The Grizzly team also received some preseason praise as coach Jason Ramstetter's squad was picked second in the conference's annual preseason poll that was also announced by RMAC officials on Tuesday. ASC received two first place votes in the balloting of the league's eight coaches and finished second behind 4-time defending RMAC Champion Nebraska-Kearney in the poll with 15 points. The Lopers received five first place votes and had nine points.
The preseason predictions are nothing new for the Grizzlies. ASC was also picked to finish second in both 2003 and 2004 and finished in that spot at last year's RMAC/NCAA West Regional Championships.
Fort Hays State finished third in the poll with 19 points while Western State picked up the last first place vote and finished fourth overall with 25 points. RMAC affiliate member San Francisco State, led by RMAC Preseason Wrestler of the Year Pacifico Garcia, the defending national champion at 149 pounds, finished fifth with 27 points.
Chadron State (39 points), Colorado Mines (41 points) and New Mexico Highlands (49 points), which will restart its program in 2005-06, rounded out the poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or wrestlers.
The Grizzlies return eight of their 10 NCAA Division II National Championship qualifiers to the 2005-06 squad. They also return two other former national championship qualifiers and five total All-Americans.
ASC had been picked ninth, one spot behind Nebraska-Kearney, in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll that was released earlier this month. Fort Hays State and San Francisco State were picked 10th and 18th, respectively, in that poll while Colorado Mines and Western State each received votes.
ASC's three returning 2005 All-Americans were also ranked individually in that poll. Senior Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.) and sophomore Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) were picked second at 125 and 165 pounds, respectively, while sophomore Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) was picked fifth at 133 pounds.
All three wrestlers and the Grizzlies as a team fared well at Sunday's season-opening Wyoming Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. The Grizzlies had nine wrestlers place in the top four of their respective brackets and crowned four champions, more than any of the other 20-plus schools at the tournament. ASC was the only one of five RMAC schools at the competition to come home with an individual championship. McCabe and Copeland were amongst the group of victors.
Ramstetter will split his squad between open tournaments at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Northern Colorado this Saturday.
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