Wrestling Heads To 37th Annual Cowboy Open
Lets Get It Started
Northern Colorado will compete in the 37th annual Cowboy
Open, hosted by the University of Wyoming, on Saturday. The
tournament will have two divisions, amateur and elite, with 10
weight classes in each division. Senior Tony Mustari will be
attempting to win his third-straight title at 125 pounds, while
sophomore Tanner Weiks will also try to defend his title at 157
pounds.
A Small Start
Four wrestlers got their seasons started a little early,
competing at the 2009 Northwest Open, hosted by Northwest College.
Sophomore Casey Cruz won the title at 141 pounds, posting a 5-0
record. Redshirt freshman Jacob Milewski also wrestled at 141
pounds tallying a mark of 1-2 in his first event for the Bears.
Sophomore Brandon Kammerzell posted a 4-2 record at 174 pounds en
route to a fourth-place finish. His first two victories of the day
were by fall, including one in just 0:53, the fastest pin of his
career. Senior David Alvarez, in his first tournament for the Bears
went 2-2 at heavyweight including a pin in 2:31. Five wrestlers
also competed unattached at the tournament, led by Justin Gonzalez'
third-place finish at 149 pounds.
Switching Gears
Senior David Alvarez returns to the sport of wrestling
after spending four years on the gridiron at Colorado College.
Alvarez is working on his graduate degree at Northern Colorado and
has one remaining year of eligibility. He also joins his younger
sister, Annita, who is a freshman on the track & field team for
the Bears.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Seniors Kenny Hashimoto (141 pounds), Tony Mustari (125
pounds) and sophomore Casey Cruz (133 pounds) have been named team
captains for the 2009-10 season.
Changing of the Guard
After spending 21 years as the head coach at Northern
Colorado, Jack Maughan announced his retirement this summer and
handed the reins of the program, at least temporarily, over to Ben
Cherrington. A 2006 NCAA champion at Boise State, Cherrington has
been the assistant coach at Northern Colorado the past two years
and was named the interim head coach for the 2009-10 season.
Maughan is still a part of the department of athletics however, as
he is the director of development.
Searching For A Fourth
Senior 125-pounder Tony Mustari begins his final campaign
in hopes of a fourth-straight NCAA appearance. The Bears have two
others on the roster who have advanced to the NCAA Championship in
senior Kenny Hashimoto (141 pounds) and junior Justin Gaethje (157
pounds). Sophomore Mitchell Polkowske also went to the NCAAs a year
ago, but is serving a church mission for the next two years.
Preseason Respect
In the preseason W.I.N. poll, Tony Mustari ranks 17th at
125-pounds. The senior is also ranked 19th in the InterMat
Preseason Poll, while fellow senior Kenny Hashimoto is ranked 12th
at 141-pounds. Mustari begins his senior season with 75 victories
and a record of 74-25, while Hashimoto is 49-12.
Tough Schedule
Northern Colorado will compete against several of the
toughest teams in the nation this season as they host #5 Minnesota
(Dec. 13, 3 pm) and #6 Oklahoma State (Jan. 29, 1 pm) as well as
compete at #7 Nebraska (Jan. 31, 1 pm) and compete in the Northeast
Collegiate Duals, the Cliff Keen Invitational and the Stanford
Duals.
