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ODU Wrestling Hauls In Third Top Ten Recruiting Class in Four Years
May 14, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. -- Head Coach Steve Martin and his staff recruited the ninth best recruiting class in the nation this season, according to the W.I.N. Magazine rankings released earlier this week. It is the third time in four years of recruiting for Martin that his class is ranked among the top ten in the nation. The class was ranked 14th by W.I.N. in their early recruiting class rankings and bumped up to 9th with the signing of two NHSCA Sr. All-Americans and an NCAA Qualifier transfering in from Virginia Tech. The early signed recruits are #3 Joe Budi (Appleton, Wisc.), #9 Jared King (Chesapeake, Va.), #11 Craig Wilson (Farmington, Mo.), and Chase Ennis (Yorktown, Va.). They are joined in the spring by #7 Jake Kahnke (Shakopee, Minn.), Brennan Brumley (Center Line, Mich.) and transfer Eric Decker (Wells Bridge, N.Y.) "We are extremely pleased with this recruiting class as it is our 3rd top ten class in four years," said Martin. "What is impressive with this group is that they are model citizens, serious students and have goals of being NCAA champions." Budi is a two-time state champ and three-time finalist in Wisconsin as well as an NHSCA Senior All-American at Kaukauna High School. He is an Ironman Champion as well as a Cheesehead Invitational Champ. King is a local standout from Great Bridge High School and is a three-time AAA Virginia State finalist. He won the state championship this season and was a Beast of the East finalist en route to being named the Dave Schultz Excellence Award Winner for the state of Virginia. Wilson is a big-time recruit for the Monarchs, as he is a three-time Missouri state champion and four-time finalist. He boasts the Missouri state record in career wins and takedowns. He, too, was named the Dave Schultz Excellence Award winner for his state. Ennis rounds out the early recruits and joins the Old Dominion squad from Yorktown's Grafton High School. He won the state championship at 189 lbs and is a two-time finalist.
Joining the early recruits are three more solid newcomers, led by NCAA Qualifier Eric Decker, transfering in from Virginia Tech. A three-time New York state champion in high school, Decker qualified for the NCAA Tournament his rookie year with a second place effort at the ACC Championship. He just missed a back-to-back appearance with a 3rd place finish this season and will carry a career 45-27 record to Old Dominion. Brumley is another Senior All-American in the group and is a three-time state finalist in Michigan. He piled up over 200 wins in his career including two his senior year against University of Michigan stud recruit and 5th ranked Mark Weber. Finally, Old Dominion welcomes 12th ranked Jake Kahnke from Minnesota. The two-time state champion and three-time finalist from Prior Lake High School is also an NHSCA Senior All-American and has been ranked as high as 7th in the nation. He has not lost a match since his sophomore season, winning a remarkable 87 straight bouts. Since Coach Martin took over the helm in 2004-05 and all four of his recruiting classes have been ranked in the Top 20 in the nation. This is the third of four ranked among the Top 10 in the country. "The addition of our wrestling room in mid June only helps out with the recruiting process. The fact that we have 7 returning NCAA Qualifiers shows that we are closing in on our goal of being a national powerhouse," said Martin. "These new additions to the Monarch family we help us in achieving our overall program goals." Old Dominion is coming off the second best year in program history, in terms of overall record, going 17-3 in duals. The .850 winning percentage was the third best winning percentage in the nation behind Iowa (.955) and Central Michigan (.889). Complete W.I.N. Recruiting Class Rankings
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