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Seminole Invitational
Jason Balma
02 /09/2008
UCF Wins Seminole Invitational
2008 Seminole Invitational
In a dominating performance, the Knights finished the 2008 Seminole Invitational with a first place team finish over Darton College and University of Florida, respectively. The tournament was the Knight's last regular season competition and served as an excellent launching point to begin their post-season training. At 133 lbs. freshmen Steve DeAugustino continued his relentless season long drive to finish the tournament 3-0. Like DeAugustino, freshmen TJ Gillin represented former high school, Flagler Palm Coast, well with a stellar 3-0 performance. At 149 lbs. Team Captain Rob McCarty finished 3-0 a technical fall, a pin, and a decision in the finals over Darton College's Corey Wilson. At 157 lbs. Mike Lemieux swept through the bracket with 2 first period pins and a major decision to finish in first place. At 184 lbs. Team Captain Zach Sanford also finished the tournament 3-0 with two pins and a forfeit over teammate Richard Rippy in the finals. Sanford finished his regular season competition with a stellar record of 39-4 with 32 pins and is currently the NCWA's all weight classes point leader. At 197 lbs. Danny Fernandez also finished the tournament with a first place finish scoring 2 pins and a decision over FGCU's Nathan Behrent in the finals. At 235 lbs. Brian Pierson also finished as tournament champion, defeating teammate Daniel Rowe 1-0 in the finals. At 285 lbs. Jesse Pinson finished as tournament champion scoring all pins through the tournament.
The Knights now prepare for their conference tournament on March 1, hosted by Darton College in Albany, GA.
2008 Doug Cherry Invitational
...GVSU Laker Open
Sometimes adversity presents itself in strange fashions. Upon arriving in the Chicago airport, the UCF wrestling team found that their connecting flight to Allentown, PA was cancelled and there would be no rescheduling until the following morning (too late to make the Doug Cherry tournament). Instead of heading back to Orlando without seeing a match, the team made immediate adjustments and rearranged their trip to attend the Laker Open hosted by returning NCWA national champions Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI. While the Doug Cherry has always been a turning point in the Knights' wrestling season, overcoming this adversity will certainly pay dividends in the long run. Stay tuned for upcoming results.
At the completion of the tournament, the Knights finished with one tournament champion (184 lbs. Zach Sanford), 4 finalists (141 lbs. TJ Gillin, 174 lbs. CJ Hauser, 184 lbs. Richard Rippy, 197 lbs. Danny Fernandez), 3 third place finishes (125 lbs. Federico Carosio, 149 lbs. Rob McCarty, 235 lbs. Brian Pierson), and 2 fourth place finishes (125 lbs. Frito Cherenfant, 285 lbs. Jesse Pinson). In addition to winning the tournament, Zach Sanford improved his record to 36-4 with 19 pins to become the NCWA's top ranked point leader.
The tournament proved to be an excellent benchmark in preparation for the conference tournament in Albany, GA and the NCWA National Championships held in Lakeland, FL March 13-15.