WVU Wrestling Adds to Incoming Class

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (July 21, 2009) – West Virginia University wrestling coach Craig Turnbull announced today that three-time state New Jersey place-winner Anthony Curcio will join the Mountaineers in the fall of 2009.

Curcio is a four-year letterwinner at Washington Township High for coach Ralph Ross, Jr. The 5-foot-3-inch lightweight was a four-time district champion (102, 112, 125 and 130 pounds) and is only one of two wrestlers in school history to accomplish the feat. He also was named all-Olympic Conference and all-county four times during his career.

"We feel he has the intensity and the athleticism to make a really strong contribution to our program,” Turnbull says. “He has been one of the finer lower-weight wrestlers in New Jersey throughout his career and we believe that we needed some strength in those first two weight classes. He's going to be a significant help to us and we believe he should have an outstanding career before he's done."

As a senior, Curcio completed his season with a fifth-place finish at 130 pounds at the state tournament. Not only did he conclude the campaign ranked second in the South Jersey final individual rankings, but Curcio also became the school’s all-time leader in wins with 137. He tallied more than 15 pins during the course of the season. With his success, Washington Township High qualified for the team state tournament for the first time in eight years.

His best season, though, came in his junior year as he took runner-up at the New Jersey state tournament. He breezed through postseason competition as he took first place in District 30 at 125 pounds and then repeated his performance at the Region 8 Tournament. At the season’s end, he was named all-Olympic Conference, all-Group 4, all-Gloucester County and all-South Jersey.

Curcio joins an already highly touted incoming class, which was ranked No. 24 nationally by InterMat. The class consists of Branko Busick (HWT/Steubenville, Ohio), Cameron Gallaher (149/Grafton, W.Va.), Brandon Loro (149/Springfield, Pa.), Mac Mancuso (197/Holy Spirit, N.J.), Nathan Pennesi (125/Greater Latrobe, Pa.), Brandon Williamson (HWT/Greenwich, Conn.) and Shane Young (125/Jeannette, Pa).


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