2/21/2002 - Wrestling
Navy Wrestling Battles Army in Annual Star Match Friday Night
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy wrestling team will battle the Army Black Knights in the annual Star Match Friday evening in Alumni Hall at 6:30 p.m. This will be the 46th meeting between the two Service Academies with the Midshipmen holding a decisive 35-5-5 advantage in the series.
"We are looking forward to competing in Alumni Hall, and I expect the match to be a real nailbiter," Navy head coach Bruce Burnett said. "This is what competition is all about -- big matches. It is about competing in big events and testing your skills. This is why you get into competition and sports for things like this."
Led by team captain Mark Conley (Sr./Exton, Pa.), the Mids are picking up some steam heading into the upcoming Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championship (EIWA) next month. Navy (10-6) is coming off a 44-9 thrashing of Franklin & Marshall and is on a three-match winning streak heading into Friday night. Ranked No. 1 nationally in the 141-pound weight class by InterMat for the second-consecutive week, Conley is on a 15-match winning streak and has posted a 35-2 record. Teammate Steve Kovach (Jr./Parkesburg, Pa.) is ranked 20th-nationally in the heavyweight division and is 29-5 this season, winning 10 of his last 11 matches.
Navy will turn to senior Mike Bigrigg (Sr./Santa Ana, Calif.) in the 197-pound weight class. Bigrigg has wrestled very well for the Mids lately, winning his last six matches and nine of his last 11, while improving to 21-12 overall. Bigrigg will match up against Army's John Paxton, who he defeated earlier in the season, 11-6.
Army (7-7) battled 10th-ranked Lehigh to a 25-22 decision last Sunday, coming up just short in its upset bid against the Mountain Hawks. The Black Knights jumped out to a quick lead, winning the first-three weight classes before Lehigh reeled off five straight wins to turn the tide.
Freshman Phillip Simpson is ranked 12th-nationally in the 141-pound weight class and leads Army with a 31-4 record. The Conley-Simpson battle in the 141 class will be one of the highlights of the match. Three weeks ago at the All-Academy Championship, Conley scored a 7-4 decision over Simpson in the championship match, however Simpson is undefeated this season in rematches and is 14-0 in dual matches.
In the 157-pound weight class, Army's Jeremy Conner is 24-11 overall and 10-4 in dual matches. Conner has scored seven victories by pin fall and has recorded five wins by way of a major decision. Conner will be matched up against Navy's Michael Carbonaro (So./Blairstown, N.J.), who is 15-11 overall. Conner defeated Carbonaro, 4-0, at the All-Academy Championship.
Army senior Eric Miller is 19-13 in the 149-pound weight class and will face either Pat Lukanich (Fr./LaGrange, Ill.) or Nate Gulosh (Fr./Stow, Ohio) in another important bout for the Mids. Lukanich dropped a 10-2 decision to Miller at the All-Academy Championship and is 13-12 this season, while Gulosh has posted a 5-6 record.
Navy is 20-1-2 all-time against Army in Annapolis and the Mids have lost to the Black Knights just once in the last 36 matches. Army's lone win during that span came in 1997, defeating Navy, 19-12.
Before the match, the Mids will honor former Navy wrestlers and will recognize former champions throughout the match.
