2008-09 College Results
St. Cloud State Captures First Place at Menlo Invitational
January 4, 2009
ATHERTON, Calif. – St. Cloud State University
wrestling brought home the team championship from the Menlo College
Invitational on Sunday, Jan. 4. The tournament was held in Atherton,
Calif. inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion.
St. Cloud State’s John Sundgren (Blaine) was named Most Outstanding
Lightweight Wrestler after taking the title at 157-pounds. Sundgren was
one of six individual champs for the Huskies at the tournament, while
SCSU also saw two of its wrestlers claim second at the meet.
The Huskies notched 184 team points at the tournament, while Southern
Oregon was second with 163 points. Host Menlo College placed third with
101 points, and Cal State-Bakersfield was fourth with 96.5 points. The
field was completed by San Francisco State (94.5), Embry-Riddle (82),
Burnaby Mountain WC (45.5), Douglas (27.5), Simon Fraser (27), Central
(20) and San Jose State (6).
The tournament featured six programs that received votes in the most
recent national rankings. Southern Oregon (No. 2), Menlo (No. 8),
Embry-Riddle (No. 11), and Simon Fraser (No. 17) are all in the latest
NAIA Coaches’ Poll while St. Cloud State (No. 12) and San Francisco
State (others receiving votes) are in the latest NCAA Div. II Poll.
Sundgren posted three pins on the way to the championship bout at
157-pounds. He completed his trip to California with a 14-7 win over
Tommy Hooper of Southern Oregon.
At 133-pounds, SCSU's Josh Williams capped a perfect day at Menlo with
a 6-4 win over Raj Virdi of the Burnaby Mountain Wrestlng club in the
title bout. At 141-pounds, Gabe Suarez gained a 7-5 win over Ben
Lockett of San Francisco State in the championship match.
At 149-pounds, Jake Roberts brought back a second place finish for the
Huskies. He had a 3-1 record, which included two pinfall victories. In
the title match, Roberts lost a tough 7-5 decision against Tyler Chang
of Embry Riddle. At 165-pounds, Tad Merritt was another SCSU champion
as he gained a 3-1 victory over Robert Davis of Menlo College in the
title bout. Merritt notched two pins along the way to the title.
At 174-pounds, Derek Skala earned top honors for the Huskies with a 7-3
victory in the championship match against Southern Oregon's Shaun
Ceremello. Skala also had two pins on the way to his appearance in the
title bout at 174-pounds. SCSU's Lucas Munkelwitz brought home the
Huskies' final title with a first place finish at 197-pounds. He
charted a pin at 4:30 against Ali Al-Rekabi of Simon Fraser in the
championship match.
At 184-pounds, SCSU's Brad Padgett placed second in tournament action.
He lost a tough 3-2 match against Southern Oregon's Chris Piatt in the
championship match at 184-pounds. Of note, Pat Levasseur posted a 2-2
record at 125-pounds at the tournament, while Bobby Ross was 0-2 in
action at heavyweight for the Huskies.
The Huskies will continue their season on Jan. 10-11, with a trip to the Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
2009 Menlo Invitational Team Results
1. St. Cloud State, 184
2. Southern Oregon, 163
3. Menlo, 101
4. Cal State-Bakersfield, 96.5
5. San Francisco State, 94.5
6. Embry-Riddle, 82
7. Burnaby Mountain W.C., 45.5
8. Douglas, 27.5
9. Simon Fraser, 27
10. Central, 20
11. San Jose State, 6
Individual Brackets (pdf)
