April 1, 2004
2008-2009 Season - 2003-04 WRESTLING REVIEW
2003-04 WRESTLING REVIEW
Vikings win CCIW title for seventh consecutive year and 36th time in school history; Aaron Granell wins fourth straight league title at 197 pounds and finishes as 10th on Augustana all-time victory list
Some things never change and Augustana’s continued excellence in the sport of wrestling certainly fits into that category. In the 2003-04 season the Vikings of fourth year head coach Pat Marsh didn’t miss a beat, posting an impressive 15-5 dual meet record and winning the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin team title for the seventh straight year. It was the 36th CCIW team championship for the Vikings since winning the first one in 1963.
The Blue & Gold won the Elmhurst Invitational, finished second in the Dick Walker Knights Invitational and the Cornell Invitational. Augustana also placed second in the NCAA Great Lakes Invitational at the end of the year, losing only to Augsburg, which would later take second in the NCAA Division III national tournament.
As is usually the case at Augustana, the Vikings were a model of balance and depth with nine of the 10 starters recording at least 20 victories and seven of those eclipsing the 30 win plateau.
Senior Aaron Granell (J.D. Darnall HS, Geneseo, IL) etched his name in both the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin and Augustana College record books en route to leading the Vikings to their seventh straight CCIW team title. Granell won the 197 pound weight class in the 2004 CCIW tournament on Saturday, February 14 at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. It was his fourth consecutive 197 pound conference title, making him just the 13th wrestler in league history to win four straight championships. Of those 13 wrestlers with four CCIW titles, nine have been from Augustana.
Augustana won the team title with 91.5 points, beating Millikin by 13 points. North Central was third with 64, Elmhurst took fourth with 56.5 and Wheaton was fifth with 11. North Park, Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage did not compete. It was the seventh straight team championship for the Vikings and the 36th in school history since 1963.
Head coach Pat Marsh, who has led Augustana to the last four of those league titles, watched as his team compiled three other individual champs besides Granell. The Vikings showed incredible balance with four thirds and two seconds to go along with the four champions. Joining Granell on the winner’s stand were sophomore Larry Amedio (DeLaSalle HS, Chicago, IL) at 141, freshman Ryan McMurray (Lyons Township HS, Willow Springs, IL) at 149 and sophomore Brian Daly (DeLaSalle HS, Chicago, IL) at 165. It was the first title for Amedio and McMurray while Daly won for the second straight year, although he moved up from taking the 157 pound weight class last year.
Granell would eventually end his career with a four year record of 118-43, good enough to move him into 10th place on the school’s all-time victory list.
Amedio and Daly were joined by senior Pat Healy (Fenwick HS, Riverside, IL) at 184 pounds and sophomore 125 pounder Dan Stanton (Lincoln Way HS, New Lenox, IL) as NCAA Division III national meet qualifiers.
Daly led the team in victories with a fine record of 42-7, moving him into a tie for 11th place on the school’s single season victory list with Chris Casey (42-4 in 1982-83) and Pat McMahon (42-6 in 1983-84). Also moving into the top 20 was Amedio, who finished 38-15 is now in 20th place. Others who topped the 30 win mark were McMurray (36-15), Granell (35-12), freshman heavyweight Joel Miller (35-13), Healy (35-16) and Stanton (33-12).
Marsh finished his fourth year as the head coach and he is now 47-21-2 in dual meets. His Vikings have won four consecutive CCIW titles and he has coached 15 individual champions and three NCAA All-Americans.
2004 COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, February 14, 2004 *** Decatur, Illinois @ Millikin University
WT | CHAMPION | SECOND | THIRD | FOURTH |
125 | Jim Fascetta, Millikin D 4-3 | Dan Stanton, Augustana | Mike Reese, Elmhurst D 10-7 | Kyle Anderson, North Central |
133 | Brian Taylor, North Central D 9-3 | Jeff Kastel, Elmhurst | Leo Byrd, Augustana D 5-3 | Phil Davidson, Millikin |
141 | Larry Amedio, Augustana D 8-2 | Justin Edwards, Millikin | Noah Fitzenreider, No Cent D 17-1 | Chris Moody, Elmhurst |
149 | Ryan McMurray, Augustana D 14-1 | Rob Roots, Millikin | Matt Kuschert, Elmhurst D 15-3 | Greg Clodfelter, North Central |
157 | Rick Lamas, Elmhurst F 2:02 | Jacob Rodriguez, Millikin | Mike Kerr, Augustana D 7-1 | Eric Foster, North Central |
165 | Brian Daly, Augustana D 7-2 | Bobby Gingerich, North Central | Shaun Miller, Millikin D 4-3 | Cortez Watson, Elmhurst |
174 | Ryan Aldrich, North Central D 4-2 | Jeremy Mosier, Millikin | Nate Demus, Augustana D 3-0 | Brian Hirt, Wheaton |
184 | Matt Sassolino, Elmhurst D 8-3 | Joe Krugler, Millikin | Pat Healy, Augustana D 5-3 | Nick VanSomeren, Wheaton |
197 | Aaron Granell, Augustana D 5-2 | Justin Ruggio, North Central | Mike Mays, Millikin 7-2 | Nick Metcalf, Elmhurst |
285 | Bryan Morgan, Millikin D 11-6 | Joel Miller, Augustana | David Schultz, North Central D 2-0 | Carl Young, Elmhurst |
2004 AUGUSTANA SUPERLATIVES
NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL MEET QUALIFIERS: Dan Stanton, 125…Larry Amedio, 141…Brian Daly, 165…Pat Healy, 184.
CCIW CHAMPIONS: Larry Amedio, 141…Ryan McMurray, 149…Brian Daly, 165…Aaron Granell, 197.
FOUR TIME CCIW CHAMPION: Aaron Granell at 197 pounds…13th wrestler in CCIW history to win four straight individual titles.
CCIW
AUGUSTANA TOP TEN C
INDIVIDUAL TOP TWENTY VICTORY LIST: Brian Daly 42-7 moves into tie for 11th place and Larry Amedio at 38-15 is in a tie for 20th place.
OUTSTANDING WRESTLER AT UW-LACROSSE TOURNAMENT: Brian Daly @ 165 pounds.
INDIVIDUAL INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Wisconsin-Stevens Point Open – 11/08 (Joel Miller @ 285 pounds)…Dubuque Open – 11/15 (Larry Amedio @ 141 pounds)…Cornell Invitational – 01/10 (Aaron Granell @ 197 pounds)…Elmhurst Invitational – 01/31 (Brian Daly @ 165 pounds & Aaron Granell @ 197 pounds).
