Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Wrestling Receives Nine Commitments for 2014-15
5/8/2014 3:31:00 PM | Wrestling
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team will boast a number of new faces next season, as nine high school seniors have committed to join the Wildcats for the 2014-15 season. Head coach Bob Patnesky announced the additions of Dustin Runzo (Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk Academy), Danny Jones (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade), Zach Colangelo (Salt Lake City, Utah/West HS), Michael "Mick" Shanahan (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius College Prep), Konner Pritchard (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne), Ryan Devlin (Mooresville, N.C./Lake Norman), Will Cooley (Branchburg, N.J./Blair Academy), Daniel Hansen (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring HS) and Brian Capps (Wilmington, N.C./E.A. Laney HS) on Wednesday.
"We are incredibly excited to add these young men to our team," said Patnesky. "The number one quality we looked for when recruiting this class, beyond academic prowess, was being a fierce competitor. We believe this group has an intense desire to compete at the Division I level and we feel they can make an immediate impact on our program and Davidson College when they step on campus this fall."
Slated to graduate from Norfolk (Va.) Academy in May, Runzo wrestled under his father, head coach Chris Runzo, for the Bulldogs. He is a two-time VISAA State Champion (2012, 2014) who also placed third at the state meet as a freshman in 2011 and again as a junior in 2013. Runzo has twice placed in the top eight at Prep Nationals, taking eighth place in 2011 and seventh in 2013. He wrapped up his career with a 179-34 record, going 31-3 as a senior in 2013-14. In addition, he previously played lacrosse (2011) and football (2011, 2012) for Norfolk Academy and ranks in the top 10 percent of his graduating class. He is the son of Beth and Chris, who wrestled at Virginia Tech, and has two brothers: Aaron, who wrestled at Northern Michigan and Old Dominion, and Ethan.
Jones is a four-year letterwinner from Chaminade High School in New York – the same alma mater as Davidson men's basketball head coach Bob McKillop. Wrestling at 145-pounds for head coach Scott Cole and the Flyers, Jones placed fourth in Nassau County and was a three-time Catholic State finalist. He also finished eighth at Eastern States, going 166-41 in his career and 33-7 as a senior in 2013-14. Jones was a four-year member of the honor roll and was also a member of the National Honor Society at Chaminade. The son of Michael and Susan, Jones has three siblings – Matt, Sarah and Michael – and hails from Garden City, N.Y. He intends to major in economics.
A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Colangelo was a four-year letterwinner under head coach Mike Schmidt at West High School. Colangelo, who wrestled anywhere from 112-152 pounds, was the 2014 Utah State runner-up and a four-year Utah state tournament qualifier. He was a two-time Section A and Region 2 champion, as well as a two-year member of Team Utah and took fifth at the 2013 Utah State tournament. Colangelo was the 2012 Utah State Greco champion and a recipient of both the Wrestler of the Year and Iron Man award. He finished his career with a 125-34 overall record, going 39-5 as a senior in 2013-14. Colangelo departs as the winningest wrestler in West High's 100-year history and is just the second Panther to eclipse the 100-win mark. He also excelled in the classroom where he was an AP Scholar and member of the high honor roll. The son of Keri and Dan, he also has a brother, Jake, and is expected to compete for a spot at 157 pounds.
Also at 157 pounds will be Shanahan, who hails from Chicago, Ill., and wrestled for St. Ignatius College Prep. Under the tutelage of head coach Dominic Angelo, Shanahan was a 2014 Chicago Catholic League champion and a 2013 Catholic League runner up. A three-year team captain, he was a member of Team Illinois in 2012 and an Illinois state qualifier in 2013. In addition, Shanahan was a Chicago Catholic League Freshman/Sophomore Champion in 2011 and made it to the Illinois State Elite 8 in 2014. With a career record of 122-50, he ranks second all-time in program history with 65 pins and is third in wins. Born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, he was adopted by parents Kevin and Ann at age 10 and weighed just 37 pounds. Shanahan has a sister, Kate, and is a National Merit Scholar who will major in economics at Davidson.
Virginia Beach-native Pritchard was a four-year letterwinner at 152, 160, 170 and 182 pounds for head coach Martin Erickson and the Princess Anne High School Cavaliers. Pritchard was the 2013-14 Virginia 5A State champion, 5A South Region champion and 5A District champion while taking fifth place at NHSCA Senior Nationals that season. In 2012-13, he won the Beach District championship, was the runner-up at the Eastern Region Tournament and placed third at the AAA state meet. Pritchard, who went 146-31 in his career and 27-1 as a senior, was the Virginia Beach Sports Club Male Athlete/Scholar of the Year. His 146 wins are the most in Princess Anne's 60-year history. Pritchard was also a three-year captain and All-Beach District honoree on the Cavaliers' football team. In the classroom, Pritchard was an International Baccalaureate Program graduate and a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and National Science Honor Society. The son of Kerry and Kamela, he has one sibling, Kasey, and is slated to wrestle at 184 pounds for the Wildcats.
A familiar name for the 'Cats, Ryan Devlin will join older brother Patrick at Davidson next season. The younger Devlin also wrestled for coach Tommy Pavia at Lake Norman High School, where he was a three-year letterwinner at 182 pounds. A two-time all-state honoree and team captain, he was the 2014 Lake Norman Wrestler of the Year and Mooresville Weekly Wrestler of the Year. Devlin was the 2014 conference and regional champion and was twice named to the all-region and all-conference teams. Devlin was also the 2013 Lake Norman Coaches Award honoree as well as the Most Improved Wrestler. Devlin boasts 144 career wins, going 55-4 as a senior. His 88 career pins rank third in the Lake Norman history, helping him earn Lake Norman's 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award. Devlin, who is expected to compete at 184 pounds, was a four-time NCHSAA Scholar-Athlete who has not yet chosen a major. Hailing from nearby Mooresville, N.C., he is the son of Jeff and Gwen Devlin.
Cooley comes to Davidson as four-year letterwinner for head coach Soloman Fleckman at Blair Academy. The heavyweight was the 2014 Blair Academy Leiberman Wrestling Prize winner as well as an All-Prep New Jersey First Team honoree as a senior. The Blair Academy Buccaneers, who previously won 31 National Prep Titles and produced numerous NCAA champions and Olympians, was ranked first in the nation in 2014. Cooley turned in a 26-14 record in his final campaign, placing eighth at Beast of the East and fifth at Escape the Rock. He was also a three-year letterwinnner on the varsity football team, helping the squad to the 2013 MPAL Championship and New Jersey Prep state championship in 2014. In the classroom, Cooley was a junior history prizewinner in 2013. A native of Branchburg, N.J., he is the son of Jeremy and Susan, who played basketball at Lafayette College. Though the Wildcats boasts numerous twins on the roster, Cooley marks the first triplet for the 'Cats. Sisters Rebecca and Rachel play soccer for Blair, with Rachel committing to Hamilton College, while eldest brother Jeremy is a 2012 Blair Academy grad who attends Lafayette College.
The second New York native in the class, Hansen competed for head coach Mike Ferrugiari at Cold Spring Harbor High School. He placed in the top three in Nassau County, earning all-county accolades in 2013-14 – his first varsity season. Hansen, who wrestled at 195 and 220, earned pins vs. Hicksville, Massapequa and Grand Street Campus. The Seahawks were a New York State Public High School Athletic Association, Inc. Scholar-Athlete team and the Nassau County Tournament runner-up as well as the qualifier runner-up. Hansen, who hails from Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., was also a three-year letterwinner on the swim team and participated in cross country and track. He is an AP Scholar and a member of the high honor roll who intends to major in English and History at Davidson. The son of Pamela and Daniel Sr., he has two brothers – Christian and Eric, who is also a member of the wrestling team. His mother was an All-American, PSAC and National Champion swimmer at Division II powerhouse Clarion (Pa.), while his father swam at UMass.
A native of Wilmington, N.C., Capps wrestled for two seasons at South Brunswick High School before moving to E.A. Laney High School to complete his scholastic career. Under the direction of head coach Jon Mauney at Laney, Capps twice finished third at the state championships, earning all-state honorable mention in 2013 and 2014. He was a three-time state qualifier, three-time first team all-conference honoree, four-time regional qualifier and was the conference's sportsman of the year in 2013. He also earned MVP and Coaches' Award honors from the Buccaneers and twice finished as the team's leader in points. Capps compiled a 166-35 career record, including a 52-4 mark as a senior in 2013-14 with 30 wins by fall. In addition, Capps earned three letters in both football, where he was named second team all-conference, and baseball. In the classroom, he was a member of the National Honor Society and ranks in the top five percent of his graduating class with a 4.7 GPA. Capps is the son of Cindy and James, who played baseball at Louisburg College.
"This is not only the largest class of recruits, but also our most decorated," said assistant coach Erik Wince. "Combined they have numerous impressive high school accomplishments. They are coming to Davidson with all-American status and Prep National Championship accolades as well as top-three finishes in their respective state tournaments, ranging from here in North Carolina to as far as New York, Illinois and Utah. These young men are putting in the time this summer to continue to build upon the hard-working atmosphere we have created at Davidson to help make our mark on the Southern Conference and on the national stage at the NCAA Championships."
"We are incredibly excited to add these young men to our team," said Patnesky. "The number one quality we looked for when recruiting this class, beyond academic prowess, was being a fierce competitor. We believe this group has an intense desire to compete at the Division I level and we feel they can make an immediate impact on our program and Davidson College when they step on campus this fall."
Slated to graduate from Norfolk (Va.) Academy in May, Runzo wrestled under his father, head coach Chris Runzo, for the Bulldogs. He is a two-time VISAA State Champion (2012, 2014) who also placed third at the state meet as a freshman in 2011 and again as a junior in 2013. Runzo has twice placed in the top eight at Prep Nationals, taking eighth place in 2011 and seventh in 2013. He wrapped up his career with a 179-34 record, going 31-3 as a senior in 2013-14. In addition, he previously played lacrosse (2011) and football (2011, 2012) for Norfolk Academy and ranks in the top 10 percent of his graduating class. He is the son of Beth and Chris, who wrestled at Virginia Tech, and has two brothers: Aaron, who wrestled at Northern Michigan and Old Dominion, and Ethan.
Jones is a four-year letterwinner from Chaminade High School in New York – the same alma mater as Davidson men's basketball head coach Bob McKillop. Wrestling at 145-pounds for head coach Scott Cole and the Flyers, Jones placed fourth in Nassau County and was a three-time Catholic State finalist. He also finished eighth at Eastern States, going 166-41 in his career and 33-7 as a senior in 2013-14. Jones was a four-year member of the honor roll and was also a member of the National Honor Society at Chaminade. The son of Michael and Susan, Jones has three siblings – Matt, Sarah and Michael – and hails from Garden City, N.Y. He intends to major in economics.
A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Colangelo was a four-year letterwinner under head coach Mike Schmidt at West High School. Colangelo, who wrestled anywhere from 112-152 pounds, was the 2014 Utah State runner-up and a four-year Utah state tournament qualifier. He was a two-time Section A and Region 2 champion, as well as a two-year member of Team Utah and took fifth at the 2013 Utah State tournament. Colangelo was the 2012 Utah State Greco champion and a recipient of both the Wrestler of the Year and Iron Man award. He finished his career with a 125-34 overall record, going 39-5 as a senior in 2013-14. Colangelo departs as the winningest wrestler in West High's 100-year history and is just the second Panther to eclipse the 100-win mark. He also excelled in the classroom where he was an AP Scholar and member of the high honor roll. The son of Keri and Dan, he also has a brother, Jake, and is expected to compete for a spot at 157 pounds.
Also at 157 pounds will be Shanahan, who hails from Chicago, Ill., and wrestled for St. Ignatius College Prep. Under the tutelage of head coach Dominic Angelo, Shanahan was a 2014 Chicago Catholic League champion and a 2013 Catholic League runner up. A three-year team captain, he was a member of Team Illinois in 2012 and an Illinois state qualifier in 2013. In addition, Shanahan was a Chicago Catholic League Freshman/Sophomore Champion in 2011 and made it to the Illinois State Elite 8 in 2014. With a career record of 122-50, he ranks second all-time in program history with 65 pins and is third in wins. Born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, he was adopted by parents Kevin and Ann at age 10 and weighed just 37 pounds. Shanahan has a sister, Kate, and is a National Merit Scholar who will major in economics at Davidson.
Virginia Beach-native Pritchard was a four-year letterwinner at 152, 160, 170 and 182 pounds for head coach Martin Erickson and the Princess Anne High School Cavaliers. Pritchard was the 2013-14 Virginia 5A State champion, 5A South Region champion and 5A District champion while taking fifth place at NHSCA Senior Nationals that season. In 2012-13, he won the Beach District championship, was the runner-up at the Eastern Region Tournament and placed third at the AAA state meet. Pritchard, who went 146-31 in his career and 27-1 as a senior, was the Virginia Beach Sports Club Male Athlete/Scholar of the Year. His 146 wins are the most in Princess Anne's 60-year history. Pritchard was also a three-year captain and All-Beach District honoree on the Cavaliers' football team. In the classroom, Pritchard was an International Baccalaureate Program graduate and a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and National Science Honor Society. The son of Kerry and Kamela, he has one sibling, Kasey, and is slated to wrestle at 184 pounds for the Wildcats.
A familiar name for the 'Cats, Ryan Devlin will join older brother Patrick at Davidson next season. The younger Devlin also wrestled for coach Tommy Pavia at Lake Norman High School, where he was a three-year letterwinner at 182 pounds. A two-time all-state honoree and team captain, he was the 2014 Lake Norman Wrestler of the Year and Mooresville Weekly Wrestler of the Year. Devlin was the 2014 conference and regional champion and was twice named to the all-region and all-conference teams. Devlin was also the 2013 Lake Norman Coaches Award honoree as well as the Most Improved Wrestler. Devlin boasts 144 career wins, going 55-4 as a senior. His 88 career pins rank third in the Lake Norman history, helping him earn Lake Norman's 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award. Devlin, who is expected to compete at 184 pounds, was a four-time NCHSAA Scholar-Athlete who has not yet chosen a major. Hailing from nearby Mooresville, N.C., he is the son of Jeff and Gwen Devlin.
Cooley comes to Davidson as four-year letterwinner for head coach Soloman Fleckman at Blair Academy. The heavyweight was the 2014 Blair Academy Leiberman Wrestling Prize winner as well as an All-Prep New Jersey First Team honoree as a senior. The Blair Academy Buccaneers, who previously won 31 National Prep Titles and produced numerous NCAA champions and Olympians, was ranked first in the nation in 2014. Cooley turned in a 26-14 record in his final campaign, placing eighth at Beast of the East and fifth at Escape the Rock. He was also a three-year letterwinnner on the varsity football team, helping the squad to the 2013 MPAL Championship and New Jersey Prep state championship in 2014. In the classroom, Cooley was a junior history prizewinner in 2013. A native of Branchburg, N.J., he is the son of Jeremy and Susan, who played basketball at Lafayette College. Though the Wildcats boasts numerous twins on the roster, Cooley marks the first triplet for the 'Cats. Sisters Rebecca and Rachel play soccer for Blair, with Rachel committing to Hamilton College, while eldest brother Jeremy is a 2012 Blair Academy grad who attends Lafayette College.
The second New York native in the class, Hansen competed for head coach Mike Ferrugiari at Cold Spring Harbor High School. He placed in the top three in Nassau County, earning all-county accolades in 2013-14 – his first varsity season. Hansen, who wrestled at 195 and 220, earned pins vs. Hicksville, Massapequa and Grand Street Campus. The Seahawks were a New York State Public High School Athletic Association, Inc. Scholar-Athlete team and the Nassau County Tournament runner-up as well as the qualifier runner-up. Hansen, who hails from Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., was also a three-year letterwinner on the swim team and participated in cross country and track. He is an AP Scholar and a member of the high honor roll who intends to major in English and History at Davidson. The son of Pamela and Daniel Sr., he has two brothers – Christian and Eric, who is also a member of the wrestling team. His mother was an All-American, PSAC and National Champion swimmer at Division II powerhouse Clarion (Pa.), while his father swam at UMass.
A native of Wilmington, N.C., Capps wrestled for two seasons at South Brunswick High School before moving to E.A. Laney High School to complete his scholastic career. Under the direction of head coach Jon Mauney at Laney, Capps twice finished third at the state championships, earning all-state honorable mention in 2013 and 2014. He was a three-time state qualifier, three-time first team all-conference honoree, four-time regional qualifier and was the conference's sportsman of the year in 2013. He also earned MVP and Coaches' Award honors from the Buccaneers and twice finished as the team's leader in points. Capps compiled a 166-35 career record, including a 52-4 mark as a senior in 2013-14 with 30 wins by fall. In addition, Capps earned three letters in both football, where he was named second team all-conference, and baseball. In the classroom, he was a member of the National Honor Society and ranks in the top five percent of his graduating class with a 4.7 GPA. Capps is the son of Cindy and James, who played baseball at Louisburg College.
"This is not only the largest class of recruits, but also our most decorated," said assistant coach Erik Wince. "Combined they have numerous impressive high school accomplishments. They are coming to Davidson with all-American status and Prep National Championship accolades as well as top-three finishes in their respective state tournaments, ranging from here in North Carolina to as far as New York, Illinois and Utah. These young men are putting in the time this summer to continue to build upon the hard-working atmosphere we have created at Davidson to help make our mark on the Southern Conference and on the national stage at the NCAA Championships."
2025-26 Wrestling - Anderson Heap (NCAA Qualifier)
Sunday, March 15
Davidson Wrestling Preseason Virtual Event 1 (10-29-25)
Tuesday, November 04
Davidson Wrestling vs Sacred Heart
Saturday, December 16
Wrestling vs. Duke (STREAM)
Friday, December 08
