Milwaukee School of Engineering News and Notes
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NCAA III Great Lakes Regional Results for Wisconsin Teams
Wrestling Finishes
Tenth at Regionals (17 February 2007) Regional Results: http://www.msoe.edu/athletics/?mwrest/2006-2007/news/925
Wrestling Finished Third at Conference; Vandeboom Crowned Champion
(10 February 2007) UW Milwaukee falls to Milwaukee School of Engineering UW-M vs. MSOE this Friday!
Hello coaches and wrestling fans, Milwaukee School of Engineering 2006-2007 Season Preview Throughout its 16 years at MSOE, wrestling has been one of the most successful athletic programs in the university's history. The past six years have yielded twenty seven individual Lake Michigan Conference champions and four team championships, including back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. After finishing in third place in the conference this past season, just eight and a half points out of first place, Head Coach Kevin Morin is looking to get back into the top spot where he believes his team belongs. "Even though we lost eight seniors, we have four starters returning and a strong incoming class," Morin said and added, "but every match is going to be a grind." But Morin has no doubt that his team will be able to step up. "We want to have a better dual-meet record with a better winning percentage and place higher and to have more place winners at every tournament than last year." Goals that are within reach considering the solid team that will be on the mat this year. Leading the way will be senior co-Captains Ryan Forbes and Tim O'Connor. Forbes, the 2003-2004 LMC Rookie of the Year, is a three-year starter, a two-time conference champion and an Academic All-American. He will wrestle in the 141 pound weight class. O'Connor, who was injured his freshman year, "really came into his own last year," according to Morin and won the 174-pound conference championship. The other three seniors will also leave their mark on MSOE Wrestling. Scott Bugenhagen, who missed last season because of shoulder surgery, is back this year and will do some damage in the 174-pound weight class. Also returning this year is Dan Shefchik, a starter his freshman and sophomore years, who will be tough in the 197 and 184-pound classes. Rounding out the senior class is three-year starter Tyler Knutson, who will continue to be solid in the 197-pound weight class. Although the sophomore and junior classes are small in numbers-there are only three total-they are not lacking in courage. Morin calls each one of them "tough kids." Junior Elliot Gronland, will turn some heads in the 149-pound division. Both of the sophomores are looking to come back strong from injuries last year. Joel VandeBoom had a very successful freshman season before suffering from an injured neck and shoulder. He will return this year in the 149-pound weight class. Miles Farnsworth redshirted last year after having knee surgery and will be tough in either the 141 or 149-pound division. Coach Morin has recruited some talented freshmen to add to his already solid team. Chris Jackson was an Illinois State Qualifier and won a remarkable 40 matches last year. Ryan Reda was a Wisconsin State Qualifier and will join Jackson in the light weight division. Dustin Huffman, a two-time Wisconsin State Qualifier, was a member of the Wisconsin National Team this summer and was impressive as he wrestled around the nation in the 165-pound class. Matt Olsen has national experience from his time on the Junior National Team from Illinois, which he was a member of the summer of 2005. Last year, Jacob Best won close to 30 matches and will look to continue his winning ways at either 197 pounds or the heavy weight division. Also at either 197 pounds or heavy weight is Nick Kerchner, who also won close to 30 matches. Ryan Baird and Ben Leedham are talented athletes who will also compete for starting spots on the team. This year will be no walk in the park, though, as the Raiders will take on some of the best competition in the nation. The team will compete at the Florida Citrus Open Tournament and will be able to see how they stand up to the All-American and nationally ranked wrestlers from across the nation who will be at this tournament. An even bigger challenge will be the Wheaton Invitational. "This will be where we really see the talent of the team," Morin said. MSOE will also open its doors to see how the team stacks up against teams in the Midwest region. "Although each tournament is important, we especially want to win the MSOE Invitational," he added, "but, we need to wrestle well all year so we will be in a good position for NCAA Regionals." But this team is not just concerned with their performance on the mat: they make sure they get it done in the classroom. And it has paid off. They have had the top grade point average in the country in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and finished third this past season. "Most colleges would be happy to place third," said Head Coach Kevin Morin, but he's not. As much as he wants to see his team's winning percentage improve, he expects their GPA to be the best in the country. "We have tough guys," Morin said with a knowing smile, "we have a lot that we want to accomplish, but I have no doubt that we will." Where to see the Raiders in action Directions to the site of our home games Head Coach Kevin Morin Kevin Morin has been a part of the MSOE tradition since 1978, starting out as an admission counselor and currently serving as the university's director of human resources. After concluding his twelfth year of coaching at MSOE, Morin has also been instrumental in building the MSOE wrestling team from its humble beginnings. Morin was the Lake Michigan Conference Coach of the Year five times (1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005). He was also the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year in 2002. Morin brought MSOE five LMC titles, and has guided two All-American grapplers and 14 academic All-Americans during his tenure as head coach. Morin has received numerous honors and awards from his peers. In 2002 and 2003, he was selected College Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association. As recently as 2004, he received the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association representing NCAA Division III coaches. As a wrestler, Morin competed for Greenfield (Wis.) High School where he was a runner-up in the state high school tournament, a state champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and a two time state champion in freestyle wrestling and an all-American in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. While attending Marquette University, he was a champion and a two-time runner-up in the National Catholic Wrestling Tournament. A team captain for two years at Marquette, Morin was also a two-time place finisher in the NCAA Division I East Regional. While at Marquette, Coach Morin received his BA degree and after college completed a national certification as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Morin and his wife Debra have been married 26 years and have four children: Matthew, Melissa, Micaela and Michael. The Morin's reside in West Allis. Hello, I would like to take a moment of your time to
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