Oct. 31, 2008
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Coming off the program's 12th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance including back-to-back 18th-place finishes at the national meet, the Navy wrestling team will look to build upon the momentum as it opens the 2008-09 campaign Saturday at the 17th Annual Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti, Mich. The double-elimination tournament is slated to begin at 9:00 am at Bowen Field House.
"There are quite a few unknowns at this point in the season and that's probably why we are so excited to get the season going this weekend," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who enters his ninth season with a 83-36 record. "I'm anxious to see our young guys compete. They will certainly be tested and we'll see how they react. It's important for us to see where we are at, how we stack up. With four freshman starters and another couple of sophomores in the mix, we are a very young team. The great thing about this tournament is that it's an open tournament and there is no team scoring, so it tests the individuals."
Last season, five Midshipmen qualified for the championship bout in their respective weight classes, including this year's team captain Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) who won the heavyweight title. Seven Midshipmen placed fourth or better among the more than 430 wrestlers entered in the tournament, including four second-place finishes and Steele's title win.
"Certainly our fitness helps in these early tournaments, but I tip my hat to the veteran wrestlers in our program who have worked hard to improve and compete among the best wrestlers out there," added Burnett. "This tournament traditionally draws some of the best wrestlers in the country. This year is no different as we will see several nationally-ranked programs including Michigan and Maryland."
Though the Mids performed well at last year's open, three have graduated (Spencer Manley, Matt Stolpinski, Ed Prendergast) and a fourth (Joey Breen) is shelved with an injury, leaving Steele, sophomore Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) and junior Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) as the returning top-four placewinners.
Navy is sending two wrestlers per weight class (three at 157) and five of those 21 are freshmen, including 125-pounders Pat McCaffrey (Chicago, Ill.) and Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.). At last week's Blue-Gold Challenge Matches, McCaffrey used a third-period escape to get past second-year standout Allan Stein (Portland, Maine), 3-2.
In addition to McCaffrey and Garner, newcomers John Majka (Chicago, Ill.) will see action at 141 pounds and Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) will compete at 174 pounds. Majka looked impressive in his challenge match with Pagan. The two-time Illinois state placewinner struck first with the opening period's lone points on a takedown. Pagan evened the match in the second period with a takedown with just under a minute to go. Majka, however, scored four points in a matter of three seconds, taking Pagan to the mat with three seconds to go and collecting a two-point nearfall at the buzzer. In the third period, Majka blanked Pagan, as he escaped just seconds into the stanza and again carded a takedown and nearfall by period's end. Majka claimed the match by major decision, 11-2. Rebertus, meanwhile, had a spirited match against junior Mike Billings (Waterford, Mich.) at Blue-Gold Challenge Matches. With the match deadlocked a two apiece after the opening period, Rebertus scored a reversal with 21 seconds to go in the second stanza, followed by a two-point nearfall to take the lead for good in a 7-4 victory.
All eyes will be on Steele, a member of the U.S. Freestyle National Team, who was last seen on the mat over the summer at the Olympic Trials. It was at the Trials where he grabbed national attention with his third-place finish and would later be asked to accompany the team to Beijing for the Olympics. Last year, Steele was challenged day in, day out against All-American Ed Prendergast, but the fear in the eyes of the coaching staff is not having the competition in the room for Steele.
"We've always had good heavyweights in our wrestling room, but Scott is head and shoulders above the rest," said Burnett. "Right now I'm a little worried about getting the competition he needs to continue to improve. Our workout partners haven't been able to compete with him and the experiences he had over the summer have made him an even better wrestler.
"Scott is a sharp kid who has great insight. He's a physically gifted athlete who has tremendous wrestling skills, but he has worked very hard to achieve where he is at today. There certainly are expectations for him after this past year. He's certainly capable of fulfilling those expectations."
### Go Navy ###
