Lock Haven, Pa. - Jarrod King of Edinboro, who won the NCAA Division I title at the 165-pound weight division at last month’s NCAA Championships, has been named the 2009 PSAC Wrestling Athlete of the Year. His coach, Tim Flynn, has been named the PSAC Coach of the Year while Clarion’s Clint Podish has been named the PSAC Freshman of the Year. The PSAC wrestling awards are voted on by the head coaches in the PSAC from both the Division I and Division II wrestling programs. All coaches and wrestlers at both the D1 and DII programs in the PSAC are eligible for the awards.
King, after entering the NCAA championships as the 12th seed at 165 pounds, became Edinboro’s fourth all-time Division I national champion by knocking off three higher seeds en route to winning the championship bout. His individual performance helped Edinboro to its best-ever finish at the Division I championships as the Fighting Scots placed sixth. He finished the year with a 32-5 individual record and also captured the Eastern Wrestling League championship at 165, helping the Fighting Scots win the EWL championship for a seventh straight year. He also won the 165 title at the PSAC championships in December, helping the Scots win their fourth consecutive PSAC championship. He also had 10 pins and four major decisions. King, who missed time on the mat in January with an injury, is now a two-time NCAA qualifier, two-time EWL champion and two-time PSAC champion after starting his career at Oklahoma. He has a two-year record of 64-14 with Edinboro and was also named the EWL Wrestler of the Year last month.
Podish wrestled at the 184-pound weight class as a redshirt freshman for Clarion. He placed second at the PSAC championships and took fifth place at the EWL championships. His efforts helped the Golden Eagles place third at the PSAC meet. Clarion also finished seventh at the EWL meet. For the year, Podish finished with a 20-15 record in bouts, which included four pins and four major decisions.
Flynn, who just completed his 12th season as head coach at Edinboro, is the PSAC Coach of the Year for the third straight season and for the eighth time in his career at Edinboro. He was also named the EWL Coach of the Year last month for the fifth time in his career. This year, he not only guided the Fighting Scots to their highest-ever finish - sixth - at the NCAA Division I championships, but Edinboro also won the EWL for the seventh straight year and for the 11th time in the last 12 years, and the PSAC for the fourth straight year and the 10th time in the last 12 years. Edinboro was also not only the top finisher from both the PSAC and EWL at the NCAA championships, but also the top team from the wrestling-rich state of Pennsylvania. Flynn, who had coached 21 All-Americans at Edinboro leading into this season, made it three more this year as in addition to King, both Paul Donahoe and Gregor Gillespie earned All-American status, with Donahoe placing second and Gillespie fourth.
2008-09 PSAC Wrestling Awards
Athlete of the Year
Jarrod King, Edinboro
Freshman of the Year
Clint Podish, Clarion
Coach of the Year
Tim Flynn, Edinboro