Navy Introduces Highly-Touted Rookie Class of Wrestlers

This year's freshman class features a combined 20 state titles.

	Rising sophomore Luke Rebertus won 36 matches, just one shy of the school record for most wins by a rookie.

Aug. 3, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Tenth-year Navy wrestling coach Bruce Burnett and his staff have assembled one of the top recruiting classes not only on the East Coast, but on a national level as well. Navy's Class of 2013, which features 18 young men who have captured a combined 20 state titles, is ranked 21st by D1CollegeWrestling.net. Additionally, Navy is one of four EIWA members who are listed among the rankings, joining defending EIWA champion Cornell (No. 10), Lehigh (No. 19) and Bucknell (No. 23).

"There is no doubt in my mind that we have brought in one of the best classes we've had since I've been at the Academy," said Burnett. "We strive to bring in the best all-around student-athlete year in and year out to continue to make the competition in our wrestling room stronger. That in turn helps each of our young wrestlers to develop, compete and succeed on a national level."

Navy Wrestling Class of 2013
Name               Wt.    Hometown / HS        Highlights
Jared Anongos      125    Richmond, Va.        State Champion, 4-Time Placewinner (6th, 4th, 3rd, 1st)
Eric Flipowicz     133    Elkridge, Md.        State Champion, 2-Time National Prep Placewinner
Ben Levin          133    Reisterstown, Md.    State Champion, 4-Time Placewinner (4th, 4th, 2nd, 1st)
Ray Seese          141    Alto, Mich.          2-Time Placewinner (7th, 6th)
Bobby Barnhisel    149    River Forest, Ill.   2-Time State Champion, 3-Time Placewinner (5th, 1st, 1st)
			                       2-Time Cadet Freestyle All-American
Tyler White        157    Thurmont, Md.        State Finalist, 2-Time Placewinner (5th, 2nd)
Zach Basich        157    Wheeling, W.Va.      2-Time State Champion, 4-Time Placewinner (4th, 2nd, 1st, 1st)
Rich Jackson       157    Rising Sun, Md.      3-Time State Champion, 4-Time Placewinner (3rd, 1st, 1st, 1st)
Zach White         165    Thurmont, Md.        State Finalist, 2-Time Placewinner (3rd, 2nd)
Jacob Schalles     165    Oviedo, Fla.         State Finalist, NWCA Champion
Mason Bailey       174    Fairmont, W.Va.      2-Time State Champion, 3-Time Finalist, 4-Time Placewinner
			                       Dutton Award recipient (top senior in W.Va.)
Andrew Buck        174    Carson, Wash.        National Champion, 2-Time State Finalist, 3-Time High School All-American
Oscar Huntley      174    Stafford, Va.        State Champion, 4-Time Prep Placewinner (5th, 3rd, 4th, 1st)
Ben Hatef          184    Bowie, Md.           4th / 3rd at Prep Nationals, 2nd at Maryland State Championship
Nick Hylton        184    Eccles, W.Va.        2-Time State Champion, 4-Time Placewinner, NWCA Champion
Chance Rauscher    197    Glasgow, Mont.       2-Time State Champion, 4-Time Placewinner (5th, 3rd, 1st, 1st)
Daniel Miller      285    Berlin, Md.          2-Time State Champion
Sam Cervantes      285    Poway, Calif.        State Champion, 2-Time Finalist, 2-Time Freestyle Finalist

After putting together back-to-back-to-back top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championship for the first time in better than 20 years, wrestling and its support at the Naval Academy is on the rise. Last spring 133-pound Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) and 149-pound Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) not only claimed EIWA titles, both found themselves on the podium at the NCAA Championship. After becomming just the fifth wrestler in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championship all four years, Baker became the 15th different Naval Academy wrestler to achieve All-America status multiple times in his career.

Saddoris, meanwhile, enters his junior campaign ranked 25th on the Mids' career win list with a two-year mark of 78-20. The 78 wins shattered the school record for matches won over a wrestler's first two seasons, breaking the previous record of 59 wins by Greg Gingeleskie during the 1996 and '97 seasons. Having finished the 2009 campaign with a 43-8 record, he became just the fourth different wrestler in program history to reach 40 wins in a season. He was only one shy of tying the all-time record set by Mark Conley in 2002 and later tied by Matt Stolpinski in 2007.

In addition to becoming an All-American and winning his first EIWA individual title, one of Saddoris' biggest accomplishments of the 2009 campaign was being named the recipient of the The Coaches Trophy, awarded at the conclusion of the EIWA Tournament to the championship's most valuable wrestler. It's just the ninth time a Navy wrestler has received the award and the first time since Scott Kelly earned the award in 1987.

With Saddoris and 2009 NCAA qualifier Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) headlining the list of returning letterwinners for the Midshipmen, combined with fresh new talent that has already gotten the prognosticators' attention, the future of Navy wrestling looks bright. The 2009-10 Navy Wrestling Plebe Smoker will be held Aug. 12 at Halsey Field House beginning at 7:00 pm for those fans interested in getting their first glimpse of the Navy newcomers. Meanwhile, pencil in Oct. 30 as Navy's annual Blue-Gold Challenge Matches.

### Go Navy ###