Monthly Archives: October 2009

Four-time EIWA Champ Kilrain inducted into Lehigh Hall of Fame

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DATE: 5/12/2008 9:58:00 AM
Bethlehem, PA
Lehigh Sports Information

Four former Lehigh greats have been elected to the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame. Formal induction took place on Lehigh’s Packer Campus on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Basketball standout Greg Falkenbach ‘72, four-time EIWA Champion Colin Kilrain ’82, cross country/track and field star Tim Steele ‘73, and two-way football standout Pete Williams ’58 are the newest members. Falkenbach and Kilrain comprise the class of 2007, while Steele and Williams make up the class of 2008. Formal induction for the Class of 2007 was held off for one year because Commander Kilrain was out of the country serving his duties as Captain of Special Forces for the Navy Seals.

One of only eight four-time champions in the 103-year history of the EIWA, Colin J. Kilrain ‘82 is one of just three wrestlers to win a championship at three different weight classes (167, 177, 190). A two-time captain and three-time third place NCAA finisher, Kilrain won over 90 percent (87-8) of his matches while at Lehigh, which ranks in the top-ten in school annals. During the last three years of his career in the Brown and White, Kilrain compiled an astounding 70-4 record with 23 wins-by-fall and 26 bonus wins. Four of those wins came versus NCAA Champions.

“It’s an honor to be inducted into the Lehigh Hall of Fame,” Kilrain said. “There were a number of folks who came before me that served as role models and sterling examples of what a Hall of Famer should be and I’m proud to be among this high caliber group.”

During Kilrain’s sophomore season, he pushed three time NCAA Champion Ed Banach of Iowa to the brink of elimination before suffering an injury and losing by just a single point. The next year, Kilrain exacted revenge on Banach, defeating him 9-5 at Stabler Arena in front of a raucous crowd of over 4,500 people. Kilrain was ranked first in the nation at 190 pounds as a junior, and later went onto earn the number-one seed for that year’s national tournament at 177 pounds.

Two time NCAA Champion Mark Lieberman ’79 was a teammate of Kilrain’s during one of the program’s most successful eras. “Colin was so gifted and so powerful and explosive. His technique was excellent and we really went after one another inside the wrestling room. There were very few matches where we faced better competition than we faced every day from one another.”

He continued, “Colin worked very hard to become the best wrestler he could. He had great technique and was really a student of the game.”

As a senior, Kilrain defeated eventual NCAA Champion Pete Bush of Iowa by major decision in their regular season dual in Iowa City by a score of 11-1. He again earned the country’s top seed for NCAAs, this time at 190 pounds, and finished his final season on the mat with a record of 23-1.

“Colin was an outstanding wrestler and a really good guy; he was one of the most popular guys on the team” Lehigh Hall of Famer and Kilrain’s coach Thad Turner said. “He was a good athlete, particularly for someone as big as he is and a great competitor. This is one of the most justifiable things we’ve done by electing Colin into the Hall of Fame.”

Kilrain’s accomplishments post-graduation have been even more impressive than his work on the mats. He currently serves as Captain of Special Forces for the Navy Seals, having completed countless assignments globally, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The sport itself taught me a lot about how to set goals and accountability,” Kilrain said. “I had an unbelievably positive experience wrestling at Lehigh. Everything about the program including the tradition to the support from the University, student body and surrounding community all contributed to the whole cultural experience.”

He added, “We were all privileged to wrestle for Lehigh University, but also for Thad Turner. His efforts to build the complete individual for life after graduation speaks volumes on the type of people that Lehigh and its wrestling program develops.”

“I’m not surprised one bit at what Colin has accomplished since he’s left Lehigh,” Turner added. “I always knew he would be successful no matter what he chose to do.”

Kilrain and his wife Susan have four children: Quinn Marie, Sean Joseph, Liam Porter and Maura Ann.

The annual Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame induction is sponsored by the Lehigh Athletics Partnership.

What Are The Odds…

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What are the chances of getting a full ride scholarship if you wrestle? Check out the following image that compares the different sports and what the chances are of getting a full ride scholarship.  (Click on the image to get the big picture.)

So the chances of getting a full ride scholarship if you wrestle are pretty slim. The first thing I thought when I saw that was “Why?” Answer? Money. We all know that football brings in the most money for a college or university, so they are going to want willing be able to pour more money into that sport than others. Wrestling is at the bottom of the list for the same reason. Unless you are in wrestling state, wrestling just isn’t that big of a sport.

So what are some things that everyone can do to change that? Jim Brown has a blog that is awesome. If you haven’t checked it out, you have no reason not to. He has a ton of posts about what we can do as fans to build the sport. Some that I remember reading off the top of my head are to actually going to the meets. Get butts into the seats and stands. Bring a friend. When you’re there, make noise. And lots of it. Explain to the friend that you brought the techiniques that are being used and why different points are being scored.

Some may complain that there isn’t enough coverage of the sport. While this may be true, there are plenty of places to go to check it out. Again, Jim comes to the rescue with this awesome post about getting more college wrestling coverage. If you don’t listen to the podcasts that are out there, start now. Wrestling411.tv and TakeDownRadio.com both have AWESOME podcasts and they provide amazing coverage of the sport.

Support the print magazines that talk solely about wrestling. Three of the biggest ones are WIN magazine, Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA. Get one or get all three! Help support those that are covering the sport. More importantly though, make it to as many meets as possible to support the actual wrestlers.

Thanks to Mat Siltala for letting me know about this image and steelathlete.com for the actual image.

College Wrestling Is Coming to Texas!

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Athletic Director Dr. Greg Feris officially announced at a press conference Tuesday that Wayland Baptist University will add men’s and women’s wrestling as intercollegiate sports . “Intercollegiate wrestling is a win-win situation for the university.  It will generate additional students while providing an additional competitive sport for the university community.”

The WBU wrestling program will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) beginning with the 2010-11 school year.  Thirty-seven NAIA schools currently sponsor wrestling for men, ten for women.

There are currently no intercollegiate wrestling programs in the state of Texas, despite recent statistics that show an excess of 245 high school boys’ wrestling teams and 198 girls’ teams in the state.

“The sport is growing and is very popular in many regions of the country,” added Feris.  “Wayland is fortunate to be located in an area where several communities have embraced the sport at the high school level.  I think we are going to fill a void in the area for fans of the sport.  In addition, we are excited to be able to offer these young student-athletes a new opportunity to continue to participate in a sport that they love while at the same time obtaining an outstanding education in a Christian environment.”

In the Texas Panhandle area, there are approximately 375 boys and more than 125 girls participating in the sport (again – that’s in the panhandle ONLY).  The boy’s team from Randall High School and the girl’s team from Caprock High – both local teams – have recently won state championships.

Among those who spoke at the press conference were Dr. Claude Lusk, WBU Vice President of Enrollment Management; Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association; and former Olympic gold medalists Brandon Slay and Dan Gable.  Slay, a graduate of Amarillo’s Tascosa High School (TX) who is currently the resident freestyle coach for USA Wrestling at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Col. won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.  Gable, who did not give up a single point on his way to the gold at the 1972 games in Munich, won two individual NCAA titles as a student-athlete at Iowa State University and 15 NCAA team titles as head coach at the University of Iowa.

The new WBU two teams will practice in the James P. and Nelda Laney Student Activities Center.  Duel or tournament events will be held in Hutcherson Center.  The addition of the wrestling programs brings Wayland’s athletic offering to a total of 14.  Search for a new coach will begin right away.  Feris says he hopes to have someone in place sometime after the first of the new year.

Cool Sports Directory – Great Place to Get Gear for your Kids This Season

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I found this really cool sports directory the other day at pediro.com. It’s got everything from swimwear to football to yours truly – WrestleFattie! If you are looking for gear for your kid this season, you’ll want to check this site out. While your there, be sure to check out our listing for wrestling shoes, wrestling equipment and wrestling saftey gear.

If you are looking for gear for any other gear, be sure to check it out. Looks like they got it all!

Caldwell Out for 2009 Season

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The Famous Push in the 2009 NCAA wrestling championships

The Famous Push in the 2009 NCAA wrestling championships

After winning the 2009 NCAA wrestling championship at 149 pounds, Darrion Caldwell earned a spot on the U.S. National Team this past summer. He traveled to many places all over the world and had the opportunity to wrestle with world champions. On Friday it was announced that due to a shoulder injury, Caldwell will have to undergo surgery on Oct. 5 and will miss the upcoming season. Recovery time is between four and six months.

Caldwell said that the shoulder injury happened last Labor Day weekend. “Basically I was goofing off with my girlfriend and rollerblading and I ended up falling. It was actually pretty funny — like a blooper or something,” he said.

Caldwell still has one year of eligibility left at N.C. State and will be wrestling for the Wolfpack again during the 2010-2011 season. Technician Deputy Sports Editor Jen Hankin had the opportunity to talk with defending champion Caldwell about his injury and future plans.

In the year that he is going to take off, you had better believe that he is not going to be very far from the wrestling room. “I can take this time and then get back on the road and get back on the cycle for 2012. I did get hurt though and I know that’s just a stepping stone. I feel like this is just getting me more mentally ready. With this break it’s just going to make me want it even more.”

Caldwell also shared that he would like to coach, “something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he said.

Technician: What are your plans for the upcoming year and what do you think your first break from wrestling in such a long time will be like?

Caldwell: I have taken some steps back from wrestling and basically been getting my academics together. Last semester, during the national championship, my grades fell off a little bit. I feel with this here, I’m going to concentrate on my grades. I also feel grateful to be able to act more as a coach, which is something I’ve always dreamed of doing.” Caldwell also says that “now instead of going to practice to wrestle, I’ll be going to practice to actually help them improve. I’m basically playing a coach’s role. I really feel like it will be beneficial for the team, since I’ve seen most of the competition that they are going to face. This is modern day wrestling, it’s different from 10 to 15 years ago when the coaches were wrestling. I feel like I can help them with the little small things.”