The Apprentice School wrestling team will be hosting the 2009
National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships
beginning tomorrow at Hampton University Convocation Center.
84 men's teams will converge to Hampton for the purpose of
crowning national champions in 11 weight classes and 88
All-American honors over the three-day tournament.
The tournament begins on Thursday morning at 10 am while the
finals are scheduled to begin on Saturday afternoon at 4 pm.
You can follow the tournament on the internet by visiting the NCWA
website.
Tickets for individual sessions are $10 and $20 for the
finals. You can purchase tickets at the Hampton University
Convocation Center.
For those who can't attend the tournament, you can follow the
action online at the NCWA website. On the site they will have video
streaming from the event starting at 10 am Thursday, 9 am on Friday
and Saturday.
Entries
The Builders have 14 qualifiers for the tournament, which is the
third most out of the teams participating. Only perennial
powerhouse Grand Valley State (22) and Marion Military Institute
(16) qualified more wrestlers.
Team history
Apprentice School has fared well in its 11 year history with the
NCWA. The Builders have finished in the top three in seven of
its previous 10 trips to nationals. They have never won the
event, but have finished second twice (2000, 2006).
All-Americans
The Builders have earned 57
All-American honors in its history with the NCWA. Six of
those were national champions with the last coming in 2002.
In eight of the ten previous trips to nationals, a Builder
wrestler has made it to the national championship match.
Rankings
Eight Apprentice School wrestlers are ranked in the top eight in
their respective weight classes heading into nationals.
Senior Cecil Lee leads that pack as he is the top-ranked
heavyweight. Lee, from Portsmouth, has already set school
records for career wins (119) and career pins (49) this season.
He is 41-9 on the season with 16 pins.
Other ranked Apprentice School wrestlers include:
|
Name (Class)
|
Ranking
|
Weight Class
|
Record
|
|
Ricky Anderson (Fr)
|
3rd
|
149
|
21-11
|
|
Will Harcum (So)
|
3rd
|
165
|
29-15
|
|
Marcus Chevres (Fr)
|
4th
|
133
|
22-16
|
|
Charles Mills (Fr)
|
4th
|
174
|
24-12
|
|
Matt Perry (Jr)
|
6th
|
149
|
19-16
|
|
Daniel Hare (So.)
|
7th
|
184
|
17-20
|
|
Ty Holley (Sr)
|
8th
|
141
|
18-14
|
Number crunching
Cecil Lee is five wins away from breaking the school single season
victories mark of 45 held by current assistant coach Micah
Amrozowicz. With those five wins he would also crack into the
single season winning percentage top ten.
Four victories by sophomore Will Harcum would put him into the top
ten for single season victories.
It's coming down to the finish for the most pins in a season as Lee
leads Harcum and Ricky Anderson by one fall heading into nationals.
Lee has 16, while Harcum and Anderson have 15 apiece.
Freshman Charles Mills may also have a say in that as he trails
Harcum and Anderson by one with 14.
