The injury bug that has bitten the Hofstra wrestling team so far in the 2009/10 season continued to wreak havoc during Sunday afternoon’s match against third ranked Ohio State. Three weeks after 125-pound sophomore Steve Bonanno suffered a season-ending arm injury against Lock Haven’s Nick Hyatt, freshman Jamie Franco injured his shoulder during Hofstra’s second match of the day at 133-pounds against the Buckeye’s Ian Paddock.
With Franco losing by a medical default and the Pride forced to forfeit its first match at 125 pound match because of Bonanno’s hampered arm, Ohio State (6-0) jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and rolled from there for a 32-6 win. The loss drops Hofstra to 2-2-3 as it prepares for a busy January that features nine more dual matches.
Even though Sunday’s loss comes to the third ranked team in the nation, Hofstra head wrestling coach Tom Shifflet was not satisfied with the way most of his grapplers competed. “We were outmatched today,” said Shifflet.
Showing posts with label Tom Shifflet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Shifflet. Show all posts
1/3/10
11/12/09
Hofstra wrestling prepares for challenge on mats in 2009/2010
As the Hofstra wrestling team gets set for its opening match this Sunday against Buffalo at 1 p.m., head coach Tom Shifflet is not just focused on the present but the future of this program that has consistently been ranked in the top 20 for the last decade. With an eye toward the long term growth of Hofstra wrestling and knowing this year features a top heavy group of 133 pound grapplers, Coach Shifflet decided to red-shirt three-time NCAA qualifier Lou Ruggirello in order to enhance his chance of capturing a national title in 2011.
While red-shirting Ruggirello will make for a more challenging 2009/2010 season, giving the Valley Stream Central High School graduate another year to hone his skills in freestyle matches in preparation for a national title run next year will be a positive for the program long-term, according to Shifflet. “We don’t just red-shirt anybody, you want to red-shirt the guys who have the attitude, have the work ethic, guys who are going to take that year and really make a conscious effort to develop themselves,” said Shifflet of Ruggirello, who was 15-1 in dual meets as a junior last season. “We wanted to give to give him the best opportunity to win a national title for himself, for the program, because he’s been a great student-athlete and deserves it.”
The decision to red-shirt Ruggirello has created healthy competition to fill the 133 pound slot between junior Jeff Rotella and freshman Jamie Franco, a 2008 New York State champion from Monroe-Woodbury High School. Many other weight classes are also undetermined and avoiding the injury bug will be paramount for a team already low on depth. Coach Shifflet got a scare in pre-season workouts when 10th ranked 174-pound wrestler Ryan Patrovich sprained a knee ligament forcing him to miss two weeks of practice but the junior who knocked off number one ranked 165-pound wrestler Mack Lewnes of Cornell in last year’s NCAAs, will be ready for the opener. Another potential injury problem is with pre-season 15th ranked Steve Bonanno at 125 pounds, as the sophomore from nearby Wantagh banged up his knee and will be a match-time decision Sunday.
While red-shirting Ruggirello will make for a more challenging 2009/2010 season, giving the Valley Stream Central High School graduate another year to hone his skills in freestyle matches in preparation for a national title run next year will be a positive for the program long-term, according to Shifflet. “We don’t just red-shirt anybody, you want to red-shirt the guys who have the attitude, have the work ethic, guys who are going to take that year and really make a conscious effort to develop themselves,” said Shifflet of Ruggirello, who was 15-1 in dual meets as a junior last season. “We wanted to give to give him the best opportunity to win a national title for himself, for the program, because he’s been a great student-athlete and deserves it.”
The decision to red-shirt Ruggirello has created healthy competition to fill the 133 pound slot between junior Jeff Rotella and freshman Jamie Franco, a 2008 New York State champion from Monroe-Woodbury High School. Many other weight classes are also undetermined and avoiding the injury bug will be paramount for a team already low on depth. Coach Shifflet got a scare in pre-season workouts when 10th ranked 174-pound wrestler Ryan Patrovich sprained a knee ligament forcing him to miss two weeks of practice but the junior who knocked off number one ranked 165-pound wrestler Mack Lewnes of Cornell in last year’s NCAAs, will be ready for the opener. Another potential injury problem is with pre-season 15th ranked Steve Bonanno at 125 pounds, as the sophomore from nearby Wantagh banged up his knee and will be a match-time decision Sunday.
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