May 12, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina's wrestling program has signed eight prep standouts from six different states to National Letters of Intent, head coach C.D. Mock announced Monday. This group, which features seven wrestlers in the lighter weight groups, will join the Tar Heel program in the fall and will be eligible to compete for Carolina in the 2008-09 season.

"With the exception of heavyweight, we decided to focus our recruiting this year on building depth at the lighter weights," said Mock. "We are only losing one starter this year, so it is a great opportunity for us to add depth and build for the future. In addition to the impressive wrestling credentials this group brings to Chapel Hill, I am particularly excited about their character and enthusiasm about being Tar Heels. They will fit in very well with the group we have coming back. My assistants did an exceptional job bringing in this group of young men."

At 125 pounds, the Tar Heels added standouts Ian McLaughlin (Butler, Pa.) and Nick Shields (Metairie, La.). A product of The Kiski School, McLaughlin won the 2008 national prep title at 119 pounds and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the nationals.

Shields is a three-time Louisiana state champion and four-time qualifier at Brother Martin High School. He placed third at the 2007 Beast of the East Tournament and recently was named the Louisiana recipient of the Dave Shultz High School Excellence Award.

UNC continued its strong haul in the lower weight classes with the addition of 133-pounder Ky Corley (Stillwater, Okla.). Corley is a four-time Oklahoma placewinner at Stillwater High School and captured a state title in 2008.

The Tar Heels also added three at 141 pounds - Daniel Helena (Decatur, Ga.), Bobby Shanor (Eden, N.C.) and Jake Vonderbruegge (Hillsboro, Mo.).

Helena is a four-time Georgia placewinner and won a Dominican Republic national title in 2005 and a Venezuelan national bronze medal in 2007. Shanor won a trio of North Carolina state titles at Morehead High School, while Vonderbruegge captured a 2008 Missouri state title and was a three-time state placewinner at Hillsboro High School.

Also joining the Carolina program out of Missouri is 149-pounder Tyler St. Louis (Kansas City, Mo.), who won three state titles at Platte County High School.

Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa.) was the lone addition in the upper weight groups for Carolina. A projected heavyweight, he won a Pennsylvania state title in 2008 for Bethlehem Catholic High School and captured a NHSCA senior national championship.

2008 NORTH CAROLINA WRESTLING SIGNEES
Name	           Weight Hometown	     Previous School
Ky Corley	   133	  Stillwater, Okla.  Stillwater
Ziad Haddad	   HWT	  Orefield, Pa.	     Bethlehem Catholic
Daniel Helena	   141	  Decatur, Ga.	     Shiloh
Ian McLaughlin	   125	  Butler, Pa.	     Kiski School
Bobby Shanor	   141	  Eden, N.C.	     Morehead
Nick Shields	   125	  Metairie, La.	     Brother Martin
Tyler St. Louis	   149	  Kansas City, Mo.   Platte County
Jake Vonderbruegge 141	  Hillsboro, Mo.     Hillsboro