For Immediate Release
October 13, 2011
Contact: Jim Sheehan
(516) 463-6764
Wrestling:
Pride Favored in CAA in 2012; Five Are Top-Ranked
Hempstead, NY - Five Hofstra wrestlers have been ranked number one in
their respective weight classes and the Pride are the preseason
favorites to repeat as Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling
champions, the CAA announced in a vote by conference coaches.
The Pride, who captured their ninth CAA title in the past 10 years last
season, have seven wrestlers ranked in the conference preseason poll
giving them 24 points. Binghamton, which captured the 2010 CAA title,
finished second with eight ranked wrestlers and 19 points. Boston
University, with five ranked wrestlers, placed third with 16 points.
Drexel finished fourth with 15 points and sixth-ranked wrestlers while
Rider was fifth with 12 points and four ranked grapplers. Old Dominion,
with nine ranked wrestlers and 11 points, and George Mason, with one
ranked wrestler and three points, round out the preseason team poll.
Individually, Hofstra has five top-ranked wrestlers and two third-ranked
grapplers. Leading the five is 2011 All-American, senior P.J. Gillespie
(Long Beach, NY), who posted a 28-10 record and finished eighth at 165
pounds at the NCAA Championships last season. Classmate Ben Clymer (Germansville,
PA), who captured his first CAA title last year on the way to the NCAA
Championship tournament, was 22-10 and is ranked first at 184 pounds
entering 2011-12.
Junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), who is a two-time CAA finalist and
NCAA qualifier, posted a 24-13 record in 2010-11 and is the top-ranked
wrestler at 125 pounds in the preseason poll. Classmate Paul Snyder
(Greensburg, PA), who captured his first conference title and made his
inaugural trip to the NCAA Championships last year, was 25-16 last
season and is number one at 285 pounds in the preseason poll. Redshirt
sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN), who redshirted last year, was an
All-CAA Rookie Team selection in 2009-10 and posted a 16-18 record that
year while starting at 141 and 133 pounds. He is the top-ranked
141-pound wrestler in the preseason poll.
Senior Vince Varela (Rio Rancho, NM), who placed second in the CAA and
earned his first NCAA Championship bid last season, was 21-15 at 141
pounds in 2010-11 and is ranked third at 149 pounds this year. The CAA
coaches have ranked the Pride tandem of redshirt juniors Justin
Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA) and Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) third at 157
pounds. Accordino, who moves up from 149 pounds, posted a 9-6 record
before suffering a season-ending knee injury at the Southern Scuffle
last December. Banks, who placed third in the CAA last year, posted a
21-16 record, including an 18-15 mark at 157 pounds. The two wrestlers
are expected to wrestle-off for the starting spot on Saturday, November
5 at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.
The conference also announced the 2011-12 CAA Preseason All-Freshman
Team with Pride 174-pound newcomer Joe Kavanagh (Wantagh, NY) named to
that group. Kavanagh captured the 2011 New York State Championship last
spring and was a finalist as a junior.
