Wrestling Opens Season Sunday

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DAVIDSON, N.C. – Just four of the 17 members of the Davidson wrestling team are upperclassmen, but the young Wildcats are hungry for success and will kick-off the 2012-13 season Sunday in Belk Arena, hosting Spartanburg Methodist College and Belmont Abbey in a tri-meet.

Spartanburg Methodist and Belmont Abbey will kick-off the event at 1 p.m., with Davidson taking the mat against SMC at 2:30 p.m. The 'Cats will then face Belmont Abbey approximately 10 minutes after their bout against SMC.

Probable Lineups
Davidson
125 - Philip Elias/Matt Zarth
133 – Anthony Elias
141 – Sejiro Littleton
149 – Kevin Birmingham/Patrick Devlin
157 – Nathaniel Powers/CT Talevi
165 – Chris Cirenza
174 - Ian Solcz
184 – Scott Patrick
197 – Carson Stack
HWT – Ed Isola/Jordan Ownbey

Belmont Abbey
125 – Patrick Mestrez
133 – Markus Almieda
141 - Brandon Conroy/Clemente Narviaz
149 – Dylan Moses/ Trey Alley
157 – Jake Varilek
165 – Brandon Wilkins/Markus Cromwell
174 – Joseph Maumoynier
184 - Marcus Dwaileebe
197 – Chris Sloat
285 – Kelly Baker

Spartanburg Methodist College
125 - Joseph Adams
133 - Edward Contreras/Adam Anderson
141 - Tre Barber
149 - Nick Hughes/Mitch Johnston
157 - Jonathan Dykes
165 - Daquon Wilson
174 - Mike Clevenger
184 - Migel Meija
197 - Open
285 - Myles Moultrie

Season Outlook
The Wildcats are not as young as they were last season when freshmen outnumbered the other three classes combined, but with eight sophomores and five freshmen on the roster, the 'Cats remain a youthful team. The squad will look to continue to improve in 2012-13 season, led by junior 184-pounder Scott Patrick, who earned SoCon All-Freshman honors in 2011 and started the 2011-12 season with a 12-3 record before an injury cut his season short.

125 pounds
Senior Matt Zarth will look to hold on to his starting spot with sophomore Philip Elias challenging him for time on the mat. Zarth is 33-46 in three seasons, starting the past two. Elias is anxious to return to action after suffering a season-ending injury during his first career match last season.

Freshman Scott Cunningham will also look to compete with Zarth and Elias.

133 pounds
Sophomore Anthony Elias earned a place on the SoCon All-Freshman team last season after going 11-15 overall with a team-best 3-5 record in SoCon matches. The 'Cats will count on Elias to tip dual matches in their favor, and he is poised to compete for a Southern Conference title.

141 pounds
Sophomore Sejiro Littleton did not see any action as a freshman last season, but will be counted on at 141. He is one of three North Carolina natives on the team, hailing from Spruce Pine where he was the class valedictorian at Mitchell H.S. On the mat, Littleton was a three-time Western Highlands Conference Champion and a North Carolina state qualifier.

149 pounds
Sophomore Kevin Birmingham went 10-10 at 149 pounds and 4-5 at 141 pounds last season, and was tied for the team lead with six pins. He will remain at 149 pounds this season and will look to become a force in the Southern Conference.

Local product Patrick Devlin will look to challenge Birmingham for time on the mat. The freshman was a two-time state qualifier at Lake Norman H.S. Sophomore Dan Hagemann also returns at 149.

157 pounds
The 'Cats have two strong options at 157 in junior CT Talevi and freshman Nathanial Powers. Talevi went 5-13 last year in his first season of competition after injuries kept him off the mat as a rookie. Powers comes from a strong wrestling program at Central Mountain H.S. in Mill Hall, Pa., where he was also a class valedictorian.

165 pounds
Senior Chris Cirenza will have big shoes to fill with the departure of Tyler Mullen, who scored a team-best 14 victories for Davidson during his senior season last year. Cirenza went 3-6 at 165 pounds last year, and his work ethic and veteran leadership make him a crucial part of the team.

174 pounds
Sophomore Ian Solcz will look to improve on his 5-12 performance from his rookie campaign. Solcz was 4-3 in non-conference dual meets though, so he will look to translate that success into SoCon victories this season.

184 pounds
Junior Scott Patrick could be Davidson's strongest candidate to win a Southern Conference title and the accompanying bid to the NCAA Tournament. Patrick's torrid start last season was cut short by an injury, but he returns more determined than ever. His importance to the team is not limited to his success on the mat, as his leadership and work ethic are crucial in the development of Davidson's young squad.

197 pounds
Freshman Carson Stack will step into the starting lineup at 197. Stack went undefeated as a senior at Haddonfield Memorial H.S. until suffering his first defeat in the talent-rich New Jersey state tournament, ultimately placing fourth. Freshman Alexander Renzi will compete with Stack for time as well.

Heavyweight
Sophomores Ed Isola and Jordan Ownbey will compete for time at heavyweight. Isola went 7-20 last year at 197 pounds, but is moving up to heavyweight this season. Ownbey went 1-2 in limited action as a rookie.

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