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Wrestling Eyes Big 2009-10 Season; Ducks will Host 2010 Centennial Conference Championships
HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 7, 2009) – The Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team will open its season on Sunday afternoon with a tri-match against Yeshiva University and Rhode Island College. The Ducks are coming off a 12-8 season in which they set a program-record for wins and head coach Mike Clayton (Union City, N.J.) followed up his 2007-08 NCAA Division III Rookie Coach of the Year award by being named the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. Led by a talented group of veterans, Stevens will set its sights high for the 2009-10 season.
The Ducks will be led by a pair of experienced veterans in seniors James Roarty (Hyde Park, Mass.) and Charles Favia (Brick, N.J.). Roarty has been a leader on the mat and on campus since he arrived in Hoboken as a freshman. The Ducks’ heavyweight had a phenomenal junior campaign, going 23-13 overall and placing fourth at the conference championships. His conference record was 5-2 and he is among the program leaders in wins. Favia, will wrestle at 157 lbs. this year, is also a program-leader in wins. He was 9-10 overall last year but was injured for much of the season. He has 65-career wins, also among the program leaders and has set his hopes high for a successful return to dominance in 2009-10.
125 lbs.
At the 125-lb. weight class, Coach Clayton will look to sophomore Brad Warren (Brookeville, Md.) and several newcomers to show continued improvement. Warren wrestled at 125 and 133 lbs. last year and earned two wins. The second-year grappler has gained strength and should see improved results this year. Freshman Andrew Vissichelli (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) won more than 100 matches in high school, and fellow rookie Ryan Neugebauer (Baldwin, N.Y.) made the New York Catholic finals two times during his high-school career.
133 lbs.
Pacing the Ducks at 133 lbs will be senior Kyle Brisson (Cicero, N.Y.). After a red-shirt season, Brisson will look to lead the Ducks and fill the shoes of departed standout Mark Bistis ‘09. Moving up to the 133-lb. weight class will be senior Frank Maselli (Rye, N.Y.). Maselli has gained strength over the offseason and will look to improve upon his four wins from a season ago.
141 lbs.
Stevens will have several athletes step in and wrestle at 141 lbs. One will be freshman Ryan Bridge (Galloway, N.J.). Bridge won two state titles in high school and was a four-year Yellow Ribbon winner.
149 lbs.
The Ducks will be deep at 149 lbs. with four or five wrestlers fighting for a starting spot each match. Senior Tony Mancini (Monroe Township, N.J.) has another year of experience under his belt and after a strong end to the 2008-09 campaign, should be ready to be a big-time contributor this year. Sophomore Joe Matarazzo (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) is moving up to the weight class and newcomer Ryan Owens (Fallston, Md.) has been steadily improving all preseason and should earn some time with his incredible toughness.
157 lbs.
Stevens will have a blend of newcomers and veterans wrestling in the 157-lb. weight class. In addition to Charles Favia, junior Geraldo Rodriguez (Paterson, N.J.) has been working hard all offseason and should see some time as well as Uzbekistan native Azizbek Babakhanov (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
165 lbs.
Sophomore Joe Favia (Brick, N.J.) had a great rookie season, going 27-10 and reaching the conference finals. The sophomore improved a lot in the offseason and should once again be one of the top wrestlers on the squad. Freshman Will Sharkey (Westminster, Md.) placed fourth in his weight class in the Maryland state tournament and will definitely win his share of matches as a freshman.
174 lbs.
Sophomore Ryan Dormann (Mickleton, N.J.) won the conference title at 174 lbs. as a rookie and will surely be a force in the 2009-10 season. He fell just one win shy from All-America honors as a freshman at the NCAA Division III Championships as he finished 2008-09 with an overall mark of 31-9. Junior Bobby Bishop (Wayne Valley, N.J.) is an incredibly hard worker that wrestled better and better as last year progressed. He finished with an overall mark of 7-4 and expects better results this year
184 lbs.
Leading the Ducks at 184 will be junior Vincent Termini (Mount Laurel, N.J.). A tireless worker, Termini earned eight wins a year ago. Senior Justin Galati (Tabernacle, N.J.) should earn some time in the weight class, and Coach Clayton has also been impressed by New Jersey Regional qualifier Chris Selvoski (Cherry Hill, N.J.) as the rookie should push for some starts with continued improvement.
197 lbs.
At 197 lbs., Stevens will look to senior Ernie Guaimano (Hillsborough, N.J.) to stay healthy and show the same improvement he has over the first three years of his career. He won nine matches in an injury shortened season last year and hopes to better that total in 2009-10. Freshman Cal Perry (Branchville, N.J.) hales from High Point High School, the top-ranked school in the state and has been tested throughout his high school career.
285 lbs.
Roarty will lead the Stevens heavyweights but sophomore Chris Moyer (Allentown, Pa.) and rookie Brian Schmalz (Colts Neck, N.J.) will both be contributors. Moyer will look to draw on his experience from last year, and Schmalz showed a lot of good things in preseason in addition to being a New Jersey Regional qualifier as a senior in high school.
Stevens finished last year’s extremely challenging schedule with a 12-8 record, winning nine of its last 13 matches. The Ducks will open this year with Yeshiva, who they shutout last year, and RIC. They will then compete at the Binghamton Open on November 15 before opening their home slate with a match against NCAA Division I foe Sacred Heart University. Stevens wrestled well against the Pioneers last year, falling 31-13, and will look for an upset this time around.
Following two more invitational’s (Doug Parker and Messiah College), Stevens will host Elizabethtown College in its final dual-meet of the first semester.
The Ducks open up the New Year at the Virginia Duals on January 8 and 9 in Hampton, Va. The following weekend, Stevens will visit national power Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa. before returning home for a midweek dual with Hunter College on January 20.
The Ducks will then travel to their first conference tri-match at McDaniel College. While in Westminster, Md., Stevens will take on the hosts and Washington & Lee University. The next weekend, Stevens will travel to Muhlenberg College for a conference quad. While there, the Ducks will wrestle the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus College.
Stevens will return home on February 6 for a tri with SUNY Cortland and Middlesex Country Community College. Wednesday, February 10 will the Ducks’ Duck Country event as they will host Lycoming College. Lycoming, a consistent top-30 team, defeated Stevens, 24-12, late last season. That weekend, the Ducks will compete in their final conference event of the season. They will take on Johns Hopkins University and Gettysburg College in Gettysburg on February 13.
February 20 will be the Centennial Conference Tournament. This year, Stevens will play host to the other seven conference squads and the Ducks will look to improve upon their fifth-place finish from a year ago.
Sunday’s season-opener with Yeshiva will start at 1 p.m. and will be followed by RIC at 4 p.m.
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