Now in its fourth year, the Journeymen/ASICS Sprawl & Brawl tournament has a number of elements that make it a winner. Here are some of the aspects of this event -- to be held Sunday, Nov. 21 at Binghamton University's West Gym in Vestal, New York -- that make it appealing for participating colleges and their wrestlers, as well as for the fans in the stands:
Wide range of participants: The 2010 Sprawl & Brawl tournament brings together 10 collegiate wrestling programs of great diversity: Schools of every size, from small private colleges to giant state universities, from various parts of the country, including New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Great Lakes regions.
Among the schools on the roster for the 2010 Sprawl & Brawl: American International, Binghamton, Eastern Michigan, Harvard, Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers, Sacred Heart, Shippensburg, and West Virginia.
Exciting match-ups: Event organizer Frank Popolizio is already anticipating some great duals at the 2010 Journeymen/ASICS Sprawl & Brawl, including the aforementioned Penn State vs. Rutgers: "Penn State is ranked sixth in the nation in some preseason polls, and Rutgers gained a couple transfers that should make this fun."
Other duals that Popolizio mentioned as must-see events: Binghamton vs. Michigan State -- "both have solid individuals -- should be a well-balanced battle" -- and West Virginia vs. Rutgers, which he cited as an example where the teams are so well matched, one individual bout can determine which team walks off the mat the winner.
Up close and personal: Popolizio describes Binghamton's West Gym as "fan-friendly ... It seats just over 1,000 people. There's no such thing as a bad seat. Fans are really close to the action ... It's an incredible opportunity for fans to rub shoulders with great wrestlers and coaches they might not usually get this close to."
Local flavor: For folks in the Binghamton area, the 2010 Journeymen/ASICS Sprawl & Brawl is an unbeatable opportunity to see "local heroes" who are now competing at top college programs come home to wrestle in front of their friends and families. Among the New York natives competing on Nov. 21: Harvard's Paul Ligouri, originally from Wantaugh ... American International's Kyle Crisafulli, of Phoenix, NY ... Corey Jantzen and Steven Keith, both wrestling at Harvard, and both from Wading River-Shoreham.
Justin Lister (Photo/Morgan Hennessy)In a 2009 interview with InterMat to talk about last year's Sprawl & Brawl, Popolizio said, "It's all about bringing greatness to this area. It's about promoting college wrestling in an area that doesn't have much in the way of college wrestling. It not only helps fire up fans in the area, but shows young athletes what's possible, that they can achieve greatness from wrestling."
A November to remember in New York: The 2010 Journeymen/ASICS Sprawl & Brawl is just one of three major events put on by Frank Popolizio in the month of November to bring top-flight college wrestling to the region. In addition to Sprawl & Brawl, Popolizio is organizer for:
For more information on the 2010 Journeymen/ASICS Sprawl & Brawl tournament on Sunday, Nov. 21, visit the website: http://www.journeymenwrestling.com/competitions
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