Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = UNC Greensboro

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.

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. 

Jamie Hensch
167, 174 lbs 

A three time NCAA qualifier, Hensch won Southern Conference titles in 1998 & 1999. 

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. 

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). 

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. 

Ivan Loupanchanski
149 lbs 

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. 


 

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. 

Dax Pecaro  

Pecaro was a two time Southern Conference champion winning titles in 1999 & 2000. 

Joe Lowe

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. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = UC Davis

Winners of the 1964 & 1965 Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) the Aggies of UC Davis were quite competitive during their time in NCAA Division II wrestling.  In the move to NCAA Division I, right around the time they started to find their place crowning their first All American & NCAA champion, the school dropped the program due to financial constraints after the 2009-2010 season.

Afsoon Roshanzamir

Today there is varsity wrestling for women at nearly every level of collegiate competition.  Throughout NCAA Division I, II, III, the NAIA & the NJCAA we have fifty-nine programs and that number looks to increase dramatically within the near future.  When thinking of women's wrestling in the United States it is important to look back at the women of the past who paved the road for the women of today & the women of tomorrow.

Afsoon Roshanzamir was one of those women. An immigrant of Iran, Roshanzamir learned wrestling from her father & later not only did she go out for the men's varsity wrestling team in high school, she made the team.  In college, she was a member of the UC Davis Aggie wrestling team.

In 1989 Roshanzamir made history by becoming the United States' first World Medalist in women's wrestling when she captured a bronze medal.  She'd follow it up in 1990 with a silver medal.

Grover Ford
191 lbs

Also a member of the Aggie football team, Ford took third place All American honors at the NCAA Division II tournament in 1966.

Kemper Chafin
177 lbs

Chafin made the NCAA Division II finals in 1969.  He would later coach at UC Davis.

Eric Gritz

Gritz was a two time NCAA Division II All American for the Aggies.  He placed fourth in 1981, taking runner-up honors in 1982.

Urijah Faber
133 lbs

UFC fighter/Hollywood Actor Urijah Faber was a walk-on wrestler at UC Davis.  He qualified twice for the NCAA's in 2001 & 2002 as a sophomore & Junior.  He narrowly missed out on becoming the Aggies first All American when he finished one match shy of placing in 2002.

Jeremiah Jarvis
157 lbs 

Jarvis was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Aggies, winning a PAC-12 title in 2003 as a junior.

Derek Moore
141 lbs 

A four time NCAA qualifier & two time PAC-12 champion, Moore had lost heartbreaking matches in previous years to barely miss narrowly miss out on achieving All American status.  During his senior year, not only would he break through the barrier & become the Aggies first Division I All American, he'd do so in fashion by claiming the NCAA title.

Ken Cook
174 lbs 

Cook began his career at Iowa State but soon found himself homesick & back in California competing for the Aggies.  Winner of two PAC-12 titles during his time at UC Davis, he earned the #6 & #7 seeds at the NCAA tournaments in 2006 & 2007.

Brandon Low
133 lbs 

One of the few Division I wrestlers that we have had from the state of Hawaii, Low qualified for the NCAA championships in 2009 & 2010.

Ricardo Alcala
HWT

A two time NCAA qualifier for the Aggies in 2009 & 2010, Alcala was forced to find a new home after the Aggies dropped wrestling before the 2010-2011 season.  Competing for Indiana, Alcala took fifth place honors for the Hoosiers at the NCAA tournament.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Cal State Fullerton

The Titans of Cal State Fullerton fielded a team from the 1968-1969 season until the 2010-2011 season when along with Women's Gymnastics, it was cut from the school's athletics. Ironically enough Dan Hicks was the head wrestling coach at the time & his wife Jill was the head coach of Women's Gymnastics. Wrestling never won a PAC-12 title, but they did have some respectable finishes including a third place showing in 2004. Not to mention the many individual champions & place winners.  Women's gymnastics won the 1979 NCAA championship, with three runner-up finishes & five third place showings.  They also won 10 conference titles.

Doug Hilliard
190 lbs

A graduate of Corona Del Mar high school, Hilliard was a standout on the Titan wrestling team during Cal State Fullerton's years in NCAA Division II.  There he placed fifth at the 1974 NCAA championships, taking runner-up honors in 1976.

Mike Elliott
142, 150 lbs

A graduate of Fontana High School, Elliott took fifth place honors at the 1980 NCAA championships.

Ardeshir Asgari
158 lbs

Escaping Iran at 18 years of age, Ardeshir Asgari earned All American honors as a junior in 1986 with a sixth place finish for the Titans.  Years later he was falsely convicted of a crime that he was later exonerated.  Because of the Los Angeles Police Departments negligence in the situation, he was awarded 3.3 Million dollars.  He later became the head coach at Cal State Fullerton coaching the titans from the 1992-1993 season, until the 2002-2003 season.

David Jones
HWT

A graduate of Montclair High School, Jones placed fourth for the Titans twice at the NCAA championships in 1990 & 1991.  He also won a PAC-12 title in 91' as well.

Jeff Maes
126 lbs 

A state champion from Nogales high school, Maes became the first Titan to qualify for the NCAA championships in all four seasons.  1990, 91', 93', 94'.

Michael Grubbs
118 lbs

Grubbs captured fifth place in the nation in 1993.

Laszlo Molnar
167, 177 lbs

From the country of Hungary, Laszlo Molnar a four time NCAA qualifier, shocked the nation as a senior in 1994 making the NCAA finals.

Jason Webster
167, 174 lbs

A graduate of Centennial High school, Webster was a NCAA qualifier in 1998, 99' & 00'.

Babek Najadmaghaddam
197 lbs

Najadmaghaddam (if spelled wrong, I sincerely apologize. Saw it about four different ways in my research) was a three time NCAA qualifier in 99', 00' & 01'.

T.J. Hill
125 lbs

One of the best high school wrestlers to ever come out of the state of Missouri, Hill won four state titles for Farmington High school.  He Scored 387 takedowns & was never taken down once.  He started his career off at Hofstra but soon found himself at Cal State Fullerton.  In 2000, standing only 4'11 & weighing only 110 lbs, he placed fourth at the NCAA championships. Unfortunately his true potential would never be known, as he found himself in trouble & out of wrestling a short time later.

Rowdy Lundegreen
184 lbs 

Also one of the best football players in the nation, it was a bit of a surprise when Rowdy Lundegreen from Amarillo, Texas decided he wanted to wrestle in college instead.  He began his career at Oklahoma, but soon transferred to wrestle for the Titans.  He was a two time NCAA qualifier. While never an All American, he pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2002 NCAA championships.  He defeated the #1 seed Scott Justus of Virginia Tech 14-7. 

Juan Mora
141 lbs 

Mora a graduate of Rancho Buena Vista high, was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Titans, winning a PAC-12 title in 2005.

Landon Seefeldt
197 lbs 

A fifth place finisher at the California high school state championships from Grace Davis High school, Seefeldt started off his career at Fresno State.  He soon transferred to Cal State Fullerton where he made three trips to the NCAA championships in 2003, 04' & 05'.

Leonel Sanchez
174 lbs

A two time NCAA qualifier for the Titans, Sanchez won a PAC-12 title in 2005.

Morgan Atkinson
149 lbs 

A three time NCAA qualifier in 2006, 07' & 08', Morgan Atkinson capped off his career with two PAC-12 titles.

T.J. Dillashaw
133 lbs 

A graduate of Bret Harte High school, Dillashaw was a two time California High school state place-winner, taking fifth his junior season & second as a senior with a record of 170-33.  Competing for the Titans, Dillashaw qualified for three NCAA championships in 2007, 08' & 09'.  He also placed multiple times at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. 

Post College, Dillashaw has had an outstanding career in the UFC, including winning titles.

Wade Sauer
HWT

A graduate of Nevada Union high school, Wade Sauer started off his career at Fresno State.  When the Bulldogs dropped their program (Very happy to state that they have since reinstated!!!) Sauer found a new home at Cal State Fullerton.  As a sophomore in 2007, Sauer used one of the meanest half nelsons in collegiate wrestling to capture a sixth place finish at the NCAA championships.  The next season he was selected as an All Star for the All Star meet, but the rest of his career would be severely hampered with injuries.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Salisbury

Maryland isn't a state that comes up often in discussions of wrestling but at one time a small school along the eastern seashore held their own in both the NAIA & NCAA Division III levels.  In both 1980 & 1981 the Sea Gulls finished in third place at the national tournament. In 1981, they finished in fifth.

Rod Hampton
190 lbs

Hampton was a four time NAIA All American for the Sea Gulls finishing in fifth place in 1976, sixth place in 1977 & then fourth in both 1978 & 1979.

John Bryant
HWT

Bryant was a two time NAIA All American with back to back third place finishes in 1979 & 1980.

Mark Jarosz
177 lbs 

One of the best to ever grace the maroon & gold was two time NCAA Division III champion Mark Jarosz of North East High School in Pasadena. He finished fifth as a sophomore in 1978 before capturing his titles in 1979 & 1980.

Joe Jarosz
190 lbs

Mark's brother Joe equally had an outstanding career for the Sea Gulls.  Also finishing in fifth place in 1978, he'd join his brother as a NCAA Division III champion in 1979.  He finished fourth in 1980.

John Dolch
134, 142 lbs

Dolch won two NCAA Division III titles for the maroon & gold in 1980 & 1981.

Mike McInerney
158 lbs

McInerney was a three time NCAA Division III All American for the Sea Gulls.  He finished in fourth place as a junior in 1982, with third place finishes in 1981 & 1984.

Jerry McGinty
126 lbs 

McGinty was an NCAA finalist for Salisbury in 1981.

Ed Bailey
118 lbs 

A member of Salisbury's legendary 1979 & 1980 teams Bailey came to wrestle for the Sea Gulls from nearby Salisbury High School where he put together a career record of 67-8.  Being the smallest weight class, along with the Jarosz brothers he became the first Sea Gull to win an NCAA Division III title.  He finished as the NCAA DIII runner-up in 1980, with a career record of 101-16.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Duquesne

After the 2009-2010 college sports season Duquesne made the announcement that they were going to make some major budget cuts to their athletic department.  Soon to be gone would be four sports. Men's baseball which in its over 50 year history produced 9 Major League Baseball players.  Men's Golf which had under its belt runner-up finishes in the Atlantic 10 Conference.  Men's swimming which at the time was ranked #25 in the nation.  Then of course, wrestling which in recent times had won two Eastern Regional titles in 2000 & 2005.   All in all 70 scholarship athletes were told that their time representing the Dukes in athletics was said & done.  It was either finish out their degrees no longer participating in athletics, or go somewhere else. 

Joe Kijowski
158 lbs

Kijowski became the Dukes' one and only All American when he captured a sixth place finish at the 1993 NCAA championships.

Bill Boehm
157, 165 lbs

Boehm qualified for the NCAA championships on three occasions for the Dukes.  2000, 2002 & 2003.

Marc Allemang
HWT

Allemang rule the Eastern Regional during his last three seasons as a Duke winning titles in 2005, 06' & 07'.  He later became the head coach at Mount Lebanon.

Jared Ricotta
197, 174, 184 lbs 

Ricotta qualified at three different weight classes for the Dukes during his time at Duquesne.  He later went on to become a physician's assistant.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Tennessee

The Volunteers had wrestling at two points during their existence.  They dropped the wrestling program during the start of World War II & would reinstate with the SEC sponsoring wrestling during the 1969-1970 season.  Wrestling would last through the 1985-1986 season, shortly after crowing their first individual NCAA Champion & having their highest team finish of eighth in 1985.   They were also winners of the Southeastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (SEIWA) in both 1977 & 1978 & finished third twice in the SEC's twelve season existence. 

Mark DeAugustino
142 lbs

DeAugustino was a two time NCAA qualifier for the Volunteers in 1980 & 1982. Post graduation he moved to Florida where he coached at Zephyrilhills Christian Academy, Land O Lakes & Pasco High Schools having an assortment of State qualifiers, place-winners, finalists and champions. 

Ethan Reeve
150, 158 lbs

One of the Volunteers best was four time SEC champion & two time All American Ethan Reeve.  During his time as a Volunteer, Reeve took fifth at the 1976 NCAA championships & then topped off his career with a third place finish in 1977.   He later became the head coach at Chattanooga taking the Mocs to a 85-9 dual record winning five Southern Conference titles.  Since he has been a strength & conditioning coach at Ohio State, Wake Forest & Chattanooga.

Buddy Walker
150 lbs

Walker was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Volunteers capturing a sixth place finish at the 1977 NCAA championships.  He later coached football, wrestling, golf, soccer & baseball along with teaching Driver's ed at Etowah high school.

Steve Stalnaker
118 lbs 

Steve Stalnaker was a four time NCAA qualifier for the Volunteers in 1975, 76', 77' & 78'.

Mike Giustizia
126 lbs 

Giustizia, a State champion for Walt Whitman High school in New York was an All American for the Volunteers in 1980 capturing a sixth place finish.  Post college Giustizia was also an Olympian in 1980. Unfortunately his life would take a downward spiral for a while but after some time he would bounce back & he's doing quite well today.

Ben Hill
1977

Another New Yorker on the Volunteer team was Ben Hill out of Hampton Bay, winner of two Section XI championships. Ironically enough he would also place sixth at the 1980 NCAA championships.

Tony Mills
142, 150 lbs 

From Central High School in Macon, Georgia, Mills qualified for the NCAA championships in 1981, 82' & 83'.

Chris Edmond
158, 167 lbs 

During his sophomore year at Freeport High School in New York, Chris Edmond found himself dared by one of the high school wrestlers that he wasn't tough enough to endure a full wrestling practice.  He took the dare, he won.  Before long not only was he doing well at practice, he was one of the best on the team.  Finishing third in the state of New York as a senior, he went to Tennessee to wrestle for the Volunteers.

In 1984 as a junior he captured an eighth place finish at the NCAA championships, saving his best season for last.  As a senior in 1985, Edmond became the Volunteers first (and only) NCAA champion.

Tim Cochran
134 lbs  

Another four time NCAA qualifier for the Volunteers was Tim Cochran out of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.  Cochran placed seventh at the 1985 NCAA championships & in Tennessee's last season on the mat of 1986 he placed fifth.

Wayne Catan
167, 177 lbs 

Catan began his collegiate career for the Volunteers qualifying for the NCAA championships in his first two seasons, taking seventh at the NCAA championships as a sophomore in 1983.  He would then transfer to Syracuse where he took a redshirt in 1984.  Coming back in 1985 he would win his first of what would be two EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) titles making the NCAA finals.  He'd come back in 1986 to take seventh place. 

Post college Catan has worked in Public Relations serving various entities such as Turner Broadcasting, Nike, MSNBC & various celebrities.

Tim Cooper
177 lbs  

Cooper qualified for the NCAA championships in 1982, 83' & 85'.

Glen Lanham
150, 158 lbs 

Lanham made an immediate impact on the Volunteer wrestling team qualifying for the NCAA championships as a freshman and capturing an eighth place finish as a sophomore in 1985.  Unfortunately Tennessee would drop wrestling at the 1985-1986 season & Lanham was forced to find a new home.   He then competed at Oklahoma State where he captured a fifth place finish for the Cowboys in 1987.

Post graduation Lanham coached at various places before landing the head coaching position at Duke in 2012.  On a budget that would be considerate to refer to as shoe-string, Lanham has done a tremendous job over the past seven seasons.  This includes two top twenty-five finishes at the NCAA championships, the highest in school history.  It also includes various ACC champions & place winners, NCAA qualifiers & All Americans.