EDINBORO, Pa. (Nov. 5, 2015) – A new-look Edinboro wrestling team will take to the mats for the first time in dual competition on Saturday, November 7 in the EMU Duals. The Fighting Scots will wrestle three matches in Yspilanti, Mich., beginning with a 9 a.m. match at the Convocation center against Olivet. That is followed by a pair of matches against Mid-American Conference teams, as the Fighting Scots will wrestle Ohio University at 12 noon and Northern Illinois at 3 p.m. Edinboro, 14-5 in duals a year ago,  is ranked 24th in the NWCA Division I Top 25, with Ohio ranked 22nd.
 
Head coach Tim Flynn enters his 19th season just two wins shy of 200 for his career. He has enjoyed an incredible run in elevating Edinboro to one of the top Division I programs in the country, with back-to-back top-five finishes. He comes in with a 198-73-5 record. 
 
Edinboro comes off a monumental 2014-15 campaign which saw the Fighting Scots post their highest finish ever at the NCAA Division I National Championships. Edinboro earned a spot on the stand for the first time, finishing in third place, with four wrestlers earning All-American honors.
 
Unfortunately, three of those All-Americans – A.J. Schopp, Mitchell Port, Dave Habat --  have departed, and with them a total of eight All-American certificates and 399 career wins. In addition, four-year starter Kory Mines and his 88 career victories is gone, leaving Flynn to replace close to 500 wins in the starting lineup.
 
INJURIES TAKING THEIR TOLL
The Edinboro lineup has been dealt further blows with the losses of several wrestlers to injuries for undetermined amounts of time. Most noteworthy is Vic Avery, the lone returning All-American at 184 lbs. Avery earned All-American honors for the first time a year ago thanks to a third place finish. The redshirt senior was forced to pull out of last week's NWCA All-Star Classic due to an injury suffered in practice, and will miss an extended period of period. He was 34-7 last year and owns 83 career victories. He is ranked as high as second in the various national rankings.
 
Austin Matthews and Warren Bosch, among others, will also miss the start of the season. Matthews, a former transfer from Clarion, was off to great start last year with a 9-0 record. He would suffer a knee injury and miss the rest of the season and is still not ready to compete this year. The redshirt sophomore is ranked as high as fourth at 157 lbs.
 
Bosch was the starter at heavyweight a year ago and was expected to move back down to 197 lbs. and challenge Vince Pickett for the starting job. The redshirt senior will miss the start of the season with an injury. He was 16-20 last year.
 
Along with Avery, Pickett is the only other returning national qualifier. A senior, he was 17-18 last year and made his first trip to Nationals. He has 60 career victories.
 
FULLER, JENNINGS ONLY OTHER RETURNING STARTERS
Redshirt seniors Casey Fuller and Patrick Jennings are the only other returning starters from the 2014-15 team. Fuller was 16-17 last year while starting at 165 lbs. Jennings, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakthrough season, ending the year at 29-10. He is ranked 31st at 174 lbs. by WrestlingReport.com.
 
TWO EXCITING REDSHIRTS TO DEBUT
The EMU Duals will mark the lineup debuts of last year's top two recruits, Sean Russell and Billy Miller. The two bracket the lineup at 125 and 285 lbs., respectively. Russell was a four-time Georgia state champion who got 2015 underway a bit early with an 8-2 decision over Devane Dodgens of Life in an NWCA All-Star Classic showcase match. He was 18-8 last year while competing in open tournaments. Russell is ranked 20th by the WrestlingReport.com.
 
Miller was a two-time Ohio state champion while competing for former Edinboro All-American Dave Rowan at Perry High School. He had an 8-3 record while redshirting a year ago.  Miller is ranked 20th by FloWrestling and 22nd by the WrestlingReport.com.
 
2015 RECRUITING CLASS AMONG BEST IN COUNTRY
Flynn's current group of recruits was ranked among the best in the country be several wrestling sites. While a number of the blue-chip freshmen are slated to redshirt, the tentative lineup for the EMU Duals includes three true freshmen.
 
Patricio Lugo, a two-time Florida state champion and four-time place winner, will open as the starter at 149 lbs., replacing Habat. He was undefeated his last two years at Miami South Dade Academy.  
 
Tyler Vath takes the spot of Port, now an Edinboro assistant coach, at 141 lbs. The Saegertown High School product is a four-time PIAA placewinner. Meanwhile, Spencer Nagy will fill in for Matthews at 157 lbs.   
 
 
PROBABLE LINEUPS
 
EDINBORO Fighting Scots
125 -- Sean Russell (R-Fr., 18-8, Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill)
133 -- Anthony Rivera (R-So., 5-15, Mardela Springs, Md./Parkside)
141 -- Tyler Vath (Fr., 0-0, Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown)
149 -- Patricio Lugo (Fr., 0-0, Homestead, Fla./South Dade)
157 -- Spencer Nagy (Fr., 0-0, Alliance, Ohio/Alliance)
165 -- Casey Fuller (R-Sr., 16-17, Hamlin, Pa./Western Wayne)
           Ty Schoffstall (R-So., 20-7, Pottsville, Pa./Tri-Valley)
174 -- Patrick Jennings (R-Sr., 29-10, Ridge, N.Y./Longwood)
184 -- Chris Laird (R-Fr., 7-2, Waterford, Pa./General McLane)
197 -- Vince Pickett  (Sr., 17-18, Galloway, Ohio/Central Crossing)
Hwt. -- Billy Miller (R-Fr., 8-3       , Perry, Ohio/Perry)
 
Records are from 2014-15. Nagy (4-2) and Laird (0-2) wrestled in Clarion Open last week.
 
OLIVET Comets
125 -- Mike Schmidt (R-Fr.)
133 -- Jared Brickley (R-Fr.)         
141 -- Curtis Blackwell (R-Fr.)     
149 -- Austin Kelley (R-Jr.)
157 -- Ross Pennock (Sr.)
165 -- Kevin Papak (So.)       
174 -- Nick Africano (R-Jr.)           
184 -- Rodney Harvey (So.)
197 -- Tom Hall (R-Jr.)
Hwt. -- Youssef El-Sayed (R-Sr.)
 
OHIO Bobcats
125 -- Shakur Laney (Fr.)              
133 -- Cameron Kelly (Fr.) or KeVon Powell (Sr.)               
141 -- Noah Forridor (R-So.)       
149 -- Cullen Cummings (R-So.) 
157 -- Spartak Chino (R-Sr.)
165 -- Austin Reese (R-Fr.)          
174 -- Cody Walters (R-Sr.)          
184 -- Andrew Romanchik (R-Sr.) or Dakota Sizemore (R-Fr.)
197 -- Phil Wellington (R-Sr.)
Hwt. -- Jesse Webb (So.)                             
 
NORTHERN ILLINOIS Huskies
125 -- Alijah Jeffery (R-Fr.)          
133 -- Austin Eicher (R-Fr.)          
141 -- Steve Bleise (R-Fr.)            
149 -- Gabe Morse (R-Jr.) or Austin Culton (R-So.)                           
157 -- Andrew Morse (Sr.)          
165 -- Andrew Scott (So.)            
174 -- Trace Engelkes (R-Jr.)       
184 -- Quinton Rosser (So.)    
197 -- Shawn Scott (R-Jr.)            
Hwt. -- Arthur Bunce (R-Sr.) or Jack Cochrane (R-So.)