Dec. 19, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
NORFOLK, Va. -- The ODU wrestling Monarchs are scheduled to open their home slate this weekend, against the #25 University of Northern Iowa Panthers, in dual action at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia. The start time is set for 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 20, and the #21 Monarchs will look to improve on a 2-3 overall record so far this season. UNI is 0-2 after a pair of duals against Top Ten competition.
Home Opener vs. UNI
ODU will open the home slate against nationally ranked Northern Iowa this weekend, with the match set to begin at 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 20. It will be the first Top 25 opponent the Monarchs will have hosted at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
The Panthers have won both matchups against the Monarchs in the all-time history. UNI won a 34-6 match in 2005 and then took a tight 20-16 win in 2007. It will be the first time the two schools pair up as nationally ranked opponents.
This is the first of four home dates for the Monarchs this year, as they play host to the Panthers on Saturday, then host the ODU Quad on January 4 against Purdue, George Mason and UNC Greensboro, and in February both Virginia and Virginia Tech will come to Norfolk.
Scouting Northern Iowa
The Panthers have started the season 0-2 against two Top 10 teams. UNI nearly split with #1 Iowa, falling 30-12 and then dropped a 36-9 match to #10 Wisconsin. Senior Moza Fay leads the team at 165 lbs, ranking second across the board and as high as first by wrestlingreport.com. RS Freshman Christian Brantley entered the national polls as a heavyweight and Andrew Anderson, at 197 lbs, is the other Panther grappler that is ranked by all the major national polls.
The seniors, Fay and Anderson, will be tasked to wrestle a pair of ODU nationally ranked grapplers, Chris Brown and Jesse Strawn, respectively.
About the Monarchs
Old Dominion has been nationally ranked since the pre-season polls, marking the first time in school history the Monarchs were ranked headed into the year. ODU opened the season with a pair of tournaments, the Michigan State Open and the Hokie Open, where the team placed ten and had three champions.
Since, ODU has been defeated thrice by Big 12 competition, all ranked in the Top 20. The team bounced back for two wins at the Northeast Duals and has not been short on individual success so far.
RS Junior Chris Brown (Chesapeake, Va.) beat the #1 kid in the nation for the second straight season, as he bested Nick Marable (Missouri) in a tiebreaker at the Northeast Duals. RS Sophomore James Nicholson returns to the mat in `08-09 as ODU's newest All-American. He has started the season 9-0 and is ranked fourth in the nation.
ODU's lone senior this year, Ryan Williams, is also ranked in the Top Ten after an impressive start to his final campaign. The two-time NCAA Qualifier is 9-1 on the season and ranks fifth all-time on the ODU wins list.
Coming Up for ODU
Over the holiday break, the Monarchs will head to the Southern Scuffle and the Midlands Wrestling Championship Tournaments.
After the New Year, Old Dominion will play host to a quad meet on January 4, 2009 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. ODU will host Purdue, George Mason, and UNC Greensboro in the match that will begin at 2:00 pm.
Probable Starters for ODU
125: #4 James Nicholson (Des Moines, Iowa)
133: #13 Kyle Hutter (Mokena, Illinois)
141: #9 Ryan Williams (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania)
149: Joey Metzler (Dayton, Virginia)
157: Dan Rivera (Winter Springs, Florida)
165: #10 Chris Brown (Chesapeake, Virginia)
174: Eric Decker (Wells Bridge, New York)
184: Joe Budi (Appleton, Wisconsin)
197: #18 Jesse Strawn (Holton, Kansas)
285: Roy Dragon III (Bridgewater, New Jersey)
(highest ranking from InterMat, AWN, or W.I.N. listed)