Wrestling Blogs - Tom Nelson

St. Cloud State University wrestling will begin its second season under the leadership of coach Steve Costanzo in 2007-08.

The Huskies entered the Costanzo era with a 4-7 record in 2006-07, but the return of several top notch veterans and redshirt athletes along with one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II recruit classes has produced a new sense of optimism for success this winter.

“We hope to have a much stronger team this year,” Costanzo said. “We will be a young team,and our line-up will be a lot different than last year.”

“We are very excited about the depth we have at all of our weight classes. We will need that depth, because this group will be challenged by strong teams in the North Central Conference and the NCAA North Region.”

The Huskies will be led by senior Nick Wilkes (197-pounds), who qualified for nationals in 2007. Sophomore Grant Johnson (149-pounds) is back after earning a starting spot in 2006-07, while senior Matt Steffenson and Tom Anderson will battle for mat time at 165-pounds. Another returner to watch is sophomore Westy Hanson at 125-pounds and senior Jairo Sandoval at 184-pounds.

To compliment this group of veterans, Costanzo will gain power from a solid class of red-shirt athletes and talented recruits.

“We were fortunate to bring in several quality freshmen and junior college transfer wrestlers this season,” Costanzo said. “Several of these newcomers will make an immediate impact in our line-up this winter.”

“SCSU will also benefit from a great group of redshirt athletes this season. The redshirt year definitely helped the development of these wrestlers. I think it will really help them with their confidence as they face their first season of NCAA Division II competition in 2007-08.”

The following is a rundown of each weight class for the Huskies in 2007-08:
125-Pounds
Westy Hanson, a starter in 2006-07, returns as a sophomore. He posted a 13-20 record as a freshman, and Costanzo looks to Hanson for continued success this winter. He will be challenged for mat time by rookie Tyler Helfers (Green Valley, Ill.) and freshman Mark Thoele (Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East).

133-Pounds
Junior Nick Wasche (Cedar, Minn./St. Francis H.S.) notched an 11-14 record for the Huskies in 2006-07 at 133-pounds. He will be SCSU’s top returner at the position in 2007-08. New faces to watch at 133-pounds include junior college transfer Josh Williams, a two-time All-American from Southwest Oregon Community College, and Wisconsin prep state champion Jordan Foy (Ellsworth, Wis.).

141-Pounds
Freshman Gabe Suarez (Las Vegas, Nev.) enjoyed a solid redshirt year with the program in 2006-07. Costanzo believes he has the ability to make a strong impact in the NCC and region this season. Suarez will be challenged for the top spot at 141-pounds by junior Matt Jackson (Oakdale, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) and newcomers Adam Helgeson (a state champ from nearby Sauk Centre, Minn.) and Jake Horn (a state champ from Ephrata, Wash.).

149-Pounds
This weight class will be boosted by the return of sophomore Grant Johnson (Cold Spring, Minn./ROCORI), who gained a 13-14 record as a freshman. Newcomers who will battle Johnson for the starting spot include Mike Markey, a two-time JUCO national qualifier from Auburn, Wash. and Highline C.C., and Joe Anderson, a three-time state placer from Bemidji, Minn.

157-Pounds
Redshirt athletes John Sundgren (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Chad Kubasch (New Germany, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) will be names to watch at this weight division in 2007-08. Justin Jones (Onamia, Minn.) will be another athlete to consider at 157-pounds. He is a junior transfer from Itasca C.C.

165-Pounds
Senior Matt Steffenson (Onamia, Minn.) posted a 13-15 record for the Huskies in his first year with the program. Costanzo looks for Steffenson to be a stable performer at 165-pounds along with senior challenger Tom Anderson (Belview, Minn./Redwood Valley). Freshman Tad Merritt (Canby, Minn.) could prove to be a factor at this weight division, as he is a two-time MSHSL state champion from Canby H.S.

174-Pounds
A redshirt athlete for the Huskies in 2006-07, Derek Skala should be in the mix for the Huskies in 2007-08. A member of the SCSU football team, Skala’s is a multi-talented athlete from downstate Owatonna H.S. He will compete for mat time with true freshman Lucas Munkelwitz, who gained a 2007 MSHSL state title at Forest Lake H.S.

184-Pounds
Senior Jairo Sandoval (Miami, Fla.) carded a solid 14-21 record for the Huskies in 2006-07. He will be back for his final campaign in 2007-08. Newcomer Brad Padgett could be a primetime peformer for the Huskies this winter. He was a two-time JUCO All-American at Highline C.C. Redshirt Eric Rogness (Buffalo, Minn.) and Ted Saatzer (Mound/Ridgewater Cc) will be another name to watch at the talent-rich 184-pound division.

197-Pounds
An impact performer during his first season with the Huskies, Nick Wilkes (Onamia, Minn.) gained an 18-8 record in 2006-07. He placed fourth at the regional meet last winter, and qualified for nationals at 184-pounds. This season, Wilkes will be moving up a weight class but Costanzo has confidence that the wily Wilkes will be ready for the challenge. Wilkes will be backed up by redshirt freshman Bobby Ross (St. Peter, Minn./Mankato West).

Heavyweight
SCSU has struggled to fill its top weight spot in recent years, but Costanzo appears to have a few names to write into the starting line-up in 2007-08. Tops on that list is junior transfer Chris Schiewe, a transfer from Triton Junior College and resident of Chicago, Ill. He will be joined at SCSU this winter by fellow JUCO transfer Nolan Boucher, a resident of upstate Grand Rapids, Minn. (Itasca C.C.).