SJU looks to defend Cornell title in
2007
The Johnnies will enjoy the Holiday Break before returning to action at
the Cornell Invitaitional in Mt. Vernon, Iowa on Jan. 5-6. Senior Jacob
Malone and the rest of the Johnnies will look to defend their titles
from last year’s Invite. Malone went 4-0 last year to earn his second
tournament title of the 2005-06 season. Malone is currently ranked #7
in the latest Brute/Adidas NWCA Division III Individual Rankings
released on Dec. 11. Freshman Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St.
Benedict's), ranked #3 nationally at 141 pounds, will look to leave his
mark at his first Cornell Invite in three weeks.
Malone takes third at Husky Open
St. Cloud, Minn. – Senior Jacob Malone (New York Mills, Minn./New York
Mills) was SJU’s top finisher earning third-place honors in the 157-
pound weight class at St. Cloud State’s Husky Open on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Malone pinned St. Cloud State’s John Sundgren at the 3:36 mark of the
match to finish 4-1 on the day.
SJU Head Coach Brandon Novak
Head Coach Brandon Novak is in his third season as the head wrestling
coach in Collegeville. A 2001 graduate of SJU, Novak won the NCAA
Division III Championship at 197 pounds in 2001 and was a three-time
All-American. As a football player at SJU, Novak was named MIAC Most
Valuable Player as a linebacker in 1999 and a first-team All- America
selection. Last year, Novak led the Johnnie grapplers to a 16th place
finish at the NCAA Championships. In 2005-06, Novak's SJU wrestling
team had the fifth-highest team grade point average in NCAA Division
III at 3.334.
For all the latest news on Johnnie Wrestling and other SJU sports,
visit the Saint John’s athletic Web site at www.gojohnnies.com