PSU finished last season with a 2-17 record but according to early season results look to have bolstered it's roster despite the loss of senior Eddie Dahlen. Dahlen led the Vikings with 15 wins in '04 and finished the season by placing second at the Pac-10 championship meet.
Portland State's top returner is Allen Kennett who begins the season ranked second in Pac-10 polls at heavyweight. Like Dahlen, Kennett also finished the year on a tear finishing as a 2004 Pac-10 runner-up. Kennett, the starting fullback for the Vikings, will be out for at least a few weeks with one regular season game still on the football slate.
Joining Kennett from last year are 19 others including 133 junior Lucas Hambleton (11-3, six pins), 165 senior Chris Feist (10-17) and 157 junior Kainoa Casco (8-11). With a year of experience under their belts sophomore Jake Schneider (9-14) at 197 and sophomore Sean Murphy (3-25) at 184 should also improve the Vikings efficiency.
Transfers Dale Seley and Karras Kalivas have secured starting time early on at 157 and 174 respectively. Both are talented wrestlers with something to prove at the Pac-10 level.
Seley, a sophomore from Montana State Northern, came into the fall, wrestled three of last year's returning starters and came out on top.
Kalivas on the other hand, is working back into shape after a two-year absence from the sport but going into the first match has secured a starting role. Kalivas was a two-time junior college all-American at Bakersfield Community College.
Overall the Viking roster includes four new freshman and four transfers.
Portland State will wrestle nationally ranked Arizona State, NAIA powerhouse Southern Oregon University and nearby neighbor Pacific University on Saturday in an ever-evolving schedule. As a member of the Pac-10, PSU wrestles against some of the best programs in the nation. Outside the conference the Vikings will also take on Air Force and Wyoming two programs with winning traditions.
Saturday's season start will mark the 22nd with Coach Marlin Grahn at the helm. Grahn's record over his tenure is 123-259-9.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now