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American Wrestling Prepares for 2001-2002 Season
Eagles to compete in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association

October 22, 2001

Washington, D.C. -- American wrestling is gearing up for its 2001-2002 season debut at the West Virginia Open on Nov. 10. As American University’s athletic program moves to the Patriot League from the Colonial Athletic Association, the Eagles wrestling squad prepares for its inaugural season of competition in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).

American will face four wrestling programs from Patriot League schools in EIWA competition (Army, Bucknell, Lehigh, and Navy) in addition to Brown, Columbia, Cornell, East Stroudsburg, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Rutgers.

Returning to lead the Eagles and hopefully garner another award-winning season is co-captain Marc Hoffer (Sr., Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central). After sitting out due to injury in the 1999-2000 season, Hoffer returned in 2000-2001 right where he left off. He ended the season at 30-3 overall and had a perfect 13-0 record in dual meets.

On February 14, 2001, Hoffer made AU wrestling history when the Amateur Wrestling News (AWN) ranked him fifth in the nation at 149 lbs., the highest an AU wrestler has ever been ranked in team history. He also held the previous highest ranking for an Eagles wrestler when he was seventh in the December 2000 AWN poll.

Willie Harris (Sr., Washington, D.C./DeMatha) is a Metro-area native whose 13-10 record (7-4 duals) in 2001 earned him the fourth-best overall record on the team behind Hoffer and departed seniors Denis Alampiev and Ryan Pallinger.

Rounding out the seniors is Victor Acquaah-Harrison (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur), a consistent returner who will compete at 133 pounds in 2001-2002.

Another key member returning in 2001-2002 is Kristopher Monzo (So., Clifton, N.J./Clifton). Monzo competed at 133 pounds in 2001 and will move to 141 in the coming season. He finished at 11-9 (7-4 dual record) in 2001 and was a major contributor in conference matches.

Also returning for the Eagles in 2001-2002 are redshirt sophomores Aviv Bercovicz (Wayside, N.J./Ocean Township) and Jared Hyman (Norcross, Ga./Norcross). Bercovicz will move up to 157 after finishing with a 6-14 overall record (5-7 duals) in 2001. Hyman will continue to compete as heavyweight (197) for the Eagles. In 2001, he finished at 6-9 (6-6 duals).

Another redshirt sophomore, Aaron Baker (Amarillo, Tex./Tascosa), returns to the Eagles roster in 2001-2002. He will compete at 165 in 2001-2002.

Rounding out the sophomore class are Matt Pelligrino (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold) and Mike Reish (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown). At 125, Pelligrino finished with a 2-4 record (2-2 duals) last season while Reish started for the Eagles at 174. Both will compete at the same weights in 2002.

New faces on the mat for the Eagles this season include freshmen newcomers Eric Fantegrossi (Needham, Mass./Needham), Kyle Mason (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area), Adam Montgomery (Belmont, Ca./Junipero Serra), and Tyler Royer (New Cumberland, Pa./Cedar Cliff), who took 6th place at the Pennsylvania State Tournament last year after finishing his senior year with a 37-5 record.