Feb. 12, 2004
After capturing the National Catholic Championship title and placing second at the NCAA East Regional last year, the 2003-04 Duquesne wrestling team will undergo a youth movement of sorts this season as nearly half of its 14-man roster will be first year wrestlers. Six freshmen will join eight upperclassmen in vying for the school's fourth East Regional title.
The top returning wrestler from last season is junior heavyweight Marc Allemang. Allemang won 31 matches last season en route to his first NCAA Championship appearance. He qualified for the NCAA's by winning his weight class at the East Regional Championship where he was named the events Most Outstanding Wrestler. Also returning for the Dukes is senior Mike Frank, juniors Chandler Carranza, Jon Denk, Matt Doak, Mark Himes and Ryan Powell along with lone sophomore Keith Pavlekovsky.
Light (125, 133, 141): Youth will dominate in the lightweight classes as four freshmen and a sophomore will fill these roles. Freshmen Bradley Cipriani and Luke McIntire will battle for the starting 125-pound position while Pavlekovsky is slated to be the starter at 133. Pavlekovsky had a stellar rookie campaign, turning in an 18-19 overall record and had five wins by pin. He also finished second at the East Regional Championship. Freshmen Brandon Baldini and Cody Midlam will vie for the starting 141-pound slot.
Middle (149, 157, 165, 174): Three established veterans and a rookie will fill the middleweight classes with seemingly little competition. Denk will be the starter at 149 where he posted a 16-11 record as a sophomore. He will look to add to his accomplishments of second place finishes at the East Regional and National Catholic championships and his third place showing at the Ashland Open. Powell will retain the 157-pound duties where he was 17-14 last season. He took home first place hardware at the National Catholic's and the Slippery Rock Open while placing sixth at the Ashland Open. A rookie will fill the vacant 165-pound spot in Jared Ricotta while Mike Frank will hit the mat at 174. Frank, who placed third at the East Regional Championship last year, was 13-7 overall in 2002-03 and was 6-1 in dual meets.
Heavy (184, 197, HWT): Himes will move up in weight to 184 after posting an 18-13 record at 174 last year. In addition, he placed second at National Catholic's and finished fourth at the Ashland Open. Doak is the scheduled starter at 197, but could also see time at 184 if needed. He was 12-15 last year and captured first at Ashland, second at the East Regional and fourth at National Catholic's. Carranza will battle for mat time at both 184 and 197 after posting a 2-6 record at 184 last year. Allemang will again hold down the heavyweight duties while freshmen Tim Frank will get his feet wet in tournament situations. Allemang led the Dukes with a 31-10 record last season and turned in a team-best 11 pins. In addition to his two previously mentioned tournament titles, he placed third at the Ashland and Slippery Rock Opens and sixth at the Penn State Open.
Schedule: The season opens with an open tournament at West Virginia on Nov. 8 before Duquesne hosts the National Catholic Championship for the third straight season on Nov. 15. The slate continues with open tournaments at Slippery Rock and Penn State before the Dukes jump into the dual portion of their season. The Red and Blue will face 14 opponents in dual matches including first time opponent Columbia as well as highly touted foes such as Duke, Maryland, Pitt, Slippery Rock and Millersville. The season culminates with the East Regional Championships at Slippery Rock on March 6 with qualifiers from the regional advancing to the NCAA Championships to be held in St. Louis from March 18-20.
