Hempstead, NY - With the first tournament of the season weeks away, Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Dennis Papadatos announced today the team captains for the 2021-22 season of Hofstra wrestling. Redshirt senior Ricky Stamm, redshirt junior Zachary Knighton-Ward, and junior Trey Rogers were selected as this season's trio of captains by a team vote.

"The coaches and I are very positive with where we feel the culture of the program is at, and we all felt comfortable with entrusting picking captains to the athletes," Papadatos said. "We're incredibly happy with how the voting went. We feel those three have a good understanding on the pulse of the team, and we know they will be able to lead by example on and off the mat."

A 165-pound wrestler from Levittown, New York, Stamm went 8-4 in 2020-21, upping his all-time record to 51-27. Stamm qualified for the 2020 and 2021 NCAA Championships, and went 1-2 in St. Louis last season. He was an EIWA Academic Achievement Award recipient last season, and was named the 2019-20 Steve Molello Coaches Award winner, given annually to the Hofstra wrestler who exemplified dedication to wrestling, academic, community service, and all other important facets of the program.

Rogers, a 197-pound wrestler from Hastings, Minnesota, Rogers is as accomplished off the mat as he is on. He upped his career record to 40-34 after going 7-5 last season. Rogers finished fifth at the EIWA Championships, and qualified to the NCAA Championships, where he went 1-2. A two-time NWCA Scholar All-American, Rogers currently serves as the Pride Cup Coordinator on the 2021-22 Hofstra SAAC Executive Board.

Wrestling at 285 pounds from Uniondale, New York, Knighton-Ward finished the 2020-21 season with an 8-5 record, including a 1-2 mark at the 2021 NCAA Championships, and placed third at the EIWA Championships. Since his first season of competitive wrestling in 2019-20, he has gone on to a 31-18 record for the Pride. Knighton-Ward was the proud recipient of the 2020-21 Steve Molello Coaches Award.

Also returning to the squad with a leadership role will be redshirt senior Sage Heller. Heller has been one of the top wrestlers for Hofstra since first donning the Pride singlet in 2016. The 174-pounder holds a 57-39 record for the Pride, including a 21-8 mark and a fifth-place finish at the 2020 EIWA Championships. In addition to his performances on the mat, Heller has been a strong presence in the locker room as one of the team's top upperclassmen.

The Pride will open the season at the Clarion Open from Clarion, Pennsylvania on November 7.