College Previews: West Virginia Looks To Keep Their Stranglehold On The EWL
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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
11/05/2002
TheMat.com Projected EWL Finish: 1. West Virginia 2. Edinboro 3. Clarion 4. Cleveland State 5. Pittsburgh 6. Lock Haven 7. Virginia Tech 8. Bloomsburg The EWL has slowly improved over the past few seasons, but this year, there is no doubt that West Virginia should lead the pack. With defending NCAA champion Greg Jones (174) coming back and four other NCAA qualifiers, this team is poised to make a run at the top five in the nation. Tom McMath (165) and Brent Miller (285) will both be favored to earn All-American status. Edinboro loses some major points from their lineup, but they still return All-Americans Cory Ace (141) and David Shunamon (197). With Shawn Bunch (133) moving up in weight this year, the Fighting Scots will be the team that gives West Virginia the best battle for the EWL crown. Clarion has two wrestlers, Eric Mausser (197) and John Testa (285), that were each one match away from earning All-American status last year. These two will be the leaders, but this team is also solid in the light weights and has a couple of good middle weights as well. They could surprise some people nationally. Cleveland State brings back the Mansueto brothers, Rocco (125) and Phil (133), but the key to this team will be the return of heavyweight Russ Davie (285), who may be the most underrated heavyweight in the nation. Pittsburgh has a team that could either be in the top two spots in this conference, or as low as fifth. Justin Giovinco (149) and Carl Fronhofer (174) lead a balanced attack that could include as many as four freshmen. All are talented, but unproven as well. Lock Haven brings back All-American Mike Maney (141), but outside of that, this is a very inexperienced squad. This team loses an All-American and six NCAA qualifiers overall. That is a lot for one team to make up in a year. All-American candidates David Hoffman (133) and Scott Justus (184) will lead a mostly inexperienced Virginia Tech squad. These two should help keep this team away from the bottom of the conference. Bloomsburg returns some solid veterans. Their lineup will be bolstered by the return of All-American candidate George Carter (157). This team will be tough to beat between 157 and 174, but there are a lot of holes in the lineup. TEAM PREVIEWS: Bloomsburg Clarion Cleveland State Edinboro Lock Haven Pittsburgh Virginia Tech West Virginia