High School - Duke University Athletics

Season Outlook
After losing five Atlantic Coast Conference placers from last year’s team, the
2005-06 season will be a rebuilding year for Duke wrestling. However, an
impressive freshman class will begin their first year in the Duke wrestling
program as the Blue Devils seem poised to continue their emergence in ACC
wrestling.
Burlington, Mass., native placed second in the VMI Keydet Invitational at
141 pounds and competed in the ACC Tournament at 157 pounds.
Weisberg went 10-11 last year, competing at both 149 and 157 pounds.
Freshman Ben Wales, a two-time all-state selection from Otsego, Mich.,
will also challenge for the starting spot.
With two state champions and three state runner-up finishers entering their
first year with the Blue Devils, Duke wrestling will look to its freshman class
to make an immediate impact on the season. “This will be a rebuilding year
for Duke wrestling but we have a strong freshman class that will step in and
fill any void,” said Duke Head Coach Clar Anderson.
As ACC wrestling teams continue to improve and emerge on the national
wrestling scene, the Blue Devils face a tough conference schedule in 2005-
06. “The new coaches in the conference have landed some of the top
recruiting classes in the country,” Coach Anderson said. “There will be
improved competition in our conference this year. We expect the ACC
schedule will be a tough test for us but I think that we will be as competitive
as ever.”
A look at each weight class:
125
Sophomore Kellan McKeon, who
went 8-13 as a freshman, returns for his
second season at Duke. Coach Anderson
said, “I am excited that Kellan has
had a chance to lift weights and grow
into this weight class. He is a very
technical wrestler and I expect him to
have a good year.” McKeon was a
two-time state champion in high school.
133
Junior Bryan Gibson returns at 133
pounds this year, after going 34-14 during his sophomore campaign. The
Tulsa, Okla., native finished fourth at the ACC Tournament, third in the Penn
Keystone Classic and fourth at the UNC Pembroke Open last season. His
34 wins in 2005 rank first all-time among single-season records at Duke. “Now
that Bryan is an upperclassman, I expect his maturity to significantly benefit
his competitiveness,” Anderson said. Freshman Michael Degli Obizzi, a
two-time Delaware state champion, looks to add significant depth at this weight
class and will compete with Gibson for the starting spot.
141
The 141-pound weight class appears to be the deepest weight class for
the Blue Devils this season. Sophomore Wes Kuser went 19-6 during his
freshman year which was highlighted by a first-place finish in the VMI Keydet
Invitational. Senior Philip Wightman posted a 6-6 mark during his junior
season after missing his entire sophomore year rehabbing a knee injury. A
four-time state champion from Omaha, Neb., Wightman is expected to
challenge for the starting spot. Junior Antwone Floyd, a two-time high school
state champion who Anderson said is one of the more gifted wrestlers on the
team, looks to improve in his third season at Duke after posting a 12-9 mark
during his sophomore campaign. Floyd finished fourth in the ACC Tournament
last season.
149
Juniors Dan Shvartsman and Zach Weisberg return to compete for the
starting spot in the 149-pound weight class. After posting a team-high 31 wins
and finishing third in the ACC Tournament in 2003-04, Shvartsman compiled
a 15-11 record in 2004-05, competing at 141, 149 and 157 pounds. The
157
The 157-pound weight class appears to be open this year with senior
Brandon Foose, junior Adam Lesser and freshmen Cameron Harms and
Addison Nuding all competing for the starting spot for the Blue Devils. Foose
was 2-6 during his junior year after an 8-15 sophomore season while Lesser
posted a 7-9 mark last season, highlighted by a second-place finish in the VMI
Keydet Invitational. Harms, a Blue Springs, Mo., native, was a two-time
runner-up in the Missouri state championships at Blue Springs High School.
Nuding, who finished second in the Pennsylvania state championships as a
senior, is a two-time all-state selection out of Reading, Pa.
2 Duke Blue Devil Wrestling 2005-06
165
After posting a 7-3 record at 174 pounds
last year, senior Scott Doerr is expected
to drop down to compete at the 165-pound
weight class in 2005-06. Doerr will be
challenged for the starting spot by freshman
Joe Danfield, who was a three-time
all-conference selection at Camden Catholic
High School in Cherry Hill, N.J. Redshirt
freshman Aaron Glover, a former Georgia
state champion, is also expected to
compete for the starting spot.
174
Senior Levi Craig, who won the ACC
title as a sophomore, is looking to repeat
as conference champion in 2005-06.
Craig, who compiled a 23-12 mark
during his junior season for the Blue Devils, will be challenged by junior
Rick Lindquist, redshirt freshman Turner Rooney and freshmen Tad
Anderson and John Barone for the starting spot. Rooney was 4-2 in
his first season at Duke, competing at 174 pounds. Barone, a two-time
state runner-up at William Floyd High School in Shirley, N.Y., and
Anderson, a Raleigh, N.C., native, look to add depth to the 174-pound
weight class.
184
With the departure of two-time ACC champion Frank Cornely, the 184-
pound weight class is wide open this season. Redshirt freshman Dan Fox,
who was 9-7 last year, and redshirt freshman Dan Tulley, who went 5-3 last
season, look to compete with incoming freshman Mike Toomey for the starting
spot.
197
Junior Patrick Keenum, who was 3-4 last year, and sophomore Konrad
Dudziak look to compete for the starting spot at 197 pounds. Dudziak,
Poland’s Under-21 National Champion, was 10-7 during his freshman
season that included a first-place finish in the VMI Keydet Invitational.
285
Freshmen Wade Van Sickle and Mike Tunick will compete for the starting
spot in the heavyweight division. Van Sickle was the Ohio state champion
during an undefeated 48-0 senior season at Liberty City High School last
year. Tunick is a two-time all-state selection out of Annandale, Va., who placed
fifth in the state championships his junior and senior years.