Calumet College of St. Joseph Announces First Class

First year head coach Leroy Vega has announced the wrestlers that will be the first to grace the mats at Calumet College of St. Joseph. The Crimson Wave bring in 25 wrestlers to start the program off. Vega not only brought in freshmen, but numerous transfers that will add some immediate college experience to the line-up.  Leading the way is NCAA qualifier Dan Bedoy. Bedoy qualified for nationals with Purdue in 2006 and will come with one year of eligibility left. He will definitely make an immediate impact on the NAIA this season.  Other key transfers include former state runner-up Andy St. Germain who comes from Harper Junior College and Chad Allen who originally started out at Portage, but won a state championship in North Carolina before wrestling for Manchester last year.  Dave Ballentine, a fourth place finisher for Mishawaka in 2008, comes to CCSJ via King College to challenge for the 197lbs spot. Another top recruit is Bloomington South's Chris Head. Head placed 6th in the state as a freshman and was also a Junior Freestyle All-American in 2008. Former Merrillville state runner-up Eric Oria was a late addition to the team and the coaches look for him to make a solid contribution to the team right away.

Coach Vega has assembled a great base for the future of the Crimson Wave this year. Their schedule includes duals with Manchester, Indianapolis, and Wabash while they are also in numerous tournaments such as the Michigan State Open, Little States and the Midwest Classic. If you want to come watch the Crimson Wave they will be traveling the state and will most likely be in your area this year as they will not have a home meet this season.

Click here for the Calumet College of St. Joseph Crimson Wave schedule