Second Annual Florida Gulf Coast Duals preview

The Second Annual Florida Gulf Coast Duals will take place this Sunday in sunny Ft. Myers, Fla., with seven teams competing. Each team will compete in four dual meets throughout the day and all teams are NCAA Division III affiliated.

Top ranked teams attending include No. 15 Central College (Iowa) and No. 19 Augustana College (Ill.). The duals are held at Riverdale High School and are hosted by CUW. The duals begin 9:30 a.m. (CDT).

Alma College (Mich.) is currently 4-4 in duals, including a recent 30-9 win over Tiffin University (Ohio). Wrestlers leading Alma include Trevor Maresh (197), Matt Tuttle (165) and Adam Robinson (285). Alma placed fourth at the Ohio Northern University Invite, with Tuttle and Robinson winning titles. Collin Lesko placed second at 125 pounds at the ONU Invite. Alma added wrestling last season, which was absent since 1984 and head coach Todd Hibbs has the Scots at .500 in their second year.

Augustana College (Ill.) placed second at the North Central College Invitational on Dec. 8, with Matt Burns (174) and Jordan Richardson (184) winning titles. The Vikings are 2-2 in duals, including a 38-13 win over Simpson College (Iowa) in December Augustana is currently ranked No. 19 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association poll. Burns leads the team with a 15-2 record, while 285 pounder John Schraidt is 14-4, Richardson is 13-4, Jimmy Pannozo is 13-4 at 125 pounds, Jacob Scholton is 12-3 at 125 and and Walter Piech is 12-6 at 149 pounds. Head coach Eric Juergens is in his sixth season.

Central College (Iowa) is currently 3-1 in duals, including a 27-12 win over No. 19 Augustana College in December. The Dutch, ranked No. 15, won the 12-team MSOE Invitational on December 1. Their lone defeat was a tight 16-15 dual loss against No. 3 Coe College. Winning titles at the MSOE Invitational were Aaron Anderson (133), TJ Peretti (141) and Jacob Crawford (285). Riverdale graduates Mikah and Dusty Fellows compete for the Dutch. Head coach Eric Van Kley is in his sixth season.

Concordia University Wisconsin took third at the MSOE Invitational and placed sixth at the North Central College Invitational on Dec. 8. The Falcons lone dual was an early 35-9 win over North Central College in November. CUW is led by Greg Sanders (149) and Sean Ambrocio (125), who each captured individual titles at the MSOE Invitational and North Central College Invitational. Head coach Corey VanGroll is in his first season.

Heidelberg University (Ohio) is currently 3-2 in duals and recently placed sixth at the Ohio Northern University Invitational. Head coach Ned Shuck is led by Justin Wharton (165) and Jason Russell (197) who each placed second at the ONU Invitational. Collin McDermitt (133) was 4-0 at the Olivet Comet Duals in November and Andrew Johnson (149) have led HU.

SUNY Oneonta (N.Y.) took sixth at the Rochester Institute of Technology on Dec. 1, with Ben Mikac winning a title at 133 pounds. The Red Dragons (2-5) recently defeated Williams College (Mass.) 25-13 and Worchester Polytechnic Institute (22-18) at the Johnson & Wales University Duals. In November, SUNY Oneonta placed ninth at the New York State College Championships held at Cornell. Head coach Duane Ritter is currently in his ninth season.

North Central College (Ill.) finished fourth at the NCC Invitational last weekend with Jason Fitzenreider winning a title at 141 pounds. The Cardinals (0-3) placed seven wrestlers in the top six at the tournament. Fitzenreider leads the team with a 13-1 record. Blake Olson is 9-8 at 157 pounds, Nathan Segal is 8-7 at 149 pounds, Steve Burling is 8-6 at 174 pounds and Dylan Mahler is 8-8 at 285 pounds. NCC is led by seventh year head coach Kevin Bratland.

Sunday, Dec. 16: Gulf Coast Duals | Extra matches will run on mat four all day. 

AC (Alma College)
AUG (Augustana College)
HU (Heidelberg University)
CC (Central College)
CUW (Concordia University Wisconsin)
NCC (North Central College)
SUNY (SUNY Oneonta)

Article written by wrestling assistant coach Bret Corner