2006
- 2007 Season Outlook
UCF Wrestling –
10/20/2006
After claiming back to
back national titles in 2004 and 2005, the Golden Knight’s
wrestling team ended their 2006 season with a fourth place
finish, just two points out of third place, at the national
tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was no small feat
given the graduation of nearly half of the previous year's
starting lineup. The young team hopes to top last years
accomplishments and has all the tools that are required to do
so. The only wrestler lost to graduation is David Miller who was
a 4x All-American for the Golden Knights, however all is not
lost as Miller now joins the ranks of the coaching staff. David
Miller will join an already stellar coaching staff which
includes former UCF teammate Jason Balma, two-time NCWA Coach of
the year Johnny Rouse, and recent National Wrestling Hall of
Fame inductee Scott Sherman. Also contributing to the Knight’s
practice room is UCF’s three-time NCWA champion Tom Lawlor and
NCAA DIII All-American Jason Snow.
Also returning this
season are five NCWA All-Americans, some of which have had
multiple successes at the national tournament. Leading the
young team are senior captains Paul Rothenberg and Jimmy Myers.
Paul Rothenberg (141lb weight class) looks to join the elite
ranks of other UCF 4x All-Americans including Tom Lawlor, Todd
Hauser, and David Miller. Jimmy Myers (184lb weight class) is a
returning 2x All-American and says that he is excited about this
season and has stressed the importance of team chemistry and
hard work in order to re-claim the national title. Other
returning All-Americans include Matt Bohren (5th
2005, 141 lbs), Zach Sanford (4th 2006, 174 lbs) and
Rob McCarty (6th 2006, 149lbs). Returning UCF
national qualifiers include: Frederico Carosio, Willie
Rothenberg, Michael Lemieux, Billy Rippy, Brian Pierson, and
Jesse Pinson.
The Knights are proud
to add several of Florida’s outstanding high school wrestlers to
the roster including state champion CJ Hauser (165 lb weight
class), state runner-up Daniel Wynn (133 lb weight class), and
junior college transfers Barrett Hambright (157 lb weight class)
and Frito Cherenfant (125 lb weight class). These and a
multitude of other young talented wrestlers will add depth to
the current line-up and carry on the tradition of successful
wrestling at UCF.
The Knights kick off
the season with the Knights Brawl Duals and the Central Florida
Open the following morning. Next, the Knights travel to
University of North Carolina – Pembroke for their annual
Wrestling Classic. November closes with the State Dual Meet
Championship. After last year’s tough loss to Pensacola
Christian College, the Knights hope to claim the 2006 state
championship.
In December the Knights
will compete in the Southern Slam (North Carolina) and the
Sunshine Open (Lakeland, FL). December will close at home with
the Central Florida Duals on December 30th.
January will kick off
with a quad dual meet at the University of East Georgia followed
by the Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship at the
University of Northern Iowa. At the National Duals the Knights
will battle returning NCWA National Champions Grand Valley State
as well as University of Texas – Arlington and Kansas State
University. This will certainly be an exciting tournament and
one of UCF’s premier events. Finishing January will include the
Florida Classic (Gainesville, FL) and the Mercer Duals (Macon,
GA).
In preparation for the
Southeast Conference on February 24th in Athens, GA,
the Knights will compete in the Doug Cherry Classic (Lafayette,
PA), Florida State Invitational tournament, and closing out the
regular season with a home dual meet against the young up and
coming Florida Gulf University team. Finally, the Knights
travel to Dallas, TX for the 10th Annual NCWA
National Championships. This promises to be an exciting season
for the young Knight’s who hope to set the standard in Florida
college wrestling as well as in the NCWA.
Doug
Cherry Classic 2007
In a dominating
performance, the Central Florida Knights swept through the
competition at the 11th annual Doug Cherry Wrestling Classic in
Bethlehem, PA. For the second consecutive year Northampton
Community College played host to top ranking NCWA teams as well
as several NJCAA and NCAA teams. The Knights finished first
place with 180 points over NCWA’s Northampton Community College
with 148 points. Following Northampton in the team race
included Gloucester Community College (NJCAA), Army (NCAA), The
Apprentice School (NCWA), Centenary College (NCAA), and
Williamson Community College (NCWA), respectively.
The Knights boasted
four finalists including two individual champions along with
eight additional place-winners. Federico Carosio, 125 lbs.,
entered the tournament as a third seed and finished the day
undefeated with one pin, one major decision, and two decisions.
At 133 lbs., Matt Bohren, also a third seed, finished the
tournament undefeated with two pins and two decisions.
Concluding the tournament, Matt Bohren was also named the most
outstanding wrestler. At 157 lbs., Mike Lemieux offered one of
his most outstanding career performances; however was unable to
top Gloucester Community College’s Randy Moore in the finals.
At 174 lbs., Zach Sanford also wrestled one of his best
performances, but was forced to default to his opponent due to
injury. Finishing in third place for the Knights included Rob
McCarty (149 lbs.), C.J. Hauser (165 lbs.), and Jimmy Myers (197
lbs.). Finishing in the top six for the team include William
Rothenberg (133 lbs.), Paul Rothenberg (141 lbs.), Matt Stwan
(184 lbs.), Brian Pierson (235 lbs.), and Jesse Pinson (285
lbs.). Jesse Pinson also earned the tournament award for the
most pins in the least amount of time.
The tournament served
as an excellent benchmark for the Knights that will build the
necessary momentum needed for the conference and national
tournament. Coach Scott Sherman described how in the past four
years this tournament has served as a milestone for the team
both in wrestling and building team camaraderie. In 2004 the
team traveled 22 hours by motor home to the event. In 2005 the
team traveled 26 hours by train to the tournament. These travel
accommodations, although considered odd to some, helped the team
become a family. Although the past two years the team has
traveled by plane, the team spirit was not lost. “The team
morale and camaraderie that is developed during long trips is an
essential element in developing a competitive team,” commented
Scott Sherman.
For detailed results on
the tournament, please visit
www.ncwa.net/results
Mercer
Duals 2007
- 02/04/2007
Following a stellar performance at the
2007 Mercer Duals, the Central Florida Knights now hold a
16-6 dual meet record. In continuing with their preparation
for the NCWA national tournament, the Knights were able to
pick up five dual meet victories, including four team
shutouts and only two individual losses in their second
consecutive team victory at the Mercer Duals. Final scores
of the event were: UCF 61 - Auburn University 0, UCF 61 -
East Georgia College 0, UCF 60 - Gordon College 0, UCF 48 -
Darton College 0, UCF 44 - Kennesaw State University 6.
Frito Cherenfant, 125 lbs., finished the
tournament undefeated, including an impressive overtime
victory against Jonathan Borawski of Darton College. Rob
McCarty, 157 lbs., also staged a 5-0 record scoring a
technical fall or pin over all of his opponents. Continuing
the winning streak, Mike Lemieux, 165 lbs., also went
undefeated with a 5-2 decision over Darton College's top
ranked William Hannibal. Team captain Jimmy Myers, 197
lbs., continued to establish himself as a take-down artist
after he bumped up to the 235 lbs. weight class, giving up
40 pounds, and did not allow a single offensive point to be
scored. Brian Pierson, 285 lbs., also highlighted the
team's performance with no losses and outstanding victories
over Matthew Ory (Darton College) and Robert Peavler
(Kennesaw State University). Other Knights that went
undefeated were: Federico Carosio (133 lbs.), Matt Bohren
(141 lbs.), Paul Rothenberg (149 lbs.), Matt Stwan (197
lbs.).
For more detailed results on the Mercer
Duals, please visit
www.ncwa.net. Next weekend the Knights travel to the
Doug Cherry Classic in Bethlehem, PA, which continues to be
one of the premier NCWA competitions in the Northeast. The
Knights hope to bring home a team championship
in preparation for the conference tournament at the
University of Georgia.-Jay
Balma
01/29/2007
National
Duals 2007
For the second consecutive year, the UCF
Wrestling team has been invited to participate in the NWCA Cliff
Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The venue for the
duals—the UNI Dome—hosts the top teams from the NCAA, NAIA, NCWA,
NJCA, and the college women’s wrestling league.
Representing the NCWA were the University of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Kansas State University, Grand Valley State
University, and the University of Central Florida.
On day one of competition, the UCF wrestling
team faced the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. First up
for UCF at 125 lbs. was Federico Carosio who won by forfeit.
Matt Bohren made his debut at 133 lbs. with a quick victory by
fall in the first period. At 141 lbs., senior captain Paul
Rothenberg dominated his opponent for three periods before
picking up the fall late in the third period. Rob McCarty won at
149 lbs. by a decision of 7-4. At 157 lbs., freshman Barrett
Hambright won by a technical fall in the second period, 21-6.
Michael Lemieux won his match with a fall half way through the
first period. Veteran wrestler Zach Sanford started his match
with intensity scoring mostly in the first two periods. He
finished with a major decision of 16-6. Freshman Matt Stwan,
184 lbs., picked up a fall in the first period in just 42
seconds. Jimmy Myers, 197 lbs., pinned his opponent in the
first period. Brian Pierson won by forfeit at 235 lbs. At
heavyweight, Jessie Pinson secured the shut-out victory by
pinning his opponent 20 seconds into the first period. The
final score: UCF 60, UWM 0.
In round two of competition, UCF wrestled
Kansas State University. Frederico Carosio picked up a forfeit
giving UCF a 6-0 lead against Kansas State. Matt Bohren picked
up his second pin of the day in the first period. Paul
Rothenberg was unable to pin his opponent, but did pick up a
victory by a technical fall. Rob McCarty won by forfeit. At
157 lbs., Barrett Hambright won by injury default after the
first period of wrestling leaving the team score at 29-0.
Michael Lemieux dominated his match and was rewarded with a
major decision, 16-7. In his second match, Zach Sanford staged
a second impressive win by getting a pin in 58 seconds. Matt
Stwan wrestled tough but was unable to defeat his opponent from
Kansas State University and lost by a technical fall. Jimmy
Myers started a bit slow, but was able to pick up the pace in
the third period to win by fall. Brian Pierson also picked
up a second win by defeating his Kansas State opponent with a
major decision. Jesse Pinson closed out the first day of action
with a second pin in only 17 seconds. The final score: UCF
55, KSU 5.
In day two of wrestling, and for the second
consecutive year, UCF met returning national champions Grand
Valley State University in the finals. At 125 lbs.
Federico Carosio started the Knights with an impressive victory
over Nick Emery 12-5. Matt Bohren was unable to top GVSU’s
returning national finalist, Joe Mendez, and lost 7-11.
Paul Rothenberg lost a close match to Kyle Shank 6-8, making the
team score 3-6 in favor of GVSU. At 149 lbs. Rob McCarty
faced Travis Eisen for the second time and earned an 11-5
victory. After GVSU’s Russell Correll earned a victory by
fall over Barrett Hambright, the Grand Valley Lakers picked up
victories at 165 lbs., 174 lbs., 184 lbs., 197 lbs, and 235 lbs.
In the heavyweight match UCF’s Jesse Pinson picked up a victory
by forfeit making the final team score 33-12 in favor of Grand
Valley State University.
UCF will continue to prepare for the NCWA
national tournament in Dallas, TX in hopes of regaining the
national title. Coach Scott Sherman emphasized that this
tournament was a stepping stone and the goal of peeking at the
national tournament and becoming the 2007 NCWA national
champions has not changed. “We lost several matches that
were certainly winnable, but with hard work and fewer mistakes
we are still in the hunt,” commented Coach Sherman. More
results from the national duals can be found at
www.ncwa.net/results.
7/9/2007
Central Florida Future Feature
Wrestle
Mania
Six
years ago, the UCF club wrestling team was nothing more than
a vision shared only by a select few. Six national
championship appearances and two first-place finishes later,
the team is rising through the ranks and making a name for
themselves, and a big name at that.
Since the team's founding in 2001 as part of the National
Collegiate Wrestling Association, it has proved to be tough
competitors and has competed with some of the top wrestling
programs in the country. Yet to miss a national
championship, they have consistently placed top 10,
including two first-place finishes and, most recently, a
second-place finish in the 2007 NCWA National Championship
held at the UNI Dome in Dallas in front of a crowd of 15,400
in February.
"The NCWA National Championship is what we work for all
season," said senior Paul Rothenberg, an All-American and
the team's captain for the past two years. "We are a top
team, and we compete like one. We're very competitive and
extremely hard-working."
Rothenberg's stellar leadership and performance have made
him just the 13th person in the NCWA's 10-year history to
earn All-American four times.
During his four appearances at the national championship,
Rothenberg placed third as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore,
fourth as a junior and second as a senior.
As an engineering major who is on track to graduate,
athletics is certainly not the only area he succeeds in.
Many of the team's younger members look to him for both
athletic and academic advice.
While UCF club wrestling is a fairly new program, wrestling
was not always a club sport at UCF. From 1970 to 1986, UCF
had a varsity wrestling team funded by the school's athletic
department. However, the program was eventually eliminated
because of gender equity problems created by Title IX.
Hard work, consistent success and numerous victories are
perhaps shaping today's club team into the beginning stages
of a dynasty.
Head coach Johnny Rouse, a two-time recipient of the NCWA
National College Coach of the Year Award, could not be
happier with his team's performance.
"We've certainly had quite a bit of success," Rouse said. "I
am very proud of these guys."
Rouse, who has coached the team since its establishment, has
quite a bit of wrestling background as it pertains to UCF.
In the late 1970s, Rouse was a member of the UCF Wrestling
team and competed in the heavyweight class. Following
graduation, Rouse continued to work with the team as an
assistant for four more years and later as the head coach
for another year.
As with any new club or organization, the UCF Wrestling team
has had to overcome many obstacles.
"One major problem in fielding a great team each year is
that the top high school wrestlers in the state of Florida
choose to go to varsity programs outside of the state,"
Rouse said. "Also, UCF has become very difficult to gain
admission to. Many wrestlers cannot get in based on academic
merits alone. Athletes must be students first. We don't just
have athletes. We have a group of academically and
athletically talented individuals."
Coaches and athletes of the team also admit that there is an
obvious disadvantage to being a club team. Club teams do not
have access to the facilities that varsity programs have,
nor do they have the recruiting capabilities. Funding is
also an issue, as club sports are not funded by the athletic
department.
"SGA funds about one-third of our budget, and we are very
thankful for the support and the amount of funding we get
from the Student Government Association," assistant coach
Jason Balma said. "They help us a lot."
Despite some of these setbacks, the Knights continue to
dominate and have proven themselves a major competitor in
collegiate wrestling.
"We compete against many schools, including NCAA programs,"
Balma said. "We have the top programs in the league, like
Grand Valley State, very worried. We are right at their
heels."
UCF and Grand Valley State know each other extremely well.
Often times these two teams find themselves within just a
few points of each other during national championships. It
was not long ago that UCF defeated two-time defending
champions Grand Valley State to take first in the NCWA
National Championship.
Balma feels that much of the team's success is due to how
tightly knit the group is.
"It's amazing how close these guys are," he said. "They are
family. We live, travel and compete with one another, and
that is exactly what we encourage."
While the Knights continue to enjoy their success, there are
always things that can be improved.
Many of the athletes would like to see a larger fan base and
higher attendance at matches, among other things.
Next season will bring new tasks and challenges for the UCF
Wrestling Club team, and with eight returning All-Americans,
aspirations are high.
"We are looking for leaders to set an example for the
younger members of the team," Balma said. "We also need the
younger guys to step up. It's not always athletic
performance that makes a team, it's leadership."
The UCF Wrestling program's hard work, dedication and
tremendous success both academically and athletically is
representative of the very best things about UCF.
Current news and information can be found at the UCF
wrestling team's website at www.centralfloridawrestling.com.
