Host Edinboro's Official PSAC Championships Page
Courtesy of Edinboro Sports Information
Edinboro, Pa. – Edinboro University will serve as the host for the 67th Annual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Wrestling Championships on Saturday, December 5. The action gets underway at McComb Fieldhouse at 9:30 a.m. with two rounds of championship matches and two rounds of consolation bouts. The championship finals, including the third and fifth place matches, are slated to start at 6:30 p.m. A total of ten teams will participate in the championship.
Tournament passes are $12 for adults and $3 for students, and will be available at the door. Individual passes for sessions one and two are $7 for adults and $2 for students. Students from PSAC member institutions will receive free admission with a valid ID.
Tournament Preview
The 2009 PSAC Wrestling Championships are highlighted by the appearance of two reigning national champions, Edinboro’s Jarrod King and Josh Shields of Mercyhurst. To make things even more interesting, both won titles at 165 lbs. a year ago, with King the Division I national champion and Shields capturing the Division II crown. King won his second PSAC championship a year ago. Shields missed the PSAC Championships with an injury.
A year ago Edinboro won its fourth straight PSAC title at Mercyhurst, marking the first time a school has won four championships in a row since 1948 when Lock Haven won its fifth straight title. That represents the longest streak in PSAC history, something Edinboro can match with a victory on its home mats. All told, the Fighting Scots have won seven of the last eight and 10 of the last 12 PSAC championships.
The Fighting Scots tied the PSAC record a year ago with seven champions. Four PSAC champions return attempting to duplicate the fete, all coming from Edinboro. In addition to King, Pat Bradshaw looks to join a select few as a three-time champion. The senior has won the crown at 197 lbs. the last two years, but will compete at 184 lbs. this year. In fact, Edinboro has won the individual title at 184 lbs. the last four years.
Several teams will look to knock off the Fighting Scots, ranked 17th in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and 19th in InterMat’s rankings. Bloomsburg looks to pose the biggest threat. The Huskies were the last team other than Edinboro to win the PSAC title, capturing the honor in 2005. All told, Edinboro has won seven of the last eight PSAC championships. Bloomsburg comes off a big win over Michigan, plus a narrow loss to Central Michigan. A young Clarion team figures to make plenty of noise, as well. Gannon and Mercyhurst are ranked 17th and 18th, respectively, in Division II.
The tournament also features six All-Americans from 2009, plus an additional one from 2008. In addition to King and Shields, Bloomsburg’s Matt Moley earned Division I All-American honors at 157 lbs. twice, while Gannon’s Kevin McElhaney and Andy Lamancusa of Mercyhurst earned the honor on the Division II level at 149 and 157 lbs., respectively. Frank McGrath was also a 2009 All-American, and teammate Zach McKendree accomplished the fete in 2008.
A total of six champions return from 2008. In addition to Edinboro’s Joel Webster (141 lbs.), Torsten Gillespie (149 lbs.), King (165 lbs.) and Bradshaw (197 lbs.), Clarion’s Jay Ivanco (125 lbs.) and Nate Graham (174 lbs.) of Bloomsburg return.
Looking Back at 2008
Edinboro finished with 173.5 points to outdistance second place Bloomsburg. The Huskies totaled 108 points, with Clarion third (101 points) and Lock Haven fourth (90.5 points). Gregor Gillespie led a record-tying seven Fighting Scots as individual champions, winning the title at 157 lbs. for his third PSAC crown.
Edinboro’s Jarrod King won the 165 lb. title for the second straight year, with Fighting Scot Pat Bradshaw repeating as the 197 lb. champion.
66th PSAC Team Scoring
1. Edinboro 173.5
2. Bloomsburg 108.0
3. Clarion 101.0
4. Lock Haven 90.5
5. Mercyhurst 60.0
6. Gannon 59.0
7. East Stroudsburg 54.0
8. Kutztown 46.0
9. Shippensburg 29.5
10. Millersville 23.0
Weight-by-Weight Previews
125 lbs.
With last year’s champion, Clarion’s Jay Ivanco, moving up to 133 lbs., Edinboro’s Eric Morrill figures as the favorite. The junior is a two-time national qualifier who is ranked eighth by InterMat and ninth by Amateur Wrestling News, and owns a 9-2 record. Morrill was second in 2007 and redshirted a year ago. Morrill figures to receive a stiff challenge from Lock Haven’s Nick Hyatt (10-4), Bloomsburg’s Jason Guffey (9-5) and Joe Watko (7-4) of Clarion. Guffey previously competed at 133 lbs. and was third a year ago and second the year before that. Hyatt was fourth last year. Watko is a freshman and a former PIAA state champion. Kutztown’s Chris Sheetz (2-1) is ranked fifth in Division II.
133 lbs.
The potential exists for a rematch from last year’s 125 lb. final, with Clarion’s Jay Ivanco and Kyle Fluke of Edinboro now competing at 133 lbs. Ivanco came away with a 6-4 decision in sudden victory last year after finishing fourth the year before. He has a 3-4 record. Fluke is 9-5, but is questionable due to an injury. Lock Haven’s John Trumbetti has a 9-2 record and took home third place at 125 lbs. in 2007. Gannon’s Cory Bowers owns a 14-1 record and is a former two-time junior college All-American. Another wrestler to watch is Kutztown’s Austin Williams, who is 8-2.
141 lbs.
Edinboro’s Joel Webster seeks his second title after defeating Gannon’s A.J. Milanik, 6-1, in last year’s finals. The senior has an 8-5 record. He figures to receive his stiffest competition from Bloomsburg’s Frank Hickman (6-0), Owen Wilkinson (5-4) of Lock Haven, Nathan Nauroth (5-0) of Shippensburg and Adam Hluschak of East Stroudsburg. Wilkinson took home fourth place a year ago. Nauroth is ranked fifth in Division II. Kutztown’s John Pankovits is also undefeated at 4-0, and Mercyhurst’s Tony D’Urso is 8-5, making for a competitive weight class.
149 lbs.
Torsten Gillespie is another Fighting Scot looking for a second consecutive title after edging Bloomsburg’s George Hickman, 9-8, in the title bout. Gillespie has an 8-5 record. He previously finished fourth at 141 lbs. as a freshman. Three freshmen look to take the title from Gillespie. Clarion’s James Fleming is off to a 4-1 start and is ranked 14th by Amateur Wrestling News and 18th by InterMat. Josh Roosa of Bloomsburg has an 8-3 record, while Mercyhurst’s Jordan Shields is 9-4 and ranked eighth in Division II.
157 lbs.
Two-time All-American Matt Moley of Bloomsburg is the prohibitive favorite, although Clarion’s Hadley Harrison and Matt Lamancusa of Mercyhurst, an All-American in his own right, will have to something to say about that. Moley, ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News and fifth by InterMat, has a 5-1 record, with that lone loss to Penn State’s Cyler Sanderson. He has three second place finishes to his credit, and recently picked up his 100th career win. Harrison is a senior who returns home after wrestling in high school at nearby General McLane. A two-time national qualifier, he owns a 9-2 record. He has two thirds and a fifth place on his resume’ at the PSAC’s. Lamancusa was fourth a year ago, dropping a 3-2 decision to Harrison in the consolation final. He is 6-2 and the top ranked wrestler in Division II at 157 lbs. Edinboro freshman Matt Laird is off to a fast start at 13-6, and Gannon’s Zach McKendree has a 12-4 record. McKendree was a 2008 Division II All-American.
165 lbs.
Two returning national champions and three nationally-ranked competitors make this the most anticipated weight class in this year’s PSAC’s. Jarrod King is a two-time PSAC champion and a year ago won the Division I national championship. He is ranked first by Amateur Wrestling News and second by InterMat with a perfect 10-0 record. Josh Shields of Mercyhurst is also undefeated at 7-0, and is the reigning Division II national champion. He is a junior who is currently ranked first in Division II. He did not compete at least year’s PSAC Championships due to an injury. Bloomsburg’s Rickey Schmelyun is no stranger to King, including losing last year’s PSAC title bout. He has an 11-3 record and is ranked tenth by Amateur Wrestling News and 18th by InterMat. He has been second twice and third once in previous PSAC’s. A pair of youngsters look to upset this trio. Lock Haven’s Kevin Dufresne, a sophomore, has a 9-4 record, and freshman Nick Milano of Clarion is 6-3.
174 lbs.
Bloomsburg’s Nate Graham is another returning champion who won after placing fourth the year before. A junior, he comes in with a 10-4 ledger. Chris Barrick of Shippensburg, who placed third a year ago, looks to stop Graham from winning a second PSAC crown. Ranked fourth in Division II, he has a 5-0 record. A pair freshmen to watch are Edinboro’s Joe Loffredo and Clarion’s Steven Cressley. Loffredo is 10-3 while filling in for injured starter Phil Moricone, who was the 2007 champion but will miss his second straight PSAC Championship due to injury. Cressley has a 6-3 record. Gannon’s Brent Terry is 12-7.
184 lbs.
After winning the 197 lb. title the last two years, Pat Bradshaw of Edinboro moves down to 184 lbs. and seeks a third straight crown. The senior is 9-4 and ranked 19th by Amateur Wrestling News. Clarion’s Clint Podish lost to Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro in last year’s finals, and looks to take the final step and win the title. The sophomore has a 6-3 record. Bloomsburg’s Derrick Coffey has a 7-4 record, while Jeremie Cook of Lock Haven is 6-3. Cook was second at 197 lbs. in 2007.
197 lbs.
With Bradshaw vacating his title, this is a wide-open weight class. In fact, the lone place winner back from last year is Kutztown’s Scott Snyder (2-1), who was fifth last year and currently ranked seventh in Division II. He was fourth the year before that. Looking for a favorite? Try Jacob Dabishinsky of Bloomsburg. The sophomore is 8-6. If healthy, Shawn Fendone of Edinboro has the ability to win the title. He has yet to compete this year. Alex Thomas (6-3) of Clarion and Harry Turner (5-3) of Lock Haven, who has been competing at heavyweight earlier this year, are other competitors to keep an eye on.
Hwt.
In an odd twist, Chris Birchler, who lost last year’s title to Edinboro’s Joey Fendone, now represents the Fighting Scots after transferring from East Stroudsburg. The senior also took home second place the year before. Birchler has a 9-4 record and is ranked 12th by InterMat and 14th by Amateur Wrestling News. Lock Haven’s Dan Craig is 6-1, and the likely difference between him and Birchler is a 2-0 loss to nationally-ranked Ed Bordas of Rider, while Birchler was a 3-1 winner in overtime. Not a big difference. Craig was fourth in 2007. Gannon’s best chance for a title may come in Frank McGrath, a senior with an unblemished 7-0 record who was a Division II All-American last year and is currently ranked fifth. He placed third at last year’s PSAC’s. Also keep an eye on Mercyhurst’s Nathan Sharp (8-5), ranked seventh in Division II, and Zac Walsh (7-8) of Bloomsburg. Walsh was fourth a year ago.