Five Mids Capture Titles at Coppin State Open

<< Back to Articles
Price Atkinson (Navy Sports Information)
11/05/2000


ANNAPOLIS, Md.   The Navy wrestling team opened the 2000-01 season at the Coppin State Open Saturday as five Midshipmen captured individual titles.       Sophomore Mark Simon (North Canton, Ohio), junior Mark Conley (Exton, Pa.), senior Tom Storer (Sicklersville, N.J.), junior Mike Bigrigg (Santa Ana, Calif.), and sophomore Steve Kovach (Parkersburg, Pa.) each claimed the top spot in their respective weight classes.     "I am pleased with the way our guys competed," head coach Bruce Burnett said. "Technically, we have some things to work on. We wrestled six minute matches but we still outconditioned people. I was real happy with the warrior attitude we displayed."     Simon won all four matches en route to the title, defeating teammate Jason Homestead (Sayville, N.Y.) in the championship match of the 133-pound weight class.     In the 141-pound weight class, Conley defeated Blake Romano from Old Dominion in the championship match. Conley defeated teammates Dan Hemminger (Annapolis, Md.) and Ryan Capelli (Plano, Texas) to advance to the title match against Romano.     Storer took home the top spot in 149-pound weight class with a victory in the championship match.      Bigrigg scored a victory in the title match of the 197-pound weight class for the Mids.      Heavyweight Kovach won the 285-pound weight class with a victory against Maryland's Jeremy Duncan.     Navy returns to action Saturday when the Mids travel to Morgantown, W. Va., to compete in the West Virginia Open.