By Bob Bonett
All year, the Pride’s head coach Tom Shifflet has preached the same idea, and with the conference tournament coming up on Friday, the message is clear:
“Be consistent.”
When the Pride head to George Mason University Friday for the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Tournament, the idea of consistency will be the ultimate key to success.
Shifflet knows that Hofstra’s status as a heavy favorite for the tournament could affect some of the wrestlers in a negative way. However, if the Pride’s wrestlers hear his message, as they have all year, the Pride may return to Hempstead with a majority of conference champions.
“With a number of our wrestlers seeded first in the tournament, a lot of people don’t have anything to lose against us, so we can’t take anyone lightly,” Shifflet said.
“Our guys know that if they win their next seven or eight matches they can become national champions.”
Certainly, such an incentive could definitely lead the Pride to experiencing success in the conference tournament, success they have seen by winning the conference five years in a row.
Shifflet will boast a healthy lineup for the first time in weeks while the Pride look to win an unprecedented sixth straight title. Dave Tomasette (14-5), injured last week for the Pride’s loss to No. 15 Oklahoma, will be returning to action at 125 lbs. The 15th-ranked junior will most likely be the top seed at his weight class for the tournament.
Meanwhile, the oft-injured 18th-ranked Lou Ruggirello (28-7) will wrestle once again. The freshman is expected to be the wrestler to beat at 133 lbs.
Of course, the usual suspects will also be wrestling for the Pride. At 141 lbs., eighth-ranked Charles Griffin (25-5), seeded first in his weight class when the last CAA rankings were released, may be seeded first.
Next, at 149 lbs., Mike Parziale (12-9) defeated No. 15 Mitch Smith (7-4) in what coach Shifflet called a “wrestle-off,” claiming the spot for Hofstra in the conference tournament. Parziale will probably also be one of the top ranked wrestlers in his weight class.
Following Parziale and Griffin will be arguably two of the Pride’s greatest wrestlers in history, No. 2 James Strouse (33-3) at 157 lbs. and No. 6 Mike Patrovich (14-4) at 165 lbs. The two potential All-Americans will be favored heavily in the tournament for the Pride.
Perhaps one of the greatest story lines of the tournament will be at 174 lbs. When the last CAA rankings were released, Doug Umbehauer of Rider was the top seeded wrestler. However, since that time, the Pride’s Alton Lucas (21-8) defeated Umbehauer, perhaps setting up a thriller in the finals of the tournament over the weekend between Rider’s top wrestler and the battle-tested, ninth-ranked Lucas.
Rounding out the top seeds for Hofstra will be at 184 lbs. and 197 lbs., where No. 7 Joe Rovelli (28-5) and reigning All-American No. 11 Chris Weidman (24-7) will probably be favored, respectively. The two wrestlers were also ranked first in the latest edition of the CAA’s rankings.
Finally for Hofstra may be the one wrestler that does not enter the tournament as a favorite: heavyweight Matt Pollock. Pollock (12-22), who is unranked, may need to face the top seed in the tournament in the first round, (probably Sacred Heart’s Payam Zaninpour). However, with nothing to lose, Pollock could come away with the stunning upset.
Just as Pollock has nothing to lose though, as Shifflet stated, most wrestlers will have nothing to lose when they face Hofstra. Owning potentially nine of the top ten teams, Hofstra will have a bulls-eye on their back, as underdogs attempt to dethrone the conference’s best.
“We don’t want to wrestle anybody differently,” Shifflet says. “Whether the guys’ opponents are 1-13 or 13-1, they are going out on the mat with the same mindset each match.”
Do not expect Hofstra to fall under the weight of the heavy expectations placed on them by the wrestling world. Already having dethroned preseason CAA favorite Rider, the Pride have been faced with tough opponents all year, often coming out on top. And come the end of the CAA Tournament, while anything is possible, all signs point to another CAA title for the Pride.
If all goes well, come time for the NCAA Tournament, the Pride may be looking to crown more than two All-Americans this off-season.