Athletic Conference Title in 2004-2005
BEREA, OHIO — The Baldwin-Wallace College wrestling team has high hopes that it will battle for an Ohio Athletic Conference title in 2004-2005. In order to win an OAC title, veteran Head Coach Rich Fleming knows that it will take a supreme effort from his grapplers and for some other intangibles to fall his way.
"We have some very talented young men returning to our program from last year and we had another good offseason of recruiting," said 17th-year Yellow Jacket Head Coach Rich Fleming, who was also a high school head coach for 20 years prior to his arrival at B-W. "But we will still have the same two problems that have plagued us in the past staring us right in the face.
"The two problems are injuries and depth," said Fleming, who is the second winningest wrestling coach in school history behind the legendary John Summa. "The injuries that we suffer will directly affect our depth, and sometimes at more than one weight class. To have a chance to win a conference title, we will have to be relatively injury-free."
Entering the 2004-2005 campaign, Fleming welcomes back 11 veteran grapplers, including 10 lettermen of which four individually have competed in the OAC championship match of their respective weight class. The four include junior 197-pounder Devin Carman (Ashtabula/ Geneva High School), junior 285-pounder Bryan Kmetz (Brunswick), senior 165-pounder Joe Heiland (Shelby) and junior 141-pounder Jared Selover (Wapakoneta). Heiland and Selover each won an OAC title two years ago and also advanced to the OAC Championship match last year. Selover was a Division III All-American when he finished sixth at the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2003.
"In Devin, Bryan, Joe and Jared, we have four young men who are experienced, solid wrestlers who have the talent and ability to win an OAC individual title," said Fleming. "Each young man is a proven Division III wrestler. They give us a great base of leadership."
Carman compiled a 23-7 record as a freshman in 2002-2003 and placed second at 197 pounds OAC the OAC Tournament at B-W. He narrowly missed winning an OAC title and a trip to the national tournament. A year ago, an ilnness hindered his season and he finished 11-3 overall and did not compete at the OAC tourney. Carman is back this year and ready to challenge for an individual crown.
Kmetz is a junior but wrestled for the first time last year. He compiled an outstanding 28-5 overall slate and was nationally-ranked much of the year. He lost in the OAC Championship match. With a year of experience under his belt, look for Kmetz to be better and again a contender for an OAC title.
Heiland has been one of the top wrestlers in the OAC the past four years. The fifth-year senior, who has been beset by injuries a number of times in his career, is looking forward to a strong and healthy senior season. As a junior, Heiland compiled a 32-7 record and won an OAC title but was injured in his first match at the national tourney. Last year, he had an 18-6 mark but again suffered an injury at midseason but battled back to compete at the OAC tourney but lost in the 165-pound title match. Heiland enters his senior year with a 62-18 career record.
Selover will move up a weight class for the third straight year and compete at 141 pounds this year. As a freshman, he won an OAC title at 125 pounds and finished 35-8 overall. He capped his season by placing sixth at the Division III national meet where he had a 4-2 record. Last year, Selover split time between 125 and 133 pounds and had a 22-7 combined slate and ended his season with a loss in the OAC title match at 133 pounds. This year, Selover will be at 141 pounds and would like to keep that title in B-W's possession as 2004 Yellow Jacket graduate Sayre Wuhr won that title in 2004.
In addition to his top four grapplers, Fleming returns six other lettermen, including senior 149-pounder Scott Conrath (St. Clairsville), junior 125-pounder Mike Ham (Concord Township/ Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), junior 133-pounder Chris Harrold (Willoughby/ South), junior 133-pounder Eric Jaynes (West Carrollton), senior 184-pounder Sterling Sebek (Columbus, Ga./ Brookstone), junior 174-pounder T. Terry (Bedford/ St. Peter Chanel) and junior 157-pounder Steve Vaughn (Parma/ Normandy).
"Our other seven returning lettermen all seem to be much-improved over a year ago and we will look to them to help lead the way and provide leadership for our younger wrestlers," said Fleming. "Both as starters and as people who will provide depth, each of the seven is an important ingredient to our success."
In addition, Fleming gets sophomore 141-pounder Joe Smith (Bellevue) back this year after missing last year because of a car accident during the summer of 2003. An Ohio High School state qualifier and placer, Smith would have helped B-W last year. Fleming is hoping that having a healthy Smith this year will help to shore up his lineup.
Of his newcomers, Fleming feels that freshman 125-pounder Brett Thomas (Gates Mills/ Mayfield), sophomore 133-pounder RayShawn Eatmon (East Cleveland/ Shaw), freshmen 157-pounders Brian Haines (Amanda/ Teays Valley) and Gino Russo (Northfield/ Nordonia) will be the top performers.
"We have four really good newcomers," said Fleming. "And, we also have some others who may really surprise us as the season goes along. Every kid who is in the wrestling room has talent. We hope to capalitalize on that talent."
The "others" in the wrestling room who Fleming is referring to include freshman 165-pounder Jeremy Feador (North Olmsted), freshman 174-pounder Bryan Gulich (Richmond Heights), freshman 133-pounder Scott Haber (Parma/ Normandy), freshman 149-pounder Dave Hilden (Westlake), junior 285-pounder Mike Pelton (Parma/ Valley Forge), sophomore 174-pounder Patrick Rawlinson (Berea), junior 149-pounder Muhammed Shareef (Gahanna/ Columbus Academy) and freshman 125-pounder John Weston (Rocky River).
"These young men are our wild-cards," said Fleming. "They are all working hard and have talent and ability to help us be a better team."
The Yellow Jackets open the 2004-2005 season on Saturday, November 13 when they travel cross-town to nonleague rival Case Western Reserve University where they will compete in a quad meet against Case, Waynesburg (Pa.) and the College of Mt. St. Joseph. The following Saturday, Nov. 20, B-W is at the Olivet (Mich.) Quad Meet.
FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please call Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, FAX him at 440-826-2329 or e-mail him at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Yellow Jacket Head Coach Rich Fleming, please call him at 440-826-3258, FAX him at 440-826-2192 or e-mail him at rfleming@bw.edu.
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