InterMat releases 2009 recruiting class rankings
7/7/2009
InterMat
InterMat has released its recruiting class rankings for 2009.
Oklahoma State, on the strength of five top 100 recruits, along with some talented transfers, sits atop the rankings. Minnesota boasts four top 100 recruits and comes in at No. 2. Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Iowa round out the top five.
Below is a breakdown of InterMat's top 25 recruiting classes for 2009.
1. Oklahoma State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 3 Chris Perry (Stillwater, OK), No. 11 Jon Morrison (Carl Sandburg, IL), No. 21 Dallas Bailey (Catoosa, OK), No. 53 Ladd Rupp (Perry OK), No. 71 Zach White (Woodward OK)
Impact Transfers: Mike Benefiel (Northwestern/Montini, IL), Albert White (North Iowa Area CC/St. Rita, IL)
Impact Newcomer: Alan Gelogaev (Russia)
Other Notable Recruit: Blake Rosholt (Ponca City, OK)
Commentary: Two of the best wrestlers from the Class of 2007 combine with five of the best high school wrestlers in the nation this year to provide the Cowboys a staggering recruiting haul. This group should help assure that Oklahoma State returns to the top of the NCAA leader board, and stays there for a while, a position from which they had a rare absence this past season. Morrison is a two-time Junior Nationals champion in freestyle, while Perry earned that title this past season.
2. Minnesota
Top 100 Recruits: No. 22 Alec Ortiz (Newberg, OR), No. 30 David Thorn (STMA, MN), No. 49 Tony Nelson (Cambridge-Isanti, MN), No. 84 Kevin Steinhaus (Kurkhoven-Murdock Sunburg, MN)
Impact Newcomer: Jake Deitchler (USOTC/Anoka, MN)
Other Ranked Recruits: Bart Reiter (Don Bosco, IA), 20th at 135; Jake Kettler (Anoka, MN), 18th at 285
Other Notable Recruits: Pat Smith (Chaska MN), Danny Zilverberg (Wayzata MN)
Commentary: This is a strong group of recruits for head coach J Robinson, and provides wrestlers that project to almost every single weight class. Deitchler, a 2008 Olympian in Greco-Roman, should be an immediate starter at 157 pounds. Ortiz, Thorn, and Nelson were Junior National All-Americans in freestyle this past summer.
3. Oklahoma
Top 100 Recruits: No. 7 Jake Kemerer (Hempfield, PA), No. 18 Matt Lester (Eureka, MO), No. 28 Alex Ekstrom (Palmyra-Macedon, NY), No. 86 Nick Lester (Eureka, MO)
Other Ranked Recruits: Jarrod Patterson (Cushing, OK), 20th at 130; Kendrick Maple (Wichita Heights, KS), 14th at 135
Other Notable Recruits: Bobby Williams (Tuttle, OK), Kyle Detmer (Wichita Bishop Carroll, KS), Nolan McBryde (Chugiak, AK), Joe Lospinoso (David Brearley, NJ)
Commentary: Three straight seasons outside of the top ten at the NCAA tournament have moved head coach Jack Spates onto the hot seat according to some fans in the wrestling community. However, this is the type of recruiting class that -- if it can perform based on high school credentials -- can return the Sooners into the upper tier of programs nationwide. Of the ten listed here, only Lospinoso did not win a state title this season. However, Lospinoso -- along with Maple -- was an All-American at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.
4. Nebraska
Top 100 Recruits: No. 20 Caleb Kolb (Grove City, PA), No. 27 David Klingsheim (Brentwood Liberty, CA), No. 41 CJ Napier (Columbus, KS), No. 70 Cody Compton (NorthCo, MO), No. 75 Kyle Waldo (Nebraska)
Other Notable Recruit: Michael Klinginsmith (Kearney Catholic, NE)
Commentary: Coming off of two consecutive fourth-place finishes at the NCAA tournament, this group of recruits will be well-equipped to build upon that momentum when they become a part of Mark Manning's lineup. All six of these wrestlers were state champions this past season. Napier and Compton earned championships at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, while Kolb and Waldo finished in the top four.
5. Iowa
Top 100 Recruits: No. 10 Tony Ramos (Glenbard North, IL), No. 15 Derek St. John (Iowa City West, IA), No. 17 Ethen Lofthouse (Mountain Crest, UT), No. 56 Dylan Carew (Iowa City West, IA)
Other Notable Recruit: Nick Trizzino (Bettendorf, IA)
Commentary: The two-time defending champions, led by head coach Tom Brands, have found yet another group of tough, talented, and physical wrestlers to don the Hawkeye black and gold for the next four to five years. Anchoring this group is a trio of wrestlers -- Ramos, St. John, and Lofthouse -- that finished inside of the top three at the Junior National Freestyle Championships last summer in Fargo, North Dakota.
6. Penn State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 1 David Taylor (Graham, OH), No. 5 Ed Ruth (Blair Academy, NJ)
Impact Transfer: Cyler Sanderson (Iowa State/Wasatch, UT)
Other Notable Recruit: Luke Macchiaroli (Corona, AZ)
Commentary: What this group lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. New head coach Cael Sanderson inherited Ruth, who signed in the early period under the previous Penn State coaching staff. Two incoming freshmen -- Taylor and Macchiaroli -- had signed National Letters of Intent to wrestle for Sanderson at Iowa State. However, when Sanderson left, they were released and chose to join the coached that had recruited them in Happy Valley. Also coming along with Cael Sanderson is his brother Cyler, who will be a senior this coming season, and was an All-American in 2008 at 157 pounds.
7. Virginia
Top 100 Recruits: No. 16 Jon Fausey (Line Mountain, PA), No. 34 Zach Clemente (LaSalle, NY), No. 83 Nicky Gordon (Wyoming Seminary, PA)
Impact Transfer: Matt Snyder (Bloomsburg/Lewistown, PA)
Other Notable Recruits: Andrew Williams (Tabb, VA), Stephen Doty (Kirkwood, MO), Jon Becker (Bergen Catholic, NJ)
Commentary: Going back to his days as an assistant coach at Cornell, Steve Garland had a reputation as being one of the nation's best recruiters. This class, his third full group as head coach at Virginia -- which is his alma mater -- confirms the reputation. It addresses needs in the lower half of the lineup as well as the upperweights (other than 285). Fausey and Clemente were Junior National All-Americans in freestyle last summer.
8. Virginia Tech
Top 100 Recruits: No. 19 Andrew Clement (Grassfield, VA), No. 72 Brian Stephens (Graham, OH), No. 81 Erik Spjut (The Woodlands, TX)
Other Notable Recruits: Cody Tyler (Oak Park, MO), John Hayden Countryman (Prattville, AL), Taylor Knapp (Collins Hill, GA), Justin Armstrong (Bishop Lynch, TX)
Commentary: Heading into the fourth year of the post-Brands era, Kevin Dresser has the program going in a very positive direction, and this group of recruits will do nothing but to accelerate that progression. Six of these recruits were state champions this past scholastic season. The only one not to win a state-level type this season was Armstrong; however, he won a preseason title at the Super32 Challenge -- a tournament also won by Clement.
9. Michigan
Top 100 Recruits: No. 2 Erik Grajales (Brandon, FL), No. 12 Dan Yates (Hesperia, MI), No. 32 Sean Boyle (Blair Academy, NJ)
Other Notable Recruits: Pete Rendina (Dundee, MI), Brandon Zeerip (Hesperia, MI)
Commentary: In recent years, the Michigan Wolverines have been without quality production from wrestlers in the opening two weights. Two of Joe McFarland's recruits in this class address that problem head on. Boyle, a projected 125-pound wrestler, was champion at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Grajales, a projected 133/141 wrestler, has been an All-American on multiple occasions in Fargo. Both wrestlers could be in the running for immediate roles as starters. Like Boyle, Yates was also a champion at the NHSCA Senior Nationals this past April in Virginia Beach.
10. Ohio State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 6 Collin Palmer (St Edward, OH), No. 42 Ian Paddock (Warsaw, NY), No. 87 Nick Heflin (Massillon Perry, OH)
Other Notable Recruit: Jacob Vaughan (Columbus DeSales, OH), 12th at 130
Commentary: Coming off of back-to-back runners-up at the NCAA tournament under Tom Ryan, the Buckeyes have brought in another quality group of wrestlers. Leading that group is four-time state champion Palmer, whose brother Lance has earned NCAA All-American honors in all three seasons of his college career to date. Paddock, Heflin, and Vaughan all earned All-American honors at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.
11. Old Dominion
Top 100 Recruits: No. 14 John Nicholson (Des Moines Roosevelt, IA), No. 80 Justin Lavalle (Apple Valley, MN)
Other Ranked Recruit: Joey Sheridan (Tulsa Union, OK), 15th at 171
Other Notable Recruits: Eric Dunnet (Eastern Regional, NJ), Jack Burbank (Cox, VA)
Commentary: Yet another relatively new coach doing big things in the Commonwealth of Virginia is Steve Martin. Part of his recruiting class includes these noted wrestlers, four of whom won state championships this past season. Dunnet was a state runner-up; however, he earned All-American honors at the Junior National Freestyle Championships last summer along with Lavalle.
12. Purdue
Top 100 Recruits: No. 55 Kendrick Sanders (South Dade, FL), No. 63 Camden Eppert (Anderson Highland, IN), No. 65 Cashe Quiroga (Lawrence North, IN)
Other Ranked Recruit: Steve Sandefer (Mishawaka, IN), 16th at 140
Other Notable Recruits: Adam Walls (Beavercreek, OH), Alex White (Mt. Vernon, IN), Brice Grimes (Lawrence North, IN), Kyle Mosier (Yorktown, IN), Will Mascaro (Carmel, IN)
Commentary: For Purdue, not exactly perceived as a Big Ten power, this recruiting class could be the start of the paradigm shift that Scott Hinkel is trying to achieve heading into his third year as head coach at his alma mater. The anchor of this class -- Sanders -- is a two-time Junior National Greco-Roman champion. Eppert, a Junior National All-American in freestyle, and Quiroga, a NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up, are the type of lowerweight wrestlers that will be expected to step in as starters early in their careers. White, Grimes, Mosier, and Mascaro combined for a total of six losses during their senior seasons despite none of them winning state titles.
13. Illinois
Top 100 Recruits: No. 13 Sam White (Massillon Perry, OH), No. 82 Tony Dallago (Central Dauphin, PA)
Other Ranked Recruit: Mario Gonzalez (West Aurora, IL), 15th at 189
Commentary: Though not yet releasing their late period signings, the Illini have already brought in three very talented wrestlers for this coming year -- the first under new head coach Jim Heffernan. White is a two-time finalist in Fargo (once as a cadet, once as a junior), and was a state finalist in each of his three seasons -- with two championships -- as a varsity starter. Dallago and Gonzalez were state champions this past season, and project as upperweight wrestlers with strong upside potential.
14. Cal Poly
Top 100 Recruits: No. 49 Tyler Caldwell (Goddard, KS), No. 93 Brandon Rocha (LeMoore, CA)
Other Ranked Recruits: Ian Daube (Poway, CA), 12th at 189; Grant Haschak (Lake Washington, WA), 18th at 215
Other Notable Recruit: Brittain Longmire (Cimarron Memorial, NV)
Commentary: The Mustangs bring in two top 100 recruits and four total wrestlers that were nationally ranked in their weight class this past season. Caldwell and Haschak finished in the top three at the NHSCA Senior Nationals this past April. Daube was a state champion, and Rocha is a two-time state runner-up.
15. Missouri
Top 100 Recruits: No. 23 Zach Toal (Troy Christian, OH), No. 89 Kellen Bounous (Monett, MO)
Other Ranked Recruit: Kyle Bradley (Francis Howell Central, MO), 14th at 140
Other Notable Recruits: Eric Wilson (Grandview, CO), Brad Wisdom (Farmington, MO), Luke Greco (Blue Springs, MO)
Commentary: Brian Smith has addressed needs in the lower half of his lineups with this group of wrestlers, as all six of these wrestlers project to start their careers at 165 pounds or below. The anchor of this class is three-time state champion Toal, who was a champion at the Walsh Ironman this past season. Bradley was a double (both Freestyle and Greco-Roman) All-American at the Junior Nationals in Fargo and followed that up with a third place finish at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.
16. Stanford
Top 100 Recruits: No. 91 Bret Baumbach (Lewis Central, IA), No. 98 Kyle Meyer (Monett, MO), No. 100 Ryan Mango (Whitfield, MO)
Other Notable Recruits: Sam Umlauf (Wausau West, WI)
Commentary: Jason Borrelli's first full recruiting class as head coach of the Cardinal is a pretty good one, and anchored by three wrestlers with experience on the national stage. Mango was a double Junior Nationals champion this past summer, Baumbach was a double All-American in the same tournament, and Meyer finished third place at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Like his father Tom at Central Michigan, Jason will also seek to find some diamonds in the rough -- talented wrestlers without the national credentials -– and Umlauf fits that description.
17. Wisconsin
Top 100 Recruits: No. 60 Derrick Borlie (Millbrook, VA), No. 68 Brendan Ard (Watchung Hills, NJ)
Other Notable Recruits: Shawn Perry (Wausau West, WI), Kalvin York (Belleville, WI), Eric Vanevenhoven (Kaukauna, WI), Jackson Hein (Wausau West, WI), Cole Tobin (Hudson, WI)
Commentary: Head coach Barry Davis seems to be targeting wrestlers that can compete in the middle and upperweight portions of his lineup with this group of recruits. NHSCA Seniors Nationals champion Borlie is the anchor of this class. Two-time state champion Ard, who also was an All-American at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, is the other ranked wrestler within this class. Six wrestlers that won Wisconsin state titles (four of them listed here) during their senior season, and had a total of only six losses this past season. The one Wisconsin native not to win a state title is arguably the best of the group, as York has thrived in Fargo, including the Junior National Greco-Roman title that he won this past summer.
18. Cornell
Top 100 Recruit: No. 4 Kyle Dake (Lansing, NY)
Other Ranked Recruit: Mike Nevinger (Letchworth, NY), 18th at 140
Other Notable Recruits: Tyler Biscaha (Jackson Memorial, NJ), Cody Kelly (Reynolds, PA), Craig Eifert (Mason, MI), Stryker Lane (Norwood, CO)
Commentary: The anchor of this class is a kid that just loves to compete and succeed. Dake was a state champion this past season, champion at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, and has competed at the FILA Junior World Championships in Greco-Roman. Nevinger and Eifert earned All-American honors at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Biscaha was selected to compete in the Wrestling USA Magazine Dream Team All-Star Classic. Rob Koll is addressing needs in the lower half of the lineup with this class, as five of the noted wrestlers (all but Lane) project to start their careers at 149 pounds or below.
19. Boise State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 35 Jake Swartz (Auburn, WA), No. 47 Brock Gutches (Crater, OR)
Other Ranked Recruit: Toby Erickson (Helena, MT), 14th at 285
Commentary: Though yet to release their late period signees, head coach Greg Randall has already brought in three wrestlers very seasoned and proven on the national stage. Swartz and Gutches were double All-Americans at Junior Nationals this past summer, while Erickson was an All-American at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.
20. Wyoming
Top 100 Recruits: No. 33 Tyler Cox (Campbell County, WY), No. 48 Patrick Martinez (Temecula Valley, CA)
Other Notable Recruit: Jimmy Belleville (Black Hills, WA)
Commentary: With his first recruiting class, head coach Mark Branch has brought in a trio of notable wrestlers with proven credentials on the national stage. Each wrestler has won at least one state championship. Cox was champion at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, Martinez a Junior National Greco-Roman All-American, and Belleville a Junior Nationals runner-up in freestyle.
21. Columbia
Top 100 Recruit: No. 85 Steve Santos (Brick Memorial, NJ)
Other Ranked Recruits: Robert Dyar (Vestavia Hills, AL), 14th at 112; Stephen West (Bakersfield, CA), 18th at 160
Other Notable Recruits: Jake O'Hara (Crestwood, PA), Tyler Sheridan (DeLaSalle, CA), Nick Mills (University School, OH)
Commentary: Brendan Buckley has brought in yet another strong recruiting class as Columbia seeks to move closer to the top of the EIWA standings. Three in the group earned Junior National All-American honors in Fargo this past summer; Dyar and Sheridan were third in Greco-Roman, while Dyar and West were fifth in freestyle.
22. North Carolina State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 39 Eloheim Palma (Cary, NC), No. 73 Dale Shull (Fort Lupton, CO)
Other Notable Recruit: Andrew Tumlin (Harrison, OH)
Commentary: Riding the tide of Darrion Caldwell's majestic national title victory over Brent Metcalf, the Wolfpack signed a pair of NHSCA Senior Nationals champions in Palma and Shull. Also in this class is state champion Tumlin, who projects to fit into the always tough to fill 197-pound weight class.
23. Indiana
Top 100 Recruits: No. 46 Ryan LeBlanc (Morrisville Eaton, NY), No. 57 Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, NM)
Other Notable Recruits: Justin Brooks (Warsaw, IN), Tanner Kriss (Colby, KS)
Commentary: Both of the nationally-ranked recruits -- LeBlanc and Ortega -- earned All-American honors at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Brooks was a Junior National All-American in freestyle this past summer, while Kriss completed his senior season of high school with a state title.
24. West Virginia
Top 100 Recruits: No. 29 Shane Young (Penn Trafford, PA)
Impact Transfer: Brandon Williamson (Nassau Community College)
Other Ranked Recruits: Nathan Pennessi (Greater Latrobe, PA), 12th at 125; Mac Mancuso (Holy Spirit, NJ), 11th at 189
Other Notable Recruit: Cameron Galleher (Grafton, WV)
Commentary: Opening weight wrestlers and upper-weight wrestlers were the priority in this recruiting class for head coach Craig Turnbull. Young and Pennessi will get tutelage from lowerweight coach Danny Felix, who is the U.S. World Team representative in freestyle at 121 pounds (55 kg). Young, a three-time state champion, was runner-up at Junior Nationals this past summer in freestyle. Williamson is a two-time NJCAA All-American, including a national title at 285 pounds in 2008.
25. Lehigh
Top 100 Recruits: No. 9 Joey Napoli (Cumberland Valley, PA), No. 67 Austin Meys (Shenendehowa, NY)
Other Notable Recruit: Dave Della Torre (River Dell, NJ)
Commentary: Pat Santoro's first class at Lehigh, five wrestlers in all, packs a pretty heavy punch for being thin in quantity. Napoli was a 2008 state champion, and won the NHSCA Senior Nationals this past season. Meys is a three-time state champion and a big-time pinner in his scholastic days. Della Torre, a state finalist at 112 pounds this past season, projects into a long-term 125 for the Mountain Hawks.
