HOFSTRA WRESTLING HISTORY: This is Hofstra’s 59th season of intercollegiate wrestling. The Pride has had 10 coaches direct the wrestling program, beginning with Walter “Brick” Stone in 1947 and currently with Tom Shifflet, who is in his first season. HOFSTRA NOTES, STREAKS AND TIDBITS: • Hofstra has won 24 of its last 37 duals and 32 of its last 47 dual matches dating back to 2003. • Hofstra is undefeated in 47 consecutive dual conference matches posting a 46-0-1 record during that time. The last time 2006-07 HOFSTRA Hofstra dropped a conference match was February 17, 1999 UNIVERSITY WRESTLING when the Broncs of Rider beat the Pride, 28-10 in an East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) match. The Pride has won 44 #11 Hofstra Pride (0-0, 0-0) straight conference matches. at • The Pride has won 11 of its last 15 home matches dating back Wagner Seahawks (0-4, 0-0) to the start of the 2003-04 season. Hofstra dropped a 25-13 Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - Staten Island, NY decision to #5 Michigan on January 2, 2006, an 18-17 decision to Oregon State on November 17, 2005, a 30-10 decision to #1 Oklahoma State on February 13, 2005, and a 20-12 decision to #11 Hofstra Pride (0-0) #17 Cornell on February 5, 2005 at the Hofstra Arena. Before that, the last home dual match that the Pride dropped was on vs. November 29, 2003 when the ninth-ranked Cornhuskers of Army (0-0) Nebraska downed Hofstra, 30-10. Wednesday, November 15, 2006 David S. Mack Sports Complex – Hempstead, NY PROJECTED HOFSTRA STARTERS: Class Rank - Name Cl. 05-06 Record 125 #20 Dave Tomasette*+ Jr. 14-8 2006-07 HOFSTRA 133 Lou Ruggirello Fr. ----- 141 #14 Charles Griffin*+ Jr. 27-8 WRESTLING SCHEDULE/RESULTS 149 Mike Parziale Sr. 11-5 Nov. 14 at Wagner * 7 p.m. 157 #12 James Strouse*+ Sr. 29-12 Nov. 15 ARMY 7 p.m. 165 #3 Mike Patrovich*+ Sr. 34-5 Nov. 18 at East Stroudsburg Open All Day 174 Alton Lucas So. 10-6 Nov. 25 at Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals 184 #5 Joe Rovelli*+ Jr. 28-13 vs. Minnesota 10 a.m. 197 #6 Chris Weidman* Sr. 18-13 vs. American Noon 285 Matt Pollock Sr. 4-3 vs. Princeton 2:30 p.m. * - Returning starter: + - recturning conference champion Preseason rankings from USA Today/NWCA/Intermat vs. Bloomsburg 4:30 p.m. Dec. 1-2 at Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational HOFSTRA THIS YEAR: The Pride begin their 2006-07 Dec. 10 PENN STATE 1 p.m. season this week with matches at Wagner on Tuesday, home Jan. 6 at Michigan 7 p.m. against Army on Wednesday and a tournament at the East Jan. 7 at Central Michigan 2 p.m. Stroudsburg Open on Saturday. Hofstra returns 11 lettermen, six Jan. 13-14 at NWCA National Duals All Day starters, six NCAA qualifiers, five conference champions and (Cedar Falls, IA) two All-Americans from last year’s squad that placed 11th at the Jan. 19-20 at CAA Duals All Day NCAA Division I Championships. Jan. 26 at Pennsylvania 7 p.m. HOFSTRA COACH TOM SHIFFLET: Tom Shifflet, a four- Jan. 28 LEHIGH (at NYAC) 5 p.m. time NCAA Championships qualifier and a three-time All- Feb.3 CORNELL (at NYAC) 1 p.m. American as a student-athlete at Edinboro University and most Feb. 13 RIDER * 7 p.m. recently the head wrestling coach at the University of North Feb. 17 at Oklahoma 7 p.m. Carolina at Greensboro, became the 10th head wrestling coach Mar. 3-4 at CAA Championships in Hofstra University’s storied wrestling history on May 17, (at George Mason,Fairfax, VA) 2006. Shifflet comes to Hofstra after four seasons as head Mar. 15-17 at NCAA Division I Championships wrestling coach at UNC Greensboro. While at UNCG, he (at The Palace, Auburn Hills, MI) created and organized the annual 35-team Southern Scuffle wrestling tournament, which is one of the largest and more competitive Division I regular season tournaments in the * - CAA match – All times are ET - Home matches, in country. During his tenure at UNC Greensboro Shifflet recorded bold, are at the David S. Mack Sports Complex unless a 32-32 dual meet record and had nine wrestlers qualify for the noted NCAA Championships. A three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier as WAGNER THIS YEAR: The Seahawks of Wagner come into a student-athlete at national powerhouse Edinboro University Tuesday night’s match with a 0-4 mark after their weekend trip from 1992 through 1995, Shifflet began his coaching career as to North Carolina. an assistant at Georgia State University in1995, helping the Panthers post back-to-back winning seasons, and develop three Date Opponent / Event Time / Result conference champions and four NCAA qualifiers. In 1997, 11/10/06 at Appalachian State Loss, 46-3 Shifflet left Georgia State to begin a five-year tenure as an 11/11/06 at Duke Loss, 41-9 assistant coach at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. at Gardner-Webb Loss, 40-9 During his time with the Big Red, Shifflet coached 24 NCAA at Newberry Loss, 35-8 qualifiers, three NCAA All-Americans and helped head coach Rob Koll to a pair of Ivy League championships in 1999 and HOFSTRA-WAGNER SERIES: Hofstra is 15-0 against 2001. More importantly, Cornell was also consistently ranked Wagner since the 1980-81 season. The two teams last met on among the nation's top-15 programs. The final Big Red February 12, 2005 in Staten Island with the Pride recording a recruiting class that he was involved with placed fifth at the 33-9 victory. 2006 NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. THE LAST PRIDE-SEAHAWKS MEETING - February 12, After five seasons at Cornell, the Amherst, New York native 2005 at Wagner: The Pride, wrestling their second match of the was named the head wrestling coach at UNC Greensboro on day and preparing for a home match-up the next morning against May 17, 2002. After a typical transitional season in his first year Oklahoma State, utilized a makeshift line-up for the match at at UNCG, Shifflet managed to sign one of the top recruiting Wagner. Hofstra junior Stefan Serie recorded a pin at 165 classes in the nation in 2003. That class, which included one pounds in just 44 seconds, and Charles Griffin (133) and Chris high school All-American, four honorable mention high school Vondruska (174) tallied tech falls to lead the Pride to a 33-9 All-Americans and seven state champions, received an victory. Dave Tomasette (125) and Jon Masa (149) posted major honorable mention based on InterMat's 2003 final rankings. decisions while heavyweight Gian Villante posted a 6-0 victory for Hofstra. In 2003-04 the Spartans claimed their first winning season since 1998-99, posting a 9-6 overall record with the nine victories Hofstra 33, Wagner 9 ranking as the third most in the program's 12-year history. In 125- Dave Tomasette (HU) MAJ Joe Eurell, 16-2 addition, two of his recruits, Kevin Artis (141 lbs.) and Daren 133- Charles Griffin (HU) TECH FALL Adam Amster, 19-1 Burns (197 lbs.), captured conference championships in their 141- Justin Ensign (WC) Win by Forfeit respective weight classes with Burns being named the Southern 149- Jon Masa (HU) MAJ Mike Tutunjian, 17-3 Conference Freshman of the Year. Shifflet guided UNCG to the 157- Freddy Pontoriero (WC) DEC Doug Thomas, 9-7 most wins in school history during the 2004-05 season as the 165- Stefan Serie (HU) FALL Vincent Vazzana, 0:44 Spartans recorded a 12-5 overall record, 4-1 in the Southern 174- Chris Vondruska (HU) MAJ Anthony Pontoriero, 23-8 Conference. He produced the Southern Conference Freshman of 184- Double Forfeit the Year for the second consecutive year as Joe Kemmerer 197- Billy Simons (HU) Win by Forfeit earned the award following a 31-7 season. Kemmerer, along Hwt.-Gian Villante (HU) DEC John Cichon, 6-0 with teammates Daren Burns and Joe Lowe, each won their respective weight classes at the Southern Conference Mat Jam ARMY THIS YEAR: The Black Knights of Army will open and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. their dual season at Hofstra on Wednesday but four Army wrestlers – Connor Sanders, Scott Ferguson, Matt Kyler and In 2005-06 UNCG tied a school-record by sending four Michael Sprigg - earned runner-up honors after working their wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Championships in Oklahoma way to the championship match in their respective weight City and the Spartans finished tied for 31st with Harvard in the classes as the Black Knights took fourth place at the season- final Championship standings. The Spartans finished the season opening Oklahoma Gold/Brockport Classic Saturday at Tuttle with an 11-6 dual match record and a 4-1 mark in the Southern North Gymnasium on the campus of SUNY Brockport.=The Conference and had two wrestlers miss out on all-American Black Knights, earning Top 6 finishes in all but two of the honors by one victory. weight classes, registered 85 points to finish behind Oklahoma (143), Kent State (190.5) and Bloomsburg (107.5), with Buffalo Shifflet graduated from Edinboro University in 1995 with a (63) rounding out the top five teams. Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education. As a wrestler, he registered 118 wins for the Edinboro Fighting Scots and was coached by the legendary Bruce Baumgartner.