The Hofstra Pride wrestling team will be going after its sixth consecutive Colonial Athletic Association Championship and its seventh straight conference title Friday and Saturday, March 2-3 when the 2007 CAA Wrestling Championships commence at the Linn Gymnasium on the campus of George Mason University.
Twenty-three CAA student-athletes-the top two place-winners at each weight class and three wildcards from any weight class-will advance to the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships from March 15-7 at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
First round competition begins at 1 p.m. on Friday, with quarterfinal matches at 4 p.m. and first round consolations at 8 p.m. The second day of competition begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. with second round consolations, semifinals at noon, third round consolations at 2 p.m., consolation finals at 4 p.m. and championship matches at 6 p.m. This year, true second place matches will be held after the finals for the right to go to the NCAA Championships.
As expected, the Pride, which has captured six consecutive conference titles including the final East Coast Wrestling Association title in 2001 to go along with its five CAA titles, are the favorites for the CAA title with nine top-seeded wrestlers coming out of the coaches seeding meeting Thursday. Five of the 10 Hofstra wrestlers received byes into the second round leaving five other Pride wrestlers, including top seeds, seniors Mike Parziale (149), James Strouse (157) and Chris Weidman (197) and junior Charles Griffin (141), along with unseeded graduate-student Matt Pollock (285), opening up at 1 p.m. All told, the Pride has nine number one seeds, the most in school history, in the 2007 CAA Championships. Senior Mike Patrovich (165), juniors Dave Tomasette (125) and Joe Rovelli (184), sophomore Alton Lucas (174), and freshman Lou Ruggirello (133).
Six Pride wrestlers will be vying for their first conference championship while four, seniors James Strouse and Mike Patrovich, and juniors Charles Griffin and Joe Rovelli, will be looking for their third conference crowns. Hofstra, which is ranked ninth in the country in the latest USA Today/NWCA/Intermat poll, has eight wrestlers currently ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes.
Seniors James Strouse, who has posted a 33-3 record this season, and Mike Patrovich, with a 14-4 mark, are ranked sixth at 157 and 165, respectively. Junior Joe Rovelli is ranked eighth at 184 pounds with a 28-5 record while junior Charles Griffin, with a 25-5 record at 141, and sophomore Alton Lucas, with a 21-8 mark at 174, are ranked ninth. Senior Chris Weidman is ranked 12th in the country at 197 with a 24-7 record, while junior Dave Tomasette is ranked 15th at 125 with a 14-5 mark. Freshman Lou Ruggirello rounds out the ranked Pride wrestlers, coming in at number 18 at 133 pounds with a 28-7 record. Senior Mike Parziale, who shared the 149-pound weight class with red-shirt freshman Mitch Smith this season, defeated Smith in a wrestle-off on Monday and enters the CAA Championships unranked with a 12-9 record. Heavyweight graduate-student Matt Pollock (12-22) is also unranked.
CAA Wrestling Championship results will be posted on the George Mason University Athletics web site at www.gomason.cstv.com.
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