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Oct. 6, 2004
As the temperatures begin to cool down and the leaves start tochange colors in Charlottesville, it means wrestling season is just around the corner. For UVa head coach Lenny Bernstein and his Cavaliers, the 2004-05 wrestling season can’t come soon enough.
Virginia is coming off the heels of another outstanding season of competition. Last year (2003-04), the Cavaliers ended the season tied for 16th at the NCAA Championships, had two wrestlers become All-Americans and won 10 dual matches – including three duals meets in the Atlantic Coast Conference. As good as the Cavaliers were last season, they could be even better this year. That has Bernstein all smiles as his team prepare for another year on the mats.
UVa returns experience at nearly every weight class and has some very talented newcomers ready to step in and contribute right away. At 125 pounds, Bernstein and his staff may give two of those newcomers, Anthony Burke and Adam Kimbrell, a crack at the starting spot right out of the gate. Each wrestler bring a little something different to the table for Virginia.
“We brought in Burke and Kimbrell and they will both compete for us at 125,” said Bernstein. “Burke is pretty sound, he’s got very good balance and he’s a scrapper. Kimbrell is technically advanced, but needs to add some strength to his frame. They both add a different element on the mat and they also give us good depth in the class.”
If Burke or Kimbrell do not solidify the starting spot at 125-pounds, second-year Steve Hromada (6-10, 3-8) may be just the person to nail down the starting spot. Hromada, who saw action at 133-pounds for the Cavaliers last season, displayed the type of energy and tenacity the coaching staff loves to see from its wrestlers. His hard work and motivation makes him an effective option at either 125 or 133 pounds.
“If Hromada gets down to weight (125-pounds), he’s going to be real hard to beat out there,” said Bernstein. “He’s a ferocious worker, a guy that puts in extra time on a daily basis and is very highly motivated. Hromada wants to get the job done, and I think if he gets down to 125, then look out – he’s going to have a good year.”
If Hromada does return at 133-pounds, Bernstein will not only have the comfort of using an established returner at that weight class, he will also have a healthy competition for the starting spot thanks to the return of Byron Dunlap (5-3, 0-0). Dunlap recorded 13 wins in each of his first two seasons before developing into UVa’s starter last season at 133-pounds. However, his year was cut short due to an injury. Rehabilitated and ready to go, Dunlap gives Bernstein another solid competitor looking to fill a starting spot.
“Dunlap came back pretty strong during the summer and he had a good fall,” said Bernstein. “Between Dunlap and Hromada, we’re going to be a very solid at 133. Dunlap’s got a lot to offer – he’s really tough on top, and he’s technically sound from his feet as well.”
No doubt about it, Virginia’s 141-pound starter this year has the biggest shoes to fill on the team. One quick glance at last year’s stats for 141-pounds tells the story why. “We’ve got to replace Scott Moore, so that shouldn’t be too difficult,” Bernstein jokingly stated about trying replace one of the school’s best wrestlers ever.
Bernstein and his staff are looking at a quartet of wrestlers to replace Moore, an All-American who rewrote several UVa career records in just one season of action as a Cavalier. Moore went 51-1 overall, 17-0 in dual matches with 34 of his 51 victories coming by fall.
“We have a few guys that will be in the mix at 141,” said Bernstein. “One of those guys will be Aaron Martin (17-21, 6-10), who is dropping down a weight class from 149-pounds. Martin is our returning starter from 149 last season. He tried to compete at 141 last year but he couldn’t beat out Moore, so he decided to move up to 149. Now he’s going to make the drop back down to 141 again. Martin’s a real scrappy wrestler. He’s very tough on his feet and he’s gotten a lot better. He has a year of college experience under his belt which is very valuable.”
Another option who will push for center stage at 141-pounds is second-year Chet Naylor (3-4, 1-0). Naylor red-shirted his freshman year where he won five matches and served as Moore’s back-up last season.
“Naylor trained very hard this summer,” said Bernstein. “He also went to the Olympic Training Center and trained there for a little while as well. I feel he’s finally ready to take the bull by the horns and put in a full year for us. Naylor and Martin are two guys who are going to be battling it out for sure at 141.”
Two other candidates at 141-pounds are Paul Bowman (2-10, 0-0) and Zach Rosson. Bowman spent last season at 149-pounds for UVa, while Rosson is a newcomer to the team this year.
“Bowman is a really hard worker, he’s improved unbelievably since last year,” said Bernstein. “Rosson was an Oklahoma State Champion in high school and is a real tough kid who loves to wrestle. He’s been in the training room quite a bit this fall. Rosson came in a little bit heavier than 141, so if he can’t drop to 141-pounds, he’s big enough to wrestle for us at 149 as well.”
Virginia will turn to a familiar face to man the top spot at 149-pounds in Paul Dunstan (8-10, 1-0). Dunstan recorded 25 wins in his first two seasons of action, including 17 victories as a first-year at 149-pounds. He competed heavily last season for time at 157-pounds, but seems better suited to battle it out at 149.
“Dunstan was a starter a couple of years ago at 149 and did a nice job for us, he put in a really solid year,” said Bernstein. “He is another kid that has put in a great spring and summer and has gotten his weight under control. Now he’s put himself in position to have a tremendous year at 149. Dunstan’s real solid, he’s a real hard worker. If he can get a little bit better on the mat, he could put himself in position to win ACCs.”
Look for first-year newcomer Drew DiPasquale to rise up and challenge Dunstan for the top spot at 149.
“DiPasquale is very tough on his feet, both offensively and defensively,” said Bernstein. “He placed a couple times in the Pennsylvania State Championships in high school, but there’s still some things he’s going to have to adjust to at the college level.”
Naming a starter at 157-pounds is going to be a difficult challenge for Bernstein and his staff. But don’t expect opposing coaches to feel sympathetic about Bernstein’s dilemma. The problem Bernstein faces isn’t trying to find a starter at 157 – it lies in determining who to chose as the starter from the deep and talented class. Bernstein’s decision is likely to come down to Paul Bjorlo (31-18, 12-5) and Jim Hartey (2-1, 0-0).
Bjorlo turned in a stellar campaign last season for the Cavaliers. With All-Americans Scott Moore and Tim Foley absorbing most of the national attention for Virginia, Bjorlo quietly went about his business en route to producing one of the best seasons by any wrestler on the UVa roster. His 58 career victories, including 20 dual match wins, are proof he’s been successful and battle-tested on the mat.
“Bjorlo had great improvement over the year,” said Bernstein. “I think he started to find his confidence and that was something he was lacking before. Bjorlo improved and got a lot stronger and he had a lot of things going for him last year. He was pushed into a position and he really came through time and again. I’m expecting a big year out of him.”
However, despite all the success Bjorlo has achieved, he won’t have time to sit back and enjoy it quite yet as he will be pushed hard for the starting spot by Hartey, who makes his return back to the UVa wrestling program. Hartey also has a few years of experience under his belt and will come out fighting for the top spot.
“Hartey was slated to be our 149-pounder last year. After taking some time off from wrestling, he came back in the spring with renewed vigor and started putting in the time he used to spend getting better,” said Bernstein. “As far as who starts at 157, I think the preseason tournaments will help to determine who ends up starting there early on. But it is probably going to be a year-long battle with these two.”
While Bjorlo and Hartey might have the inside track at 157, one can’t forget about Conor Manley (12-12, 0-0). Manley makes his way into the 157-pound class after dropping down from 165-pounds last season. He also brings 19 career victories into the mix. Bernstein likes what he has seen from Manley and knows he’s capable of earning the starting spot.
“Manley just continues to improve. It seems like he’s always finding workout partners and he is getting different looks from different people and it has really helped in his development as a wrestler,” said Bernstein. “He’s a very hard worker who’s put in a lot of time. Whether that’s going to translate in competition remains to be seen.”
Also returning to the mix again at 157-pounds is Brian McReynolds. After making the team last season, he’ll have a tough time breaking into the lineup but appears to be up to the challenge.
Although Virginia loses 165-pound All-American Tim Foley (38-7, 16-1, 13 falls last year), the Cavaliers have a potential All-American in the makings waiting. Enter UVa’s Will Durkee (18-4, 0-0). Durkee has recorded 60 career victories, including 14 dual match wins, and is a proven veteran who is ready to step in and pick right up where Foley left off.
“Durkee’s our guy at 165,” stated Bernstein. “He had a great red-shirt season last year where he won a couple tournaments and beat some real quality kids. I don’t think it will be long before Durkee is ranked in the Top-10 in the country in his class. Durkee is what I would call a `wrestlehead.’ He’s always in the wrestling room and he talks about it all the time. Durkee’s got high goals and I think he has definitely put himself in a position to achieve those goals this year. He’s improved in every aspect of his style and I’m really excited to see him go at it.”
Although it will be very tough to beat out Durkee for the top spot at 165, Drew Michelotti (5-29, 0-15) is excited to just be competing at 165-pounds this year. Reason being, Michelotti spent most of last season wrestling at 174 and 184 where he was undersized. Michelotti was thrust into action at higher weights due to several roster adjustments made in those classes. This year, he hopes to excel at a weight he is more suited to compete in.
“Michelotti was in a tough situation last year,” said Bernstein. “He’s down at his normal weight class now, and I think he’s going to have a much better year. But he’s going to have to improve quite a bit throughout the year to beat out Durkee.”
Bernstein likes the depth he has at 174-pounds this year and feels it just might be the deepest weight class he has to work with. It’s easy to see why Bernstein thinks that way when you see the caliber of wrestlers waiting to battle it out for the top spot at 174 for the Cavaliers. The trio of Michael Grogan (19-18, 10-7), red-shirt Damian Johnson (15-6, 0-0) and newcomer Rocco Caponi are the reasons for Bernstein’s optimism.
“Grogan is our returning starter at 174 and he had a really good season last year as a first-year,” said Bernstein. “He was one point away from qualifying for Nationals and winning the ACC title. Grogan was always ready to wrestle each week and he wasn’t intimidated by the competition. He got after people and he’s going to be a tough kid to beat out again this year.”
Having said that, Bernstein knows Johnson and Caponi are going to try and prove that they are just as deserving for the top spot at 174 as well.
“Johnson added some strength during the offseason and is going to be challenging at 174,” said Bernstein. “He’s a real athletic kid and he’s got a tremendous up-side. Johnson has just started to scratch the surface as far as his potential goes. Caponi was one of the top five kids in the country at his weight coming out of high school. He’s got an enormous amount of talent. Caponi’s a heady wrestler with an unorthodox style and he remains calm in big matches.”
With so much quality depth at 174-pounds, Bernstein may end up red-shirting either Grogan or Caponi. He also feels both wrestlers have the potential to eventually move up to 184-pounds.
Kyle Narkiewicz (4-1, 0-0) is the front runner to handle the top spot at 184-pounds this season. Narkiewicz red-shirted last season and only competed in several matches before suffering an injury. Bernstein hopes Narkiewicz is able to mix the limited experience he gained last season with his healthy return this year into a solid season of performances on the mat in 2004-05.
“Narkiewicz’s injury didn’t really allow him to get the red-shirt matches in he needed last season,” said Bernstein. “That might hurt him in the early going, but I think he’s the type of kid that’s going to really develop and become someone we can rely on during the season.”
West Virginia transfer Brendan Raedy will also be in the mix at 184-pounds. With collegiate experience under his belt and success in the high school ranks, Bernstein hopes he can translate that into positive results this season at Virginia.
“Raedy has shown early on that he’s going to challenge for the spot,” said Bernstein. “He’s a local product who I watched in high school and he placed second in the state. Raedy has wrestled some of the top kids in the country. Coming from West Virginia, he had some guys around that weight class that were nationally ranked, so he’s used to tough practices and he knows what hard work is all about.”
Lastly, Chudi Uraih will add depth at 184-pounds. A late walk-on to last year’s team, Uraih has been in the wrestling room fairly steady for the last several months.
“Uraih has turned out to be a pretty good wrestler,” said Bernstein. “It will be interesting to see how he does in some of the early season tournaments and how he performs as well.”
At 197-pounds, Virginia returns veteran Kevin Collier (7-7, 5-6) who Bernstein describes as “pound for pound, the strongest guy on the team.” Collier has been explosive when healthy and has experienced success in the past. But his achilles’ heel has been injuries which have slowed him down and kept him off the mat for long stretches throughout his career.
“The biggest thing Collier’s got going for him is his strength, he’s very powerful,” said Bernstein. “But he’s got to stay healthy, and if he does, he can develop into a guy that can challenge for the ACC championship. If you’re injured all the time, you can’t get in good enough shape. If you’re not in good enough shape, you’re not going to challenge. Talent alone can’t make up for a lack of shape. It’s just a matter of him staying healthy.”
Two Cavaliers in line to challenge Collier at 197-pounds are returners Scott Smith (8-17, 2-5) and Ram McDonnell (0-2, 0-0).
S. Smith was able to get his feet wet last season as a first-year and had a tough time winning against solid opponents. Bernstein would like to see him take another step forward with his progress this year.
“Smith is going to fight Collier for the position this season,” said Bernstein. “He now has a year of experience under his belt and I believe he’s going to close the gap with Collier and possibly pass him up. Smith cares a lot about the sport and wants to succeed, and I feel like if he puts the time in, it’s going to be tight between him and Collier.”
“McDonnell is a little undersized right now, he probably needs to put on a little strength to fit the weight class better,” said Bernstein. “Like Collier, McDonnell also had some injuries that have really held him back. We’ll have to wait and see how he develop.”
Last, but certainly not least, Bernstein has a trio of wrestlers lined up to challenge for the starting spot at heavyweight. Those three individuals are returner Andrew Leffler (11-24, 3-13), newcomer Nick Smith and `gridder’ Melvin Massey.
Leffler is the returning starter for the Cavaliers at HWT and Bernstein is hoping he continues to make strides on the mat again this season.
“Leffler is probably the hardest working heavyweight that I’ve had in a long time,” said Bernstein. “Even in the preseason runs, he’s a guy that always finishes in the top ten and sometimes in the top five. He really gets after it – he’s a hard-nosed heavyweight, and that’s sometimes hard to find. Leffler’s got a year of starting experience under his belt and I think he’s developed a lot of confidence and will have a much improved season this year.”
N. Smith is a guy Bernstein feels will really push Leffler for the top spot in the class. After a decorated high school career, he’ll look to continue that success at the collegiate level.
“Smith is coming in with a lot of accolades – he won the Idaho State Championships and won the Junior Nationals Greco-Roman Championships. He also took fourth at Junior Nationals in Freestyle,” said Bernstein. “He’s a big body and he’s still growing, he’s going to be a good sized heavyweight. Technically, Smith’s got a lot to offer and we’re excited about him as a potential guy who may start for us this year.”
Once he’s done making tackles on the football field, Massey will look to rejoin his grappling teammates. Massey, a nose tackle on the nationally-ranked Virginia football team, will look to make the transition from the gridiron to the mats once the football season is complete.
“Last year, Melvin joined us late because the football team went to a bowl game. He took a little time off after the bowl game, then decided he wanted to come out for wrestling,” said Bernstein. “He came to us out of wrestling shape – football shape is different than wrestling shape. Massey wrestled in high school and you could tell he had some good technique, but it was just too late for him to really challenge for a position last year. He’s big, strong and athletic, and he’ll hopefully provide some major depth for us at heavyweight this season.”
All in all, Bernstein feels comfortable with what his team has to offer at each and every weight class. As long as his Cavaliers can stay healthy, the sky appears to be the limit for what this team can accomplish on the mats this year.
“I really don’t think we have any holes from a weight class standpoint,” said Bernstein. “I believe our dual meet team will be a better team this year than last season. That’s partly due to the maturity of some of the guys who are back for us this year. They are now a year older and they have more wrestling experience. But it’s also because we have some first-year guys that should make an immediate impact for us. As long as we can stay healthy, there’s really not a weight class that I’m too concerned about. I think we can be a Top-20 team if our guys develop the way I know they can.”