Duke Wrestling Announces 2008 Recruiting Class

DURHAM, N.C. ? The Duke wrestling team will welcome 10 newcomers to the program in 2008, including a pair of prep All-Americas and three state champions, head coach Clar Anderson announced Tuesday.

The incoming freshmen weigh in at six different weight classes and represent seven states ranging from Arizona to New Jersey. Headlining the class are 125-pounder Nico Cortese and 184-pounder Diego Bencomo, both of which earned High School All-America honors during their senior seasons. Cortese is one of three 125 pound wrestlers in the group, while Bencomo is the sole 184-pounder.

“Nico Cortese chose Duke because he wants to be a doctor,” said Anderson. “He intends to spend summers shadowing Dr. Moorman and Friedman in ?the City of Medicine.' Nico was recruited by nearly every big program ? Purdue and Northwestern in the Big 10; Penn, Princeton, Columbia and Cornell in the Ivy; and Virginia and North Carolina in the ACC.

“Diego Bencomo wants to study Biomedical Engineering. He chose Duke over Virginia and other elite schools because he wanted to learn how to play Guitar Hero from the best ? John Barone.”

Also included in Duke's 2008 class are two wrestlers weighing in at 133, two at 141 and one each at 174 and 197. Three members of the class hail from New Jersey, while two others will arrive at Duke from Pennsylvania. Also included are natives of California, Maryland, Arizona and Florida in addition to a local product out of Stoneville, N.C.

“This is the best recruiting class that Duke Wrestling has had, definitely in my tenure here,” Anderson said. “Not only were we able to get two High School All-Americans in Nico (Cortese) and Diego (Bencomo), but we have outstanding depth in this class as well. Everyone has state-level accomplishments, and several have shown their ability to compete and win at the national level.

“What makes this class even more special and sets Duke apart from its peer institutions in the ACC is the academic pedigree of our recruits and wrestlers. Not only do these recruits want to contribute to a changing culture in Duke Wrestling on the mat, but they aspire to succeed in their respective fields far beyond graduation.

"Mark Thompson played a major part in bringing in all of these outstanding wrestlers," Anderson said of assistant coach Mark Thompson. "He put in a lot of hard work, and it will pay off for this program for years to come."

Nick Adamo ? 125 pounds
Closter, N.J.
High School: Twice qualified for the New Jersey state tournament.

Jack Anderson ? 5-6, 133 pounds
Merced, Calif. (Golden Valley)
High School: A three-year letterwinner out of Golden Valley High School ... compiled a career prep record of 129-38 and finished among the top three in the league championship every year ... capped a 52-8 senior campaign with a first-place finish at the league and division meets ... went on to take seventh in the state championship ... earned all-area honors ... 36 of his wins as a senior were by fall ... pinned 27 opponents as a junior on the way to a 43-16 record and a third-place finish at the league final ... pinned 20 as a sophomore to go with a 29-14 record ... finished fourth at the divisional championship as a junior and fifth as a sophomore ... also lettered four years in diving ... took first place at the Western Meet as a senior and second at the Big Valley Diving Classic ... took fifth at the Sierra Nevada Diving Classic ... served on the student government.
Personal: Born Jack Gerald Anderson on May 29, 1990 ... the son of Craig and Megan Anderson ... has a brother, Wyatt, and a sister, Maris.

Diego Bencomo ? 5-9, 184 pounds
Phoenix, Ariz. (Independence)
High School: A four-year letterwinner and two-year team captain out of Independence High School ... named a Senior National Wrestling All-American as a senior ... compiled a career prep record of 121-10 ... won back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior and won the region in each of his four seasons ... lost only one match after his freshman season ... went a combined 51-0 as a junior and senior ... took eighth place at the NHSCA Senior National Tournament ... claimed “Outstanding Wrestler” honors at the region and state meets in 2007 and 2008 ... also took home the “Outstanding Wrestler” award in consecutive years at the Peoria Invitational, where he won his weight class three times ... honored with the Dave Schultz Excellence Award as a senior, which recognizes high school wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship and community service ... finished among the top three percent in his class ... served on the student council ... also lettered three years in football and took first team all-region honors as a defensive and offensive lineman ... tabbed most valuable defensive player and most inspirational player on the football team ... a member of the 1,100 Pound Club, meaning he combined to meet or surpass that total in the power clean, squat and bench press ... also served on the homecoming week committee and the spirit boosting committee.

Nico Cortese ? 5-6, 125 pounds
Murrysville, Penn. (Greensburg Central Catholic)
High School: A four-year letterwinner and two-year team captain out of Greensburg Central Catholic High School ... earned Wrestling USA High School All-American honors during his senior season ... took second place at the NHSCA Senior National Competition ... took third at the NHSCA Junior Freestyle Tournament in 2005 ... compiled a four-year prep record of 157-16 ... went 46-2 as a senior with a third-place finish in the PIAA AAA State Championship ... also took first place in the sectional and regional meets ... finished second at the state championship as a sophomore, sixth as a junior and fifth as a freshman ... named All-WPIAL three times by the Tribune Review ... selected to the Pennsylvania All-Academic Team three years ... won the WPIAL Regionals as a junior and senior ... took first in the WPIAL Sectionals three times after finishing second as a freshman ... won the Westmoreland County Coaches Tournament three times ... won the King of the Mountain Tournament as a junior and took third as a senior ... participated in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic ... also lettered three years in golf and captained the team as a senior ... was twice named to the all-section golf team ... named all-section MVP as a senior ... took second in the section tournament as a senior.
Personal: Born Nicolas John Cortese on April 15, 1989 ... the son of John and Jacqueline Cortese ... has a brother, Johnny, and a sister, Cristina ... brother wrestled at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Duquesne University ... plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Andrew Fulk ? 6-3, 189 pounds
Bradenton, Fla. (Manatee)
High School: A four-year letterwinner and team captain out of Manatee High School ... collected numerous All-America honors, including three Disney Duals All-America selections ... compiled a 154-25 four-year prep record, including a 50-1 campaign as a senior ... won the state championship as a senior after sweeping the district, region and county meets ... took fifth at the NHSCA National Wrestling Championship ... named Manatee's Most Valuable Wrestler as a junior and senior ... won the county championship three times, the district championship twice and the region twice during his prep career ... took third at the state championship as a junior to follow another sweep of the county, district and region meets ... selected to Team Florida by the Florida Amateur Wrestling Association (FAWA) and the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) ... won the FAWA State Championship and the Tri-State Championship ... went 34-7 as a sophomore and won the county championship ... collected Rookie Of The Year honors as a freshman after going 28-15 in the 171-pound class ... led his AAU squad to a ninth-place finish at the Disney Duals as a senior ... tabbed Scholar-Athlete of the Year by Tampa Sports TV ... awarded with the Russell A. Mauger Jr. Mental Attitude Award ...selected as the 2008 Winter Athlete of the Year by the Bradenton Herald ... also lettered four years in football, playing center, linebacker and defensive end ... was a team captain on the football team ... named Outstanding Defensive Lineman, first team All-Area and to the District All-Star Team ... tabbed Old Spice Red Zone Player Of The Year ... a member of the National Honor Society ... honored in the Manatee High School Hall of Fame ... participated in the AP Plus Honors Program all four years of high school ... collected the White M Award four times, which honors students for their high academics and citizenship.
Personal: Born Andrew Perry Fulk on April 10, 1990 ... the son of Todd and Regina Fulk ... has two brothers, Travis and Jesse ... father played football at Illinois and is the head coach of the Manatee Kids Wrestling Club ... grandfather, Bob Fulk, is in the Illinois Wrestling Hall Of Fame, the Eastern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame and was an NCAA All-America in football and wrestling.

Chris Mullen ? 5-7, 141 pounds
Harrington Park, N.J. (Northern Valley Regional)
High School: A four-year letterwinner out of Northern Valley Regional High School ... captained the team in 2007 and 2008 ... went 30-10 at 135 pounds as a senior ... went 29-9 at 130 pounds as a junior ... was a three-time all-league first team selection ... took third place in the region as a junior and senior to qualify for the state tournament both years ... placed second in the district meet as a senior to follow a pair of third-place efforts during his sophomore and junior campaigns ... captured the bronze medal at the Bergen County Tournament ... graduated from NVRHS Cum Laude ... worked with VIP Soccer for five years teaching soccer to special needs children.
Personal: Born Christopher Shane Mullen on January 28, 1990 ... the son of Jim and Cathy Mullen ... has two brothers, Justin and Tyler.

Peter Terrezza ? 125 pounds
New Providence, N.J. (New Providence)
High School: Placed fifth at the New Jersey state meet as a senior ...team MVP as a senior ... All-Area as a senior ... All-Conference and All-Union County as a junior and senior ... two-time Union County champion ... District 12 champion ... Region 3 champion ... 34-2 record (19 pins) as a senior ... won Haddon Tournament, Holy Cross Tournament, and Aviator Classic ... led team with best record, most wins, most major decisions, most falls, most takedowns, most 2pt and 3pt near falls, most reversals, and most tournament, match and total points ... qualifier in New Jersey state meet as a junior ... second place finish at District 12 and Region 3 matches ... 31-7 individual record (12 pins) as a junior ... Haddon Tournament champion and outstanding wrestler ... led team with best record, most tech falls, most 3pt near falls, most tournament and most match points ... 24-8 individual record with 14 pins as a sophomore ... Kearny Tournament champion and third-place finish at Union County meet ... fourth place finish at District 12 meet ... led team with most tech falls and most match points ... helped team to Group I state team finals as a freshman ... team was NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I sectional champions and No. 1 team in Union County ... Mountain Valley conference champions ... second place finish at Union County as an individual ... 21-7 individual record with nine pins ... led team with most tech falls and most 3pt near falls ... Haddon tournament champion as a freshman ... four year letterwinner ... voted team captain as a senior ... also lettered two years in track and one year each in cross country and football ... also a member of the National and World Language Honor Societies and American MENSA.
Personal: Born Peter Ralph Terrezza on June 15, 1990 in Manhasset, N.Y. ... son of Gianni and Mariana Terrezza ... has one brother, Timothy (15) and two sisters, Julia (12) and Sofia (5).

Jordan Walsh ? 174 pounds
Walkersville, Md.
High School: Won the Maryland State Championship twice.

Alex Winn ? 141 pounds
Stoneville, N.C.
High School: Turned in a pair of top three finishes at the North Carolina State Championship, including a second and third-place effort.

Sammy Zimmerman ? 5-8, 133 pounds
Stoystown, Penn. (North Star)
High School: A four-year letterwinner out of North Star High School ... compiled a career record of 128-32 with 67 pins and became the first wrestler in North Star HS history to win the district four times ... won the Somerset County championship four times as well ... named to the all-count All-West PAC and CBS All-Star teams four times ... went 26-8 as a senior, despite missing time with a concussion ... put together a 32-7 record as a junior ... went 39-9 as a sophomore and 31-11 as a freshman ... helped North Star to 77 wins during his career ... also contributed to a pair of top-eight team finishes in the state tournament ... lettered in soccer during all four years ... played midfield and was a four-time Somerset County All-Star selection ... named Somerset County Defensive MVP ... was president of his senior class, the National Honor Society, the Student Teacher Advisor Council and Student Council ... served as vice president of the Spanish Club and Quiz Team.
Personal: Born Samuel Hoy Zimmerman on June 12, 1989 ... the son of Sam and Janalee Zimmerman ... has a brother, Joe, and two sisters, Jordan and Katie ... aspires to be a Physics professor.

Duke Wrestling's 2008 Recruiting Class
125
Nick Adamo
Nico Cortese
Peter Terrezza

133
Jack Anderson
Sammy Zimmerman

141
Chris Mullen
Alex Winn

174
Jordan Walsh

184
Diego Bencomo

197
Andrew Fulk

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