Wrestling Club

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Wrestle Mania
Zach Vardes
Central Florida Future
7/9/2007

Six years ago, the UCF club wrestling team was nothing more than a vision shared only by a select few. Six national championship appearances and two first-place finishes later, the team is rising through the ranks and making a name for themselves, and a big name at that.

Since the team's founding in 2001 as part of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, it has proved to be tough competitors and has competed with some of the top wrestling programs in the country. Yet to miss a national championship, they have consistently placed top 10, including two first-place finishes and, most recently, a second-place finish in the 2007 NCWA National Championship held at the UNI Dome in Dallas in front of a crowd of 15,400 in February.

"The NCWA National Championship is what we work for all season," said senior Paul Rothenberg, an All-American and the team's captain for the past two years. "We are a top team, and we compete like one. We're very competitive and extremely hard-working."

Rothenberg's stellar leadership and performance have made him just the 13th person in the NCWA's 10-year history to earn All-American four times.

During his four appearances at the national championship, Rothenberg placed third as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore, fourth as a junior and second as a senior.

As an engineering major who is on track to graduate, athletics is certainly not the only area he succeeds in. Many of the team's younger members look to him for both athletic and academic advice.

While UCF club wrestling is a fairly new program, wrestling was not always a club sport at UCF. From 1970 to 1986, UCF had a varsity wrestling team funded by the school's athletic department. However, the program was eventually eliminated because of gender equity problems created by Title IX.

Hard work, consistent success and numerous victories are perhaps shaping today's club team into the beginning stages of a dynasty.

Head coach Johnny Rouse, a two-time recipient of the NCWA National College Coach of the Year Award, could not be happier with his team's performance.

"We've certainly had quite a bit of success," Rouse said. "I am very proud of these guys."

Rouse, who has coached the team since its establishment, has quite a bit of wrestling background as it pertains to UCF.

In the late 1970s, Rouse was a member of the UCF Wrestling team and competed in the heavyweight class. Following graduation, Rouse continued to work with the team as an assistant for four more years and later as the head coach for another year.

As with any new club or organization, the UCF Wrestling team has had to overcome many obstacles.

"One major problem in fielding a great team each year is that the top high school wrestlers in the state of Florida choose to go to varsity programs outside of the state," Rouse said. "Also, UCF has become very difficult to gain admission to. Many wrestlers cannot get in based on academic merits alone. Athletes must be students first. We don't just have athletes. We have a group of academically and athletically talented individuals."

Coaches and athletes of the team also admit that there is an obvious disadvantage to being a club team. Club teams do not have access to the facilities that varsity programs have, nor do they have the recruiting capabilities. Funding is also an issue, as club sports are not funded by the athletic department.

"SGA funds about one-third of our budget, and we are very thankful for the support and the amount of funding we get from the Student Government Association," assistant coach Jason Balma said. "They help us a lot."

Despite some of these setbacks, the Knights continue to dominate and have proven themselves a major competitor in collegiate wrestling.

"We compete against many schools, including NCAA programs," Balma said. "We have the top programs in the league, like Grand Valley State, very worried. We are right at their heels."

UCF and Grand Valley State know each other extremely well. Often times these two teams find themselves within just a few points of each other during national championships. It was not long ago that UCF defeated two-time defending champions Grand Valley State to take first in the NCWA National Championship.

Balma feels that much of the team's success is due to how tightly knit the group is.

"It's amazing how close these guys are," he said. "They are family. We live, travel and compete with one another, and that is exactly what we encourage."

While the Knights continue to enjoy their success, there are always things that can be improved.

Many of the athletes would like to see a larger fan base and higher attendance at matches, among other things.

Next season will bring new tasks and challenges for the UCF Wrestling Club team, and with eight returning All-Americans, aspirations are high.

"We are looking for leaders to set an example for the younger members of the team," Balma said. "We also need the younger guys to step up. It's not always athletic performance that makes a team, it's leadership."

The UCF Wrestling program's hard work, dedication and tremendous success both academically and athletically is representative of the very best things about UCF.

Current news and information can be found at the UCF wrestling team's website at www.centralfloridawrestling.-com.