March 28, 2006

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy junior 149-pounder John Cox earned one of 10 spots on Intermat Wrestling's All-Effort Team released yesterday. Cox finished his junior season with a 34-12 record and finished just one win shy of achieving All-America status. The All-Effort Team is made up of wrestlers that "performed at another level come NCAA Tournament time".

Intermatwrestle.com said this about Cox, "With all the seeds placing in the top eight, there wasn't any room for an unseeded wrestler to slip through, but Navy's John Cox, a wildcard selection out of the EIWA, reached the Round of 12, winning three matches in the tournament before falling to Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum, 13-11, and just missed placing at the NCAA championships. Cox, a Grand Haven, Michigan native, scored wins over SoCon Champion Aaron Martin (UT-Chattanooga) and Cornell's Keith Dickey, also of the EIWA. Cox is only a junior, so he'll be back in 2006-07." Cox had lost to Tannenbaum by major decision, 14-2, a year ago, but gave the Michigan sophomore all he could handle in the Round of 12.

Cox will enter his senior season with an 83-29 career record. The 83 wins are already good for 18th on the career victories list. Only three wrestlers in school history have won more matches in their first three years at Navy. His 34 wins in 2005-06 are the 15th most in a single season.

The All-Effort team isn't about winning a national championship, it's about performing at another level come tournament time. Some wrestlers had sub-par seasons and turned it on at the NCAA championships, while others needed an early loss to change their mindset and adjust their performance. Others earned their respect with fine performances and such performances put their school on the map, at least in the wrestling realm.

The All-Effort Team in 2005-06 lists those wrestlers that overachieved, surpassed their seeds and found a place on the podium or just off it, and how the hard-work they've put in was rewarded with a fine performance. Some didn't even place or compete in the NCAA championships, but that doesn't diminish their season-long battles.

Intermat Wrestling's All-Effort Team:
125 -- Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State)
133 -- Tyler McCormick (Missouri)
141 -- Dave Hoffman (Virginia Tech)
149 -- John Cox (Navy)
157 -- Dustin Manotti (Cornell)
165 -- Deonte Penn (Edinboro)
174 -- Matt Herrington (Penn)
184 -- Shane Webster (Oregon)
197 -- Chris Weidman (Hofstra)
HW -- Mike Faust (Virginia Tech)

# GO NAVY #