The Cleveland State Vikings are a program that was on the brink of extinction, with the university planning to close up shop on the wrestling team in order to begin a lacrosse program. A massive rally, including a student body vote, helped to save the Vikings.
While the reinstatement was a huge victory for the Vikings wrestling team, its outlook for beating the defending champions is not great.
Head Coach: Ben Stehura
Stehura has been the head coach at Cleveland State since 2008 and piloted the wrestling program through a rocky period where they were briefly eliminated and then reinstated. Stehura managed to develop a number of ranked upper weights in his tenure at CSU, the latest being Riley Shaw. Stehura is a Lock Haven graduate, placing in the conference tournament three times. Assisting Stehura are Penn State graduate Josh Moore and Freddy Garcia.
Ohioans on the Cleveland State Roster
Lots. Really. Here we go.
141 – Michael Carlone (Mayfield)
Carlone was a two-time state placer, including a runner-up finish as a senior to current Oklahoma State Cowboy Anthony Collica.
125 – Evan Cheek (Milan Edison)
Cheek was a two-time state placer, capping off his career with a DIII state title at 126 lbs.
174 – Nick Corba (Beavercreek)
Corba was a DI State champ as a senior for Beavercreek.
184 – Xavier Dye (Patrick Henry)
Dye was a two-time state placer for PH, finishing as a runner-up to current Ohio U standout Cody Walters as a senior. Dye hails from Henry County, one of the finest of Ohio’s 88 in my estimation.
133 – Alfredo Gray (Wadsworth)
Gray was twice a state placer for a Wadsworth team that ended St. Edward’s amazing streak of DI state titles. At Wadsworth, Gray was teammates with current Buckeye heavyweight Nick Tavanello.
133 – Mike Kostandaras (Walsh Jesuit)
Kostandaras won a state title as a senior. He was high school teammates with Johnni DiJulius.
149 – Nick Montgomery (Madison)
Montgomery was a state runner-up as a senior. His brother, Ryan, is a freshman on the Viking team and was a state placer himself.
HWT – Riley Shaw (Washington)
Shaw was a powerhouse at the state level, winning two state championships including an undefeated senior campaign.
165 – Gabe Stark (Howland)
Stark was a state champion in DII as a senior at 145 lbs.
197 – Sam Wheeler (Copley)
Wheeler is a two-time state finalist, putting a cap on an undefeated season as a senior with a state title in 2011. Wheeler is making use of a second chance, having been dismissed from Kent State after several brushes with the law.
John Martin (Wapakoneta), Sam Matzek (North Olmsted), Ryan Montgomery (Madison), Ray Stone (St. Vincent–St. Mary), Dylan Strange (Normandy), and Jacob Worthington (Milan Edison) also compete for the Vikings
Notable Wrestlers
HWT – Riley Shaw
Shaw is currently ranked at No. 10 in the latest InterMat rankings, but doesn’t really face many quality heavyweights in CSU’s schedule. The notable exception is at the Southern Scuffle, where he’ll face a number of the nation’s top big men. Shaw won a match at last season’s NCAA tournament, and will look to build upon that this season.
184 – Sam Wheeler
Wheeler is an incredibly talented wrestler, but he appears to be his own worst enemy off the mat. With NCAA experience and a number of wins over Big Ten talent, Wheeler is capable of scoring lots of points for Cleveland State if he steers clear of trouble.
| No. 8 Ohio State | Cleveland State | |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 1 Nathan Tomasello | Evan Cheek |
| 133 | No. 5 Johnni DiJulius | Mike Kostandaras |
| 141 | No. 19 Micah Jordan | Michael Carlone |
| 149 | Cody Burcher | Nick Montgomery |
| 157 | No. 20 Jake Ryan | Chas Busz |
| 165 | Justin Kresevic | John Vaughn |
| 174 | No. 1 Bo Jordan | Gabe Stark |
| 184 | No. 4 Kenny Courts | Nathan Wynkoop |
| 197 | Matthew O'Hara | Sam Wheeler |
| HWT | No. 18 Nick Tavanello | No. 10 Riley Shaw |
Key Matches
HWT: No. 18 Nick Tavanello vs No. 10 Riley Shaw
Shaw is a strong contender for All-American status, and Tavanello fell just a match shy of the podium two years ago. Tavanello has a knack for pulling off late takedowns when the match is on the line. With the match taking place near Tav’s native Wadsworth, there should be more than a few supporters for the Buckeye big man.
125: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello vs Evan Cheek
Tomasello should score bonus points here. Expect a pin or a tech fall with about four minutes of riding time. Tomasello is from northeast Ohio, so he’ll have his family and friends present supporting him.
165: Justin Kresevic vs John Vaughn
Kresevic is another NEO native so he’ll have a cheering section. He needs to rack up some wins and gain a foothold on the 165 lb starting spot.
197: Matthew O’Hara vs Sam Wheeler
Wheeler can put up points in bunches, but O’Hara looked tough against Virginia’s Zach Nye. A win for O’Hara (a Chardon native) would be an upset, but a minor one at that.
133: No. 5 Johnni DiJulius vs Mike Kostandaras
A pair of Walsh Jesuit grads locking horns on the collegiate level should be something to see. JDJ will be heavily favored, but hasn’t won any of his five matches (prior to the ASU match) by bonus points. Maybe this is the one.
Match Outlook
The Buckeyes should win the first eight weight classes without much resistance. Wheeler and Shaw are tough outs at the upper two weights, but the Buckeyes should have an insurmountable lead by the time 197 and heavyweight roll around. With that said, the Buckeyes still should have a shot to win all ten matches if the starters wrestle and wrestle well. After what should be a fairly easy win, the competition for the Buckeyes will really pick up in December with the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and duals with Northwestern and Missouri.
