Nov. 11, 2009
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Three-year letterwinner Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) has been selected, by a vote of his peers, to serve as Navy's wrestling team captain for the 2009-10 season. Shober is the 100th different midshipman to serve as wrestling captain in what is the Academy's 102nd season of competition.
"Wrestling is not an individual sport as most think. It takes a close-knit, loyal bunch of guys that sweat and bleed together to make a champion, and we do that every day," said Shober, who boasts a 55-38 career record and is coming off his most successful season in terms of wins, producing a 20-12 record in 2008-09.
"Navy wrestlers have an unusually strong bond and I am honored to just be a part of this dedicated hard-working family. I will do my best to take care of my teammates both on and off the mat, and represent Navy wrestling, because each and every wrestler will do the same thing.
"My goals and responsibilities as team captain echo the goals of Navy wrestling. As a team we want to win an EIWA title, place among the top 10 at nationals, and just as important, we want everyone to graduate and be successful after their wrestling career. Personally, in my senior campaign, I want to take a trip to nationals, and walk a few stairs to the podium."
Just a week into his final season, Shober has already made a bold statement by taking the 149-pound individual title in last week's Eastern Michigan Open, his second career tournament win. In sum, he has placed in six tournaments over his four years, including three a year ago. Last winter, he took the 157-pound weight division championship at the Nittany Lion Open, while finishing sixth at the Eastern Michigan Open and eighth at the Southern Scuffle.
He spent most of the 2008-09 campaign battling teammate Joel Ahern for the starting job at 157 pounds. Though Ahern would eventually win the see-saw battle and represent Navy in its conference tournament, Shober was nipping at his heels and constantly working to make both wrestlers better.
"Glenn is what I would best describe as a quiet leader, one who leads best by example," said 10th-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "He's a level-headed young man, who understands what his responsibilities are in leading this team. He's always been able to look at a situation and analyze it before he attacks it and I think that's incredibly important in the role that he is in right now. He's been a consistent performer throughout his career and I look forward to seeing him have a successful season in what will be his final one here at the Academy."
Shober will continue his quest to lead the Midshipmen next week when they serve as hosts to the Navy Classic. The annual tournament will be held on Nov. 21 beginning at 9:00 am at Halsey Field House in Annapolis.
### Go Navy ###
