In what was an already stellar season, the 2010-2011 Hopkins wrestling team has continued to pile on the accolades. Though the most recent honors came after the season, they are perhaps the most prestigious.
This week, co-captains senior Eric Levenseller from Tabernacle, N.J. and senior Rocky Barilla from New York, N.Y., have both been named to the 2010-2011 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-America Team. The award honors those who exemplify qualities of being a star student athlete.
Both Lenevseller and Barilla have excelled in the classroom and competitions.
With the addition of the two co-captains to this year’s NWCA Scholar All-America Team, Hopkins has now placed 37 wrestlers on the prestigious list since 1984. Levenseller and Barilla’s accomplishments did not go unnoticed by the Centennial Conference either as both were awarded spots on the Centennial Conference Wrestling Academic Honor Roll.
Joining the duo on the Centennial Honor Roll is junior Rick Danilkowicz. Danilkowicz, a Green Oaks, Ill. native, wrestled in the 285-pound weight class.
He also carries an impressive 3.57 cumulative grade point average and majors in political science. Danilkowicz highlighted his season with a sixth place finish at the Red Dragon Invitational in November in Oneonta, N.Y.
With his second year on the team, Barilla had an outstanding season. In the 149-pound weight division, Barilla posted a 24-12 record.
Outside of the mats, Barilla is majoring in cellular/molecular biology and carries a 3.48 cumulative grade point average. With 24 victories, Barilla was second on the team in wins while going 4-1 in the Centennial Conference.
Barilla also went up in weight five times this season to 157 pounds. In the 157-pound division he had an overall record of 3-2 ,2-2 against NCAA opponents and 1-0 in Centennial Conference Dual meets.
Over the past four years, Levenseller has done more than lead the wrestling team by example.
Majoring in mechanical engineering, Levenseller boasts a 3.40 cumulative grade point average. Wrestling in the 165-pound weight class, he led the team in both major decisions (eight) and wins (26). Finishing the year with a 26-8 record, Levenseller was dominant in Centennial Conference dual meets, posting a perfect 7-0 record.
Levenseller made a strong push in the playoffs, but was stopped short in a valiant effort against top-ranked Vince Renaut of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Renaut went on to win the 2010 National Championship in their weight division.
Levenseller realizes how significant it is to stay focused in matches, practices and academics. Apart from winning a remarkable 28 individual matches, Levenseller focused in large part on the team as well.
“It feels great to win the award . . . It is hard to keep a balance between wrestling and school, especially at Hopkins, but it definitely has paid off over the past four years,” he said.
“This year in particular my attitude regarding wrestling changed a lot. I had always wanted to accomplish as much as I could personally: tournament titles, All-American status, etcetera, but I think a lot of the kids on the team realized we had something more than individual talent this year,” Levenseller said.
“It was the first time we had a full line-up strong enough to win big matches. That became our team's main focus this year, to come together and win a conference championship with all 10 starters.”
With sophomores Reid Mosquera and Paul Marcello’s success in the NCAA championships followed by Levenseller, Barillo and Danilkowicz’s honors, Hopkins wrestling is putting itself on the map. This season showed that Hopkins wrestling will compete with some of the country’s best in the upcoming years.
Apart from Levenseller and Barillo, a good majority of the team will be returning next season with improved talent and more experience. Levenseller knew this year was special, but knows even better results may lie ahead in 2012.
“It was a long, but successful season, battling injuries and upsets, and also surprising people along the way including ourselves,” he said. “We ended up second in the conference, six spots up from our eighth place finish just two years ago. I think this season for our team was a big turning point. From now on, and with a majority of the team returning next year, Hopkins wrestling expects to win championships.”
So while spring sports are well under way for Hopkins athletics during the rest of the year, look for Hopkins wrestling to make a statement next season.
