Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Signs Four Wrestlers During Early Period
11/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 29, 2005
Fresno, Calif. - Head Coach Shawn Charles and the rest of the Bulldog wrestling staff have announced the signing of four wrestlers to letters of intent in the early signing period. "This class is a terrific one for us," said Charles. "They are great wrestlers, great students and role models in their community. We're very excited about this first recruiting cycle." As a winter sport, the team will also announce more recruits following the late signing period in April.
The four signings reflect a complete recruiting strategy, bringing in two Californians, including a local recruit, as well as two national wrestlers from Florida and Illinois. "Our first goal is to make sure that the best wrestlers in California stay in California," said Charles. "However, when the opportunity opened to recruit some other high-level athletes from across the country, we made sure to take advantage of it."
The class starts out with local prospect Josh Betancur from Buchanan High School in Clovis. A lightweight, Betancur is currently ranked No. 1 in the state, and should wrestler either 125 or 133 for the Bulldogs. "There is a lot of wrestling talent in the greater Fresno area, and Josh certainly fits into that mold," said Charles. "We need to keep that talent here, and Josh is a great wrestler to help continue that tradition."
The Bulldogs brought in another California wrestler in Armando Gonzalez. A native of Gilroy, his father coaches for his high school and he has been brought up in a wrestling environment. "Armando is another talented wrestler that we are glad to be able to bring into Fresno State from inside California," said Charles. "As a result of his background, he really knows wrestling and loves the sport."
Looking outside the state, the Bulldogs have brought in another state champion in Andre Johnson. Johnson projects to wrestler at either 133 or 141 pounds, and hails from Royal Palm Beach, Fla. "Andre is a great student and a hard worker, in addition to being a favorite to repeat as state champion," said Charles. "We did not want to lose our chance to recruit him just because he was an out-of-state athlete."
The final signing of the early period is Brian Martin, a projected 149-pounder from Illinois wrestling power Montini High School. "Brian will be a three-time state champion from one of the top wrestling programs in the state of Illinois," said Charles. "We were very glad to get the opportunity to recruit Brian and have him join us here as a Bulldog."
