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Ted Wright -- last update 5/18/2005 (WrestUSArmy.html) www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2005 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma

Rowan comes to West Point fresh off a 26-6 campaign last season at USMAPS. The Langhorne, Pa., native was a four-time sectional champ while competing at Neshaminy High School. During his four-year career, Rowan piled up a record of 119-31 and placed as high as seventh in Pennsylvania as a senior. Josh Ewing and Johnathon Mathias are both products of the Buckeye State. The pair of Ohioans are coming off successful seasons in prep schools. Ewing, who was 112-34 during his high school career, went 29-1 last season at Western Reserve Academy. The Wooster, Ohio, product had 64 wins by fall during his decorated career at Northwestern High School, which included a runner-up finish at the state championships as senior. Mathias authored a 15-8 record at USMAPS last season. The Columbus, Ohio, native finished fourth in the state as a junior at Worthington Kilbourne High School and improved to third in Ohio as a senior. Army head coach Chuck Barbee has also tapped the state of Tennessee for a pair of wrestlers. William Simpson and Whitt Dunning are the latest grapplers to be lured away from the Volunteer State to the banks of the Hudson. Simpson is the younger brother of Army wrestlers Phillip and Patrick Simpson. William Simpson placed in the top-four positions at the state championships all four years, winning state titles as a sophomore and senior while wrestling at Montgomery Bell Academy. He accumulated a 167-22 record in high school before going 13-8 at USMAPS last year. Dunning was a three-time Tennessee state champion, winning crowns as a sophomore, junior and senior while wrestling at Father Ryan High School. The Nashville, Tenn., native amassed a career record of 141-20, and was ranked as high as 10th nationally by W.I.N. Magazine. Dunning placed fourth at 119 pounds at the 2005 NHSCA Senior National Championships to earn All-America status. Frank Edmunds joins the Army team from Gloucester, Va. A three-time state qualifier, Edmunds won a Virginia state title as a senior and finished runner-up during his junior season. He racked up a flashy 152-17 record while wrestling at Gloucester High School. Mitchell Stock comes to Army after authoring a standout career at Principia Upper High School. The Town and Country, Mo., native forged a 95-20 career mark and finished state runner-up as a senior this year. Voted the Most Valuable Wrestler at 189 pounds, Stock qualified for a total of three state championships, placing fourth as a junior. A Charleston, Maine, native, Caleb Pelletier arrives at West Point following a remarkable career at Foxcroft Academy. Pelletier mowed down his high school competition, going 122-25 during his four years. A three-time state champion, Pelletier was an unblemished 40-0 as a senior. A two-time state champion from Norton, Kan., Michael Sprigg enters the Academy as one of Army's top prospects at heavyweight. Sprigg, who was ranked as high as 15th nationally by W.I.N. Magazine, put up a record of 129-18 during his four years at Norton High School. Sprigg finished fourth at heavyweight at the 2005 NHSCA Senior National Championships to earn All-America status. Hailing from Frankfort, Ill., Drake Rossi set a school record with 128 wins. A two-time USA Cadet All-American, Rossi also holds the Lincoln Way East High School records for most career pins and takedowns. Rossi was ranked as high as eighth in the nation by Wrestling USA. Aaron Carter, a two-time state champion from Newberry, S.C., rounds out Army's 2005-06 recruiting class. The native of the Palmetto State, Carter was a four-year star at Newberry High School. Barbee is happy with the strength and depth of this year's recruiting class. "I think this class is outstanding overall," remarked Barbee. "We have brought in competitors who have excelled on the state and national levels. We are very excited about what they will be able to bring to our team. "The six guys that we are bringing in from the prep school are a very strong and tenacious group of wrestlers. They won't be true freshmen when they get here. Each guy will be a little bit more seasoned, and will have a chance to make a mark on our program within a year or two. "I believe that several of our incoming freshmen will challenge for starting spots, although it will be difficult with the experienced wrestlers we are bringing back."