As the Hofstra University Wrestling team readies itself for the 2003-2004 season, it does so with great anticipation. The Pride not only return seven 2003 NCAA Wrestling Championships qualifiers, including All-Americans Jon Masa and Chris Skretkowicz, but also welcome back two wrestlers (Tom Noto and Paul Siemon) who qualified for the NCAAs in 2002 and red-shirted last season. In addition, Head Coach Tom Ryan and his staff, which includes two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American Donny Pritzlaff, two-time NCAA qualifier Rob Anspach, and four-time NCAA qualifier and four-time conference champion Jason DeBruin, have added several talented recruits to the squad. With such a stacked lineup, it is easy to see why many collegiate wrestling publications have ranked Hofstra as one of the Top 12 programs in the nation.
Here is a look at the 2003-2004 Pride at each weight class:
125: Senior Tom Noto (South River, NJ) returns from his red-shirt season to anchor the 125-pound weight class. Noto, who is ranked fourth by InterMat heading into the season, was a 2002 NCAA qualifier and the Colonial Athletic Association champion. Last season as an unattached wrestler, he won his weight class at the Bearcat and East Stroudsburg Opens, posting a 10-0 record in the process. Freshman Dave Tomasette (Sewell, NJ) will be Noto's backup, but will only wrestle if the need arises and in all likelihood will be red-shirted. Tomasette was named to the Colonial Athletic Association Preseason All-Freshman team and was a state champion as a senior at Washington Township High School and runner-up at the High School Nationals.
133: Junior Ricky LaForge (Pompton Lakes, NJ) returns to his spot at 133 pounds where he compiled a 28-8 record on his way to the Colonial Athletic Association championship and the NCAA Wrestling Championships. LaForge was named the Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler at the CAA Championships and also earned Most Outstanding accolades at the Bearcat Open. Freshman Marc Marinelli (Mahopac, NY) will also compete at this weight class after earning all-section, all-county and all-league honors at Mahopac High School. Marinelli was a quarterfinalist at the High School Nationals.
141: Sophomore John Manarte (Farmingville, NY) will be challenged by junior Louis Vecchio (East Moriches, NY) and sophomore Chris Vondruska (Bay Village, Ohio) at the 141-pound weight class. Manarte compiled a 10-6 record in open competitions last season and was a member of the 2002-2003 Colonial Athletic Association Preseason All-Freshman team. Vecchio moves up from 133 pounds after compiling a 5-7 record in 2002-2003. Vondruska, who may move up to 149 pounds, was a Preseason CAA All-Freshman selection last year and posted a 3-5 record in open meets.
149: With returning All-American Jon Masa (Long Beach, NY) taking an Olympic waiver to train for a spot on the Puerto Rican Olympic Wrestling team, sophomore Matt Homenick (Pearl River, NY) moves up from 141 pounds. A Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie selection, Homenick posted a 15-15 record and placed third at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. Homenick will be challenged by red-shirt freshman James Strouse (Levittown, NY). Strouse, who was a New York State and Nassau County champion as a senior, put together a 5-3 record in open competitions last season. Chris Vondruska may also see action at this class if he can no longer make weight at 141 pounds. Sophomore Doug Thomas (Bedford, OH) will add depth to the weight class.
157: Coach Ryan will have a difficult decision at 157 pounds, with sophomore Mike Patrovich (Bohemia, NY) and junior Paul Siemon (Paramus, NJ) competing at this class. Both wrestlers are potential All-Americans and, while the program is fortunate to have such great depth at one weight, it is a difficult situation. Patrovich, who is ranked ninth by InterMat, was an NCAA Wrestling Championships participant last season and runner-up at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. He earned CAA All-Rookie accolades after posting a 28-11 record. Siemon, who red-shirted last season, was an NCAA qualifier in 2002 after placing second at the CAA Championships. Last season Siemon posted an 11-4 mark as an unattached wrestler in three open tournaments. Two other strong competitors, sophomores Stefan Serie (Merrick, NY) and Billy Simons (White Plains, NY), will also look for mat time at 157 pounds.
165: Senior Honorable Mention All-American Ralph Everett (Miami, FL) moves down a weight class and will be challenged by senior Joe Patrovich (Bohemia, NY). Everett was the Colonial Athletic Association champion at 174 pounds last season and pulled off the biggest upset of the NCAA Championships when he defeated top-ranked Greg Jones (West Virginia) in his first round match. Looked to as one of the team leaders, Everett posted a 35-9 record last season. Patrovich, the older brother of Mike Patrovich, rejoins the Hofstra squad after wrestling for two seasons at Nassau Community College where he was a Junior College All-American. Patrovich was at Hofstra in 1999-2000, but was injured. A former High School Nationals finalist, Patrovich will add great depth to the weight class.
174: Senior Noel Thompson (Freeport, NY) moves up to 174 pounds after earning Honorable Mention All-American honors for the second time in his career last season. The 2003 Colonial Athletic Association champion at 165 pounds, Thompson posted a 34-8 record and was the champion at the Bearcat and Nittany Lion Opens. Coach Ryan thinks that the move up in weight will help Thompson tremendously and that he is ready to make a mark on the wrestling world this season. Freshman Alex Nowak (Clark, NJ) will backup Thompson. Nowak was his team's MVP and was a member of the New Jersey National Team as a senior.
184: Senior Brad Christie (Fort Lee, NJ) returns to his starting role at 184 pounds after a stellar junior campaign that saw him capture the Colonial Athletic Association championship and compete at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Christie, who was 25-13 last season, enters 2003 ranked 12th by InterMat. A two-time Division III All-American at Montclair State University, Christie will be looking to add Division I All-American to his resume this year. Freshman Jordan Reid (Washington, DC) adds depth to this weight class.
197: Junior All-American Chris Skretkowicz (Hamburg, NJ) returns to his starting spot as well and will be looking to improve on 2003's sixth place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Skretkowicz earned CAA Wrestler of the Year accolades after compiling a 37-7 record with six pins and was the Colonial Athletic Association champion at 197 pounds. Skretkowicz also earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Nittany Lion Open after winning his weight class. Many wrestling pundits look at Skretkowicz as a potential National Champion, and he enters the season ranked second by InterMat.
Heavyweight: Sophomore Dan Garay (Rahway, NJ) will be challenged by juniors Michael Lodato (Union, NJ) and Mike McLaughlin (Deer Park, NY), as well as freshman Cole Merryman (Salem, NY). Garay was a Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie selection after posting an 8-5 record in an injury-shortened season. Garay, who plays on Hofstra's Football team, is ranked 18th at heavyweight by InterMat. Lodato saw limited action last season, as Coach Ryan used several wrestlers at heavyweight after Garay was injured. Merryman was a New York State sectional champion in 2003 and was a Brute Open All-American. McLaughlin, a transfer from Nassau Community College, began his career at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a former two-time Suffolk County place winner at Deer Park High School.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pride will once again wrestle a challenging non-conference schedule that features national powers Nebraska, Wisconsin, Cornell, Harvard, Lehigh and Pennsylvania. The team will also compete at the prestigious NWCA National Duals in Cleveland, Ohio. The event features some of the top teams in the country competing in a bracketed tournament to crown the top dual meet team in the nation.
The team will also face stiff competition at the New York State Tournament, the University of Pennsylvania Invitational and the Midlands Tournament.
Hofstra will look to keep the nation's longest conference unbeaten streak alive for a fifth season when it begins conference action, although Ryan knows that it will not be an easy task. Rider, Drexel, Boston University and George Mason trail Hofstra in the preseason CAA Poll and will be looking to end Hofstra's streak and two-year run as CAA champions.
