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Wrestlers Host Stanford In Season Opener
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by Richard Motroni
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| There seems to be two words that would best describe the Spartan wrestling team--young and aggressive. |
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| Young because the team consists of only two seniors and three juniors. Aggressive due to a certain style of play
engineered by coach Kevin Hejnal. |
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| The first year coach admits that having a squad of players with limited experience is no great advantage. But he
believes there is some great talent. |
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| "One of the benefits of coaching a team in California, is that you can always find a solid core of fine talent,"
Hejnal said. "This team is no exception." |
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| Hejnal and his Spartans will find out just how solid they are tonight when they meet Stanford in the season opener.
Competition will begin at 7 in the men's gym. |
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| Hejnal hopes his emphasis on aggressiveness as a means of achieving victory will help his team against the Cardinal. |
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| "I want my wrestlers not to stall or be very conservative, because it's boring," he said. "If they
have a chance for a takedown, they should go for it. I can't stand a wrestler who stalls." |
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| A quick rundown on each wrestler's ability described by Hejnal shows that although a good degree of Spartans lack
experience, they make up in ability: |
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| 118 pounds--sophomore Andrew Flores uses quickness and intellect to his advantage. A red-shirt last year, he could
be a factor in future matches. |
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| 126 pounds--Joel Chew, another sophomore, at first seems disorganized in his technique. But he actually uses it
as a decoy. Chew is a good leg-rider with the ability for effective counter attack on defense. |
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| 134 pounds--junior Greg Eissner has the best record among the returning Spartans and it's easy to see why. Eissner
is quick on his feet and is an outstanding counter wrestler, according to Hejnal. He is the most experienced Spartan
and should be one of their strengths. |
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| 142 pounds--Joe Zamlich is a senior who Hejnal describes as "a wrestler that has no weakness." Zamlich
loves to get physical and is very tough to take down. He is most likely to be team captain. |
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| 150 pounds--Martin Navarete is a sophomore who uses his feet very well and works hard at what he does. His weakness
is in the down position and lack of experience could hurt him in the long run. |
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| 167 pounds--Shane Baum, a junior, returns to SJSU with an impressive 11-1 record from last year. He's great on
his feet and powerful in the down position, Hejnal said. |
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| 177 pounds--Scott Benson is a junior who was Central Coast Champion, but hasn't had great success at SJSU. He has
good leg tackling ability with outstanding upper-body strength. Hejnal said Benson is a model SJSU wrestler and
a great all-around team leader. |
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| 190 pounds--Scott Gustafson has a major problem. He's a freshman who lacks experience. He needs to improve on using
his feet, but is a quick learner and understands the pressure is on him. |
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| Heavyweight--Brent Smith is another freshman who's a fierce competitor. He has great upper-body strength and wrestles
very physically. |
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| Although the Spartans were 7-11 last year, Hejnal expects big things from his wrestlers. |
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