before getting stopped by returning champion (at 125 lbs) Jacob Gray of Edinboro, 9-3. Predko is 8-7 on the season.

141: Freshman Ian McGoldrick (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley) scored a fifth-place finish at the past weekend’s conference tournament. McGoldrick currently sports a 5-7 record, with all five wins earning the rookie bonus points (3 major decisions, 2 falls). 

149: No. 7-ranked Mike Maney (Clarence/Bald Eagle Area) became the 13th wrestler in PSAC history and the seventh in Haven history to win four individual titles by claiming the 149 pound crown and Outstanding Wrestler honors this past weekend. Now with 111 career victories, Maney is tied with Cary Kolat for 10th place on the Bald Eagles’ all-time wins chart. After adding three wins in the conference tournament, Maney is up to a 26-3 record this season with a share of the team high of seven falls. 
        Maney did not wrestle in either dual meet last season, but has come across Penn State’s Matt Storniolo on three occasions this year, losing 8-4 at the East Stroudsburg Open before exchanging medical forfeits with the Nittany Lion in the Mat-Town semifinals and the Midlands Championships.

157: Senior Charlie Brenneman (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg) improved to 26-5 on the season after placing third at the conference tournament. Brenneman has a team best seven major decisions, scoring his most recent one in the first round of the PSAC tourney. Brenneman won his bout in the Cleveland State dual last season with a 5-2 decision over Josh Ging but did not wrestle against Penn State. This season, Brenneman met up with potential PSU starter James Woodall at the Mat-Town Invitational, defeating the Nittany Lion for third place, 14-7. 

165: Jason Gilligan (Brookville/Brookville) is up to seven falls this season after posting a tournament best of three pins last weekend. The senior 165-pounder went 4-1 to place third at the PSAC championships, bringing his overall record to 11-7. Gilligan lost a 7-2 match-up against Penn State’s Doc Vecchio last season and did not wrestle versus Cleveland State.

174: The starting role at 174 pounds could bounce between either Derrick Morgan (Milan/Athens) or Dan Riggs (Hanover/Delone Catholic). Riggs is 5-9 this season, last competing at the PSAC tournament where he went 0-2. Morgan is 1-5, last taking the mat in the Virginia Tech dual meet.

184: Mike Greenberg (Canton/Canton) came out with his best performance at the PSAC Tournament with a third-place finish this past weekend. After going 3-1 including wins by major decision in his final two match-ups, his season win-loss totals are now at 13-11. Greenberg gave up a slim 3-2 decision versus CSU’s top-ten ranked Gerald Harris last season, and also faced a fifth-ranked Mark Becks from Penn State, losing 18-6 in the dual meet.

197: Red-shirt freshman Carlos Ponce (Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah Miami Lakes) won his first match since moving up to the 197 pound weight class at the PSAC tournament this past weekend, going 2-2 to finish fifth overall. Ponce is now 7-11 for the year.

HWT: Steve Itterly (Bethlehem/Nazareth) made a repeat appearance in the PSAC finals at heavyweight but was denied the chance to bring home the title after Edinboro’s Joe Hennis scored a fall over the Bald Eagle in the finals. Itterly was 2-1 at the tournament, improving to 10-10 on the season. Last season, Itterly did not wrestle in the Penn State dual meet, but did face Cleveland State’s Russ Davie, then ranked 18th in the nation, dropping a 10-1 major decision to the Viking. 

UP NEXT: Lock Haven will be on the road in EWL action next week, traveling to #20 West Virginia University on Thurs., Feb. 5, and to the University of Pittsburgh on Fri., Feb. 6. Both league dual meets are slated for a 7:30 p.m. start. 

###LHU###