In NCAA Division I wrestling there are four major in-season tournaments held every year. Ironically enough, two of these tournaments were originally hosted by teams we no longer have. One of which is the Southern Scuffle, originally hosted by the team we're going to focus on tonight, The University of North Carolina Greensboro. After a short stint in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Conference) UNC Greensboro joined the Southern Conference during the 1996-1997 season. During their fifteen years in the conference UNC Greensboro won titles in 1997 & 2010, with runner-up finishes in 2006, 2007, 2009 & 2011. With four NCAA qualifiers & the runner-up finish at the Southern Conference tournament, Athletic Director Kim Record felt that the $308,000 used to fund the wrestling program would be better spent on the other sports that UNC Greensboro sponsored. She had the audacity to think that the school could still host the Southern Scuffle but the wrestling community fought back by moving the tournament to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
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Joe Stanton
158 lbs |
Stanton made history when he became the first Spartan to win a Colonial Athletic Association title & qualify for the NCAA tournament in 1994. He'd go on to Qualify twice more & win a Southern Conference title in 1997. In the same season he would place seventh at the Midlands Championships. Stanton ended his career at UNC Greensboro with a 98-25 record.
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Jamie Hensch
167, 174 lbs |
A three time NCAA qualifier, Hensch won Southern Conference titles in 1998 & 1999.
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Melvin Saunders
142, 149 lbs |
An all around athlete at from nearby Western Gulford High, Saunders not only won a state title in wrestling, he also made All Conference football & placed fourth at the state track meet in the Hurdles. Wrestling for the Spartans, Saunders qualified for three NCAA tournaments winning Southern Conference titles.
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Kevin Artis
141 lbs |
Before coming to UNC Greensboro, Artis began his career at Neosho Community College where he was a two time NJCAA All American with finishes of third & eighth. Wrestling for the Spartans, Artis won Southern Conference titles in 2004 & 2006, finishing one match shy of All American status. He later coached at Eastern Michigan (A program we no longer have).
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Darren Burns
197 lbs |
A graduate of Brandys High School where he came to UNC Greensboro with a prep record of 187-15, Burns qualified for four NCAA championships, winning Southern Conference titles in 2005, 2006 & 2007. In between his sophomore & junior seasons, Burns won a gold medal at the PAN-AMERICAN championships.
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Ivan Loupanchanski
149 lbs
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Russian born Ivan Loupanchanski attended South Broward High school in Florida where he finished his career with third, second & first place finishes at the state championships. Winning a Southern Conference title in 2011, Loupanchanski was forced to transfer when UNC Greensboro dropped their program. Finding a new home at Purdue, he finished third in the BIG 10 championships, capturing a seventh place finish at the NCAA championships.
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| Eric Sanders |
From Harvey, Illinois, Sanders despite having a career hampered by a nasty knee injury still managed to win a CAA title in 1996 & a Southern Conference title in 1997.
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| Dax Pecaro |
Pecaro was a two time Southern Conference champion winning titles in 1999 & 2000.
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Joe Lowe
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A graduate of Lakeland High school in Florida where he won a state title his senior season with a 53-0 record, Lowe won two Southern Conference titles for the Spartans in 2005 & 2006.
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