2008 Woodie Awards
Wrestling mania
UCF club wrestling succeeds despite recruiting troubles
Zach Pardes
Issue date: 7/9/07 Section: Sports
Six years ago, the UCF club wrestling team was nothing more than a vision shared only by a select few. Six national championship appearances and two first-place finishes later, the team is rising through the ranks and making a name for themselves, and a big name at that.
Since the team's founding in 2001 as part of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, it has proved to be tough competitors and has competed with some of the top wrestling programs in the country. Yet to miss a national championship, they have consistently placed top 10, including two first-place finishes and, most recently, a second-place finish in the 2007 NCWA National Championship held at the UNI Dome in Dallas in front of a crowd of 15,400 in February.
"The NCWA National Championship is what we work for all season," said senior Paul Rothenberg, an All-American and the team's captain for the past two years. "We are a top team, and we compete like one. We're very competitive and extremely hard-working."
Rothenberg's stellar leadership and performance have made him just the 13th person in the NCWA's 10-year history to earn All-American four times.
During his four appearances at the national championship, Rothenberg placed third as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore, fourth as a junior and second as a senior.
As an engineering major who is on track to graduate, athletics is certainly not the only area he succeeds in. Many of the team's younger members look to him for both athletic and academic advice.
While UCF club wrestling is a fairly new program, wrestling was not always a club sport at UCF. From 1970 to 1986, UCF had a varsity wrestling team funded by the school's athletic department. However, the program was eventually eliminated because of gender equity problems created by Title IX.
Hard work, consistent success and numerous victories are perhaps shaping today's club team into the beginning stages of a dynasty.
Head coach Johnny Rouse, a two-time recipient of the NCWA National College Coach of the Year Award, could not be happier with his team's performance.
Since the team's founding in 2001 as part of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, it has proved to be tough competitors and has competed with some of the top wrestling programs in the country. Yet to miss a national championship, they have consistently placed top 10, including two first-place finishes and, most recently, a second-place finish in the 2007 NCWA National Championship held at the UNI Dome in Dallas in front of a crowd of 15,400 in February.
"The NCWA National Championship is what we work for all season," said senior Paul Rothenberg, an All-American and the team's captain for the past two years. "We are a top team, and we compete like one. We're very competitive and extremely hard-working."
Rothenberg's stellar leadership and performance have made him just the 13th person in the NCWA's 10-year history to earn All-American four times.
During his four appearances at the national championship, Rothenberg placed third as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore, fourth as a junior and second as a senior.
As an engineering major who is on track to graduate, athletics is certainly not the only area he succeeds in. Many of the team's younger members look to him for both athletic and academic advice.
While UCF club wrestling is a fairly new program, wrestling was not always a club sport at UCF. From 1970 to 1986, UCF had a varsity wrestling team funded by the school's athletic department. However, the program was eventually eliminated because of gender equity problems created by Title IX.
Hard work, consistent success and numerous victories are perhaps shaping today's club team into the beginning stages of a dynasty.
Head coach Johnny Rouse, a two-time recipient of the NCWA National College Coach of the Year Award, could not be happier with his team's performance.