Drury coach James Reynolds announced on Wednesday the first wave of signees for the inaugural Panthers' wrestling recruiting class for the program that will begin play in 2016-17.
Kyle Caldwell of Willard, Austin Neal of Oakville, Jared Rennick of Washington, Jake Byrd of Jackson and Caleb Fortuna of Montini Catholic returned signed NCAA National Letters-of-Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the the official spring signing period.
"I'm proud to call these young men Panthers and I look forward to having them in the fall," said Reynolds, the former Maryville University assistant coach who was named DU's first wrestling head coach back in December. "To build a quality product we will need quality workers, and I believe each one of these guys are ready for the challenge."
A look at the first five signees:
*Kyle Caldwell, Willard: Caldwell is a two-time Missouri state place finisher and three-time state qualifier for the Tigers, finishing fourth as a senior at 170 to complete his career with a 152-48 record. He is an eight-time All-American in wrestling and led his high school team to runner-up finishes at district as a sophomore and a senior. Caldwell plans to major in business at DU.
*Austin Neal, Oakville: Neal, who also plans to become a criminology major at Drury, was a two-time Missouri state placer and a three-time state qualifier for Oakville, finishing fourth as a junior and a senior at 145 for the St. Louis school. He ranks fourth all-time at Oakville for wins with his prep record of 148-27, and was a two-time Brute National Champion and a USA Wrestling Pre-Season Nationals All-American choice.
*Jared Rennick, Washington: Rennick was the Missouri state champion at 195 as a senior – and Washington High Schoo's first-ever state wrestling champion – finishing with a record of 55-3 after defeating defending champion Hunter Yeargan in the state title match. He was also an all-conference football player who holds the Missouri state record for touchdowns in a game (9). He plans to major in criminology at Drury.
*Jake Byrd, Jackson: Byrd, who plans to major in computer science at DU, was a four-time Missouri championships state qualifer and a state placer, leading his team to three consecutive conference championships. Byrd was also a three-time district finnalist and three-time conference champion who earned academic all-conference and all-state honors.
*Caleb Fortuna, Montini Catholic High School: Fortuna was an three-time Illinois state qualifier and a regional champion at 145 as a senior for the Glen Ellyn, Ill., school, leading Montini Catholic to three Illinois team championships as well as two Dvorak Tournament team titles. He's also an honor roll student who is undecided upon his DU major.
Trenton Clines, Fulton: Clines was a three-time state championship place finisher, with a pair of sixths sandwiched around a state championship at 145 pounds as a junior. He was a three-time conference champion, a two-time district champion and led Fulton to a top-four finish at state as a team all four seasons, including a pair of second-place finishes. He's also an academic all-state honoree and a member of the National Honor Society.
*Quintin Bisbey, Willard: Bisbey transfers to DU from Missouri State. He is a 2015 Willard High grad, where he was a state qualifier as a senior and a team captain. He also was a third-place finisher at both the conference and district meets his senior year while leading the Tigers to a second-place finish at the conference meet. He's a Business Management major.
*Bryant Clay, Raytown South: An Exercise Physiology major, Clay was a two-time placer at the state meet and a four-year letterman for Raytown South HS. He was a three-time all-conference selection while competing in the lighter weights for coach John Hatfield.
*Ben Stahlman, Northwest HS: Stahlman was a three-time state qualifier and a state placer in 2015 for Northwest High School, tallying 169 career wins and holding his school's record for single-season victories with 52. He' was an all-conference and prep All-American selection while also being named to the 2015 Dream Team. Off the mat, he's excelled by receiving the Renaissance Choice Award, the Important Person Award and NHS Pride Award.
*Sam Terrana, Westminster Christian Academy: Terrana is a three-time Missouri state meet qualifier who placed fifth as a junior for WCA. He's also a three-time district champion and three-time conference champion, as well as a member of the National Honor Society.
