By Bob Bonett
Records fell in Auburn Hills, Mich. for the Hofstra Pride all night. Yet, when all was said and done a feeling of discontent still hovered in the air for Tom Shifflet and the wrestling team.
“I though we wrestled real hard, and I’d say to have four All-Americans – more than Hofstra has ever had – is a great accomplishment at a national championship. So when you come out of there in the top eight, you definitely deserved it,” Coach Shifflet said.
However, entering the tournament ranked ninth in the country, personal expectations of Shifflet and his daunting lineup were astronomical. Finishing outside of the top 10, as they did the previous two years, would simply not cut it for such a talented group. A national title was the goal in the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the Pride, and anything short would be a disappointment.
“Was [seventh place] everything we wanted? No. We were one of the teams there that could have won the whole thing and we could have had a few national champions, but we fell short of those goals,” Shifflet said. “It was good and bad. I’m not one of the coaches that is happy to finish in the top 10. I want national champions and to finish first. We’re not content with what we did. We’re happy with it because it is the best we’ve ever done, but we were definitely shooting for a lot higher.”
Despite perhaps not achieving their greatest of goals, though, individual performances did stand out for the Pride. Four All-Americans were crowned for the Pride, the most in the 59-year history of the program. The two best finishers for the Pride were 141 lb. junior Charles Griffin and 197 lb. senior Chris Weidman, who was crowned All-American for the second time. Weidman, seeded 11th, followed an improbable run in 2006 with another great run for the Pride in 2007.
“He just put together a great tournament,” Shifflet said. “He is a gamer, and when it is all on the line, he steps up and he has his entire career.”
In his farewell tournament, Pride wrestling legend Mike Patrovich placed sixth place at 165 lbs. Patrovich was named All-American for the second time, but again failed to take home a national championship.
“Mike Patrovich is a two-time All-American, but his ultimate goal was a National Championship,” Shifflet said. “So when we walked out of there hanging our heads, it didn’t quite accomplish what we wanted.”
Not all results were cut and dry for the Pride, as senior James Strouse walked off the mat for the final time amidst controversy. In the third place match, Strouse took on Illinois’ Michael Poeta. Entering overtime tied at 1-1, the two wrestled scoreless until the end of the bottom half of two 30-second sessions. Poeta, escaped from a Strouse hold as time expired, igniting a half-hour long review to decide whether or not Poeta escaped after time ran out. The decision was not overturned, enabling Poeta the winning point, relegating Strouse to fourth place, and ultimately, the Pride to seventh place.
“We felt that time was up,” Shifflet said. “In that type of match, whether you are third or fourth, there is a different in a team point, and that kept us from sixth place, and Strouse from a bronze metal. We just wanted the opportunity to continue the wrestle.
“In a split second, why not just let them wrestle it out, and see who wins.”
As for next season’s expectations, Shifflet will expect even more records to be shattered by the Pride. Hoping for nothing less than a complete lineup to compete in St. Louis for the national championship, Hofstra will look to win a national championship.
“I think what we did this year raised the bar for the future of this program,” Shifflet said. “It is going to take a lot of work to improve on this, but I’m sure these guys are not content, and will look to do even better next year.”
Regardless of the expectations for a program on the rise, the statistics do not lie, and the Pride’s seventh place finish has proved that Hofstra can truly wrestle with the best teams in the country.
Charles Griffin (right) was one of four Hofstra wrestlers crowned All-American at the NCAA Championships.