2007-2008 Season Preview
It will be a mix of something old and something new when the Milwaukee School of Engineering wrestling team hits the mat for the 2007-2008 season.
The Raiders bring back six starters from last year's squad including four grapplers that won at least 20 matches. Elliot Gronland (Oak Creek, Wis. /Oak Creek HS) and Joel VandeBoom highlight that group and have been named co-captains this season. Ryan Baird (Oconomowoc, Wis. /Oconomowoc), Matt Olsen (Algonquin, Ill. /Harry D. Jacobs) and John Lemmer (Milwaukee, Wis. /Bradley Tech) are also back this year to provide the Raiders with a nucleus of experienced wrestlers.
Morin is also looking forward to bringing in a talented crop of freshman. Dominick and Sammy Deligio (Ingelside, Ill. /Grant Community) will shore up the lightweight roster after a successful prep career that included Regional championships. Three-time Regional champion Matt Brady (Chicago, Ill. /St. Ignatius), Division I transfer Sana Rahmani (Illinois-Chicago), and David Swanson (Milton, Wis. /Milton), will join the brothers in the lightweight ranks.
In the middleweight ranks, Stephan Sanchez (Racine/Horlick) qualified three times for the state tournament. Sanchez was named wrestler of the year in Racine County by the Racine Journal Times. Also entering the program is Samuel Bramstedt (Cleveland, Wis. /Manitowoc Lutheran), Scott Ison (Little Chute, Wis. /Freedom), Zach Verbick (Plymouth, Minn. /Wayzata) and Nathan Wicks (Aledo, Ill. /Aledo) Heavyweight Nick Marsh joins the program's heavyweight ranks after a successful career at Sun Prairie High School, a perennial Wisconsin wrestling powerhouse.
Morin enters his 14th season at the helm of the Raiders' ship with an impressive resume. Just the second coach in program history, he was named Coach of the Year in the Lake Michigan Conference five times: picking up the honors in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. In 2002, he was named NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year and has been honored by numerous other state and national organizations. Morin was inducted into the MSOE Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
The MSOE wrestling team has also been recognized and widely regarded for its superior academic performance. Last year's team was recognized as one of the top academic teams in the nation for the seventh year in a row when they finished with the 16th-highest grade point average among NCAA Division III programs. MSOE has been honored for posting the nation's highest GPA from 2002-2005.
