Oct. 30, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

With a diverse lineup of a few solid veterans and mostly talented newcomers, the 2000-2001 season promises to be an exciting one for the Wyoming wrestling team.

Wyoming returns four starters off of last year's 8-8 squad, meaning that there will be new faces in six of the ten weight classes for the Pokes. This would be cause for concern for most, but Wyoming head coach Steven Suder is anxious to start the season. "Anytime that you start a season after losing six senior starters off of your team it's a little worrisome," said Suder. "With that, we feel real comfortable with our first tier of guys who will step in and replace them. But as comfortable as we are with them, we realize that a lot of them are real young and really untested."

The Pokes will rely heavily upon five returning lettermen in Craig Rumsey, Steven Schenk, Mark Hamrick, Brad Steele and Kelly McConville. Those five will be looked to for wins and guidance as the Cowboys break in their new starters.

Leading the way for Wyoming will be Rumsey and Schenk. "Guys are already looking to those two for leadership," said Suder. Rumsey and Schenk are the only seniors on the Cowboy roster this season, and each is very capable of having an outstanding year.

Rumsey had a record of 23-13 last season, including five pins and a 10-6 dual match record. The native of Norfolk, Neb., has won 59 matches as a Cowboy and will look to return to the NCAA Championships, where he qualified in 1998-99. Rumsey will again man the 197 pound spot, where he has been solid for two years.

Schenk will return to the 174 pound weight class, where he went 10-6 last year. Schenk had five pins and two technical falls in his ten victories. During the 1998-99 season, Schenk went 22-12 and qualified for the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish at the WAC Championships. With his experience and talent, Schenk could be in line for a great finish to his Cowboy career. "Steven worked his tail off all summer long," said Suder. "He knows he has one year to make it all happen, and that has been very encouraging."

Hamrick enters his third season as a starter after improving by leaps and bounds his sophomore year. The Wheatland, Wyo., native will again be the man at 149 pounds, the class he has held down for two years. "I felt like he made lots of progress last year and he's come back with the same attitude," said Suder. Hamrick won 17 matches last year and will be counted on to help lead the Cowboys as a junior.

At heavyweight the Pokes will again look to Brad Steele. Steele, a sophomore from St. James, Minn., gained lots of valuable experience during the 1999-2000 season. Steele went 19-16 as a freshman, including five pins and three major decisions. With a year of experience under his belt, Steele could mature into one of the better heavyweights in recent memory at Wyoming.

McConville will likely step in at 133 pounds, a class that was a strength last year with standout Corey Hamrick. "Those are some tough shoes to fill for anyone," said Suder. "Yet we feel good with Kelly in there and two or three talented guys behind him." A junior from Osseo, Minn., McConville had a record of 7-6 last season in the 141 pound weight class. As a freshman, McConville won 14 matches for the Pokes, showing steady improvement.

The remainder of the lineup will be filled with a number of very exciting newcomers. Among these newcomers are Levi Prevost, Matt Westenfelder, Kevin Kessner, Steve Cordova, Richie Cordova, E.K. Waldhaus and Justin Salas.

Prevost, Westenfelder and Kessner are all redshirt freshman who will expected to step into a starting spot. The three are a very talented group that will undoubtedly be exciting to watch. Each one could do some great things in the Wyoming school colors.

Prevost, at 157 pounds, and Westenfelder, at 165 pounds, should move into the lineup as freshman. "These are two redshirt freshman who are talented and hungry," said Suder. Prevost and Westenfelder will team with junior Justin Christenson in giving the Pokes three promising performers in these two weights.

Kessner, a native of Rock Springs, Wyo., will likely be the starter for Wyoming at 184 pounds. Kessner was impressive in open tournament action last year, and was named "Rookie of the Year" in the Cowboy program. "It will be an adjustment year for him, but he'll welcome that challenge," said Suder.

Richie Cordova, Waldhaus and Salas are all true freshman who could see some mat time for the Pokes. Richie Cordova comes to Wyoming as a two-time Utah state champion at 130 pounds, and he is projected to wrestle at 133 or 141 for Wyoming. Waldhaus is a two-time Colorado state champion, including a 36-0 record his senior year, and will wrestle in the 174 pound class this season. Salas comes to UW from Green River, Wyo., where he won two state championships. Salas will compete at 165 pounds.

Steve Cordova, Richie's older brother, is a transfer from Northwestern University. Steve was a starter for the Wildcats during his freshman season at 125 pounds. In high school, Cordova was a three-time Utah state champion and earned three state MVP awards. Due to his transfer status, Cordova will not be eligible until January and is a redshirt possibility.

The only real question marks heading into the season are at 125 and 141. In the 141 pound weight class the Cowboys have three guys who could step up in Thad Trujillo, Paul Turco and Chad Plummer. "We don't know who will rise to the top at 141, but we know enough about each of them to feel good about however it shakes out," said Suder.

At 125, Wyoming could go a couple of different routes. Steve Cordova could step in mid-season when he becomes eligible or it could likely be a battle between junior John Faczak and true freshmen Reynold Candelaria and J.W. Lazzari for the spot.

Although there are a couple of positions that are unsettled heading into the season, Suder, who enters his twelfth year as Cowboy head coach, is pleased with the direction of his program. "In six of our ten weight classes we are two deep with guys we feel very good about. We haven't been to that point for quite a while."

The last two recruiting classes appear to have been real coupes for the Pokes. The addition of a number of outstanding talents to an already strong core of veterans have the Wyoming wrestling program on the brink of something special. "It's possible that the talent we have in the wrestling room this year might be a notch or two above where it's ever been," said Suder.

In front of the Cowboys is a schedule as challenging as any in the country. Wyoming will face the likes of Nebraska, Boise State, Oklahoma, Northern Iowa and Fresno State in dual action. Also on the schedule is area rival Air Force and the always tough Las Vegas Invitational. "The schedule was designed with our team in mind," said Suder. "The way to give our younger guys some confidence isn't to bring in teams where we're going to win every time. We need to wrestle teams like Oklahoma, Nebraska and Fresno State. I think it's a great schedule and one where our guys will really grow."

Kicking the season off is the Cowboy Open on Nov. 12 in Laramie. UW will host a number of Division I, Division II and junior college teams in War Memorial Fieldhouse in one of the top early season tournaments. "It's a good first competition in that there will be a diverse group of athletes there," said Suder.

UW and Laramie will also serve as host to the West Regional on March 3. This is the NCAA qualifying tournament for Wyoming and five other teams, Air Force, Fresno State, Eastern Illinois, Marquette and Northern Iowa. "We'll be in front of the home crowd which will be exciting for our guys," said Suder. "The best thing about it is that it will be a first-class, well-run tournament, that's the way things are around here."