ANNAPOLIS, MD. – The Navy wrestling team opens its season on Sunday, as 21 Mids travel to Clarion, Pa., for the Clarion Open. The tournament will take place in the Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium and is set to begin at 9 a.m. FloWrestling will handle multimedia coverage with both live brackets and a subscription live stream on its website, as well as links provided on NavySports.com.
Projected Navy Lineup
• 125 -
Zach Espalin /
Dayton DelViscio
• 133 -
Brendan Ferretti /
Venumadhava Mirel /
David Kreidler
• 141 -
Josh Koderhandt /
Luke Lucerne
• 149 -
PJ Crane /
Kaemen Smith
• 157 -
Andrew Cerniglia /
Devon Deem
• 165 -
Val Park /
Henry Hague
• 174 -
Sammy Starr /
Zander Manuel
• 184 -
David Key /
Hunter Johns
• 197 -
Jacob Koser /
Jacob Lucas
• 285 -
Grady Griess /
Jamier Ferere
2021-22 Review
Navy went 6-5 overall and 3-4 against EIWA opponents in coach Kolat's second year at the helm. Navy wrestlers won a combined 10 individual titles over the course of the season and continued its dominance over rival Army in the annual star match. The Mids defeated the Black Knights 22-9 in Annapolis for the program's 51st win in 66 matches. Navy took seventh at the EIWA Championship and four wrestlers placed in their respective weight classes.
Josh Koderhandt (133) and
Andrew Cerniglia (157) placed second, while
Jacob Koser (197) placed third to earn automatic berths to the NCAA Championship. Additionally, Val park placed eighth at 165 pounds.
Welcome Back
Navy returns the bulk of its lineup from a year ago, with eight starters and all three NCAA qualifiers returning for the 2022-23 season. Navy's returning starters combined for 162 wins, including 47 dual victories last season. Cerniglia finished the campaign with the most wins on Navy's roster with 27 and tied Koderhandt for the most dual victories with nine.
Mids in the Rankings
Navy enters the season with five wrestlers ranked in InterMat's NCAA Division I rankings.
• 141 -
Josh Koderhandt (23)
• 157 -
Andrew Cerniglia (20)
• 184 –
David Key (28)
• 197 –
Jacob Koser (24)
• 285 -
Grady Griess (32)
Strong Recruiting Class
Coach Kolat welcomed 15 freshmen to Navy's wrestling program during the offseason and seven will be making their collegiate debut at the Clarion Open. Of those seven freshmen,
Zach Espalin (4),
Brendan Ferretti (3) and
Jacob Lucas (1) won individual state championships during their high school careers. Espalin is also a two-time Fargo All-American and was a FloWrestling Nationals All-American. Ferretti was named an Honorable Mention All-American his senior year and Lucas was named Mid-Penn Wrestler of the Year.
Looking to Repeat Success at Clarion Open
Navy also began its 2021-22 season with the Clarion. Koderhandt (133), Cerniglia (157) and Koser (197) were crowned champions at their respective weight classes with all three Mids posting a 4-0 record in the open. Navy's three champions were the most from one program at the tournament. Crane (149) also placed in the tournament, finishing fourth with a 3-2 record, and Griess (285) placed fifth with a 4-1 record.
Up Next
Navy continues the tournament circuit when it travels to Vestal, N.Y., next Sunday to compete in the Bearcat Open hosted by EIWA member Binghamton. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Events Center.
