July 10, 1999

Tornadoe wrestlers come home with 8-1 record

ANNAPOLIS, Md. &emdash; The Columbian wrestling team recently returned from a highly-successful trip where they participated in the Naval Academy Wrestling Camp.

The Tornadoes posted an 8-1 record in a field of 19 teams from schools along the east coast.

Steve Lee came away with the only perfect record as the sophomore went 9-0 for the Tornadoes, who were 71-29 in their bouts.

Seniors Maxum Tomaszewski and Allan Weickert won their respective weight classes during the Takedown Tournament which was held on the final day. Tomaszewski finished with an 8-1 record and Weickert was 7-2.

Five others finished with winning records during the camp with senior Joe Ranker finishing 8-1, while sophomore Kris Adams was 7-2, junior Matt Murphy and sophomore Dave Sauber each finished 6-3 and sophomore Nick Shoemaker was 6-4. Freshmen Richie Gilbert and Scott Ardner each compiled a 3-6 record.

Columbian suffered its only loss at the hands of another team from the Buckeye state as Pickerington edged the Tornadoes, 30-26.

The Tornadoes prevailed over eight others including Chamberlain of Tampa, Fla., (42-13), Hemfield, Pa. (32-25), Middle Township, N.J., 36-18, Red Bank, N.J., 39-19, James Wood, Va., 30-27, Bridgewater, N.J., 48-7, Blair, N.J., 33-21, and St. Mary's Ryken, Md., 45-13.

There were 248 wrestlers from 14 different states at the camp.

"We were extremely happy with this unique opportunity," said Columbian head coach John Tomaszewski. "Our goals going into the camp were to build team unity, learn new techniques and have fun. Our wrestling performance was a wonderful bonus in light of our little mat time before our departure."