2003-04 season. Hofstra dropped a 22-18 decision to Cornell at the NYAC on February 3, 2007, a 25-13 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 #17 Cornell on February 5, 2005 at the Hofstra Arena. Before that, the last home dual match that the Pride dropped was on November 29, 2003 when the ninth-ranked Cornhuskers of Nebraska downed Hofstra, 30-10. HOFSTRA THIS YEAR: Hofstra, in its 60th season of wrestling, is 3-3 on the year with wins over #25 Bloomsburg, 2007-08 HOFSTRA unranked Bucknell and #25 Harvard, and losses to #7 Missouri, UNIVERSITY WRESTLING #10 Penn State and #3 Oklahoma State. The Pride captured 10th place with only six wrestlers in the 50-team, Cliff Keen-Las #15 HOFSTRA PRIDE (3-3) Vegas Invitational on November 30-December 1. Hofstra, which at has one of the most challenging schedules in school history, will face nine opponents that finished in the Top 25 at last March’s THE SOUTHERN SCUFFLE NCAA Division I Championship, three dual tournaments and two Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Greensboro, NC major in-season tournaments. Hofstra returns 10 lettermen, five Saturday & Sunday, December 29-30, 2007 starters, four NCAA qualifiers, four conference champions and one All-American from the 2006-07 squad. Heading the group is returning All-American and CAA Wrestler of the Year, senior 2007-08 HOFSTRA WRESTLING SCHEDULE Charles Griffin. The Reading, PA native placed third at 141 Date Opp Rank,Opponent,HU Rank) Time/Res. pounds in the NCAA Championships after capturing his third Nov. 10 #7 MISSOURI (#13) 21-22 L CAA title pounds. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello was named the Nov. 17 at #10 Penn State (#12) 11-28 L CAA Rookie of the Year after a superb 31-9 season and a Nov. 24 at Northeast Duals - Troy, NY capturing the conference crown at 133. Seniors Dave Tomasette #25 Bloomsburg (#12) 30-12 W (Sewell, NJ), at 125, and Joe Rovelli (Wilkes-Barre, PA), who #3 Oklahoma State (#12) 16-20 L moves up this year to 197 pounds from 184, also captured Bucknell (#12) 24-15 W conference titles last season. The Pride also has another Nov. 30 at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (#12) conference champion, albeit not a CAA champion, in their line- Dec. 1 at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 10th pl. up this season. Sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, who Dec. 9 #25 HARVARD (#14) 25-12 W captured the ACC title as a member of the Hokies of Virginia Dec. 29-30 at The Southern Scuffle (#15) Tech last season. (Greensboro, NC) Jan. 6 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 11 a.m. FIRST TIME AT THE SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: The EDINBORO 3 p.m. Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, NC has grown to become one of Jan. 12-13 at NWCA-Cliff Keen National Duals the top early-season tournaments in the country thanks, in large (Cedar Falls, IA) part, to one man. That man, Tom Shifflet, returns with his Pride Jan. 18-19 at Colonial Athletic Association Duals team for the first time on December 29 & 30. Shifflet created the (Fairfax, VA) tournament while leading the Spartans of UNC-Greensboro. This Jan. 27 PENNSYLVANIA 1 p.m. year’s Scuffle features seven Top 25 teams and has at least three Feb. 2 at Cornell 7 p.m. Top 20 wrestlers competing in each weight class. Headlining the Feb. 8 at Lehigh 7 p.m. teams participating is defending national champions, Minnesota, Feb. 12 DREXEL 7 p.m. who are currently ranked fourth in the latest Intermat Poll. Feb. 17 NEBRASKA 1 p.m. Edinboro, which will visit Hofstra for a dual match on Sunday Mar. 7-8 at CAA CHAMPIONSHIPS January 6, is ranked 14 th while Hofstra is 15 th and Cornell is 17 th . (Hempstead, NY) Navy at number 21, Maryland at number 22 and CAA-foe Old Mar. 20-22 at NCAA Division I Championships Dominion at 24 round out the ranked teams. Hofstra has two (at The Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO) number one seeds and a number two seed in the Scuffle. Leading * - CAA match – All times are ET - Home matches, in bold, are at the trio are second-ranked sophomore Lou Ruggirello at 133 the David S. Mack Sports Complex pounds, third-ranked senior Charles Griffin at 141 pounds, and eighth-ranked senior Joe Rovelli at 197-pounds. Ninth-ranked HOFSTRA NOTES, STREAKS AND TIDBITS: senior Dave Tomasette is seeded second at 125 pounds. By • Hofstra has won 45 of its last 67 and 53 of its last 77 dual weight class, the 174-pound class has the most Top 20 wrestlers matches dating back to 2003. Included are three ties. with eight. Hofstra’s 14 th -ranked junior Alton Lucas is seeded sixth in the Scuffle. There are five Top 20 ranked wrestlers in the • Hofstra is undefeated in 54 consecutive dual conference 133, 141, 149, 157, 165 and 285 pound weight classes with four matches posting a 53-0-1 record during that time. The last time in the 184 and 197 pound divisions. Tomasette is one of three Hofstra dropped a conference match was February 17, 1999 when ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds with third-ranked Jayson Ness the Broncs of Rider beat the Pride, 28-10, in an East Coast from Minnesota and 13 th -ranked Mike Sees from Bloomsburg. Wrestling Association (ECWA) match. The Pride has won 51 While the tournament format with team scoring allows several straight conference matches. wrestlers from each school to compete at each weight class, a maximum of 15 wrestlers per team is permitted. Hofstra’s regular • Including the two matches at the NYAC last year, the Pride has dual match line-up is as follows: won 16 of its last 22 home matches dating back to the start of the 16 Indiana 6-0 302 16 PROJECTED HOFSTRA PRIDE STARTERS: 17 Cornell 0-1 297 17 Wt. Name Cl. 06-07 07-08 I W 18 Illinois 2-0 272 18 125: Dave Tomasette*+ Sr. 20-7 10-3 9 9 19 Pittsburgh 5-0 258 20 133: Lou Ruggirello*+ So. 31-9 13-2 2 4 (tie) Oklahoma 5-1 258 19 141: Charles Griffin*+AA Sr. 35-6 11-2 3 2 21 Navy 0-0 244 21 149: Mitch Smith So. 7-4 0-6 * * 22 Maryland 7-3 220 23 157: Jonny Bonilla-Bowman So. 20-13^ 4-4 * * 23 Penn 1-0 219 22 165: Ryan Patrovich RFr. 0-0 7-5 * * 24 Old Dominion 3-1 207 24 174: Alton Lucas Jr. 23-10 6-0 14 8 25 Northern Iowa 0-2-1 115 25 184: Justin Danz Fr. HS 5-7 * * 197: Joe Rovelli Sr. 32-7 4-1 8 10 285: James Guerin Jr. JC 1-5 * * * - Returning starter: + - returning conference champion; ^-at HOFSTRA REMAINS 18TH Virginia Tech; AA- All-American; Rankings from: I- USA IN 2007-08 W.I.N. DIVISION I Today/NWCA/Intermat-12/4; W-WIN Magazine-11/27; R-Rev TEAM RANKINGS: Wrestling-11/27 Everything remained the same for the five Pride wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective HOFSTRA IS RANKED 15TH IN THIS divisions as Hofstra remained 18th-ranked in W.I.N. Magazine’s WEEK’S USA TODAY /INTERMAT/ sixth NCAA Division I wrestling rankings of the 2007-08 season. NWCA POLL: Four of the five ranked As in previous years, the W.I.N. rankings are based on the Hofstra wrestlers are placed in the top 10 polling committee believes are currently the best individuals and of their respective weight classes as the tournament teams. Teams are not ranked on dual-meet strength. Pride remained 15th this week in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Division I Team Leading the ranked Pride wrestlers is senior Charles Griffin (11- Rankings.. 2) at number two at 141 pounds. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello (13- 2) held on to fourth place at 133 pounds this week. Junior Alton Hofstra remained 15th this week in the poll that saw the top 18 Lucas, who is undefeated this season at 6-0, remained at number remain the same as last week. Iowa remained in the top spot eight at 174 pounds. Senior Dave Tomasette (10-3) remained in followed by Iowa State, Penn State, Minnesota and Oklahoma ninth place this week at 125 pounds. Senior Joe Rovelli, who has State. Central Michigan, who comes to Hofstra on January 6 as not wrestled since November 24 due to a knee injury, remained part of the tri-match with number 14 Edinboro, remains in sixth 10th at 197 pounds with a 4-1 record this year. place, followed by Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern and UT- Chattanooga. Team-wise, the top 11 places remained the same as last week with Iowa in the top spot followed by the Cyclones of Iowa State, Individually five Hofstra wrestlers remain ranked in the top 20 of Minnesota, Penn State and Oklahoma State in the top five. their respective weight classes. Sophomore Lou Ruggirello Michigan, Central Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State and Nebraska (Walden, NY), who is 13-2 on the season, remained second in the round out the top 10. country, behind Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott, at 133 pounds. Senior Charles Griffin, the Reading, Pennsylvania native, WRESTLING INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAGAZINE climbed one spot to third this week and is 11-2 on the year.