IN THE TOURNAMENT
Along with the three ranked teams mentioned above, the Sun Devils also could face competitors from Appalachian State, Boston University, Brown, Rider, VMI and Mercyhurst. The field will include 16 different wrestlers ranked among the Top 20 according to the November 13 USA Today/NWCA/InterMat rankings. The more loaded weight classes include 197 pounds, where No. 1 Josh Glenn (American), No. 10 Matt Koz (UTC), No. 15 Jason Trulson (ASU) and No. 16 T.J. Morrison (Rider) could compete with 184 pounds having three ranked competitors, including No. 13 Doug Umbehauer (Rider), No. 17 Lior Zamir (Penn) and No. 18 Brent Chriswell (ASU).

PITSCH IN ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Senior Patrick Pitsch will not travel with the team to Philadelphia this weekend as he will instead head to Eugene, Ore., for the NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps on Monday night on McArthur Court on the Oregon campus. Pitsch, ranked No. 3 in the nation at 165 pounds, will face No. 2 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in the exhibition event that looks to pit the top-ranked wrestlers in the nation against one another.

ON THE AIR
Fans can watch the All-Star Classic live from their computers on Monday night thanks to Live Sports Video. For more information, click HERE.

ALL-STAR HISTORY
Patrick Pitsch is the 27th different Sun Devil to be selected to compete in the Classic and will be the 24th to compete (three were sidelined due to injury). The last time Arizona State was represented in the competition was last year as No. 1 Brian Stith (157) suffered a 2-1 setback to No. 2 Trent Paulson of Iowa State in Dallas. Overall, Sun Devil wrestlers are 10-12-1 all-time in the Classic with the last win coming in 2000 when the late Steve Blackford scored a 13-1 major decision over Kirk White of Boise State at 165 pounds.

THE INSIDE TRIP
This week, Patrick Pitsch began his weekly blog, The Inside Trip, on the official web site of Arizona State Athletics, thesundevils.com. In his first installment, Pitsch takes you behind the scenes of the team’s trip to UC Davis and the Portland State Duals. The read this week’s blog, as well as the latest editions each week, visit the wrestling page of thesundevils.com and look for the Inside Trip on the right side of the page.

OFF AND RUNNING
Arizona State scored four dual victories to open its 2007-08 season last weekend, all four of which came on the road. The Sun Devils opened the weekend with a 20-17 win at UC Davis before heading to the Portland State Duals where they won 45-6 over Pacific (Ore.), 30-7 over Southern Oregon and 36-9 over Portland State. The duals with the UCD Aggies and PSU Vikings were Pac-10 Conference contests giving ASU a 2-0 record in the league.

FLAWLESS STARTS
With their 4-0 record last weekend, the Sun Devils have opened the past three years with perfect records, including a 2-0 start last year and a 3-0 record in 2005-06. The last time the Sun Devils opened a season with four or more victories in a row came during Thom Ortiz’ first year with the team when Arizona State opened the 2001-02 season with a 4-0 record. A win over Embry-Riddle on November 25 at home would give ASU its best start since the 1992-93 team won its first six duals of the year.

MORE FLAWLESS STARTS
Over the weekend, nine different Sun Devils posted undefeated records including two 4-0 starts, three 3-0 starts and two 2-0 starts. Todd Schavrien (133) and Chris Drouin (141) both put together 4-0 records on the weekend while Anthony Robles (125), Brent Chriswell (184) and Jason Trulson (197) each went 3-0.

ROOKIES ROLLING
During the opening weekend, 15 different Sun Devils took to the mats in at least one bout. Eight of those wrestlers, all of which are redshirt freshmen, competed in the college ranks for the first time in their careers and combined to go 19-4 overall. Of those 19 victories, five came by fall with two each coming by major decision and technical fall. Combined, ASU’s first three weight classes — Anthony Robles (125), Todd Schavrien (133) and Chris Drouin (141) — went 11-0 with two wins by major, two by technical fall and two by fall. Brent Chriswell (184) also started strong as he posted a 3-0 record with a fall in 33 seconds.

IMPRESSIVE STARTS
While the freshman class looked solid as a whole, a few performances on opening night were quite spectacular. Against Pac-10 foe UC Davis, Anthony Robles, in his first college match, took on Marcos Orozco at 125 pounds, a senior that placed third in the conference last year and advanced to the NCAA Championships. After giving up and early takedown and trailing 2-0 at the end of one, Robles chose top and picked up three, two-point near falls on his way to the 7-5 victory. Later in the dual, at 184 pounds, Brent Chriswell made his college debut a short instance as he took his opponent down 31 seconds into the bout only to pin him two seconds later.

SCORING BIG
Bonus point victories were prevalent over the weekend as the Sun Devils won by major decision or greater in 18 of their 29 victories. All told, the Sun Devils won four major decisions, two technical falls and seven falls while adding five victories by forfeit.

QUICK STICK
Of those seven wins by pin-fall, only two came outside of the first period. Brent Chriswell (184) recorded the fastest fall of the weekend as he pinned UC Davis’ Jon Clark in just 33 seconds. Also scoring first period falls were Kenny Lester (heavyweight) in 1:25, Chris Drouin (141) in 1:42, Quinton Pruett (heavyweight) in 2:13 and Jerrad Trulson (149) in 2:40. Drouin was the lone Sun Devil with a pair of pins on the weekend as he also pinned an opponent in 6:18. Jason Trulson (197) also won by fall in 4:50.

IN THE RANKINGS
Despite its 4-0 start, the Sun Devils are not receiving vote in the national rankings this week, according to the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Top 25 rankings. Individually in the InterMat/NWCA/NWMA rankings (November 12), three Sun Devils are listed among the Top 20 in their respective weight classes, including No. 3 Patrick Pitsch (165), No. 15 Jason Trulson (197) and No. 18 Brent Chriswell (184).

MORE RANKINGS
In other preseason team rankings, the Sun Devils are ranked No. 24 according to RevWrestling.com and W.I.N. Magazine. Individually, Patrick Pitsch (165) is ranked No. 4 by both Rev and W.I.N. and No. 5 by Amateur Wrestling News while Brent Chriswell (184) is No. 14 according to Rev and Jason Trulson (197) is No. 9 according to W.I.N. and No. 15 according to Rev.

PAC-10 RANKINGS
The preseason rankings for the Pac-10 Conference were released by tournament host Oregon on November 12 and five Sun Devils have been selected to Top 5 placements. Patrick Pitsch, the two-time defending 165-pound champion, is No. 1 with Jason Trulson ranked No. 2 at 197 after finishing third last year. Rick Renzi (174) and Quinton Pruett (285) are both ranked No. 4 while Todd Schavrien (133) is No. 5.

CAMPBELL ON THE ROSTER
This year, the Sun Devils have a first on their roster as Kelsey Campbell is the first woman to join the Arizona State program. A transfer from Pacific (Ore.), Campbell comes to Tempe after competing for the Boxers during the 2005-06 season and then representing the ASU Women’s Club Team last year. During the 2006-07 season, Campbell competed in her first National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and won the 63kg (138.5) national title as an unseeded competitor. In the event, she knocked off the No. 4, No. 1 and then No. 2 seeds on her way to her first tournament title.

TOP OF HER CLASS
Kelsey Campbell is currently ranked on a pair of national women’s lists, including No. 1 at 59kg (130 pounds) in the Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Association preseason rankings. She also is ranked No. 5 in TheMat.com’s U.S. Senior Women’s Rankings (May 2007).

GOING INTERNATIONAL
A pair of Sun Devil coaches competed at the Hargobind International Open in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, over the weekend with both Erick Larkin and Zach Roberson reaching the finals of their respective weight classes. Roberson won the title at 60kg as he defeated Yogeshwar Dutt of India while Larkin, competing at 66kg, fell to Jared Frayer of Gator WC to place second overall.

WHERE THEY RANK
Several former Sun Devils are currently ranked among the Top 10 in TheMat.com’s U.S. Senior Freestyle Rankings, released November 2, as well as the Senior Greco-Roman Rankings, released May 16. In freestyle, current coaches Zach Roberson and Eric Larkin are ranked, standing third at 60kg (132) and sixth at 66kg (145.5), respectively, while former Sun Devil Danny Felix is currently ranked No. 6 at 55kg (121). In Greco-Roman, current Sun Devil Kenny Lester is ranked No. 9 at 120kg (264.5 pounds) while former Sun Devil Eric Albarracin is third at 55kg (121).

MORE INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Over the summer, former Sun Devil Jeff Funicello competed in a trio of World Championship events in Antalya, Turkey, and brought home a bronze medal for the USA in beach wrestling at the 2007 FILA World Championships. Funicello also became the first Sun Devil to compete on the world stage in two newer events, including Sombo (seventh place) and grappling (did not place). His bronze medal is just the fourth World medal earned by a Sun Devil, following a gold (1991) and bronze (1995) by Zeke Jones and silver (1989) by Gary Bohay (Canada) in freestyle wrestling.

YOUTHFUL APPEARANCE
If the Arizona State roster appears to be filled with freshmen, there is a reason: it is. Of the 38 wrestlers on the roster this year, 24 are freshmen, making up 64 percent of the team. Of those 24 rookies, 12 are true freshmen while the other 12 redshirted last year.

BACK FOR MORE
Of the five remaining starters to open the season, all five saw action last year. Alex Pavlenko (157) has dropped down from 174 where he was a starter before the return of this year’s starter, Rick Renzi (174). Patrick Pitsch (165) and Jason Trulson (197) both were the primary starter at their respective weights while Quinton Pruett (heavyweight) saw limited action at both 197 and heavyweight.

WHERE IN THE WORLD?
The Sun Devil roster is comprised of 38 student-athletes this year with nearly all four “corner” of the continental United States represented. From Washington in the northwest to California and Arizona in the southwest to Florida in the southeast and as far northeast as New York, the 2007-08 roster has at least one wrestler from 14 different states. Arizona (13) and California (8) lead the way while multiple athletes hail from Washington (3), Nevada (2), New York (2) and Oregon (2). The remaining states represented include Colorado, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

LOSS OF FIVE
Five wrestlers that were in the starting lineup for much of last year are gone from the roster with four of those Sun Devils graduating. John Espinoza (125), Chris Remsen (149), Brian Stith (157) and Greg Gifford (184) all earned their degrees while 133-pound starter Shawn Jones left the University following his freshman year for his Morman mission.

AHOY, CAPTAIN!
Seniors Patrick Pitsch, Rick Renzi and Jason Trulson and junior Quinton Pruett have been selected as the team’s captains for the 2007-08 season.

WRESTLE-OFF RESULTS
The Maroon team, led my alumni coach C.B. Dollaway, downed Ryan Bader’s Gold team, 60-10, on October 27 in the 14-bout wrestle-off at the Riches Wrestling Complex. The Maroon team scored pin-fall victories in six of their 12 wins on the day, including Rick Renzi’s pin in 1:24 of the 174 bout. The fastest fall of the day was recorded by newcomer Brent Chriswell at 184 (one bout after Renzi’s fast fall) as he picked up the pin in 30 seconds.

ON THE SCHEDULE
The 2007-08 season will see the Sun Devils compete in 17 duals, including nine home duals, and five tournaments. In the regular season, Arizona State will send competitors to the Keystone Classic (Philadelphia), Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational and Reno Tournament of Champions, all of which come before the end of the December. Following 12 duals after the turn of the New Year, the Sun Devils will head to Eugene, Ore., for the 2007 Pac-10 Championships (March 2-3) and conclude the season at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships (March 20-22).

FACING SOME OF THE BEST
Of those 17 duals on the Sun Devils’ schedule this season, five teams are ranked among the national Top 25 according the November 12 USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll. On the list are No. 2 Iowa State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 21 Oklahoma, No. 23 Penn and No. 24 Oregon State.

NEW COMPETITION
Arizona State will face a pair of teams this year it has never faced in dual competition during its 45 years as a varsity competition. Both of those squads, Army and Grand Canyon, will be part of the January 6 Sun Devil Duals.

RETURNING PAC-10 CHAMPION
Senior Patrick Pitsch is the team’s lone returning Pac-10 champion, having won the crown at 165 pounds each of the past two seasons. Last year, the No. 2 seed in the tournament opened the event with an 11-2 major over Evan Barbre (Cal Poly) before downing No. 3-seed Brian Perry (Stanford), 7-4. Pitsch closed out the tournament with a close 3-2 decision over top-seeded Dustin Noack (UC Davis) to defend his title. In 2006, Pitsch was seeded third and knocked off No. 6 Risto Marttinen (CS Fullerton), 11-3, No. 2 Ray Blake (Stanford), 4-1, and No. 5 Brian Busby (CS Bakersfield), 7-5, for his first crown. Pitsch will look to become only the 17th Sun Devil to win three conference crowns in a career and the 14th Sun Devil to win three Pac-10 titles in a career (ASU was in the WAC prior to the 1979 meet).

LOOKING BACK AT 2006-07 SEASON
The Sun Devils posted an 8-11 overall record and went 5-2 in Pac-10 duals last year before placing fifth at the Pac-10 Championships and tied for 34th at the NCAA Championships. Brian Stith (157), Patrick Pitsch (165) and Greg Gifford (184) each won individual Pac-10 titles to qualify for the NCAA Championships and were joined by Jason Trulson (197) in the national tournament after he placed third in the conference.

HOME OF THE SUN DEVILS
Wells Fargo Arena serves as the home of Arizona State’s home wrestling duals, as well as basketball (men and women), women’s gymnastics and women’s volleyball. Opened in the spring of 1974, the 14,198-seat arena has been the home venue of some of the Sun Devil greats with all 16 Pac-10 team titles and one of the two Western Athletic Conference crowns attained by ASU. Since its opening, 57 Sun Devils have captured 109 individual conference titles while 67 different athletes have earned a total of 98 All-America honors. The Sun Devils stand 164-54-2 all-time inside Wells Fargo Arena (202-88-2 all-time at home). With its 36-3 defeat of Utah Valley State on January 10, 2005, ASU recorded its 150th victory at WFA.

NEXT TIME OUT
The Sun Devils will compete in their first home dual of the year on Sunday, November 25, when Embry-Riddle visits Tempe for a 2 p.m. dual.

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WITH 3-on-3 basketball and even beach wrestling potentially on the programme, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010, for athletes aged 14 to 18, is shaping up to be more than just a mini-version of the Summer Olympics.

The menu of 26 sports will be part of an attempt to better “interest and appeal” to youth, said Singapore’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board member Ng Ser Miang. The Republic is hoping to host the historic event.

Take wrestling, for instance. In addition to conventional indoor events, the plan is to have an outdoor beach-wrestling version, too. As for basketball, different formats may be tried — such as having teams of three, as opposed to five, battle it out and playing on a half-court only. And sailing will likely see a new youth class of boats used that will suit the abilities of the young athletes.

Mr Ng revealed the IOC’s plans to Today on the sidelines of a press conference held at the Singapore Sports School yesterday to rally support for the Singapore bid, which was submitted to the IOC in August.

“The international federations (of the respective sports) can be creative about the kinds of events they want to include. They can experiment and present the sports to create interest and appeal to the youth, to bring them into the sports,” he said.

Nine other cities — Algiers (Algeria), Athens (Greece), Moscow (Russia), Turin (Italy), Bangkok (Thailand), Debrecen (Hungary), Guatemala City, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Poznan (Poland) — are also in the running and have until Oct 26 to submit detailed plans for their bids.

Even before it announces its final decision next February, the IOC is already making a concerted effort to ensure the Games will take on its own unique identity in the long term.

IOC president Jacques Rogge — who recently met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the IOC headquarters in Switzerland to discuss the Games — said in May that national anthems and flags would be excluded.

When the winners of each event step up to the podium to receive their medals, only the Olympic flag and official anthem will be used, to sidestep nationalist fervour.

On why he felt the time was right for the IOC to have an event for the young, Mr Ng said it was important to start educating them early on core Olympic values such as respect, excellence and friendship.

“Different countries around the world have similar issues facing their youth — inactivity due to spending so much time on their computers, which results in obesity.

“And when it comes to competition, to also explain things like over-training and doping,” said Mr Ng.

At yesterday’s press conference, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Teo Ser Luck called on Singaporeans to band together and support the Republic’s bid to bag the honour of hosting the Games.

He unveiled a dedicated website (www.singapore2010.sg) that one can visit to read the latest updates, post feedback and suggestions, and view a new video promoting Singapore’s strengths that will be used as part of the bid.

Mr Teo also shared findings from his ministry that showed the number of Singaporeans taking part in sports is on the increase — 48 per cent in 2005, up from 38 per cent in 2001. In the key 15-to-19 age bracket, this figure was 83 per cent, higher than the 68 per cent in 2001.

MCYS Permanent Secretary Niam Chiang Meng, chairman of the Singapore 2010 bid committee, said Singapore’s “good track record” in organising events quickly could work in its favour.

There are just two-and-a-half years between the time the Youth Games host city is revealed and the opening ceremony, compared to nearly seven years for the Summer Olympics, he noted.

“Ours is a single-tier Government, and we can make things happen quickly. We feel we can deliver a good event in quick time. I do believe we have a reasonably good chance of succeeding,” he said.

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The Grand Rapids Press Jake Bohn said it was a trip to remember, and one that will help him in the future.

The East Kentwood senior wrestler recently returned from Antalya, Turkey, where he competed for Team USA in the World Tournament from Sept. 7-9.

Bohn wrestled in three submission styles at the tournament, Sombo, Beach Style and Grappling, taking fifth place at 145 pounds in Sombo and Beach Style and a bronze medal in Grappling.

“This was the first time I’ve wrestled overseas, and it was pretty awesome,” Bohn said. “It was quite an experience. There were a lot of different aspects to the trip. I’ve never done Beach Wrestling before, that was my first time doing that, so it was interesting. The competition was very good. There were a lot of different countries, and everybody was very nice.”

All three styles are different from what Bohn competes in at East Kentwood.

“Sombo and Grappling are submission wrestling,” Bohn said. “There are no pins, you just work for submissions, so it is different.”

However, Bohn said he believes the experience gained in Turkey, as well as in Greco-Roman and Freestyle, which are styles Bohn more commonly wrestles in the offseason, help his chances to win a state championship for the Falcons and move on to wrestle in college.

“I think this will help,” said Bohn, a two-time all-state wrestler who was fifth in Division 1 at 152 pounds last year. “You can use these styles and transfer it to the high school wrestling style. I may not try for a submissions in high school, but can use the moves and go for the pin.”

East Kentwood coach Rick Smith looks forward to having Bohn in the Falcons lineup this season.

“I don’t mind him wrestling all these styles,” Smith said. “He is using some of the skills he will use in folkstyle when he wrestles for us. And he’s competing, and there is nothing wrong getting himself prepared for competition.”

Bohn is ranked sixth nationally at 145 pounds in Greco-Roman after taking sixth place at nationals in Fargo, N.D., in July.

He also wrestled for Team Michigan in the Junior Duals in Oklahoma, and went 5-1 in Greco-Roman and 4-3 in Freestyle.

Bohn does all his wrestling to prepare for the immediate and distant future.

“I would like to go to college and continue with Team USA,” Bohn said. “Right now, my top goal is to win state this year.”

Before the high school season starts in December, Bohn has one more overseas tournament he plans to compete in in November, in Nice, France.

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Miyasaki, who also wrestled at Missouri Valley College, advanced to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Margarita Montez of Spain 2-1.

Beach wrestling is conducted on a sand surface. The event is part of the World Wrestling Games.

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Move over, volleyball. Another sport is about to take over the beach.

And it hopes to help take down diabetes.

The local Pride Wrestling Club is sponsoring a beach wrestling tournament Saturday at Crooked Creek Park in Ford City. Tournament proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in the name of Madison Pollick.

Pollick, 5, was diagnosed with Type I diabetes three years ago. She is the granddaughter of tournament director Steve Joseph.

“For the last two years, my family has participated in a walk for a cure held at St. Vincent’s (College) in Latrobe,” Joseph said. “This year, my daughter, Beth, decided she wants to do something herself.”

With a father who has organized Kiski Area junior wrestling for over 20 years and four brothers who all wrestled for the Cavaliers, a wrestling tournament was the obvious choice for Beth Pollick.

‘”I’m doing a lot of the organizing and planning, but my brothers understand the wrestling,’” Beth Pollick said. ‘”It’s a new sport, and we just thought we’d find a beach and try it out.’”

Rules for beach wrestling are remarkably simple. A 20-foot diameter circle is created in the sand with a rope. The two competitors wrestle ‘” in beach trunks for males and a one or two-piece bathing suit for females. The first competitor to score two takedowns in the three-minute time limit wins the match.

A competitor can also win if they take down their opponent straight to their back and puts both shoulders in the sand for a pinfall.

‘”It’s similar to freestyle wrestling in that there is very little top and bottom wrestling,’” Joseph said. ‘the only way that happens is if a person is going to their back but hasn’t been officially pinned. The referee will let him work until the pin or the guy gets off his back.’”

Registration for the tournament is $10 and will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday with wrestling beginning at 2.

The competitors will be divided into four age brackets ‘” under-10, Junior High (10-13), High School and Adult. They will also be divided into three weight classes, light, medium and heavy.

‘”We’re just going to ask people what they weigh,’” Joseph said. ‘then, depending on how many people are close to each other is where we decide to cut off the weight classes.’”

With no pre-registration, the family is unsure just how many wrestlers will show up for the tournament, but their goal is to get at least 50 to feel that the money they raise can make a difference in Madison’s life.

‘”I want to be able to tell her that one day we won’t have to prick her fingers eight times a day,’” Beth said. ‘”Lots of promising things are happening, but I know the only way her life is going to get better is if there’s a cure.’”

And a day at the beach should help.

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Looking for a way to remain active during the summer months, Lehigh junior Trevor Chinn took to the beach.

Chinn captured the 165 national title at the second annual U.S. Beach Wrestling National Championships on Saturday, winning all three of his matches on Sunday Beach in Rochester, N.Y.

Chinn, wrestling for Team Titan, came from behind to defeat Kevin Sackett 2-1 in the championship finals.

Beach wrestling was named an international style of wrestling by FILA in 2005. Athletes wrestle on a sand surface inside a circle marked in the sand. Matches last three minutes and can be won by fall or by being the first to accumulate two points.

Chinn earned a 2-0 decision over John Bonaldi in an earlier bout, and also won by fall over Tom Cuppernell.

With the victory, Chinn earned to right to compete in the Beach World Team Trials on Sunday, but chose not to enter. The second Beach World Championships will be held in Turkey in September.

An NCAA Championships qualifier in 2006, Chinn was the Mountain Hawks’ starter at 149 before suffering a season-ending elbow injury against Brown. He returned to competition in April, placing eighth at 70 kg at the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio. Chinn finished the 2006-07 season with a 12-10 record, and carries a 32-25 career mark into the 2007-08 season.

Force-Brakettes rained out: The second game of the National Pro Fastpitch series between the host Philadelphia Force and Stratford Brakettes was postponed on Wednesday night due to inclement weather and poor field conditions. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader beginning at 5:30 tonight. Gates will open at 4 p.m.

Tickets for the July 11 game can be used for the doubleheader or will be honored for a future Force game except during the Rockford series on Aug. 6-7. Patrons must exchange tickets at the ticket office.

The Force ended the Brakettes’ 56-game win streak with a 5-0 series-opening win on Tuesday night. The Force are now 11-10.

Dwyer named scholar athlete: Lehigh’s Gwen Dwyer was named the 2007 Patriot League women’s tennis scholar-athlete of the year.

Dwyer graduated in May with a 3.55 grade point average, majoring in English.

She was one of three league women’s student-athletes to earn a perfect 4.0 in the spring semester, joining teammate Francesca Murasko-Blank and Holy Cross’ Natalie Lin.

Dwyer played first singles and doubles, finishing her senior season with a 10-9 record at first singles. Dwyer’s Lehigh career ended with 40 singles wins and 39 doubles wins, ranking her among Lehigh’s career leaders in both categories.

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It was game time.

Matt Mariacher got up from the towel on which he had been passed out for the last half an hour, dusted the sand off his legs, straightened out his orange swimming trunks and headed over to the ring.

“It’s a relaxing change,” Mariacher’s father Matt said of beach wrestling. “Normally we’re in a gymnasium somewhere. We figured it’d be a little bit different. They could wrestle a little bit, do what they trained hard for, yet enjoy a day at the beach.

“A large part of the public never gets to see [wrestling]. Out on the beach, the sport catches the eyes of a lot of people just walking by, and the wrestlers have a big crowd watching.”

Matt and his 20-year-old brother Reece didn’t wrestle in the Beach Nationals at Charlotte Beach in Rochester last Saturday to get exposure. The former Iroquois standouts took part in this new venture — the Rochester event was the fifth of six beach wrestling events on the summer schedule — to compete together before they head to their respective colleges.

In beach wrestling, two swim suitclad competitors are pitted in a watered- down ring in the sand. Onlookers didn’t need much help picking out the winners — generally they were the people with less sand on their backs and in their hair and mouths.

After winning the Junior 145- pound division, Matt was still spitting sand.

“It gets pretty bad,” he said. “There’s sand in my mouth and stuff. It’s pretty gross.”

“It’s kind of weird,” Reece added. “It’s like wrestling and then walking off with sand in your hair. But you get used to it.”

Reece didn’t fare as well as his younger brother, winning only one of his three matches. Nevertheless, both brothers plan to come back next year, hopefully dragging along Reece’s twin, Lucas.

“I’ll bring more people next year, more of my friends,” Reece said. “We can just hang out between matches. I’ll just walk off, wrestle and be back on the beach with them 30 seconds later.”

Reece and Lucas both recently finished their freshman years of college, Reece at the State University of New York at Brockport, with intentions to transfer to the University at Buffalo this fall, and Lucas at Arizona State. Matt, who won the Division I New York State title at 130 pounds, will head to American University.

Reece and Lucas will compete in this month’s Empire State Games in Westchester, while Matt is in Washington, D.C. to train with his future college coach and teammates. Several years ago, Reece and Lucas met in the Empire Games finals, Lucas coming out on top.

“I was actually winning, and I let him throw me and pin me,” Reece said, matter-of-factly. “We wrestle each other all the time, but we don’t take it serious. Maybe next year Matt might [be in our weight class]. It depends how much he lifts and eats over at college.”

Matt is not only the baby of the family, but also the runt, wrestling two weight classes (approximately 16 pounds) below the identical twins. He said growing up behind his brothers provided him a glimpse of how to train and compete at a high level.

“You can see how hard work pays off,” Matt said. “And it’s fun being able to work out with them, having people doing the same stuff with you every day.”

With the three of them spread throughout the country come the end of August, they’ll have fewer opportunities to watch and train with one another. That’s why next summer, when Matt’s home from his first year of collegiate competition, events like the Beach Nationals will be that much more exciting.

“It’s great because I don’t have to worry about him in high school now,” Reece said, laughing. “We’re all like on our way now.”

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – 2006 World Beach bronze medalist Ray Downey of East Meadow, N.Y. (East Meadow WC) won the U.S. Beach National Championships for the second year in a row, with an impressive performance at 176 pounds in the Senior division on Sunday at Charlotte Beach

Downey won four matches on the way to the title, including a 2-0 decision over Mike Morone (Unattached) in the championship finals. Downey won all four of his bouts by 2-0 decision, shutting out each of his opponents on the way to victory.

Carlos Dolmo of Bronx, N.Y. (Blast Double of NY) who was fifth at the Beach World Championships last year, captured the individual title at

Dolmo was third at last year�s U.S. Nationals then won the title at the 2006 World Team Trials to earn his spot on the U.S. Team.

The top three place winners in each weight class at the Senior level at the U.S. Beach Nationals earned a spot in the World Team Trials, which will be held on Sunday.

Dolmo�s teammate, Rawle Shewprashad of Bronx, N.Y. (Blast Double of NY) won the 210-pound title, defeating R.J. Hickey (unattached), 3-0 in the finals. Shewprashad placed second last year at the Beach Nationals.

The 165-pound champion was Trevor Chinn (Team Titan), who fell from behind early in the match but defeated Kevin Sackett (Team Titan), 2-1 in the championship finals. Chinn, who competes for Lehigh Univ., won

At 255 pounds, former Div. III runner-up Patrick Bennett (Pat Bennett WC) won the title, scoring a 22 second fall over runner-up Rex O�Corr (unattached) in his championship round robin. Bennett competed for nearby SUNY-Brockport during his college career.

Other individual men�s champions on the Senior level were Tom Cuppernell of Team Titan (150) and Neil Cook of Team Titan (187). Cuppernell defeated Matt Fildes of Gannon University in the finals match, 2-1. Cook defeated runner-up Josh Bloom (Westside), 2-0 in the finals.

In one of the most exciting Junior division finals, Matt Mariacher of New York Super Six defeated Mike Rosselli of Team Titan, 2-0 in the finals at 145 pounds.

Other individual Junior champions included Cory Mahoney of Team Titan at 160 pounds, Dave Rowntree of Westside at 170 pounds and Robert Eskander of Team Titan at 235 pounds.

Lance Zerniak won the 114 pound Cadet division with a victory over Josh Rood (unattached).

Other Cadet champions were Charles Morone of Apex at 130 pounds, Joe Bonaldi of Team Titan at 140 pounds, Zane Gilfillan who is unattached at 160 pounds and Kyle Smith of Brighton at 190 pounds.

Individual Veterans champions were Christopher Nakis (unattached) at 150 pounds, Mikr Marone (unattached) at 175 pounds, Craig Gross of Team Titan at 207 pounds and Michael Van Hoven of Go West Wrestling Club at 280 pounds.

Individual champions in the Schoolboy division were Nick Cegelski of Team Titan (100) and Kyle Toney of Mohawk Valley at 175 pounds.

Winning the Senior Women�s title at 107 Results uncontestsed was Anne Dinshah of Unattached.

Team Titan of New York won the Beach Belt Battle, taking the team title among club with a dominant performance in all divisions. This year, a championship belt was given to the club which scored the most points in all divisions at the Beach Nationals.

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Beach wrestling was named an international style of wrestling by FILA in 2005. Athletes wrestle on a sand surface inside a circle marked in the sand. Matches last three minutes and can be won by fall or by being the first to accumulate two points.

Chinn earned a 2-0 decision over John Bonaldi in an earlier bout, and also won by fall Tom Cuppernell. With the victory, Chinn earned to right to compete in the Beach World Team Trials on Sunday, but chose not to enter. The second Beach World Championships will be held in Turkey in September.

A NCAA qualifier in 2006, Chinn was the Mountain Hawks- starter at 149 before suffering a season-ending elbow injury against Brown. He returned to competition in April, placing eighth at 70 kg at the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio. Chinn finished the 2006-07 season with a 12-10 record, and carries a 32-25 career mark into the 2007-08 season.

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Nicole Lee
Staff writer

Mike Morone has been a wrestler for more than three decades, but even he was exposed to a new element of the sport on Saturday.

The 49-year-old Chili resident was one of more than 100 athletes who participated in this year’s USAW Beach Wrestling National Championships and World Team Trials.

The two-day competition is being held at Ontario Beach Park, 4800 Lake Ave., and was hosted by the Titan Wrestling Club of Penfield and the State University College at Brockport.

For Morone and the other mostly male competitors, wrestling barefoot in sand under the blazing sun was a definite environmental change from the typical indoor match on mats in a gymnasium.

He defeated Mike Poliszuk in a senior division match, one of several matches in which Morone wrestled. Contestants get three minutes to earn points for either pinning an opponent in the sand or pushing the opponent outside the wrestling ring.

“It’s very fast; one little mistake could be the end of it. I expect to be beaten up,” Morone joked. “I’m thankful to be healthy. I have to go to work on Monday.”

Created in 2005, beach wrestling is a nascent sport but one that is taking hold, said Ray Bruno of North Carolina, a referee who has more than 25 years’ experience officiating wrestling matches here and abroad.

“We have these events scattered throughout the country,” he said. “It’s actually a hands-on type of sport for a skilled athlete.”

The 21 winners Saturday advanced to the World Team Trials today. From that number, six will be selected to the team that will represent the United States at the World Beach Wrestling Championship in Turkey in September, said Gary Abbott, director of communications and special projects for USA Wrestling.

Shouts of “Shake him off!” were heard from the sidelines as the muscular wrestlers — many sporting tattoos on their chests, backs and arms — grabbed at shoulders, waists and thighs while trying to gain and maintain a foothold in the sand.

World championships aside, not everyone on the beach was focused on wrestling.

The American Power Boat Association’s Toyota Water Jam competition and the New York Beach Volleyball Championships were also held nearby, and music blared and people stretched out on towels to work on their tans.

Mike Rosselli, 17, of Ontario, has been wrestling for 10 years and looks at the beach competitions as a way to stay in shape. He also loves the dedication necessary to be successful at the sport.

On Saturday, Rosselli wrestled for the Titan Wrestling Club and beat James Carney in a junior division match. During the school year, he’s a member of the Wayne Central High School wrestling team.

“It’s easier to win on sand,” he said. “Any kind of (summer) wrestling helps your high school season.”

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James Johnson

Last year’s Ontario Beach Sports and Music Festival sports lineup included professional jet skiing and beach volleyball.

More muscle has been added to this year’s event at Charlotte, as Rochester hosts sanctioned beach wrestling for the first time, on Saturday and Sunday.

Beach style was formally recognized by the sport’s sanctioning bodies two years ago. Competitors face off in a 20-foot ring marked in the sand. The object is to score two points.

A point is awarded with each takedown or removal of an opponent from the ring during the three-minute match.

“It’s really a wide-open opportunity to enjoy wrestling,” said Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling’s director of communications. “It’s really easy to follow and the matches go very quickly.

“The athletes tend to try it out, and after they do, they like it. The sand slows the action down that in some cases, allows the older athletes to succeed against younger athletes.”

Competitors grouped by sex, age and weight go after USA Wrestling National Championships, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Beach Wrestling World Team Trials take place 10 a.m. Sunday, with the winners forming the United States team at the World Championships in Turkey, Sept. 7-9.

At the same time at Charlotte, spectators can check out the American Power Boat Association’s Water Jam and the New York Beach Volleyball Championships. Admission is free during the three-day festival, which starts today.

The Monroe County Sports Commission won a bid to host the beach wrestling events.

“It can work well from USA Wrestling’s standpoint,” said Scott Bell, the Monroe County Sports Commission’s sales and marketing director. “They knew that people would already be at the beach.

“This adds another form of entertainment. Rochester is such a great sports community that we continue to find niches that work.”

Don Murray, organizer of the beach wrestling events in Rochester and a USA Wrestling executive committee member, hopes that the new sport will return to Rochester next year in some form.

Three sanctioned beach wrestling events were held in the United States during 2005. That number was 12 last year and will hit 20 this year.

Murray watched beach wrestling live for the first time two years ago on Long Island. He returned to Long Beach, Long Island, for the same event in August.

“They put it right on the boardwalk,” said Murray, the long-time wrestling coach at State University of New York at Brockport. “It was great.

“You have to be up with the times. It’s not only new, but it’s also entertaining.”

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The new addition called grappling (yep, choking allowed) has been recognized by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles. Known by its French acronym FILA, it hopes to broaden its amateur appeal with a “new world of wrestling” theme.

Its first grappling world championship is set for Sept. 7-9 in Antalya, Turkey, along with the beach wrestling worlds. USA Wrestling will hold its grappling world team trials this weekend in Las Vegas.

FILA has eliminated some of the mayhem and danger of pro mixed martial arts circuits such as the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). Unlike the UFC, kicks and punches are forbidden in grappling. But submission holds, including some chokes, are permitted.

“If you just take out the punches and kicks, it’s exactly the same,” says 275-pound class entrant Bryan Vetell, 29, a mixed martial arts pro with the New York Pitbulls of the International Fight League.

Competitors still can use arm and leg holds to force submission. They may not grab a foe’s throat with the hands, but they can choke with the legs and arms.

“The only thing you’re not allowed to do is grab the front of the trachea (windpipe) pretty much with your hands,” says Jeff Sato, 23, a former Ivy League wrestler entered at 136.5 pounds.

“It’s almost anything goes after that … as long as you’re not really ripping the guy’s face off,” Sato adds.

A grappler can submit by tapping the mat or his foe with a hand or foot, or they can do it verbally. There is no official word, but “submit” and “tap-tap” are common. The rules say if a grappler “will not be able to escape without harm,” the referee also can end the match instantly by calling “catch.”

If a six-minute match does not result in submission, the winner is decided by points based on such things as throws and escapes.

Trials Saturday and Sunday at the Las Vegas Convention Center also will decide world teams in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. There will be five grappling weight classes for men and four for women.

Jason Townsend, a member of FILA’s Grappling Committee and co-author of the rules, says this weekend is a “monumental event” for grappling.

“I personally believe grappling will be the most popular style of wrestling in 20 years. It is my vision, my dream this will be an Olympic sport,” says Townsend, a former college wrestler and coach.

But is grappling too dangerous for amateur sport?

“Our main goal was to regulate the sport so that we can provide the safest possible environment,” Townsend says. “Grappling is just as safe as any other wrestling style with these new regulations in place.”

USA Wrestling says it expects about 75-80 participants in the grappling trials. It will be a mix from many disciplines, including wrestling, judo and the mixed martial arts. They will fight (shoes optional) on a mat, not in an octagon ring like the UFC.

What motivates a pro such as Vetell to compete in the amateur trials?

“You have Olympic team dreams and world team dreams when you’re younger,” he says. “Maybe this will be my Olympics or my world team.”

Sato, a wrestling co-captain and two-time NCAA tournament qualifier at Columbia University, has been training in judo in hope of making the Olympics.

“Judo has submissions, too,” he says. “This is the most similar thing you get to an actual mixed martial arts contest, besides the striking.”

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Borzio took bronze in the over 187.5 lbs. division. It was the second bronze medal in less than a week for Borzio after taking third at the Sombo World Championships.

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Zastrow won gold in the senior men’s 231-pound division the day prior to the World Trials. It was the Beach World Trials the next day where he made his mark.

The 210-pound Zastrow competed in the ‘above 85 kg’ class, wrestling against opponents that weighed as much as 285 pounds. Despite giving away a 70-pound advantage, he managed to finish high enough to qualify for the World Championships following an injury to the second-place finisher.
All this occurred without having any previous experience in beach wrestling.

“If it comes around and I have the opportunity to do it, I’ll try,” Zastrow said.

An assistant coach since the end of his collegiate career, Zastrow continues to find new adventures. He has taken part in several other activities such as skydiving, cliff diving, whitewater rafting over waterfalls and ultimate fighting.

“He has this certain edge to him,” said wrestling Head Coach Tim Fader. “I don’t think he fears anything.”

The Watertown native has continued to prepare for his first international event as he expects to have a good showing.

“[I’m] going to keep lifting hard and wrestling hard,” said Zastrow. “I’m going to try my best and hope to win.”

Known for his work ethic and his dedication to the wrestling program, Zastrow has made a significant impact on the school’s athletic program.

“[Zastrow] brings a lot to our wrestling program,” said Fader. “He is available to the [team] at any time of the day; He gives a lot, and the guys know it.”

Zastrow first attended Lakeland College where he posted an 83-12 record, catching the eye of former head coach Willie Myers who convinced Zastrow to continue his career with the ‘Hawks.

In his three-year career at UW-Whitewater, Zastrow posted spectacular numbers while qualifying for the NCAA Championships twice and receiving All-American honors.

In the 2001-02 season, Zastrow’s first with the Warhawks, he posted a 24-5 season. Zastrow took a medical hardship waiver during the 2003-04 season when he struggled with injuries.

Returning his senior year, Zastrow posted a 30-5 record en route to a second return to the NCAA Championships.

“[Zastrow] is a lot what I want our wrestlers to be,” said Fader. “He’s passionate about the sport and trains to get better, not just because he was told to.”

Coverage of the championships will be available through www.themat.com.

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McDonald, of Rehoboth Beach, committed to Lehigh University, where he will be a member of the Mountain Hawks wrestling team.

Lehigh, located in Bethlehem, Pa., has a great wrestling tradition, and McDonald will follow in the footsteps of former Sussex Central alumnus Steve Bastianelli.

McDonald narrowed his offers down to Illinois, Stanford, Maryland, Penn, Indiana and Virginia Tech before selecting Lehigh.

McDonald began wrestling at five years old with the Rehoboth Beach Wrestling Club.

I remember his first tournament, when McDonald strolled into the lobby of Laurel High School tipping the scales at a mere 35 pounds soaking wet.

He blew through the competition that day winning the 8 and under 40-pound class.

McDonald has prepared his entire career, and by all means, deserves to be on his way to the Lehigh Valley.

With only two high school losses in his career, both during his freshman season, McDonald is eyeing his third state title.

Last summer he nailed down his second Junior National Championship.

McDonald will compete at 125 pounds for Coach Greg Strobel in the very competitive Eastern Interscholastic Wrestling Association.

Best of luck, Connor!

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The Pelicans and Batter’s Box presented the Georgetown Athletic Booster Club with a check in the amount of $1,480 at halftime of the Georgetown-Carolina Forest football game earlier this month.

Last year the Batter’s Box and Pelicans made a donation to the Socastee athletic program.

They have also teamed to create the Pelicans High School Baseball Showcase at Coastal Federal Field, which is held each March.

The two-day, 14-team event allows area players the opportunity to play at Coastal Federal Field.

The Batter’s Box, located in Surfside Beach, is a locally owned sporting goods store that specializes in baseball and softball equipment.

The business can also be found online at www.aluminumbats.com.

Wrestling clinic

The AAU-North Myrtle Beach Wrestling Club will begin practice at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at the North Myrtle Beach High wrestling room.

Kids ages 4 and up are invited to join. If you are interested or have questions, call Mike LaPresto 215-3344 or Charlie Clay 399-9138.

Clay led the North Myrtle Beach wrestling team to the Class AAA state finals last season.

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The tournament included 6 divisions: middle school, high school, college, veteran’s, girl’s and women. Congratulations to the following members of the W. T. Clarke Varsity Wrestling Team, coached by Mike Leonard, who participated/placed in the championship:

Joe Gaynor: 3rd place – 185 lbs

Matt Gaynor: 1st place – 133 lbs

Michael Grimes: 1st place – 185 lbs.

Michael Hanley

Michael Leonard

Andy Matarrita

Jimmy McKenna

John McKenna

Michael Palmer: 3rd place – 145 lbs.

Kelly Palmer

Scott Pietras: 4th place – 125 lbs.

Jordan Spirou: 1st place – 171 lbs.

Jared Tunkel

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Angelo Borzio, the former wrestler and coach at East Stroudsburg University, is supposed to be lounging on the beach these days, not wrestling on it.

But wrestling was exactly what Borzio was doing last Saturday in West Palm Beach, Fla. at the first ever USA Beach Nationals.

Borzio won the heavyweight class 240-270 pounds and a bid to the World Championships in Turkey Nov. 1-5. The former wrestler who rose as high as No. 3 on the U.S. Olympic ladder, placing third at the U.S. Nationals in 2000, admits he didn’t know what to expect when he entered the tournament.

“I don’t know how to take it serious,” said Borzio, who wrestled in the Olympic trials in 2000 and ‘04. “What do I do, go to the beach and push people around?”

Once thought to have ended his competitive wrestling career, Borzio just couldn’t resist giving beach wrestling a shot.

“I looked at it as an opportunity to have fun,” he said.

The sport emerged last year and consists of a rope that is laid in the sand which forms a 20-foot diameter circle. A takedown is a point and getting any part of your opponent out of the circle is a point.

The first wrestler to two points wins. There is a three minute time limit on each match. If there is not a winner on points, the referee declares a winner.

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