Wrestling

BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College wrestling team has high hopes for the 2003-2004 season.

Veteran Head Coach Rich Fleming returns 14 lettermen and eight starters from last year's team that finished 8-6 in dual meets, 2-4 in the rugged Ohio Athletic Conference duals, placed a surprising second at the OAC Tournament and has one returning grappler who was the OAC John Summa Award winner as a freshman and was fourth at last year's NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. Overall, Fleming has 30 wrestlers -- his most in 16 years -- competing for mat time.

"We have our largest group competing this year and that is a great credit to my assistant coaches who help me recruit," said Fleming, who is assisted by former Yellow Jacket standouts Max DeLuca and Sean Folk. "We have 28 in the room right now and will get two more once football season ends. It is very competitive atmosphere and extremely conducive to our future successes."

The Yellow Jackets have also received respect in this year's preseason and are ranked 29th in the Brute/ Adidas Division III national poll. That is fine with Fleming, but he still knows there is a lot of unfinished business for his program.

"We are pleased to be ranked," said Fleming. "We made a statement at the end of last year, at the OAC Tournament, but we still have a long way to go.

"Our goal is to win the OAC title and take as many people to the national meet possible," continued Fleming, the second winningest wrestling coach in Yellow Jacket history. "We have a solid nucleus back and an outstanding group of newcomers who we feel will challenge our upperclassmen for mat time and to be better."

Leading the way this winter will be sophomore 125/ 133 pounder Jared Selover (Wapakoneta) who was 35-8 last year and was fourth at the Division III national meet at 125 pounds. Right now, Selover is deciding between staying at 125 pounds or moving to 133 pounds.

In addition to Selover being a team-leader, senior 165-pounder and team captain Joe Heiland (Shelby) returns after compiling a 32-7 record, winning an OAC individual title and earning a trip to the national tourney along with Selover. Unfortunately a badly sprained ankle in his first match at the nationals ended his season. Now healthy, Heiland is expected to be a force again.

Another top returnees is sophomore 197-pounder Devin Carman (Ashtabiula/ Geneva) who was 24-7 a year ago and lost in the OAC championship match. Also, senior 141-pounder Sayre Wuhr (Hudson) is healthy and back as is true for junior 184-pounder Sterling Sebek (Columbus, Georgia/ Brookstone). Wuhr had a 15-7 record and overcame an injury to place third at last year's OAC tourney. Sebek, who began the season strong at 10-4 before suffering an injury, returns healthy and will move from 174 to 184 pounds.

In addition to Selover at 125 pounds, freshmen Eddie Waters (Grove City), a two-time Ohio High School state qualifier, Brian Brochetti (Parma/Senior) and Dan Schierloh (Lockland) and sophomore Mike Ham (Concord/ Notre Dame - Cathedral Latin) all are expected to push for mat time. Ham had a 4-13 mark at 125 a year ago.

If Selover goes up to 133 pounds, expect Waters to stay at 125 pounds. At 133 pounds, look for Selover to compete with sophomores Eric Jaynes (West Carrollton) and Mike Munroe (Wakeman/ Western Reserve) and freshman OHSAA state place-winner Joe Smith (Bellevue) for mat time. Jaynes started at 141 for most of last year but is a more natural 133-pounder. He has a 7-15 mark at 141 and by moving down a weight should be better. Munroe split time between 133 and 141 pounds in 2002-2003 and had a 3-12 record. Smith, who was sixth at the OHSAA state tourney last March, was injured in an automobile accident this past summer. Smith will not return to the mat until at least Christmas, but when he does come back, he is expected to make B-W a better team.

Wuhr is projected to be the starter at 141, but he is expected to be battled for mat time by possibly Jaynes, sophomore Chris Harrold (Willoughby South) and freshmen RayShawn Eatmon (East Cleveland Shaw) and Mike Hasapis (North Canton Hoover). In addition to his 15-7 mark last year, Wuhr was 17-10 as a sophomore. Harrold was a backup 133-pounder last year who had a 1-4 record.

At 149 pounds, junior Scott Conrath (St. Clairsville) is the projected starter but will receive stiff competition from a number of sources, including freshman two-time OHSAA state qualifier Randy Buchanan (Parma Senior), sophomore Phillip Peak (Collinsville, Oklahoma/ Collinsville) and transfers Thamir Rimbert (Cleveland/ Oberlin Senior) and David Sarosy (Perry). Conrath was the starter last year and had an 8-10 mark. Peak split time between 149 and 157 pounds and was 7-17 last year. By staying at 149 this year, he is also expected to be stronger. Rimbert transferred into B-W after spending last year at Iowa Central Junior College. Sarosy, who placed sixth at the OHSAA state meet two years ago, comes to B-W from Division I Bowling Green State University.

At 157 pounds, sophomore transfer Steve Vaughn (Parma Normandy), possibly Conrath and junior Seth Pirc (Perry) are expected to compete for the starting role. Vaughn began last year at Div. III Rochester (N.Y.) Insitute of Technology and finished the year at local Cuyahoa Community College to be closer to home. He is right at home at B-W. Pirc, who missed the first half of last year to study in Australia, is back after compiling a 4-9 mark in the second half of the season.

Heiland will be a leader and should start at 165 pounds. He is a four-year varsity mainstay who has a 44-12 career mark despite being plagued by injuries each year. Competing with Heiland for mat time at 165 pounds will be sophomore Roger Roman (Wooster/ Northwestern). Roman had an 8-8 mark a year ago and was solid. He is expected to be even better this year.

Fleming will have three experienced grapplers competing for the starting role at 174 pounds. Heading the list are senior James Payne (Perry) and sophomore T. Terry (Bedford/ St. Peter Chanel). They will battle with freshmen Trevor Grey (Blackburg, Va./ Spencer, Ohio Black River), who began his career at Thiel (Pa.) College and transferred to B-W, and football player and wrestler Tom Sustersic (Richfield Revere). Both Payne and Terry are moving down to 174 pounds after competing at 184 a year ago. Payne was 6-15 overall and Terry, who was considered the starter most of the year, was 12-14 overall.

At the upper weights, Fleming is a bit thin. At 184 pounds, Sebek is expected to be the starter and will compete with Payne, Terry and Grey for mat time depending on who wins the battle at 174 pounds. At 197 pounds, Carman is a solid starter who has the ability to both win an OAC title and compete at the national meet. At heavyweight, freshman football player Michael Johnson (Batavia, New York/ Notre Dame), sophomore Bryan Kmetz (Brunswick) and senior Israel Martin (Shelby) will battle for the starting role. All three are competing for the first time. Johnson is in his intial year of college. Kmetz did not wrestle as a freshman and was an OHSAA state qualifier two years ago, and Martin is competing for the first time since high school.

"We have both experience and inexperience," said Fleming. "We have incoming freshmen with talent and transfers who can both add depth and make a difference. This is as talented a group of wrestlers as we have had in my 16 years at B-W. We are looking forward to the competition in the weight room and to the upcoming season.

"Wrestling in the OAC is a great challenge," continued Fleming. "Every team has talented wrestlers and we have to be ready to compete every time we step on the mat. It is our job as a coaching staff to get this team ready."

The Yellow jackets open the 2003 season when they host a tri-meet in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium on Saturday, November 22 with cross-town rival Case Western Reserve University and Waynesburg (Pa.) College. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon.

FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, Please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX machine at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. B-W Head Wrestling Coach Rich Fleming can be reached by calling (440) 826-3258, by FAX at (440) 826-2192 or via e-mail at rfleming@bw.edu.