Dec. 30, 2006

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Navy wrestling junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) advanced to the championship finals in the 174-pound weight class to lead the Midshipmen to a fifth-place finish at the 2006 Southern Scuffle on Saturday.

The Midshipmen totaled 92.5 points over the two days, placing ahead of three nationally ranked teams - No. 18 Chattanooga (sixth), No. 19 Ohio State (tenth) and No. 24 Pittsburgh (20th). Top-ranked Missouri claimed the team title with 179.5 points, while No. 2 Minnesota finished with 176 points, followed by No. 13 Cornell's 134.5 points and No. 12 Edinboro's 129.5 points.

"I thought we had a pretty good team score against some quality teams in the tournament," stated Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had a long break between action and came back a little rusty. Several of our wrestlers fell close matches that would have helped in us turning the corner. We have to win those matches and have eight weeks to turn it around. I know that we are capable of doing much better."

Stolpinski, ranked ninth in the nation at 174 pounds, opened on Saturday with a 9-4 decision against Kent State's Aaron Miller. Facing Minnesota's Gabe Dretsch in the semifinals, ranked eighth nationally, the Navy junior posted a 7-3 decision victory to advance to the finals. Matched up with the top-ranked wrestler in the country, Missouri's Ben Askren, Stolpinski was pinned 1:14 into the opening quarter to finish second.

Sophomore 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) defeated three nationally-ranked foes in earning a third-place finish. Baker defeated No. 14 Ricky Deubel from Edinboro by a 10-6 decision in the quarterfinals before being nipped, 10-9, by Cornell's Adam Frey in the semifinals. However, the Navy sophomore bounced back with a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh's Drew Headlee, ranked eighth in the country, to compete in the third-place match. Paired up with No. 13 Eric Albright from Virginia, Baker posted his second pin of the weekend, winning the match 1:31 into the opening period.

Junior Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) placed fourth in the heavyweight division with a 4-2 record on the weekend. Prendergast advanced to the semifinals by an injury default win before falling in a close, 3-2, decision versus No. 9 Spencer Nadolsky from North Carolina. The Navy junior bounced back with an 8-3 win over No. 19 Janoir Palma from N.C. State before dropping a 5-2 decision to Boise State's Andy Patrick, ranked 15th in the country, in the third-place event.

Joining Prendergast as a top-eight finisher at the heavyweight class was sophomore Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.). Steele edged Chattanooga's Matt Koz, 5-4, in the fourth round of wrestle-backs and advanced to the sixth round on a medical forfeit. Despite dropping an 8-4 decision to Patrick, Steele qualified for the seventh-place match, falling by a 4-2 score against Pittsburgh's Zach Scheaffer.

Senior team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) finished the tournament in seventh place at the 157-pound division. Jarred came back from a loss in the quarterfinals to defeat Ohio State's Jason Johnstone, 4-0, to qualify for the sixth round of wrestle-backs. Paired with Boise State's Tyler Sherfey, 20th in the nation, Jarred fell in a narrow 3-2 decision. However, the Navy team captain responded with an 8-2 decision over Minnesota's Tyler Safratowich to earn seventh-place honors.

Navy returns to action next Saturday with the Lone Star Duals against Brown, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas.

Top-10 Team Scores1.  179.5       Missouri (No. 1)2.  176     Minnesota (No. 2)3.  134.5       Cornell (No. 13)4.  129.5       Edinboro (No. 12)5.  92.5        Navy6.  75.5        Chattanooga (No. 18)7.  73.5        N.C. State8.  71.5        Maryland9.  68.5        North Carolina10. 66.5        Ohio State (No. 19)
125 Pounds - Alex UszticsRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 Alex Usztics (Navy) dec. Zack Bigboy (Cal State-Fullerton), 6-2Round of 16 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) fall Alex Usztics (Navy), 5:363rd Round WB    Alex Usztics (Navy) fall Ben Altman (Davidson), 3:534th Round WB    Alex Usztics (Navy) fall Tim Kephart (Missouri), 1:495th Round WB    Obenson Blanc (Lock Haven) dec. Alex Usztics (Navy), 7-2
133 Pounds - Joe BakerRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 Joe Baker (Navy) fall Anwar Geores (Lock Haven), 1:51Round of 16 Joe Baker (Navy) major dec. Terry Jackson (Ohio), 10-1Quarterfinals   Joe Baker (Navy) dec. Ricky Deubel (Edinboro), 10-6Semifinals  Adam Frey (Cornell) dec. Joe Baker (Navy), 10-97th Round WB    Joe Baker (Navy) dec. Drew Headlee (Pittsburgh), 6-33rd Place   Joe Baker (Navy) fall Eric Albright (Virginia), 1:31
141 Pounds - Brad CanterburyRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 Brad Canterbury (Navy) dec. Kelin Bidelspach (Campbell), 7-0Round of 16 Clint Sponseller (Kent State) dec. Brad Canterbury (Navy), 6-43rd Round WB    Brad Canterbury (Navy) dec. Corey Manson (Cornell), 6-34th Round WB    Brad Canterbury (Navy) major dec. Jeff Newby (Boise State), 16-45th Round WB    Matthew Ciasulli (Lehigh) dec. Brad Canterbury (Navy), 5-2
149 Pounds - John CoxRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 John Cox (Navy) dec. Jeremy Doyle (Cal State-Bakersfield), 11-6Round of 16 Josh Wagner (Missouri) dec. John Cox (Navy), 13-123rd Round WB    John Cox (Navy) dec. Drew DiPasquale (Virginia), 9-34th Round WB    John Cox (Navy) major dec. Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Virginia Tech), 11-05th Round WB    John Cox (Navy) dec. Joey Ecklof (Pittsburgh), 7-57th Place   Lance Palmer (Ohio State) medical forfeit John Cox (Navy)
157 Pounds - John JarredRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 John Jarred (Navy) dec. Tommy Cummingham (VMI), 8-4Round of 16 John Jarred (Navy) dec. Eddie Hutchinson (Appalachian State), 8-2Quarterfinals   Matt Hill (Edinboro) dec. John Jarred (Navy), 7-25th Round WB    John Jarred (Navy) dec. Jason Johnstone (Ohio State), 4-06th Round WB    Tyler Sherfey (Boise State) dec. John Jarred (Navy), 3-27th Place   John Jarred (Navy) dec. Tyler Safratowich (Minnesota), 8-2
174 Pounds - Matt StolpinskiRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Jake Johnson (Stanford), 9-4Round of 16 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Dave Helfrich (Lehigh), 4-1Quarterfinals   Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Aaron Miller (Kent State), 9-4Semifinals  Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Gabe Dretsch (Minnesota), 7-3Finals      Ben Askren (Missouri) fall Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 1:14
184 Pounds - Antonio MirandaRound of 64 Tom Kocher (Lock Haven) dec. Antonio Miranda (Navy), 11-51st Round WB    Antonio Miranda (Navy) major dec. Josh Haines (Maryland), 11-22nd Round WB    Antonio Miranda (Navy) dec. Dan Tulley (Duke), 4-13rd Round WB    Antonio Miranda (Navy) fall Jeremy Colbert (N.C. State), 1:514th Round WB    Antonio Miranda (Navy) major dec. Scott Snyder (UNC-Greensboro), 10-25th Round WB    David Craig (Lehigh) dec. Antonio Miranda (Navy), 6-5
184 Pounds - Matt ParsonsRound of 64 Rocco Caponi (Virginia) dec. Matt Parsons (Navy), 3-21st Round WB    Matt Parsons (Navy) dec. Dan Fox (Duke), 10-42nd Round WB    Matt Parsons (Navy) fall Ernesto Acona (Cal State-Bakersfield), 2:373rd Round WB    Matt Parsons (Navy) dec. Mike Casperson (Boise State), 10-34th Round WB    Josh Edmonson (Chattanooga) dec. Matt Parsons (Navy), 6-3
285 Pounds - Ed PrendergastRound of 64 ByeRound of 32 Ed Prendergast (Navy) fall Jeremiah Fennell (Campbell), 3:23Round of 16 Ed Prendergast (Navy) fall Jim Powers (Virginia Tech), 3:22Quarterfinals   Ed Prendergast (Navy) injury default Mark Ellis (Missouri)Semifinals  Spencer Nadolsky (North Carolina) dec. Ed Prendergast (Navy), 3-27th Round WB    Ed Prendergast (Navy) dec. Janoir Palma (N.C. State), 8-33rd Place   Andy Patrick (Boise State) dec. Ed Prendergast (Navy), 5-2
285 Pounds - Scott SteeleRound of 64 Scott Steele (Navy) dec. John Buck (The Citadel), 4-3Round of 32 Scott Steele (Navy) dec. Charles Deighton (East Stroudsburg), 7-4Round of 16 Cole Konrad (Minnesota) fall Scott Steele (Navy), 3:453rd Round WB    Scott Steele (Navy) dec. Scott Buhman (VMI), 5-14th Round WB    Scott Steele (Navy) dec. Matt Koz (Chattanooga), 5-45th Round WB    Scott Steele (Navy) medical forfeit Mark Ellis (Missouri)6th Round WB    Andy Patrick (Boise State) dec. Scott Steele (Navy), 8-47th Place   Zach Scheaffer (Pittsburgh) dec. Scott Steele (Navy), 4-2