Pioneer Wrestling earns National Ranking
Spartanburg Methodist College learned today that two of their 2013-2014 Wrestling Team members are ranked in the top 10 for the Nation. The SMC Pioneer Wrestling team, who went 7-3 overall this season, was also ranked 16thin the country.
According to the NJCAA and Intermat, SMC Freshman DeAndre Johnson, son of Angel Johnson, from Beaufort, is ranked 4th in the Nation. Johnson is a graduate of Battery Creek High School.
Fellow team mate, also a freshman, Ian Clevenger, son of Mike and Brenda Clevenger of Inman, SC, and a Boiling Springs High School graduate, is ranked 7th in the Nation.
The SMC Wrestling Team is under the direction of Rob Sater, who is in his third season at the helm of the SMC Pioneer Wrestling program. Sater helped lead the Pioneers to their first ever winning season in 2012-2013. During his tenure at SMC, Sater has coached eleven national qualifiers and one All-American wrestler.
"I am extremely proud of how our young team has come together and pushed through adversity all season to produce the best dual meet record in school history. Ian and DeAndre are two young men that truly deserve the honor of being ranked nationally. They are hard workers on the mat and in the classroom, and exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete at Spartanburg Methodist College," shared Coach Sater. "We have a few other individuals that are on track to finish high on the podium at nationals as well. I'm excited to be a part of such a special group of wrestlers and coaches. The sky is the limit for these guys if they wrestle up to their potential over the next three weeks."
Sater originally served as Head Coach of the Boiling Springs High School Wrestling Team for the three seasons. Sater was the 2009 Spartanburg Herald Journal Coach of the Year, 2010 and 2011 BSH won the County Wrestling Tournament Championship (2010 was the first in school history). Sater (66-13 dual meet record) had 37 Upper-State qualifiers during his three years as head coach at BSHS. He coached five of the schools seven South Carolina All-State Wrestlers. He also had five freestyle/Greco national qualifiers.
Sater attended Division 1 Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio for two years before transferring to and graduating with a BA in English from Limestone for his final two years. He wrestled at Limestone and was team captain for each year voted on by his teammates. Sater teaches English at BSHS.
Sater is assisted by his father, Bob Sater, who wrestled for Thiel College in Greenville, Pa where he was a Division III national qualifier in 1972. The senior Sater returned to Madison HS in Madison Ohio to serve as an assistant coach for the first 14 years of his coaching career. He moved on to Perry HS to serve as their Head Wrestling Coach for the next 16 years. While serving in this position he was inducted into the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame Class of 2000. He was named the Ohio Wrestling Division III State Coach of the Year for the 2002 Wrestling Season. He went on to serve as an Assistant Wrestling Coach for Cleveland State University (NCAA Division I) located in Cleveland, Ohio. He also served as an Assistant Wrestling Coach for Limestone College (NCAA Division II).
