Santiago Shines in Vegas
One of our own UCF Wrestlers, Santiago Martinez, has recently wrestled in the US Open in Las Vegas competing against wrestlers around the country, including Olympic wrestlers. Santiago has earned his spot on the Olympic World Team Trials and will be competing for a position on the Olympic team at the USA Nationals in June in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Santiago was accompanied by his successful teammates; Matt Vaughn, Christian Grillo, and Chris Andrade. Next up for the Knights' off-season run is the University Nationals Freestyle and Greco Roman. This tournament features Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 wrestlers May 23rd through May 25th in Akron, Ohio.
Knights Regular Season Recap
The Knights have finished their regular season competitions and are preparing for Conference in Georgia and then Nationals in Texas! Throughout December and January the UCF wrestling team traveled all around the Southeast to compete against some tough teams. The team finally beat longtime rival Grand Valley State University 22-20. Another big win for UCF was at the Virginia Duals when they beat the 2012 NCWA National Duals champions, Liberty University 35-18.
Tournament results:
11/03/12 Citadel Open in Charleston South Carolina: Vaughn 2nd at 149, Martinez 1st at 165, Woods 4th at 285.
11/10/12 Pembroke Classic in Pembroke, North Carolina: Vaughn 4th at 149, Grillo 4th at 157, Martinez 1st at 165, Watson 2nd at 174, Petrovcik 6th at 174, and Woods placed 2nd at 285.
11/16/12 Knight Brawl Dual in Orlando, Florida: UCF went 4-0 beating Florida Gulf Coast 45-6, Marion Military 32-16, Georgia Southern 43-15, and University of North Florida 29-21.
11/17/12 Central Florida Open in Orlando, Florida: Radli 1st at 125, Fleming 3rd at 141, Becks 2nd at 149, Grillo 1st at 157, Turnipseed 5th at 157, Martinez 2nd at 165, Mann 5th at 165, Watson 4th at 174, Petrovcik 6th at 184, Woods 2nd at 235.
12/01/12 Cavalier Duals in Albany, Georgia: UCF went 3-1 losing to Darton College 23-24 and beating Truett-McConnell 43-12, and Shorter College 29-10
12/16/12 Luther-Gator Duals in New Orleans, Louisiana: UCF went 3-1 losing to Luther College 33-10, and beating Elmhurst (#2) 17-15, Luther (#2) 30-16, and Simpson College 25-21
01/11-12/13 Virginia Duals in Hampton, Virginia: UCF placed 3rd, losing to SUNY Brockport 39-10 and beating Apprentice 25-24, Liberty 35-18, and Nassau Community College 23-19
01/18-19/13 NCWA National Duals in Dalton, Georgia: UCF placed 3rd, beating USC 54-4, ETSU 59-0, Tenn Temple 60-6, GVSU 22-20, UMBC 27-21 and lost to Lindenwood St. Charles 15-30.
01/26/13 Florida Dual Meet Championship in Jacksonville, Florida: UCF placed 1st, beating USF 59-0, FGCU 48-3, TCC 60-3, UF55-3, UNF 55-6, and FAMU 63-002/09/13 Eagle Open in Statesboro, Georgia: UCF placed 1st, Fox 2nd at 125, Radli 2nd at 133, Fleming 1st at 141, Martinez 1st at 157, Becks 2nd at 157, Mann 2nd at 174, Mitchell 2nd at 184, Walker 2nd at 197, Woods 1st at 235, and Haller 1st at 285
Upcoming tournaments:
03/02/13 NCWA Southeast Conference Championships in Statesboro, Georgia
03/14-16/13 NCWA National Tournament in Allen, Texas
Knights Give Back:
A couple of the UCF guys were a part of something bigger. Fox, Radli, Turnipseed, Martinez, Mann, and Mitchell all wrestled in the 2013 Central Florida Coaches Charity Challenge and helped raise over $1600.00 for Hospice of the Comforter. The guys wrestled each other and showed the high school community some college moves. Radli definitely had the match of the night wrestling himself!
Knights Mid-Season Recap
By Rebecca Soderholm
In a division that is continuing to grow in numbers and talent, UCF wrestling is really heating up this season, proving to be a tough team in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association. After great performances in the first three tournaments of the year, UCF wrestling looked to keep it up this past weekend at the Cavalier Duals in Albany, Georgia. UCF’s season began at the Citadel, a tough multi-division tournament that promised competitive wrestling. Next, the team headed out to the University of North Carolina-Pembroke for their highly ranked NCAA Division II tournament, the Brave’s classic, where UCF wrestling claimed more place winners than they have in any previous trip to that tournament. Following Pembroke, the UCF Knights continued their successful season at home, wrestling hard in their own Knights Brawl Duals and Central Florida Open.
At the Citadel, UCF’s first tournament of the season, three UCF wrestlers claimed victory. Santiago Martinez took the gold at the 165 pound weight class. Matt Vaughn brought home the silver, wrestling tough in the first tournament of the season at 149 pounds. UCF's Josh Woods took fourth in the 285 pound weight class.
Following the Citadel, UCF headed to North Carolina, wrestling their toughest tournament thus far at Pembroke this year, placing at more weights than ever before in school history. Pembroke took ninth last year at the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Six UCF wrestlers claimed success and made their way to the top of the podium. Santiago Martinez took first at 165, followed closely by Josh Woods and Scott Watson, who both brought home silver, at 285 and 174 pounds, respectively. Christian Grillo at 157 pounds and Matt Vaughn in the 149 pound weight class claimed fourth. Followed by Nick Petrovick also in the 174 pound weight class placing sixth, leading to a victorious second tournament.
The Knights Brawl Duals and Central Florida Open is getting increasingly more difficult and competitive over the years. UCF posted an undefeated 4-0 record during the duals. The following day during their third individual tournament of the year UCF had an incredible number of place winners. Brian Radli and Christian Grillo claimed victory by wrestling their way to gold. Santiago Martinez, Josh Woods and Max Becks also made it to the top by winning second in an incredibly tough tournament. Additionally, Michael Flemming at 141 pounds took third along with Scott Watson at 174 pounds who took fourth. Also placing in the individual tournament were Nick Petrovick in the 184 weight class taking sixth and Sean Mann wrestling 165 placing fifth.
UCF wrestling had an impressive showing this past weekend at the Cavalier Duals in Albany Georgia. They went two and one, with a small margin of a one point loss against Darton College. With a 24-23 final score, UCF made it a close match-up, starting a winning streak at the 149 pound weight class, with a tech-fall by Max Becks. Following Becks, Santiago Martinez achieved a first period pin against his opponent in the 165 pound weight class. Next, Scott Watson won at the 174 pound weight class in a 3-2 match, followed by Woods 6-3 win at the 285 pound weight class. Then UCF faced off against Truett-McConnell, dominating with a 43 to 10 final score. We started off strong in the 125 pound weight class with a second period pin by Chris Fox. Following Fox, Matt Vaughn had an impressive first period pin in the 149 pound weight class. Then, Christian Grillo and Santiago Martinez both achieved tech-falls over their opponents in the 157 and 165 pound weight classes respectively. Justin Mitchell beat his opponent 13 to 2 in the 197 pound weight class. Josh Woods finished the match up strong, with another impressive first period pin for UCF wrestling. The final Dual of the day for UCF was against Shorter College, reflecting the Knights hard work with 29 to 9 win. Nick Anthony got the match started with a 7 to 2 point win over his opponent in the 133 pound weight class. Matt Vaughn then claimed another tech-fall for UCF, beating his opponent in the 149 pound weight with a series of impressive cradles. Santiago Martinez claimed victory once again in the 165 pound weigh class, winning his match 5-2. At 174 pounds, Sean Mann claimed victory with an remarkable second period pin, continuing the Knights winning streak. Following Mann, Scott Watson defeated his opponent in the 184 pound weight class in a 5-2 match. Justin Mitchell then finished up the wins for the Knights with a 4 to 2 victory over his opponent from Shorter in the 197 pound weight class.
The UCF knights wrestling team plans on continuing their success in the months to come, as they continue to work and improve every day. Next up on the schedule is the Luther-Gator Duals in New Orleans, Louisiana. Then the Knights plan on ringing in the New Year with the Virginia Duals, a tough two-day tournament in Hampton, Virginia.
Knights Early Season Recap
In a division that is growing in numbers and talent every year, UCF wrestling is off to a great start this season with the National Collegiate Wrestling Association. The team wrestled their way to success in the first three tournaments of the season beginning at the citadel, a tough tournament of all divisions in the Southeast. Next, the team traveled to the University of North Carolina-Pembroke's Braves Classic, a highly ranked NCAA Division II tournament, where the team ranked more place winners than any previous trip the tournament. Lastly, the Knights had yet another successful showing at the Knights Brawl Duals and UCF Open in Orlando, FL.
At the Citadel, three UCF wrestlers claimed victory. Santiago Martinez took the gold at the 165 pound weight class. Matt Vaughn brought home the silver, wrestling tough in the first tournament of the season at 149 pounds. UCF's Josh Woods took fourth in the 285 pound weight class.
UCF wrestled their toughest tournament ever at Pembroke this year, placing at more weights than ever in school history. Pembroke placed ninth last year at the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Six wrestlers impressively made their way to the top of the podium. Santiago Martinez took first at 165, followed closely by Josh Woods and Scott Watson, who both brought home silver, at 285 and 174 pounds, respectively. Christian Grillo at 157 pounds and Matt Vaughn in the 149 pound weight class claimed fourth. Followed by Nick Petrovick also in the 174 pound weight class placing sixth, leading to a victorious second tournament.The Knights Brawl Duals and Central Florida Open is getting increasingly more difficult and competitive over the years. UCF posted an undefeated 4-0 record during the duals Friday night. The following day during the individual tournament UCF had an incredible number of place winners during their third tournament. Brian Radli and Christian Grillo claimed victory by wrestling their way to gold. Santiago Martinez, Josh Woods and Max Becks also made it to the top by winning second in an incredibly tough tournament. Additionally, Michael Flemming at 141 pounds took third along with Scott Watson at 174 pounds who took fourth. Also placing in the individual tournament were Nick Petrovick in the 184 weight class taking sixth and Sean Mann wrestling 165 placing fifth.
UCF wrestling expects to continue to excel in the upcoming tournaments throughout the season. The Cavalier Duals in Albany, Georgia are next on the list to conquer, followed by the Luther-Gator Duals in New Orleans, LA. The 2013 year stars off with a challenging two day tournament; The Virginia Duals, held in Hampton, VA.
Knights have another strong performance at Braves Classic in Pembroke, NC

Wt 149
1-Deral Brown (Newberry) D 3-2
2 Aaron Walker (The Citadel-Unattached)
3 Bobby Manning (Limestone-Unattached) F M FOR
5 Luis Camacho (UNC Pembroke) F M FOR
6 Reggie Allen (UNC Pembroke-Unattached)
Wt 157
1 #2-Jeremy Bommarito (Limestone) D 3-1
2 #4-Kevin Johnson (Anderson)
3 #3-Seiji Borja (Newberry) T1 15-0; 4:16
4 Christian Grillo (Central Florida)
5 Davis Bagwell (Newberry) F FOR
6 Shawn Landgraff (Newberry-Unattached)
Wt 165
1 #1-Santiago Martinez (Central Florida) F 1:33
2 #2-Blake Ridenour (Newberry)
3 #3-Vincent Bellaran (The Citadel) F 4:22
4 Blaze Shade (UNC Pembroke)
5 Tyler Johnson (Newberry) D 5-2
6 Hunter Robinson (Newberry)
Wt 174
1 #2-Travis Sheehy (Newberry) M 14-3
2 Scott Watson (Central Florida)
3 #1-Mike Williams (UNC Pembroke) F 0:52
4 #3-Tanner Saraceno (Limestone)
5 Cody Brundage (Newberry-Unattached) F 4:30
6 Nick Petrovic (Central Florida)
Wt 285
1 #1-Matt Wade (Newberry) F 0:31
2 #3-Josh Woods (Central Florida)
3 #2-Chris Giddens (UNC Pembroke) D 5-3
4 #7-Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State-Unattached)
5 #4-Marquin Hill (UNC Pembroke) F 4:30
6 Gerald Johnson (The Citadel-Unattached)
Knights have strong performance at The Citadel Classic

Santiago Martinez (165 lbs.) led the Knights to a strong performance at the Citadel Open. Martinez finished the tournament 5-0 to capture the the team's first individual championship. He was joined on podium by teammates Matt Vaughn (2nd - 149 lbs.) & Josh Woods (4th - 285 lbs.).
| Name | Class | Weight | Record | Pins | Points |
| Christopher Fox | Junior | 125 | 0 - 2 | 0 | -3.50 |
| Brian Radli | Freshman | 125 | 2 - 2 | 0 | 6.50 |
| Evan Dipsiner | Freshman | 125 | 0 - 2 | 0 | -3.50 |
| Nick Anthony | Freshman | 133 | 2 - 2 | 0 | 6.50 |
| Michael Fleming | Sophomore | 141 | 3 - 2 | 1 | 12.60 |
| Maximilian Becks | Sophomore | 149 | 3 - 2 | 1 | 18.60 |
| Sean Mann | Junior | 149 | 1 - 2 | 1 | 2.60 |
| Matt Vaughn | Sophomore | 149 | 5 - 1 | 2 | 34.45 |
| Zane Turnipseed | Freshman | 157 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Christian Grillo | Sophomore | 157 | 4 - 2 | 3 | 19.80 |
| Santiago Martinez | Junior | 165 | 5 - 0 | 1 | 66.10 |
| Nicholas Petrovcik | Junior | 165 | 2 - 2 | 0 | 6.50 |
| Scott Watson | Freshman | 174 | 1 - 2 | 1 | 2.60 |
| William Mitchell | Sophomore | 197 | 3 - 2 | 0 | 11.50 |
| Joshua Woods | Junior | 235 | 6 - 2 | 1 | 60.60 |
UCF Wrestling History
In the fall of 1970, Florida Technological University, now called the University of Central Florida, hired Gerald R. Gergley to be its first wrestling coach.
Under Coach Gergley, the varsity program grew into a high respected NCAA DII team which traveled the nation in strong competition. Four coaching changes later and after competing in NCAA DI for one season, UCF dropped its varsity program in the sport for budgetary and gender equity concerns in 1986.
In the summer of 2001, Oklahoma State University transfer student wrestler Jeff Ruberg, along with UCF Alumni and former Assistant Coach to Gergley, Johnny Rouse, began the NCWA team which is now entering its 12th season. Since the program’s 2001 revival, UCF has earned three NCWA team titles and has never finished outside of the top ten.
From its 1970 inception, through the 2012 wrestling season, the university has produced 75 All Americans, 7 members (Lifetime Achievement) of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and 6 wrestlers who have represented the USA in International Competition.
NCWA National Champions:
Raun Jessee @ 165 lbs.
Tom Lawlor @ 235 lbs.
2004:
Jason Ruberg @ 184 lbs.
Todd Hauser @ 197 lbs.
Tom Lawlor @ 235 lbs.
2005:
Todd Hauser @ 197 lbs.
Tom Lawlor @ 235 lbs.
Jarren Williams @ 285 lbs.
2011:
Josh Woods @ 235 lbs.
2013:
Santiago Martinez @ 157 lbs.
UCF 4x NCWA
All-Americans:
Todd Hauser
David Miller
Paul Rothenberg
Steve DeAugustino
Richard Rippy
Dual Meet Record since 2001 NCWA
team revival: 145-42
3 National Titles
76 Individual All-American Finishes
10 Individual National Champion Finishes
Team Finishes:
2002 - 8th Place
2003 - 4th Place
2004 - 1st Place
2005 - 1st Place
2006 - 4th Place
2007 - 2nd Place
2008 - 3rd Place
2009 - 5th Place
2010 - 1st Place
2011 - 3rd Place
2012 - 8th Place
2013 - 6th Place
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