: Welcome
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WRESTLING
NCWA National Champions
2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, & 2008
Dual National Champions
2007, 2008, & 2009
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Thanks to all the people who came out to Maple Hill Golf Course to support the GVSU Wrestling program! The event was a success, as the golfers enjoyed a beautiful day of golf and funds were raised to help the team begin their year.
Special thanks to Maple Hill's staff for their hospitality and our sponsors, Air-Tite Insulation, Anderson Eyecare, Art Optical, Blind Ideas, Jamie Hosford, Legends Sports Pub, Uccello's of Grandville, and Viking Spas!
COACHES NEEDED!
Grand Rapids Public Schools
Middle School Athletics Program
Starting-January 25
Ending-March 27
Two practices per week
Interested?
Contact Michael Donovan
708.204.2006
Hampton, VA - The GVSU Wrestling Team completed a successful season by finishing as National Runner-Ups at the 2009 NCWA National Championships. The Newport News Apprentice School, the host school, scored 118.5 points to the Lakers 109 points to put themselves at the top of the 84 team field.
The Lakers got a solid performance over the three day tournament from each of the 22 athletes competing in Black and Blue. Five wrestlers earned All-American status, led by senior Richard Doherty. Competing at 174 pounds, Richard reached the finals to earn an individual runner-up finish to cap a career that includes four trips to the National Tournament and two All-American Honors. Doherty placed fourth at 174 pounds in 2008.
Earning his third All-American honor, Kelvin Miller placed fifth at 197 pounds. This goes along with third place finishes in 2007 and 2008. Kelvin battled a serious foot injury that required surgery in the fall and kept him from competition until January. He has a year of eligibility remaining but plans on graduating this April.
Joe Kuzmicz earned All-American Honors at 235 pounds for the second straight year. Joe placed fifth to add to his third place finish from 2008. Similar to Kelvin, Joe has a year of eligibility remaining but plans on graduating this April.
At heavyweight, sophomore Corey Melinn put in another outstanding performance at the National Tournament, earning his second All-American honor in just two years. Corey improved on last year’s fifth place finish with a third place in 2009. With the two finalists graduating, Corey appears to be in a position to make a run at a National Title next season.
Two newcomers to the GVSU line-up earned their first All-American honor. At 125 pound, Jon Murray was upset in the first round but showed incredible determination by winning five consecutive consolation bouts to reach the medal round. In the “blood round” Jon knocked off a senior, two-time All-American to keep his tournament alive. Jon finished the tournament with a win to finish in fifth.
Junior Mike Leonard made his first appearance in the NCWA National Tournament after wrestling at Muskegon Community College in the NJCAA the last two years. Mike competed in a loaded 157 pound weight class, won by a three- time All-American and two-time National Champion. Mike finished in fifth place to complete a phenomenal first season at GVSU.
In addition to five All-Americans, the Lakers had eight more wrestlers win at least two matches at the National Tournament with four wrestlers losing in the “blood round,” needing just one more win to reach the podium. At 133 pounds, both Ian Martin and Brennan Leeuwenburg won two matches and reached the blood round.
At 141 pounds, Nate Hall won two matches battling illness all weekend and Brad Frey won three matches to make the blood round. Derek Marshall won three bouts to make the blood round at 184 pounds. Three other wrestlers won two bouts, Wayne Leonard at 149, David Sponhauer at 184, and Dustin Morgan at 197.
The Lakers showed great growth throughout the season after starting with two dual losses in November. With all but Richard Doherty eligible to return next season, the Lakers hope to capitalize on the experiences of this season to return to the very top of the NCWA in 2010.
Grand Valley State University GVSU defeated rival University of Central Florida (UCF) 33-18 this weekend at The NCWA National Duals Championship held at Middle Tennessee State University.
Grand Valley carted home the now coveted 4 1/2 foot 50 pound Collegiate Cup Trophy to be Displayed at GVSU until next season when it will return to the Championship Venue. Twenty of the top teams in the NCWA battled over two days with some teams having as many as 8 duals. The final round conducted on 8 mats produced 6 duals that went down to the last two weights.
Final Standings are as follows:
#1. Grand Valley State University - 33-18
#2. University of Central Florida......
#3. Marion Military Institute - 27-21
#4. Oakland University...........
#5. The Apprentice School - 23-20
#6. University of Maryland Baltimore County
#7. Bowling Green State University - 40-21
#8. Kansas State...........
#9. Ohio University - 37-21
#10. Mercer University.............
#11. Middle Tennessee State University - 33-26
#12. University of Dayton.........
#13. Louisiana State University 30-27
#14. University of Toledo.........
#15. Tennessee Temple University 1-0
#16. Auburn University........
The GVSU vs UCF matchup was a classic starting with the first match which saw Florida's 125 pound Frito Cherenfant jump out to a 6-1 lead over Jon Murray before Murray roared back with 3 2 point tilts in the last minute to defeat Cherenfant 11-10. The loss set UCF back on it'd heals, but Stephen DeAugistino answered the call with a win by injury default for UCF at 133lbs putting them in the lead, 6-3 going into the 144lb bout.
Nathan Hall came up with a pivotal pin over Will Rothenberg to hoist GVSU into the lead again at 9-6. UCF came back with a win at 149 to again tie the score at 9-9 before Grand Valley ran off three wins of their own. A decision by Mike Leonard at 157, a tech fall by Travis Eisen at 165, and a major decision at 174 by Richard Doherty. Going into the 184 lb match GVSU lead the dual 21-9.
After a fall at 184 by UCF closed the score to 21-15, Grand Valley answered with a fall as Kelvin Miller pinned his opponent in just 1:17 taking the team score to 27-15 all but closing the door on UCF. Corey Melinn to cap off the title for the Lakers with a fall at 285, making the final score 33-18.
Monday, January 19
The GVSU Wrestling team traveled east through wild weather on Saturday to battle the Grizzlies of Oakland University. With several wrestlers making their first appearance at a new weight and others looking for more matches, the Lakers prevailed 53 - 3.
This marked the second win over Oakland in as many weeks, after the 41-9 match at Bowling Green. Four matches resulted in bonus point wins for the Lakers. At 149, Wayne Leonard (Richmond/Muskegon CC) scored a technical fall. This was followed by a pin at 157 by Ty Caron (Allegan/Neosho CC). Mike Leonard (Richmond/Muskegon CC) at 165 followed the example of his older but lighter brother and won by technical fall. Lastly, Kelvin Miller (Avondale), twice an All-American, pinned his opponent in his first match of the season at 197.
Next, Grand Valley will face Olivet College in a dual. Olivet is coming off a top 8 finish at the DIII National Duals and are ranked in the top 20. The two teams have split their last two duals.
The dual will take place at Allendale High School on Sunday, January 25. The JV start time is 1:00 and the Varsity at 2:30. Admission for all spectators is $5. Teams (High School, Junior High, MYWA) may get a discount by contacting coach Rick Bolhuis at rickbolhuis@grandvalleywrestling.com prior to the day of the event.
Sunday, January 11
The Laker Wrestlers traveled to Bowling Green, Ohio through blizzard like conditions for a Quad Meet with Oakland University, Ohio University, and host Bowling Green State University. It was the first meet of the semester for each team and the Lakers looked dominate winning all three duals handily.
To start the day, GVSU faced Oakland University. The Lakers started off with a forfeit at 125 and a win by freshman TJ Sobeck (Rogers City) at 133. They would continue their winning ways, winning the next seven matches. Sophomore Brad Frey (Novi) put so much pressure on his opponent, he won the match by disqualification at 141. Junior Mike Leonard (Richmond, Muskegon CC) won by fall at 157 in his first action as a Laker. In addition, All-American Daryn Whitefield (Auburn Hills Avondale), who placed fourth at 197 last year, wrestled well in his return from injury. He is expected to make the cut to 184 for the remainder of the season. Oakland won the final two matches of the bout, leaving the final score at 41-9 in favor of the Lakers.
In round two, GVSU took on the Falcons of Bowling Green. Freshman Jon Murray (Brentwood HS, Suffolk County, NY) got the Lakers started in a big way, pinning a returning national qualifier at 125. The Lakers won the next four bouts, including a fall by sophomore Ty Caron (Allegan, Neosho CC) at 157. At 184, senior Richard Doherty (Mount Pleasant) dominated an opponent who pushed him to overtime earlier in the year. He earned All-American honors last year, placing fourth at 184, and looks to win his fourth consecutive team title come March. Two other returning All-Americans got back to their winning ways as Joe Kuzmicz (Union) and Corey Melinn (Coopersville) closed the meet with back-to-back wins at 235 and 285 respectively to make the final score 48-3.
To end the day, the Lakers faced a talented group from Ohio University. After forfeiting at 125, Ohio won the next two bouts to tie the score at six each. That would be Ohio's last win as freshman Nate Hall (Blissfield) got the Lakers back on track with a technical fall at 149. After a year away from the team, Travis Eisen (Forest Hills Central), an All-American in 2007, returned to the mat and recorded a fall at 165 to keep the Lakers rolling. Freshman Robert Hall (Decatur) won his final bout of the day, finishing with three wins. Also winning three matches Saturday were Murray, Nate Hall, and Doherty. The final score against Ohio, 48-6.
The Lakers are back in action, Sunday, January 25 at Allendale High School against Olivet College. They will also host events on campus, with a dual tournament on February 7 and the Laker Open on February 8.
Lakers Win Third Straight National Title
The Grand Valley State University Wrestling Team returned from Lakeland, Florida with its third consecutive NCWA National Championship. This is the fifth title for the Lakers in eight seasons.
The Lakers earned ten All-American honors led by two National Champions. Joe Mendez won his second consecutive title with a fall in the finals at 141 pounds. He won a title last year at 133 and was a runner-up in 2006 giving him three All-American honors.
Freshman Jordan Richardson won the 165 pound title with a gutsy performance, defeating Michael Gorman of the US Military Academy Prep School in the finals.
The third Laker finalist was senior Russell Correll the runner-up at 157. Correll finishes his career as a four-time national qualifier and three-time All-American.
Placing third for the Lakers were Kelvin Miller (197) and Joe Kuzmicz (235). This is the second All-American honor for Miller who placed third at 235 in 2007.
Also earning All-American honors for the Lakers were Richard Doherty (4th at 174), Phil Lanni (7th at 184), Daryn Whitefield (4th at 197), Ryan Lancaster (7th at 235), and Corey Melinn (5th at 285). Each of these wrestlers earned their first All-American honor.
Grand Valley brought 18 wrestlers total to the National Tournament. The following Lakers won at least one match in Lakeland to contribute to the championship, Michael Donovan (125), Dan Schaaf (133), Nick Legato (149), Jeff Skinner (165), David Sponhauer (174), John Stariha (184), and Matt McHugh (285). Bray Frey also qualified for the National Tournament at 141 but was unable to compete due to injury.