SC Wrestling News in March 2005----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SC College Wrestling News in March 2005 Anthony Brooker, Battery Creek and Citadel wrestler, wrestles for the Air Force Greco Roman team where he placed 8th in the nation this past year in Greco Roman at 121 lbs. Reuben Daniels from Summerville is an NCAA D1 qualifer at ASU. The Citadel placed second at the SoCon Wrestling Championships Results from SoCon Wrestling Championships Newberry grapplers place second in regional qualifier, place nine individuals in national tournament 2/28/2005 by Ryan Gross, Newberry Sports Information BALTIMORE, Md. Unexpected, says Newberry head wrestling coach Jason Valek about his team placing nine qualifiers in the National Collegiate Wrestling (NCWA) National Tournament. The kids showed a lot of heart, and the long hours we’ve put in as a team improving ourselves is finally paying dividends. The wrestling program, in its first season of existence, bested 21 other teams en route to a runner-up finish in the Mid-Atlantic region. The always tough Apprentice School of Newport News, Va. claimed the region championship for the second straight year, placing 13 grapplers in the tournament. Newberry’s nine was second overall in the region. Earning Mid-Atlantic region titles for the Indians were Trevon Fordham (Hanahan, S.C.) in the 165 lbs. class and Quinn Tolbert (Summerville, S.C.) in the 174 lbs. division. Earning region runner-up accolades were Corey Holcombe (W. Columbia, S.C.) in the 133 lbs. class and Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.) in the 141 lbs. class. Finishing third in his 133 lbs. class was Bobby Burgess (W. Columbia, S.C.) and Indian 197 pounder Chris Wetmore (Hilton Head, S.C.) garnished a fourth place finish. Willie Jarman (Newberry, S.C.) and Tavian Daniels (Columbia, S.C.) both finished fifth in their respective weight divisions. Newberry’s top individual wrestler Andrew Young (Summerville, S.C.) did not compete in the regional match due to injury, but was granted a special wild card distinction to advance to the national tournament, based on his performance this season. Young, a freshman, has compiled a 23-3 record this season. But the national tournament is not the destination according to Valek; it is merely where the Indians start to establish the team as not just South Carolina’s premier wrestling program, but one of the elite teams in the nation. We have the potential to bring home several national championships, as well as All-American distinctions. explains Valek. If the kids continue to progress in the manner in which they have exhibited all season, the sky is the limit for this group. The NCWA tournament will take place in Dallas, Tex. March 10-13. USC Club - from Doug Gainey - to wrestlers looking to wrestle in college, but couldn't quite get the scholarship to where they wanted to go. USC will be competing next year in the NCWA, the same division that Clemson and Newberry competes in this year. USC is a great school, and Columbia is tons of fun... We have a lot of talent at USC, and should be fielding some very solid teams over the next few years. If you were looking to compete at a higher level, you should remember that competing in the NCWA does not affect your NCAA status, you would still have full eligibility after you're finished in this division. The NCWA is a great way to gain recognition and possibly a scholarship to a higher level program, and USC will definitely bring attention to you in the next few years as we will be showcasing a lot of talent that schools stayed away from just because of the quality of wrestling in some states. I encourage you to check out the NCWA website below, and read about them. The division is ran just like the NCAA's, with conference titles, national titles, and top 8 being all-american. I also encourage coaches to promote this to all of their wrestlers, considering the lack of scholarships available to wrestlers in this state. USC adding this program is just another step forward to making South Carolina a "wrestling state," and I would love to be able to field a top-notch team with nothing but wrestlers from S.C. So I encourage anyone that is interested in wrestling on the next level to check out the NCWA and USC. Also... anyone with questions of any kind should feel free to contact Doug Gainey, his cell is 803-243-3450, or email douggainey@hotmail.com