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Dec. 5, 2008
Ten PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) teams and 100 athletes will travel to Mercyhurst on Saturday searching for PSAC "Gold" at the 66th Annual Wrestling Championships. Action gets underway at 9:30am Saturday, December 6th at Mercyhurst's Athletic Center with two rounds of championship matches and two rounds of consolation bouts. The championship finals, which will include matches for third and fifth place, will begin at 6:30pm with ceremonies slated to start the action at 6:15pm. All Session passes for adults ($12) and students ($3), as well as individual session tickets for adults ($7) and students ($2) will be available at the door. Free admission for all college students from member institutions with a valid ID. A championship steeped in great tradition, the 66th PSAC Championship will feature the return of 5 individual champions and four runners-up from previous PSAC Championships. Edinboro, ranked #15 in the latest NWCA poll, is the pre-tournament favorite. The Fighting Scots have won nine of the last eleven PSAC team titles including 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 and 1998. Bloomsburg won the team title in 2005 and Lock Haven won the team crown in 2001. In the 1990's Clarion, Edinboro and Lock Haven won three PSAC titles each, with Bloomsburg getting one. In the history of the PSAC's Lock Haven leads with 19 team titles, Bloomsburg has 14 team titles, Clarion 13, Edinboro 11, East Stroudsburg and Millersville 2 each. West Chester won 3 team crowns and Slippery Rock one, but both schools no longer have wrestling. Gannon and Mercyhurst will be competing for the first time since joining PSAC this Fall. In December of 2007 Clarion hosted the last PSAC Championship and Edinboro won the team title with 152.5 points, with Bloomsburg second at 118.5 and Clarion third with 88.5. Rounding out the 8 team field was Lock Haven fourth with 76 points, Shippensburg fifth at 62, Millersville sixth with 51.5, East Stroudsburg seventh at 46 and Kutztown eighth with 34 points. In January of 2007 at Bloomsburg's Nelson Field House, Edinboro won the team title with 147.5 points, Bloomsburg was second with 119, Lock Haven third with 111.5, Clarion fourth at 79, East Stroudsburg fifth with 57, Millersville sixth with 44.5, Kutztown seventh at 43.5 and Shippensburg eighth with 23 points. In 2006 at Slippery Rock's Morrow Field House, Edinboro took the team title with 146 points, Bloomsburg second with 113.5, Lock Haven third at 91 and Slippery Rock fourth with 87.5. East Stroudsburg finished fifth with 83.5 points, Kutztown sixth at 46, Shippensburg seventh with 41.5, Clarion eighth with 31 and Millersville ninth scoring 29.5 points. In 2005 at East Stroudsburg's Koehler Field House, Bloomsburg won the team title with 149.5 points, Edinboro was second with 134.5, East Stroudsburg third with 104.5, Lock Haven fourth at 87 and Clarion fifth with 73.5 points. Rounding out the nine team field were sixth place Shippensburg with 52.5 points, Millersville seventh at 41.5, Kutztown eighth with 39 and Slippery Rock ninth at 35 points. The 2008 race appears to be Edinboro's to lose. The Fighting Scots under 12th year head coach Tim Flynn enter the tournament with a 5-1 dual record and a #15 ranking in the nation as a dual meet team. Bloomsburg, led by fourth year head coach John Stutzman, has a 1-3 dual meet record, while Lock Haven, under 7th year head coach Rocky Bonomo, has his team 0-2 to start the year. Clarion, under third year head coach Teague Moore, leads the Eagles into the PSAC's with a 2-2 dual meet record. Clarion opened the year with a strong 21-12 win over Eastern Michigan, then went 1-2 at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals defeating Columbia 30-12, but losing to Rutgers 21-15 and #12 ranked Boise St. 31-6. Clarion's lineup for the PSAC's will be: Jay Ivanco (3-1, So. Monroeville/Gateway) at 125, Danny Galvan (0-0, Jr. Phoenix, Az.) At 133, Sal Lascari (2-2; Sr. Gray) at 141, Greg Lewis (3-1, Jr. New Providence) at 149, Hadley Harrison (3-1, Jr. McKean/General McLane) at 157, Dominic Ross (2-2, Sr. Sharon ) at 165, Scott Joseph (2-2, Jr. Export/Kiski Area) at 174, Clint Podish (6-4, Fr. Sycamore/Waynesburg Central) at 184, Jamie Luckett (7-1, Sr. St. Charles, Mo.) At 197 and Quintas McCorkle (0-4, Fr. Alexandria, Va.) at heavyweight. Here's a weight by weight look at the PSAC's - (Ranked wrestlers with highest ranking according to either AWN or Intermat - records in parenthesis): 125: Three-time champion Mike Sees (Bloom) has graduated, but the Huskies come back with #17 Ian Moser who is the only ranked wrestler at this weight. Clarion's Jay Ivanco was fourth here last year and Millersville's John Andel was 5th, with both returning. Edinboro's Kyle Fluck and Mercyhurst's Payne Flint are also contenders. 133: Two-time champion #19 Ricky Deubel (Edinboro) is the favorite to repeat again. Bloom's Jason Guffy lost 12-5 in the finals to Deubel last year and hopes challenge him again. ESU's Matt Swallow was third a year ago and Kutztown's Joe Kemmerer, the D-II Champ in 2007, is also at this weight class. Clarion will have Danny Galvan. 141: Clarion's Sal Lascari is the top returning placewinner at 141. Lascari was second here last year, third at 133 in 2007 and 5th there in 2006. Bloom's Rickey Donald and Edinboro's Joel Webster figure to challenge. 149: This weight looks like a three person race between Edinboro's #16 Torsten Gillespie, Lock Haven's Matt Fittery and Clarion's Greg Lewis. Gillespie placed fourth at 141 last year, while Fittery was second at 149, losing to the Boro's Darryl Cocozzo 5-0 in the finals. Lewis, who sat out last year, was third at PSAC's in 2006 and fourth in 2005 at 141-pounds. Bloom's George Hickman was 5th at 141 last year and ESU's Scott Heckman is also a threat. This is a very talented weight class. 157: Currently #2 ranked and 2007 NCAA Champ at 149, Gregor Gillespie is a two-time champion and has his sights set on #3. He won at 149 in 2006 and at 157 last year, defeating Bloom's Matt Moley 12-0 in the final. Moley is back and ranked #11. Clarion's Hadley Harrison is ranked #18 in the country and hopes to make the finals after finishing third a year ago at 141. Kutztown's Chris Chambers was 6th at 149 last year. Mercyhurst's Andy Lamancusa and Gannon's Brandon Monin are ranked in D-II and hope to place high. This is the most talented weight class at PSAC's this year. 165: Edinboro's #5 Jarrod King, a transfer from Oklahoma, won 165 last year and figures to have a good shot at is second crown. Ricky Schmelyn (BL) was second here in 2007 and 4th last year, and Bloom's Rickey Schmelyun was 4th here last year. Clarion's Dominic Ross, Ship's Jake Wilson and Mercyhurst's Josh Shields will try and place high. 174: This is a wide-open weight class. Two-time champion #17 Phil Moricone (ED) is injured and will not wrestle. Bloom's Nate Graham, who was third here last year, is the highest returning placewinner. Shipp's Chris Barrick was 6th last season. Kutztown's David Zeek, who was 6th at 157, moves up to 174. Clarion's Scott Joseph was 5th at 174 in 2007 and 6th at 184 last year. 184: Three wrestlers return to lay claim to 184. Jesse Hasseman (BL) was second here a year ago, losing in the finals to Edinboro's Dan Thompson 3-1. Hasseman was also was third at 197 in 2006 and 4th at 184 in 2005. Edinboro's #11 Chris Honeycutt is very tough, and Lock Haven's Tom Kocher was second at 174 last year. Ship's Jon Hade was third here last year rounding out the returning placewinners. Keep an eye out for Clarion's Clint Podish. 197: Edinboro's #19 Pat Bradshaw defeated LH's Ben Hepburn in the finals last year 5-1 and both are hoping for a finals rematch on Saturday. ESU's Shane Mallory was third at 174 last year and should provide a strong challenge, as will Clarion's Jamie Luckett, who is 7-1 this season. Mercyhurst also has talent here in Trevor Gallo. 285: #6 ranked Joe Fendone (Edinboro), won at 197 in 2006, lost in the finals to Bloom's Mike Spaid in 2007 and last Fall finished third at 285. He is heavily favored to win this year. ESU's Chris Birchler was second lst year also losing to Spaid in the finals. Gannon's Frank McGrath and Mercyhurst's Ken Bluska are veterans here that could place. The rest is up in the air. CLARION NOTES: Clarion goes to the PSAC's with 106 individual champions in its history at the championship..The Eagles were third last year, the best finish since 2002... Clarion's last team championship was in 1994... The Eagles were also 2nd in 1995 and 96. |
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