Feb. 12, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team will conclude the home portion of its schedule Friday evening, as the Mids play host to EIWA foe Rutgers. Action is set to begin at 7:00 pm at Halsey Field House in Annapolis and will include a pre-match ceremony honoring the Mids' seniors.

The 6-8 Midshipmen head into Friday night's match boasting a 40-10 EIWA dual meet record under ninth-year head coach Bruce Burnett. Navy has also produced a 39-2 record against teams in the league other than Lehigh under Burnett's watch.

Navy is coming off a solid performance at the 15th annual All-Academy Championship in Lexington, Va. where three Midshipmen took titles and another six placed among the four. Senior Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.), a 2008 All-American who is ranked 10th nationally at 133 pounds, dominated the competition from start to finish, becoming only the fifth Navy wrestler to win three or more individual titles at the All-Academy championship, joining the likes of Greg Gingeleskie (1997-98-99), Mark Conley (2000-01-02), Tanner Garrett (2004-05-06) and Matt Stolpinski (2005-06-07-08). Baker, who owns a 9-0 record this season, is one of five seniors who will likely be in action on Friday night in what will be their final competition at home.

Fellow senior Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) won his first All-Academy title as the top seed at 184 pounds. He has been a reliable source for wins for the Midshipmen, particularly in dual action where he has posted a 12-2 record to go along with his 27-11 overall mark.

Meanwhile, Elkton, Md., native Luke Rebertus became one of only a handful of Navy wrestlers to win an All-Academy title in his freshman season. As the tournament's top seed at 174 pounds, Rebertus not only picked up a 10-2 major decision over No. 2 seed J.C. Oddo of The Citadel in the championship match, he joined an elite group of Navy freshmen who have reached 30 wins. He is now one of only four Navy freshman to win 30 matches, joining John Reich (30 in 1979-80), Tyrone Neal (37 in 1998-99) and teammate Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.), who picked up 35 wins a year ago. Rebertus is ranked 20th in the country in his weight class.

Though Saddoris came up just short in his bid to win a second-consecutive All-Academy title, his performance this season has been nothing short of spectacular. Ranked seventh nationally at 149 pounds, Saddoris is one of four wrestlers in the country who have won 35 matches this season, joining Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie, Wyoming's Shane Onufer and Binghamton's Josh Patterson. His record stands at 35-4, featuring an 11-1 dual meet mark. Matching his win mark from a year ago, he ranks 12th on the Mids' single-season wins list. Meanwhile, he boasts a 70-16 career record, just seven wins shy of the Mids' top 25 career wins list. Additionally, he has smashed Navy's record for wins by a wrestler in his first two seasons, improving upon the mark (59) Greg Gingeleskie set in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

If Navy had history on its side, the Mids would be a landslide favorite thanks to a 20-2 series advantage which has featured wins in each of the last seven. The Scarlet Knights, however, are one of the most improved teams in the country. Under the watchful eye of second-year head coach Scott Goodale, Rutgers has put together a 19-7 record this season that includes wins over Army and American.

Scott Winston has made quite a splash in his rookie season, as the 157-pounder is ranked 11th nationally and owns a 33-6 record, including a 17-2 dual record. Meanwhile, at 165 pounds is Matt Pletcher, who has amassed a 27-9 record in his senior campaign. He has won 18 of his 21 duals this season. After a rough start to his career a year ago when he turned in a 7-14 record, sophomore heavyweight D.J. Russo owns a 24-11 record this season, including a 14-6 mark.