  |
|
|||
November 1, 2007 Back to the mats This season, Head Coach Frank Romano's troops return several key veterans, including four grapplers who scored points for NDC in their first trip to the NAIA National Championships in Mar., 2007: Brett Freeman (So/Burton, OH), John Horn (So/Caldwell, OH), Jason Spencer (Jr/Newbury, OH), and Nick Terifaj (So/Strongsville, OH). Freeman, wrestling at 141, posted an 18-11 record last season, and his win total leads the Falcons heading into the program's second season. Terifaj was NDC's top performer at the NAIA Championships, scoring nine points for the Falcons and earning All-American honors in the heavyweight division by finishing eighth in Sioux City, Iowa. Terifaj went 3-3 in six Championship bouts and finished the season with a 15-9 mark. Other talented veterans returning for the Wrestling Falcons include Cory Braden (So/Norwalk, OH) at 184, Jason Flynn (So/Eastlake, OH) at 197, Ken Sanger (So/Cleveland, OH) at 165, and Nate Spencer (So/Mayfield, OH) at 149. The returning upperclassmen will be joined by a several newcomers in the 2007-08 season. In particular, Victor Crenshaw (Jr/Cleveland, OH), Matt Kuti (Fr/Austintown, OH) and Dante Rini (Fr/Massillon, OH) are three grapplers who come to College Road with impressive resumes. Crenshaw, a transfer from Cleveland State, owns a 46-26 collegiate record and placed third in the Ohio State Wrestling Championships as a senior at Sycamore High School. Kuti comes in as a freshman from Austintown-Fitch High School who placed fourth in the 2007 Ohio State Wrestling Championships and was a two-time state qualifier. Rini notched a 13-2 record as a senior at Jackson High School and was a four-time state qualifier and three-time placer. "Our experience last year bodes well for us in moving forward," said Romano. "And the future of our entire program looks bright with the new guys coming in.” The combination of experience and youth has drawn the attention of other NAIA coaches, who voted NDC No. 17 in the nation in their pre-season poll, released Oct. 17. The Falcons will once again compete in the East Region of the 33-team NAIA. Romano will once again be joined by Anthony Ralph on the bench. Ryan Simmons joins him as a second Assistant Coach. NDC Wrestling hits the mats in style to open season number two, as the Falcons host the Ohio State Buckeyes, who come to Cleveland as the 8th-ranked team in the nation among NCAA-I, in their opener (Nov. 4). The Falcons' 2007-08 schedule includes six dual meets at home, two sets of triple duals on the road, and seven tournaments. | 2007-08 Schedule | Notre Dame College is a co-educational liberal arts institution in South Euclid, Ohio. The Notre Dame Athletics Department sponsors the Falcons' participation in 17 men's and women's sports. The College is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the American Mideast Conference (AMC), which is the largest NAIA conference in the country. ------------------------------------falcons---------------------------------- |
|||
 |
|
|
|
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The Notre Dame Wrestling Falcons are back for year number two. NDC started its wrestling program just a year ago, going 10-6 in dual meets and sending five athletes to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships in their inaugural 2006-07 season. Now, the Falcons are back, with another wave of solid recruits teaming up with a solid corps of returnees.