Hempstead, NY - As the start to the 2021-22 wrestling season draws closer, six members of the Hofstra wrestling team found themselves ranked in InterMat's preseason individual rankings.
Holden Heller (157),
Ricky Stamm (165),
Sage Heller (174),
Charles Small (184),
Trey Rogers (197) and
Zachary Knighton-Ward (285) all appear in the InterMat initial rankings for the new year of collegiate wrestling. All six represented the Pride at the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
Ranked at No. 24 at 157 pounds, Holden won the 157-pound individual title at the 2021 EIWA Championships, becoming the first Hofstra wrestler to win a weight class at a conference championship since Joe Booth in 2014 won the 165-pound title while going 8-2 on the year with his only losses coming in the NCAA Championships. He was also named a 2020-21 NWCA Division I Scholar All-American, one of eight Hofstra wrestlers to receive that distinction last season.
A two-time NCAA qualifier, Stamm is ranked No. 33 in the preseason 165-pound rankings. Stamm finished fifth at the 2021 EIWA Championships and ended the year at 8-4 with a win at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
After redshirting in 2020-21, Sage enters the new season as the No. 27-ranked 174-pound wrestler by InterMat. Sage was one of the top Hofstra wrestlers in 2019-20, going 21-8 on the year and a perfect 7-0 against EIWA opposition. He was an alternate for the 2020 NCAA Championships after placing fifth at the 2020 EIWA Championships.
Ranked No. 26 at 184 pounds, Small placed third at the 2021 EIWA Championships, qualifying him for the 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, where he would upset 10-seed Tate Samuelson of Wyoming in overtime of the first session. Small went 8-4 during the COVID-shortened season, with three wins against conference wrestlers. Small was also one of Hofstra's eight wrestlers to be named an NWCA Division I Scholar All-American.
Rogers enters the 2021-22 season ranked No. 29 in the 197-pound weight class. Rogers finished fifth at the 2021 EIWA Championships, and ended the year at 7-5 overall with a win at the 2021 NCAA Championships. Rogers is a two-time NWCA Division I Scholar All-American and received his third consecutive EIWA Academic Achievement Award.
At 285 pounds, Knighton-Ward checks in at No. 27 in the preseason rankings following his second straight trip to the NCAA Championship. Knighton-Ward took third at the 2021 EIWA Championships and earned himself a win at the 2021 NCAA Championships, putting the heavyweight at 8-5 on the year.
Hofstra placed fourth with 106.5 points at the 2021 EIWA Championships, the program's best finish in at the EIWA Championships since joining the conference in 2013-14, and sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
