Feb. 20, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- One of three Army-Navy Star competitions slated for Saturday afternoon, the Navy wrestling team will look to capture its ninth straight win over the Black Knights when the two programs square off at Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y. on Saturday at 4:00 pm. Fans can follow Saturday's action by logging on to Knight Vision on Army's web site at www.goARMYsports.com (.)

The Midshipmen, who enter the weekend with a 6-9 dual record, have faced their share of highs and lows this season, battling injuries and suffering tough losses, including four by six points or less. No loss was more heart-wrenching than last week's senior night dual against Rutgers in which the Scarlet Knights picked up a pin in the final match to edge Navy, 18-17.

"It's been a long year for us having to deal with some adversity, however, we are excited for this weekend's match," said ninth-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who owns an 8-0 record against the Black Knights. "We've been focused in on this match all week and quite honestly, on paper it probably comes down to five wins each way. In the end, it's most likely going to be decided by bonus point wins.

"This is an opportunity for our young men to close out the dual season by winning the N-Star. I think it's going to be a dogfight out there and it should be a tremendous match for the fans to watch."

Five of the 20 wrestlers in action this weekend are among the nation's top 20, including a featured bout at 149 pounds that will match up two of the top 10 grapplers in the weight class. Navy's Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) stands seventh in the nation with a 36-4 record, however, 10th-ranked Matt Kyler (35-4) got the best of Saddoris at the All-Academy Championship just two weeks ago in the championship bout.

Saddoris has enjoyed a sensational sophomore campaign, winning 36 of the 40 matches he's wrestled, including a 12-1 dual mark. He is ranked 12th on the Mids' single-season wins list, just four shy of becoming only the fourth different Navy wrestler to reach 40 wins in a season (Matt Stolpinski did it twice). After setting the school record a year ago for wins at 149 pounds, he has cleared that milestone once again. Meanwhile, he boasts a 71-16 career record, just six 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.

Navy rookie Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.) will get his first crack at an Army wrestler when he battles junior Lance Penhale, who owns a 22-10 record. Garner, who boasts a 24-12 mark of his own, placed second at the All-Academy Championship while Penhale, who was seeded No. 2, took third. The Navy rookie has a penchant for getting wrestlers on their back, winning 13 of his 14 matches by way of fall. It's the ninth-most single-season pins in school history, while he stands as the lone lightweight among the top 10.

Tenth-ranked Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.), who is 3-0 in Star Matches, will likely face fellow senior Whitt Dunning from Army. The two certainly are no strangers to one another as the 2008 All-American earned a pair of victories over his Army counterpart last season, including a 10-5 decision in the Star Match. Baker has wrestled just 10 times this year and is unbeaten, while Dunning owns a 17-13 record.

Sophomore Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) heads into Saturday with confidence after pinning Army's Mike Gorman in the consolation bracket of the All-Academy championship. It is possible that veteran Brian Rowan could be back to battle DeMichiel, though he has wrestled just twice this season because of injury. Meanwhile, DeMichiel has produced a 26-15 record this winter, though he has faced his share of ups and downs in dual action this season with a 6-7 record.

At 31-7, 174-pounder Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) is just one of only four Navy freshmen to win 30 matches, joining John Reich (30 in 1979-80), Tyrone Neal (37 in 1998-99) and Saddoris, who picked up 35 wins a year ago. The Caravel Academy product has had tough shoes to fill in his rookie campaign, stepping into the void left by the graduation of the Mids' all-time wins leader, two-time All-American Matt Stolpinski. Rebertus, who sat out a brief two-week span because of injury, has fit into the Navy lineup nicely. His 31 wins are the third most by a Navy wrestler at his weight class, while he stands tied for 31st on the Mids' single-season wins list.

Senior Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) came up just short in his match a year ago with Army's Scott Ferguson, however, Caldwell not only is experiencing his most successful season to date, he will also battle a new foe this weekend. The 184-pounder has turned in a 28-11 record this winter, including a 13-2 mark in dual matches. He heads into his match Saturday against either John Drew or Pat Smith having won eight in a row and 12 of his last 13.

On a side note, just three of the 10 wrestlers who represented Navy a year ago in this match will be wrestling again this year - Baker, Saddoris and Caldwell. On the flip side, at least half of Army's lineup returns from a year ago, including Whitt Dunning, Casey Thome, Matt Kyler, Ryan Mergen and Richard Starks, while Brian Rowan has past experience in wrestling in the annual Army dual.

Navy owns a 42-5-5 series advantage, including wins in each of the last eight matches. The Mids have outscored Army, 182-82, during the winning streak, holding the Black Knights to single digits four times. Navy is actually unbeaten against Army in the last 11 matches, as the 2000 battle in Annapolis ended in a 16-16 tie. The last time the Mids lost against their arch rival was on Feb. 22, 1997, when Army earned a 19-12 victory over the Mids at West Point.

In other Army-Navy action this weekend, the Navy men's basketball team will battle the Black Knights in a nationally-televised game by CBS Sports beginning at 1:00 pm on Saturday, followed by the women's Army-Navy contest at 3:30 pm.

Navy leads the annual Army-Navy series this season with an 11-7-1 (.605) record, while also holding a 9-4-1 (.679) advantage in Star competitions. The following teams have the distinction of winning N-Stars for the Midshipmen this year (in chronological order) -- golf, women's cross country, sprint football, women's swimming & diving, men's swimming & diving, football, rifle, women's indoor track & field and gymnastics.

In addition to the three Army-Navy competitions this weekend, tennis, men's lacrosse, men's outdoor track & field, women's outdoor track & field and baseball have yet to square off against the Black Knights.

Tentative LineupsWt.   Army                                                    Navy125   Lance Penhale (Jr., 22-10)                              Prescott Garner (Fr., 24-12) or Allan Stein (So., 11-9)133   Whitt Dunning (Sr., 17-13) or Josh Sandhaus (So., 4-9)  #10 Joe Baker (Sr., 10-0)141   Casey Thome (So., 24-11)                                Matt Pagan (Jr., 15-13)149   #10 Matt Kyler (Jr., 35-4)                              #7 Bryce Saddoris (So., 36-4)157   Rudy Chelednik (So., 18-14)                             Joel Ahern (Sr., 25-13) or Glenn Shober (Jr., 20-12)165   Brian Rowan (Sr., 1-1) or Michael Gorman (Fr., 11-18)   Matt DeMichiel (So., 26-15) or Jason Coyne (Sr., 11-10)174   Ryan Mergen (Jr., 20-13) or Jacob Vetter (So., 8-13)    #20 Luke Rebertus (Fr., 31-7)184   John Drew (Sr., 9-8) or Pat Smith (So., 0-0)            Casey Caldwell (Sr., 28-11)197   #20 Richard Starks (Jr., 29-6)                          Philip Neese (Sr., 21-20)285   Mike Sprigg (Sr., 27-12)                                Tyler Moyer (Sr., 7-11)