By Bob Bonett
Coach Tom Shifflet may feel as though calling Hofstra’s sixth straight Colonial Athletic Association title “expected” is too much. However, the rest of the competition was anything but surprised when Hofstra hoisted yet another championship plaque over their heads at the Virginia tournament.
The sixth-straight for the Pride may have been the most impressive yet. With championship performances from across the board, the Pride delivered an All-American type performance.
Entering the tournament with nine of their 10 wrestlers ranked first in their weight class, it was no secret that Hofstra would be looking to deliver an earth-shattering show. Yet, when it came to the team’s game plan, Shifflet refused to waver from the message he had delivered the entire season.
“I like to treat everyone the same when we compete,” Shifflet said. “I try to train our wrestlers to wrestle like all of their opponents are good, and that it is important every time they step on the mat.”
Kicking things off for the Pride at 125 lbs. was junior Dave Tomasette. The top-ranked wrestler in his weight class, Tomasette managed to deliver his second career CAA title.Following Tomasette was Hofstra’s only rookie, freshman Lou Ruggirello. Also ranked first in the competition, wrestling at 133 lbs., Ruggirello looked anything but inexperienced. The first year competitor won his weight class convincingly, capping off the run with a 6-4 victory over Old Dominion’s Christian Staylor.
Later in the tournament, three Hofstra wrestlers managed to accomplish feats rarely seen by most competitors. Juniors Charles Griffin and Joe Rovelli, wrestling at 141 lbs. and 184 lbs., and senior James Strouse, wrestling at 157 lbs., all took home their third consecutive CAA titles.
Also taking home a gold medal was 197 lb. senior Chris Weidman. One year removed from a conference championship and unprecedented run, culminating in Weidman garnering All-American status, the top-ranked wrestler managed to defend his title by defeating Old Dominion’s David Mendoza in the title match.
The king of the show for the Pride, though, was 165 lb. superstar Mike Patrovich. In search of his third conference title, the top-ranked wrestler managed to outperform not only his weight class, but also the entire tournament, taking home the honor of Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler. Patrovich posted one pin fall and two tech falls, including a 19-3 victory in the finals, en route to the championship’s most dominating performance.
“I thought that was probably the best he wrestled all year. He stayed offensive and was always on the attack,” Shifflet said. “He just showed a lot of focus. He won that award because everyone was pretty darn impressed with how he wrestled.”
Hofstra failed to place in only three weight classes. One of the wrestlers, Matt Pollock, shocked the tournament, though, with a surprising run. The heavyweight, coming into the tournament with a sub-.500 record, managed to take third place in the deep field, upsetting a number of wrestlers along the way, and drawing praises from Shifflet. “He did a great job. To cap off his career with third place in the conference, it was just an outstanding performance.”
“He just wanted to help the team as much as he could,” Shifflet added.
Sacred Heart’s Payam Zarrinpour took home the heavyweight title.
The final two runs were not quite as impressive for the Pride. Inconsistency plagued 174 lb. Alton Lucas and 149 lb. Mike Parziale in the tournament, as the two top-ranked wrestlers failed to win their respective weight classes. “There has been inconsistency in their wrestling all year, so I wasn’t surprised they didn’t wrestle that well,” Shifflet said. “It’s a tough tournament and you’ve got to be on top of your game, and it just wasn’t their weekend.
Mike Roberts from Boston University ended up winning the 149 lb. title, while Doug Umbehauer from Rider notched the 174 lb. win.
There were no disappointments in the team standings for Hofstra, though. The Pride trumped their opponents with relative ease, scoring 138.5 points in the match for the win, outdistancing second place Old Dominion and third place Rider by 49.5 points and 54 points, respectively.
Perhaps the greatest part of the wins for Hofstra’s individual wrestlers was an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships held in Auburn Hills, Mich. Joining the seven conference champions will be Alton Lucas, who received one of three wild card invitations to the tournament.
Coach Shifflet said he hopes Hofstra will perform among the country’s best at the tournament, noting that a handful of his wrestlers will have a great chance at achieving All-American status, and perhaps even win their weight class.
“I think we’re going there with a pretty strong team. It’s great that we have a lot of experience going in there,” Shifflet said, “and I hope to crown a couple of All-Americans in the end.”
Needless to say, Hofstra wrestling has clearly notched itself among the nation’s elite, and needs to be viewed as one of the nation’s greatest programs. Shifflet will not let it get to the wrestlers heads, though, and will only be expecting them to go to Michigan and compete at their highest level.
As for the opposition at the NCAA’s? They will certainly be expecting Hofstra wrestling to claim at least a few spots on the championship podium.