NORFOLK, Va. – Head coach Steve Martin signed seven student-athletes to the 2019 recruiting class on Wednesday. Five wrestlers hail from the wrestling powerhouse state of Illinois, while the remaining two are from Florida and Ohio. The 2019 class includes, Anthony Molton, Shannon Hanna, Nick Termini, Jared Head, Will McGhee, Alex Cramer and Jacob Bullock.
"Coach Thomas and Rodrigues did a excellent job in helping pull in several blue chip recruits in this class," said head coach Steve Martin. "The state of Illinois was targeted and we pulled five very good wrestlers from the Land Of Lincoln. This class has three wrestlers ranked in the top 10 at their weight classes nationally, two of which are ranked in the Top 100 overall in the class of 2019, and another two wrestlers in the top 20. They all have great grades and work hard on and off the mat. We see this class chasing down titles in the future. We are looking forward to the #MonarchMovement."
Lower Weights
Projected to wrestle at 125/133 pounds, Anthony Molton is the No. 65 overall rank for the class of 2019 and is ranked third at 126 pounds according to WIN Magazine. While wrestling for Lockport, Molton was the 2018 Illinois State Champion at 120 pounds. Molton was the fourth place finisher at the Illinois State Tournament at 113 pounds. He earned Cadet All-American honors at freestyle and greco. Molton was a Junior National All-American placing seventh in freestyle and fourth in greco. In 2018, the Illinois native was NHSCA Junior All-American and an Iron Man place winner.
Middle Weights
Future Monarch Shannon Hanna is the only Florida native added to the 2019 roster. Hanna is projected to wrestle at either 141/149 pounds. On the national stage, Hanna was a 2018 NHSCA Junior National Runner-up and a place winner at the Grappler Fall Classic. Hanna was a Florida Class 2A State Runner-up and currently owns a 3.8 GPA from Lake Gibson High School. Hanna will be joining former high school teammate and current 141-pound All-American Sa’Derian Perry on the squad.
Nick Termini joins ODU after a decorated career at Burlington Central. Termini is a two-time state place-winner. As a sophomore he finished in sixth and as a junior he was crowned champion at 145 pounds. Termini is projected to wrestle at the 149-pound weight class. The Illinois native was a 2018 Junior Freestyle All-American and is currently ranked 17th at 138 pounds according to Open Mat.
Joining the Illinois contingent is Jared Head, wrestling out of Washington Community High School. In 2018, Head was the Illinois State Runner-up, Illinois State Greco Champion and the Preseason National Champion. Head is projected to wrestle at 165 pounds.
A dual sport athlete, Will McGhee comes from Ohio. McGhee placed fifth at the Ohio State Tournament and is projected to wrestle in either the 174-pound weight class or 184 pounds.
Upper Weights
Another Illinois native joins the 2019 signing class in Alex Cramer. Cramer is projected to wrestle in the 174 or 184-weight class when arriving in Norfolk. In 2018, Cramer was the Illinois State Champion, Junior Greco National Champion, Super 32 Third Place Finisher, Grappler Fall Classic Champion and the NHSCA Junior National Runner-up. Cramer currently owns a 3.9 GPA at Grayslake Central High School. He’s currently ranked 46th in the nation for the class of 2019 pound-for-pound rankings. On FloWrestling, Cramer is ranked No. 7 at 170 pounds according to FloWrestling. In his weight class, Cramer is ranked fifth by Intermat. He chose ODU over Northwestern, Michigan State, Illinois, Air Force Academy, Navy, Princeton and Buffalo.
Projected to wrestle at 285 pounds, Jacob Bullock of Cahokia High School is ranked sixth in the nation at 220 pounds by the Open Mat. The 3.9 GPA student-athlete was the 2018 Illinois State Runner-up and the NHSCA Junior National Runner-up. In 2017, Bullock was a Cadet Freestyle All-American after placing fifth.
2019 Signing Class (By Weight Class)
Anthony Molton – 125/133
Hometown – Lockport, Ill.
National Rank – #3 at 126 pounds (WIN Magazine)
#65 P4P (Class of 2019)
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Molton.
“Anthony has had a very decorated prep career. Not only on the high school level but the national level. He might of won one of the toughest state tournaments in the country last year where he beat two top 5 ranked guys to win it. He comes from a winning program and a great family so we know he will be ready to make an immediate impact.”
Shannon Hanna – 141/149
Hometown – Lakeland, Fla.
National Rank – #17 at 132 pounds (Seniors Only USA Wrestling)
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Hanna.
“141 and 149 are huge weights of need for us going forward so getting Shannon on board along with the other two at those weights was crucial. He is a kid that will surprise some people pretty early in his career. He only started wrestling at the end of his freshman year so he’s got huge upside potential. He’s a phenomenal student carrying a 3.8 GPA and also attended the same high school as current Monarch Sa’Derian Perry.”
Nick Termini – 149
Hometown – Elgin, Ill.
National Rank – #17 at 138 pounds (Open Mat)
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Termini.
“Nick really has made some big jumps in his wrestling over the last year. He placed 6th as a sophomore and became a state champion then going on to earn All-American honors at the Junior freestyle National Championships this summer. Nick is a phenomenal athlete that has a great feel for the sport. His best wrestling is still ahead of him.”
Jared Head – 165
Hometown – Washington, Ill.
National Rank – N/A
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Head.
“Jared is a kid who was small and got big. Going from 138 all the way up to 160 the following year. He is still growing into his body and we’re glad he will be a Monarch when he does. Jared also comes from a winning program winning the team state championship in each of his first 3 years of high school. We know he comes from a winning mindset and his best wrestling is still yet to come.”
Will McGhee - 174/184
Hometown - Aurora, Ohio
National Rank - N/A
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Bullock.
"We are very excited to add Will to this exceptional group of recruits. Will comes a very strong wrestling state in Ohio which we plan to continue to try to break into moving forward. He comes from a great family and has high goals to achieve this year and at the next level."
Alex Cramer – 174/184
Hometown – Grayslake, Ill.
National Rank – #5 at 170 pounds (Intermat)
#46 P4P (Class of 2019)
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Cramer.
“We think Alex is a kid who can be a superstar at this level. Like many of the others in this class he exploded over the last year winning a state title as a junior after not placing as a freshman or sophomore. He followed that up with a NHSCA junior national final appearance. Then winning a junior national title and placing 3rd at the prestigious Super 32 preseason national tournament. He is a phenomenal student carrying a 3.9 GPA and should be credited as the one who started this class off by being the first commitment this past spring.”
Jacob Bullock – 285
Hometown – Cahokia, Ill.
National Rank – #6 at 220 pounds (Open Mat)
Assistant Head Coach Daryl Thomas on Bullock.
"Jacob is a kid that’s from near the same area as me so recruiting him was a no brainer. We think he has a chance to be a really good heavyweight at the next level. He has the prototypical frame for today’s heavyweight’s you see competing on Saturday night in the NCAA finals. He’s also a great student that carries a 3.9 GPA."
