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LVAC Head Coach Jason Kutz has been invited to serve as co-coach and team leader with Bill Zadick for an American team which train and compete in Turkey and Iran next month.
Kutz will be at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from January 25-28 to assist in the pre-trip training camp in preparation for the tour. He will then return February 3-6 for the Dave Schultz Memorial tournament to also coach Lehigh Valley Athletic Club entries. After returning home, he’ll leave from Bethlehem to go to Turkey and Iran between February 9 to 21.
Kutz (a 2003 World Military Champion) and Zadick (a 2x NCAA champion for Iowa and 2006 World Champion) will be accompanying the following international level team delegation to include former Pitt champ and current LVAC assistant, Keith Gavin:
Dlagnev was this team’s top place winner internationally last year with a 2009 Bronze at the World Freestyle Championships; he also won a World University title in 2008, with Gavin placing third there; Hasseman placed 14th at last July’s Golden Grand Prix and Scott placed 24th at the Junior World Championships in 2006.
Check back with us here on the LVAC website, as well as the USA Wrestling site (at www.themat.com) for updated details.
Keith Gavin of the LVAC joins a nine-team wrestling contingent looking to add to their international experience
LVAC Head Coach, Jason Kutz, summed it up after the New York Athletic Club’s Annual Holiday Tournament. “It was definitely fun to watch and coach. That Corey Jantzen (3rd at 145.5) is one hell of a wrestler. That kid has some awesome skill and isn't afraid of anything. He hit some of the best throws I have seen in a long time against the Russian for third.”
66 kg/145.5-COREY JANTZEN(4-1, 3rd place)
W dec. 1-0,2-1 Teyon Ware (Nittany Lion WC)
WBF 1-1, 1:11 Todd Meneely (Maverick WC)
L dec. 1-1,1-3,1-3 Kohei Fujimoto (Japan) - 3rd Jr Worlds ('05); 11th World Univ
W dec. 8-1,4-2 Will Rowe (Underdog WC)
WBF 1:09 Vladimir Vilmov (Russia) - 2005 Jr European Champion
“And Pat Cummins, well, he's just an athlete. He’ll improve quickly, once he gets back in the game full time. His second place was not a bad showing for him at 211, considering his time off from competition, his first action since the 2008 Olympic Trials (where Pat placed 4th at 264).
96 kg/211.5 -PAT CUMMINS (3-1; 2nd place)
WTF 8-1,7-0 Eric Feunekes (Canada Black Bears) - Jr Pan Am 1,2 ('08, '09)
WTF 6-0,6-0 Robert Rivera (NYAC)
W dec. 2-0,0-1,1-0 Korey Jarvis (Guelph, Canada), 3rd at '09 Pan Am Championships
L dec. 1-1,0-4 Magomed Magomedov (Russia)
Kutz continued, “Matt Valenti also is finding the "lure" of big move throws as he threw Taoka all over the place for third. A good bout considering the result of the quarter final match.
60 kg/132 - MATT VALENTI (4-1; 3rd place)
W 4-3,3-0 Vince Cormier (Canada Black Bears)
L dec. 1-5,1-2 Hidenori Taoka (Japan) - 3rd, Asian Games; 23rd, '06 Worlds
W dec. 1-0,1-0 Lou Ruggirello (unatt/Hofstra)
W dec. 1-4,2-1,4-3 Derek Moore (Sunkist Kids WC) - '07 NCAA OW
W dec. 5-0,3-1 Taoka (Japan) for 3rd place
(Valenti avenged Moore from Sunkist Open and – at right --Taoka in NYAC re-match)
Both Jantzen and Cummins faced Russians in their final bouts. Corey’s win by fall for third place to finish 4-1 on the day was particularly impressive, since Vilmov had just got done demolishing the US chances at 60 KG in all three of the USA v. Russia dual meets last week (no weigh-ins, though).
LVAC newcomer, Mark McKnight (former NCAA 4th for PSU), sprained an AC joint in his shoulder and had to withdraw after one bout. Joey Rivera made a last minute call to be present to help oversee his ESU Open all day Saturday (not a decision he was happy about, but one that was for the best). Keith Gavin is still looking to come completely outta’ his shell at his new weight of 185 and Mike Poeta needs definite work on the par terre position.
84 kg/185 lb - KEITH GAVIN at NYAC
L dec. 0-1,3-5 Chris Weidman (NYAC)
WTF 6-0,6-0 Milan Fenda (unattached)
L dec. 0-1,0-1 Rustam Chsiev (unattached)
(Size matters: at left, Gavin, 174 lb NCAA 2,1 in ’07-08 faces NCAA 3,6 at 197, Weidman, Hofstra, ’06,’07)
74 kg/163 lb - MIKE POETA (1-2)
L dec. 1-1,0-6,1-5 Cleo Ncube (Montreal)-NYAC 1st; 15th, 20th at World Championships
W dec. 0-1,2-0,1-0 Ryuta Takahashi (Japan); 3rd, Jr Asian (2002)
L dec. 0-5,2-6 Kazuyuki Nagashima (Japan); 3,5,5,7 at Asian Championships; 21st at Worlds
(at right, Poeta vs. Takahashi, Japan)
55 kg/121.25 -MARK McKNIGHT(0-1)
L dec. 0-2,1-8 Tomita (Japan), NYAC 2nd
In all, though, the NYAC experience was a big success for our Club and the guys who placed certainly deserved it, as they wrestled their tails off. We are currently trying to get some of them into the USAW Training Camp Dec. 9-16 out in Stillwater, but there may be hurdles. Therefore, we’ll probably end up having our own camp and see how many people can come in around the same time. All for now -Kutzy
NYAC MEN’S FREESTYLE FINALS
55 kg/121 lb: Nariman Israpilov (Russia) dec. Kazuhide Tomita (Japan), 6-0, 6-5
60 kg/132 lb: Nate Gallick (Sunkist Kids) tech. fall over Drew Headlee (Sunkist Kids), 5-0, 5-0
66 kg/145.5 lb: Josh Churella (New York AC) dec. Kohei Fujimoto (Japan), 3-0, 3-2
74 kg/163 lb: Cleo Ncube (Montreal) dec. Trent Paulson (Sunkist Kids), 2-0, 5-1
84 kg/185 lb: Anzor Urishev (Russia) dec. Jake Herbert (New York AC), 3-0, 3-0
96 kg/211.5 lb: Magomed Magomedov (Russia) dec. Pat Cummins (Lehigh Valley Athletic Club), 1-1, 4-0
120 kg/264.5 lb: Tervel Dlagnev (Sunkist Kids) dec. Les Sigman (Nittany Lion WC), 1-0, 2-0
A record number of Lehigh Valley Athletic Club athletes (5) were sponsored at the Sunkist Open, with the quintet earning the tournament’s best pct. of places won vs. entries (5-for-5). Although official records aren’t kept on falls, the LVAC led all clubs with five pins, among the 23 total WBF’s in freestyle action, led by Joey Rivera’s three in the consolations at 132.
| No. | No. | Places | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrestling Club | entries | places | Earned | Location | State |
| Sunkist Kids WC | 23 | 8 | 1,1,2,3,4,5,6,6 | Arizona | AZ |
| Cyclone/Sunkist | 6 | 4 | 2,4,4,5 | ISU/Arizona | IA/AZ |
| LVAC | 5 | 5 | 1,4,5,6,6 | Bethlehem, PA | PA |
| Gator WC | 5 | 4 | 1,1,2,2 | Stillwater | OK |
| Nittany Lion WC | 4 | 3 | 1,2,3 | Univ. Park, PA | PA |
In the official team point scoring by USA Wrestling, the LVAC tied for third (all bout scores appear below along with personal feedback received from each wrestler after the tournament). There were 97 freestyle entries from a total of 36 different wrestling clubs.
WTF 6-0, 7-0 Lucas Mariacher (Sunkist Kids)
W dec. 3-3, 3-1, 4-0 Ethan Headlee (Pittsburgh WC)
W dec. 4-0, 6-0 Islam Abitov (Dynamo)
W dec. 2-0, 2-0 Kyle DeBerry (Sunkist Kids, Arizona St)
W dec. 1-0, 2-1 Jon Reader to win title (Sunkist/Cyclone WC, Iowa St, NCAA 7,4)
Mike’s comments: “Our website looks really good. The LVAC training camp in September was a great jump start to my training for Sunkist. The plan now is to carry a little momentum into the NYAC tourney next month.”
For more eloquence from the happy camper, wrestling fans may enjoy watching his interview on YouTube.com from immediately after his win.
W dec. 7-0,4-0 Ben Zwaschka (Sunkist Kids)
W dec. 6-0,3-0 Kyle Jahn (n/a)
L dec. 0-1,0-2 Nate Gallick (Sunkist Kids, Iowa St, NCAA 5,2,1)
W dec. 6-0,0-1,3-2 Drew Headlee (Pittsburgh WC, Pittsburgh, NCAA 8)
L dec. 0-1,1-1 Derek Moore to finish 4th (Army World Class Ath. Program), Cal-Davis, NCAA 1, OW)
“I was hesitant about my offense with Derek Moore because of his height. I’ve run into trouble with the 6’ tall wrestlers before, so I tend to clam up a little in those matches and I felt I gave that match away because of my hesitation. The results weren’t what I wanted, but I have to take all of the matches and learn from them.”
Thoughts from the Quaker on 10/27: “My results weren’t great but the positive is that I know I have plenty of room to improve. I rolled through a couple of matches before the match-up with Gallick. I hadn’t wrestled him in years and he threw some different stuff at me. Despite the loss, I came out of it with a better understanding of what I’m up against when I wrestle him again. I’m not yet in peak form and all matches right now bring some lessons to be learned.”
“I’m out at the Olympic Training Center right now working and improving . There’s no way to get better than to wrestle the best. My partners this week — Danny Felix, Shawn Bunch, Josh Churella, Moore, Drew Headlee and more. Time to put the nose to the grindstone and continue to be the fastest improving freestyle wrestler in the world !”
W dec. 1-0,0-4,3-1 Lou Caputo (Harvard U, NCAA 7,8)
W dec. 5-0,3-3,1-0 Dave Bertolino (Sunkist Kids, Iowa St, NCAA 8)
L dec. 1-4,4-7 Ben Askren (Sunkist Kids, Missouri, NCAA 2,2,1,1)
LBF 0-1, 1:58 Tom Meester (Sunkist Kids, Augustana Asst, 2-2 at U.S.World Team Trials)
W dec. 2-0,3-1 Bertolino for 5th place
Gavin and Askren had one of the highest scoring bouts, at one point tied 4-4 after a slick throw put Ben on his back for a 3-pointer; rather than return home after the Sunkist, Keith stayed in AZ to train with Askren, his NCAA finals rival in ’07.
Always tough on himself, Keith later said, “As far as the tournament goes, I was pretty disappointed; the only positive that I can say came from the tournament was that it was made clear to me what i need to work on and that I have a long way to go to accomplish my goals.”
WBF 0:19 Ryan Vottero (n/a)
WBF 2-3,0:27 Henrich Barnes (Orange Crush, Oregon St, NCAA 8th as freshman)
LDef 1-0,1-4 Injury Teyon Ware (Nittany Lion WC, Okla U NCAA 1,6,1,2)
Jantzen then injury defaulted to 6th place
Corey’s comments: “The website looks Great! My experience this weekend was fantastic. I was happy to get back on the mat and air it out. Sadly, my hamstring injury prevented me from finishing the tournament. It seems I have a grade two tear of my right hamstring. The doctors seem optimistic and believe I could be back in action in about two weeks. GO LVAC!”
L dec. 0-2,0-1 Coleman Scott (Gator WC, Okla St, NCAA 8,5,2,1)
WBF 6-0,0:46 Kalin Goodsite (Sunkist Kids)
WBF 2-0,1:54 Kyle Jahn (n/a)
WBF 0-5,1:00 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra)
L dec. 2-1,0-2,0-1 Derek Moore
L dec. 0-2,6-0,0-3 Drew Headlee to place 6th
On Oct. 29, Joey was more than enthusiastic: “It was an honor and a privilege to represent the LVAC. My situation is a little different from my teammates, since it’s been a few years since I last competed and about four since college. I am also at a different place in my life, as a married college head coach and have a young child. But the goals for all of us are the same: we all aim to be World and Olympic champions and in doing so, prove that the LVAC is the premier freestyle wrestling club in the country.”
“In my mind, the coaching staff at the LVAC (Jason Kutz, Pat Santoro, John Hughes, and Brad Dillon) is second to none and without them I would have not been as prepared as I was for this event. In addition to that, I’ve learned a great deal from my LVAC teammates.”
“I believe Sunkist was a decent beginning to the goal of making the World Team but I understand that I have a long way to go. I’m very pleased with the level of competition I got to see in my first event.”
“In my first match vs. top-seed Coleman Scott I went out tentative and paid the price. He is too good to beat while wrestling tentatively. I went out guns blazin' in my second match and scored a 5-point throw in the 1st period with a hip toss. In the 2nd period I continued to press the action and scored two more big throws with an arm spin and finally got the fall with an inside trip to a throw from the under/over hook position.”
(Rivera comments continued on next page)
“My next two matches were similar. I went out aggressively and secured the 2nd period falls. My last two matches were hard fought losses to good opponents. Not to take anything away from those wrestlers, but I believe that both were winnable. When I pressed the action I won periods easily, when I held back is when I got in trouble.”
“Overall, this was a huge learning experience for me. I learned a lot about myself and what I need to do to continue to improve and fulfill my goals. I am 100% confident in what the LVAC is doing and want to thank its coaches, my teammates, and the donors that make it all possible. I look forward to getting back to training and really showing what we’re capable of doing.”
The LVAC received terrific recognition during the televised Sunkist commentary that is archived on USA Wrestling’s web site at www.themat.com Among the numerous kind words shared were from broadcaster Jason Bryant and also from USAW Head Coach Zeke Jones, who recognized “the big push from Pat Santoro supporting freestyle wrestling …. and we’re going to support them.” Like Gavin, Santoro is a former Pitt NCAA champ (NCAA 6,2,1,1) and was the ‘96 Olympic alternate at 149.5, losing in o.t. round-robin to Silver medalist, Townsend Saunders.
During the 132 lb final, another plug for the LVAC 5-man contingent was broadcast while noting the importance of regional wrestling centers near other top campuses “like Oklahoma St, Iowa State, Arizona State and Penn State.”
The Club supported travel costs for all five LVAC athletes, plus freestyle coach Jason Kutz (LU ’96) Jason himself was exuberant, even while text messaging home his frustration as a coach losing two close bouts for 3rd and 5th-place at his former weight of 132. “I believe we are doing exactly what our Club needs to be doing by carefully selecting who we represent. We’re looking forward to more results in Canada and then at the NYAC Open in November.”
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Bethlehem, PA – 10/14/09--Lehigh Valley Athletic Club head coach Jason Kutz will oversee a 5-man Club team at this month’s Sunkist International Open in Phoenix, AZ on Oct. 25, the largest-ever group of LVAC entries at a senior level freestyle event. All five will have their air and ground expenses covered by the swiftly emerging Club. The senior member of Kutz’s team in terms of Club sponsorship will be 132 lb Matt Valenti (currently a Penn Asst Coach and Quaker NCAA 5,1,1 from 2005-07). Matt is currently ranked 5th at the weight after rising as high as third in May. He represented the LVAC in National freestyle competition at last year’s U.S. National Open and World Team Trials.  2x NCAA 1st, Matt Valenti, LVAC After becoming the LVAC’s top assistant coach in July, Keith Gavin (NCAA 2,1 at 174 for Pitt in ’07, ‘08), will make his Club debut while currently ranked fifth by USA Wrestling at 185, after a rating of second at 163 last Spring.  LVAC Asst Coach, Keith Gavin (185) Manning the middle weight for the first time will be Mike Poeta, (NCAA 3,2,2 at 157 from 2007-09). The Illini standout and coaching assistant will fly in from |
 LVAC Head Coach, Jason Kutz Chicago and is excited and appreciative of his Club support; he was briefly ranked 7th at 163 in the March ’09 USA rankings and will seek his first rating since then.  2x NCAA 2nd, Mike Poeta (163) Also making his LVAC debut, after rigorous participation in the Kutz-coached camp, will be Kutz’s former ESU assistant and successor as head coach, Joey Rivera, at 132. Rivera placed 8th at the 2008 U.S. National Open in his first open competition following his college days at Boston U. The other entry will be flying in from the Olympic Training Center: Harvard junior-to-be, Corey Jantzen (145), a 2-time Midlands place winner in high school and 2009 EIWA 2nd at 141. Jantzen is spending the 2009-10 year in Colorado Springs while taking a year off from school.  Corey Jantzen, Harvard ‘12 |
Bethlehem, PA: By all accounts, the Fall Intensive Training Camp hosted by the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club in Lehigh’s Taylor Gym proved highly successful for helping post-graduate freestyle wrestlers pursue and realize their World and Olympic aspirations. According to Lehigh Assistant, John Hughes, “they enjoyed highly personalized attention and their technical instruction and advice received paralleled and, in some cases, superseded their Olympic Training Center Camp experiences.”
It was another step taken toward establishing the LVAC as a Center for Excellence in all styles of wrestling for the various age groups. The post-grads arrived from all over the USA, including Colorado, Illinois, West Virginia, Philadelphia and East Stroudsburg, PA. They were challenged by the LVAC’s head coach and Camp organizer, former World Military Champion, Jason Kutz and other coaching mentors including former NCAA champions Pat Santoro and Hughes, as well as two-time All-American, Brad Dillon.
The athletes’ two-a-day (90-minute each) workout regimen featured a mixture of drilling, plyometric weight training, situational and live wrestling sessions, and strategic and technical advice over the 5-day period. Added Hughes: “It was a beneficial, widely embraced format and others will eventually be encouraged to attend future LVAC training opportunities. Pat Santoro's emerging Club concept is providing a platform from which elite athletes can springboard into the 2012 Olympic Trials.”
After the camp ended, Kutz later added: “We heard from Mike Poeta who sent his appreciation for the camp: "I’d love to represent the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club in competition .....I feel that you can give me a great opportunity out there to reach my goals and I want to be a part of it."
Poeta (163) a Volunteer Coach at Illinois (NCAA 3, 2, 2 at 157 for the Illini in ‘07-09) was a 2-time Big Ten champion and 2-time Midlands first who owns his school’s 2ndbest career win/loss pct (.882).
Poeta at right, in blue, wrestling Moza Fay at 2009 Northern Plains Jr/Sr Reg. Championships; Photo by LVAC Photog, Brooke Zumas; more pics below
The balance of the participants included LVAC assistant coach Keith Gavin (NCAA 2,1 for Pitt, now 185) and his fellow Club sponsored athlete 132-Matt Valenti (Penn Asst Coach and NCAA 5,1,1 for Penn), both of whom placed in National freestyle competition last year; 121-Mark McKnight (NCAA 4, PSU); 132-Joey Rivera, East Stroudsburg Head Coach (8th in National Open) and 145-Harvard junior-to-be, Corey Jantzen, a 2-time Midlands place winner in high school and 2009 EIWA 2nd at 141, who is spending the 2009-10 year at the Olympic Training Center.
Eleven members of the Lehigh University team joined in the “classroom” experience, 133-Matt Fisk; 141-Seth Ciasulli; 149-Kyle Rosser; 157-Sean Bilodeau; 165-Mike Galante and Brandon Hatchett; 174-Alex Caruso and Robert Hamlin; 184-Robert Prigmore and Kevin Bailey and 197-Joe Kennedy. Hatchett –- a former 5th-place finisher in Greco at the senior level Sunkist Open -- was caught off-guard by the camp schedule, chiming in with: “Hey, how come I wasn’t invited!?” before a reminder that the sessions were optional and his academic classes came first.
Bilodeau and Jantzen (hosted by Alex Caruso) have known each other since their workouts began at age 13-14 at Harvard University, where in 2004 Corey’s older brother, Jesse, became the Crimson’s first NCAA champion since 1939 (now retired from wrestling and working in Colorado). Sean, ironically enough, is a native of Harvard, MA, an hour W. of Cambridge. Galante enjoyed hosting Poeta at his campus residence, while the two avid freestylers battled on the mats. The Lehigh Mike was equally enthused about the camp (alleged to be in bed early every night) – and began lobbying for his own post-grad LVAC options.
Poeta is also a long-time friend of Hughes; McKnight (a WVU Club coach) drove seven hours to stay over with fellow Pennsylvanian, Gavin; the two also friends since HS. Valenti and Rivera commuted from both the North and South. The latter was Kutz’s assistant coach at ESU before succeeding him in 2006-07. Like Valenti, Joey enjoys the chance to train with, and learn from, Kutz’s decade of high level freestyle experience, much of it at the same weight class (Jason retired from formal competition in April ’08).
Next camp in the works ? Invitations will be extended soon, with a likely desirable training sequence in December leading into the Midlands Championships (All photos by Brooke Zumas)
 Keith Gavin (left) joined LVAC staff on 7/1/09 after moving from the U. of Pittsburgh |
 Matt Valenti wrestled for the LVAC at the 2009 National Open and World Team Trials |
 Nice launch by LVAC coach Kutz during his competition days |
 Former 2x NCAA 2nd Mike Poeta (right) will suit up for the LVAC beginning in Fall ‘09 |