Wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestlng - Menlo Invit.: SCSU 1st place
WRESTLING: Huskies Claim First Place at Menlo Invitational
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Husky Wrestling Team celebrates their title at the Menlo Invite |
ATHERTON, Calif. – St. Cloud State University wrestling brought home the team championship from the Menlo College Invitational on Sunday, Jan. 4. The tournament was held in Atherton, Calif. inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion.
St. Cloud State’s John Sundgren (Blaine) was named Most Outstanding Lightweight Wrestler after taking the title at 157-pounds. Sundgren was one of six individual champs for the Huskies at the tournament, while SCSU also saw two of its wrestlers claim second at the meet.
The Huskies notched 184 team points at the tournament, while Southern Oregon was second with 163 points. Host Menlo College placed third with 101 points, and Cal State-Bakersfield was fourth with 96.5 points. The field was completed by San Francisco State (94.5), Embry-Riddle (82), Burnaby Mountain WC (45.5), Douglas (27.5), Simon Fraser (27), Central (20) and San Jose State (6).
The tournament featured six programs that received votes in the most recent national rankings. Southern Oregon (No. 2), Menlo (No. 8), Embry-Riddle (No. 11), and Simon Fraser (No. 17) are all in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll while St. Cloud State (No. 12) and San Francisco State (others receiving votes) are in the latest NCAA Div. II Poll.
Sundgren posted three pins on the way to the championship bout at 157-pounds. He completed his trip to California with a 14-7 win over Tommy Hooper of Southern Oregon.
At 133-pounds, SCSU's Josh Williams capped a perfect day at Menlo with a 6-4 win over Raj Virdi of the Burnaby Mountain Wrestlng club in the title bout. At 141-pounds, Gabe Suarez gained a 7-5 win over Ben Lockett of San Francisco State in the championship match.
At 149-pounds, Jake Roberts brought back a second place finish for the Huskies. He had a 3-1 record, which included two pinfall victories. In the title match, Roberts lost a tough 7-5 decision against Tyler Chang of Embry Riddle. At 165-pounds, Tad Merritt was another SCSU champion as he gained a 3-1 victory over Robert Davis of Menlo College in the title bout. Merritt notched two pins along the way to the title.
At 174-pounds, Derek Skala earned top honors for the Huskies with a 7-3 victory in the championship match against Southern Oregon's Shaun Ceremello. Skala also had two pins on the way to his appearance in the title bout at 174-pounds. SCSU's Lucas Munkelwitz brought home the Huskies' final title with a first place finish at 197-pounds. He charted a pin at 4:30 against Ali Al-Rekabi of Simon Fraser in the championship match.
At 184-pounds, SCSU's Brad Padgett placed second in tournament action. He lost a tough 3-2 match against Southern Oregon's Chris Piatt in the championship match at 184-pounds. Of note, Pat Levasseur posted a 2-2 record at 125-pounds at the tournament, while Bobby Ross was 0-2 in action at heavyweight for the Huskies.
The Huskies will continue their season on Jan. 10-11, with a trip to the Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
2009 Menlo Invitational Team Results
1. St. Cloud State, 184
2. Southern Oregon, 163
3. Menlo, 101
4. Cal State-Bakersfield, 96.5
5. San Francisco State, 94.5
6. Embry-Riddle, 82
7. Burnaby Mountain W.C., 45.5
8. Douglas, 27.5
9. Simon Fraser, 27
10. Central, 20
11. San Jose State, 6
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