The Terre Haute South wrestling team had one of its better seasons in recent years this winter, and first-year coach Dave Stewart is still working hard with his youth program.
He’s also putting a large amount of energy — and he’s got a lot of energy — into helping senior Brandon Smitley secure a college scholarship.
Smitley was knocked out of the state tournament in the semistate by Evansville Mater Dei state finalist Ezekiel Zenthoefer, but the 125-pounder is preparing to compete at Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the USA Wrestling junior nationals Friday and Saturday. Smitley took runner-up honors at the Indiana State Wrestling Association folkstyle state tournament last weekend at Indianapolis.
Smitley lost to D.J. Rackley, who was an IHSAA state finalist from Franklin Central in the 112-pound class.
Qualifying for the national tournament could go a long way in helping Smitley get noticed by a Division II, Division III or NAIA wrestling coach with a scholarship to offer.
“That’s why we pushed Brandon into qualifying for the tournament. Coaches from all over the country will be looking at him,” said Stewart, who also had an Indiana University assistant coach visit his clinic. The assistant encouraged Smitley to apply to Indiana and be a walk-on for the Hoosiers.
Smitley was caught off guard by the invitation. Smitley’s four-year career at South wasn’t successful enough to draw attention from many colleges.
He was a regional qualifier as a freshman in his first year of wrestling. The 5-foot-1 Smitley’s first love was basketball.
“I loved it. I still play when I have time, but my height was an obvious disadvantage,” Smitley said.
So Smitley went out for wrestling. He advanced to regionals right away as a freshman under coach Henry Villegas.
Stewart had a similar story growing up. John Stewart, Dave’s late father told his son, “‘you’re too small for basketball and football,’” Dave recalled. “He put me in this wrestling clinic. I used to beg not to go.”
Now Stewart, a Navy retiree after a 21-year career in which he coached wrestling in the South Pacific for several years, is putting all his effort into building up a Terre Haute South program. He has hopes of elevating the program ahead of Terre Haute North and Northview and to compete with always tough competitors from Bloomington.
Smitley was glad Stewart came along. The South coach has brought in people like 1960 Olympic champion Shelby Wilson to talk with his wrestlers.
“I was an average wrestler, but after working with Coach Stewart, my experience level went up like two years,” Smitley said. “I’ve learned new moves and my overall defense got better.”
Smitley said he hopes to get as far as he can in the nationals. Smitley also hopes a college coach shows some interest. The IU walk-on offer is exciting, but Smitley has already been accepted at Indiana State, where he wants to study athletic training. It’s too bad the ISU wrestling program was liquidated in 1986 or Smitley might have at least a walk-on opportunity in his hometown.
Ideally, Smitley hopes to find a scholarship offer to a college that also offers an athletic training major. Stewart hopes so.
“This is raw talent that is available to any colleges. He bloomed as a senior,” said Stewart. “He’s a solid brick. Any college in Indiana that doesn’t come by and take a look at him is missing out. He’s a natural 125 pounder [the smallest collegiate weight class]. He’s 5-1 with 16-inch arms.”
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• Borgnini hitting mats — Amy Borgnini, former wrestler/homecoming queen at Terre Haute North, is preparing for the 2007 U.S. Nationals April 4-7 at Las Vegas.
Borgnini made the U.S. National team in 2006 with a third-place finish at the World Team Trials last June. She’ll also participate in that event June 8 of this year.
Borgnini will graduate from Northern Michigan University, where she’s wrestled on the women’s freestyle team since 2004.
In 2008, the World Team Trials become the Olympic Trials, with the winner earning the U.S. spot on the Olympic team and second place earning an alternate role.
“Everything right now is practice for that,” Borgnini said Friday.
Borgnini wrestles in the 55-kilogram (121-pound) weight class, which is also one of the four Olympic weight classes for women.
Craig Pearson can be reached by phone at (812) 231-4356 or by e-mail at craig.pearson@tribstar.com.
Given to Fly
March 25, 2007
Given to Fly: South’s Brandon Smitley preparing for national meet
- Given to Fly
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GIVEN TO FLY: Come to expect new standards of excellence
Records are definitely meant to be broken; athletes today are faster and stronger than those in the past in many endeavors in athletics.
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GIVEN TO FLY: ISU women have solid recruiting class
The caliber of athletes that the Indiana State women’s basketball coaching staff is bringing in is on an upswing.
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GIVEN TO FLY: Major leaguers John, Dorsett meet up at tonight’s game
Terre Haute’s only two big leaguers of the last 50 years — Tommy John and Brian Dorsett — will catch up with one another today.
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FOOT NOTES: Valley natives perform well on national stage
Several Wabash Valley natives continue to shine on the national track and field scene.
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'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
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'Til It's Over: Two sets of identical twins should keep North Central baseball a contender
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'Til It's Over: Jarvis, Anderson confident Olney, hard work leads to Division I dream
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Robinson 7-footer Meyers Leonard is not going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA some day, but his odds of reaching the league are pretty solid if his game continues to evolve as it has during high school.
- 'Til It's Over: ‘Stepping stone’ game points Sycamores in right direction Whether the win comes against a top-25 team or a conference pushover, ending a four-game losing streak is always a relief.
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- 'Til It's Over: Magic’s still there for '79 Sycamores For the former Indiana State players who visited the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in late November, the weekend was a chance to relive memories with teammates and see Larry Bird’s career with the Sycamores celebrated again.
- CRAIG PEARSON: North has strong history in cross country state finals Vigo County is home to just four IHSAA state championships in team sports. Most recently, Terre Haute South won girls titles in basketball (2002) and tennis (2001).
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- Given to Fly: Schilli’s Rodman-like performance aids ISU With Indiana State’s women’s basketball team ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage (36.5), the Sycamores need as many shot attempts as possible to maintain their standing on top of the league.
- Given to Fly: A classic in every sense of the word What tournament director and co-founder Gary Fears had in mind when creating the tournament came to fruition Tuesday. Marshall, with an enrollment of 438 students, became the smallest school to win the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic in the ninth season of the tourney.
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Given to Fly: ISU women should build confidence off strong outing
Indiana State did not pull off the monumental upset Saturday against No. 23 Kansas State, but the Wildcats are —aside from Connecticut in 2005 — the best team the Sycamores have played in the Jim Wiedie era.
- Given to Fly: ISU women's hoops team slides onto commercial radio Coach Jim Wiedie expects the Indiana State women’s basketball team to have a bit of a retro feel this season, meaning the Sycamores have the potential to get back to creating havoc with their full-court press.
- Given to Fly: ISU vets hope to prove pundits wrong Indiana State’s only two seniors were surprised to see they were picked ahead of just three Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams Tuesday morning.
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Footnotes: In first marathon, former Sycamore comes out a winner
Indiana State graduate Dani Prince made her debut in the event with a victory in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Prince’s goal was a time under 2 hours and 50 minutes, and she ran a 2:48.56. -
Given To Fly: ISU volleyball turning things around
It was an extremely busy weekend for Indiana State athletics this weekend.
- Footnotes: Here’s hoping perfect weather is still around for Nationals in November The weather made for a perfect fall afternoon Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. For what it’s worth, the Farmer’s Almanac calls for more sunny conditions from Nov. 20-24, with the NCAA Championships falling on the 24th this year.
- Terre Haute natives cherish memories of ‘House that Ruth Built’ Yankee Stadium was packed as usual on Easter Sunday in 1979. George Steinbrenner’s Yankees were one loss away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. That was no way for the two-time defending World Series champions to perform, so the boss had a conversation with his new veteran left-handed starting pitcher prior to the game.
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Footnotes: Oregon men and women have strangehold on preseason NCAA cross countryrankings
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- Given to Fly: Bronze medalist has strong ISU ties One of the remarkable American medalists of this 2008 Olympics thus far also provided one of the most sparkling stories in the brief history of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course here in Terre Haute.
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