2013-14 |
WRESTLING
165: Ross Renzi
ROSS RENZI
Ross Renzi was one of three freshman to appear in the starting lineup last year. Renzi went 8-18 and won two bouts by fall. He placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships, and recorded 11 takdedowns, 15 escapes and 39 dual-meet points. “Renzi had a good freshman year. It was a learning experience for him last year and he has responded in all the right ways. He has been putting the time in the room in. You could come in during the summer hearing bad music and see Renzi working out. He has been having a good early season.”
174: Bubba Scheffel
Bubba Scheffel led the Mountaineers with four wins by fall in 201213 and was one of three starters to post a winning record. Scheffel went 12-7 in his first year of competition after transferring from Virginia Tech. His quickest pin came in just 37 seconds. Scheffel earned 57 dual-meet points and recorded 16 takedowns. He placed sixth at the Reno Tournament of Champions and third at the Big 12 Championships. “Bubba wrestled very competitively as a freshman. He is as goal oriented and determined to be a national champion than anyone in the lineup. I told him the story of Sam Kline and how he made a decision to be good when he wasn’t. Bubba took that and would call Greg Jones all summer and gets as much time as he could in the room. Bubba Scheffel will be very successful in the long run.”
184: Mac Mancuso
Mac Mancuso returns to the WVU wrestling program after taking last season away from the sport. Mancuso has posted winning records in each of his two season of competition, including a career-best 18-9 record in 2011-12. He placed at three tournaments, including first at the Washington & Jefferson Tournament, third at the Navy Classic and fifth at the Eastern Wrestling League Championships. “Mac was on the team for a period of time and decided he no longer wanted to wrestle. It was an interesting story because his dad was a wrestling coach and was on scholarship. But I think what happened was he got confused on why he was wrestling. He took a year off and wanted to come back. Since, he has never looked better and he is wrestling for all the right reasons with a lot of purpose.”
197: Leo Trindade
Leo Trindade is the lone true freshman expected to make an appearance in the Mountaineers’ starting lineup. Trindade comes to Morgantown from Billerica, Ma., where he was a two time All-American wrestler and also a standout soccer player. Trindade finished his prep career with 134 wins, including a 99-1 mark over his final two seasons. “Leo is from New England and had a lot of success at the national tournament in high school. He has only wrestled since the middle of ninth grade, and even for a freshman, is not very experienced. He is just an athlete though. He was one of New England’s better soccer players and boxed before he wrestled. There is a lot of upside in Leo, and we will see if he can step in and make a quick adjustment.”
HWT: A.J. Vizcarrondo or Dink Purnell
A.J. Vizcarrondo will move up a weight class from wrestling 197 pounds last season. As a true freshman, Vizcarrondo posted a mark of 6-12, including three victories in dual meets. He competed at the Reno Tournament of Champions, Wolfpack Open and finished fourth at the Big 12 Championships. Dink Purnell comes into 2013-14 as a redshirt freshman. Wrestling unattached last year, Purnell went 9-8 with five pins. His quickest win by fall came in 32 seconds. Purnell is a two-time Delaware state champion and the 2012 FloNational champion. He wrestled his way to a 110-10 career record. “Dink won two state titles and a national tournament. Dink and A.J. wrestled two overtime matches over the summer, and are very even. A.J. was at 197 last year, and we were swimming upstream with him and his weight. We decided that heavyweights are hard to find so we would go with having two in the room and let them battle each other. He is now getting better technically and we will see what happens as they get more competition. “
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