LYCOMING WRESTLING PREPARED TO CHALLENGE FOR MAC TITLE

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Lycoming College wrestling team will travel to Wilkes University to compete in the 2005 Middle Atlantic Conference Championships on Saturday, February 19. The Warriors, ranked ninth in the nation, are expected to challenge Delaware Valley College (ranked fifth in the nation) for the conference crown. The tournament is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m., with the finals in each weight class slated to start at 4:00 p.m. Tickets for the MAC Championships are priced at $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for senior citizens and $2.00 for students.

Lycoming returns two weight-class champions from 2004 in juniors Jason Smith (Hughesville, Pa.; Hughesville) at 157 pounds and Tommy Snyder (New Columbia, Pa.; Milton) at heavyweight. Delaware Valley returns four champions, including: senior 174-pounder Jason Shivak; senior Andrew Helms, who claimed the 197-pound during each of the last two seasons, but has moved down to wrestle at 184 this season.; senior Barry Wise at 133 pounds; and sophomore Dan Hall at 141 pounds. King’s College senior Joe Arnone is the only other defending champion at 165 pounds.

The 10 weight class winners and two wild card entries, which will be selected by the MAC coaches, will advance to the 2005 NCAA Division III Championships, which will be held at St. Olaf College in Minnesota on March 4-5.

Here is a look at each weight class:

125
The Warriors will enter sophomore Nick Mascellino (Hopatcong, N.J.; Hopatcong) at 125 pounds. Mascellino is the sixth seed with a record of 9-10 heading into the tournament. Delaware Valley’s Mike Weston (11-3), ranked sixth in the nation, is favored at the number one seed after posting a third-place finish a season ago.  Other competition will come from Wilkes senior Jeremy Mayer (22-12), who was fourth last season and is seeded second, third-seeded Scranton freshman Rich Russell (21-14), Messiah freshman Josh Cragg (13-10) – seeded fourth, and King’s freshman Ryan Richard (14-12) as the number five seed.

133
Lycoming will look to Sean Cullen (So./Cinnaminson, N.J.; Cinnaminson) at 133 pounds. Cullen had an outstanding regular season compiling a record of 19-3. He is ranked seventh in the nation at his weight, but will be the number-two seed for the MAC Championships as Delaware Valley’s Barry Wise (19-5), currently ranked second nationally, returns to defend his title. Wise has finished third at the NCAA Championships during each of the last two seasons. Albright junior Wade Ginter (18-2) was the runner-up to Wise last season and is seeded third this season. Senior Geoff Harner (27-7) from Messiah has moved down from 141 pounds, where he finished second at the MAC tournament a year ago and is seeded fourth.

141
Eric Snyder (Sr./Milton, Pa.; Milton) will compete for the Warriors at 141 pounds. Snyder enters the tournament unseeded with a record of 7-12. Dan Hall (10-6), from Delaware Valley, is the top seed and the favorite to claim his second straight crown at 141 pounds. Messiah sophomore Matt Gorkos (28-16) is the second seed, Scranton freshman Joe Leva (8-13) is the third seed, and King’s freshman Scott Prutzman (15-7) is the fourth seed.

149
Lycoming will be represented by senior Sean Reese (Milton, Pa.; Milton) at 149 pounds. Reese is the only returning place-winner in the weight class after finishing second a year ago. He is the number-two seed this season with a record of 18-9. Scranton sophomore Donell Young (26-7) is the number-one seed, Delaware Valley freshman Rick Frondorf (15-5) is the third seed, and Elizabethtown sophomore Rob Bozart (12-9) is seeded fourth.

157
Junior Jason Smith (Hughesville, Pa.; Hughesville) returns to defend his title at 157 pounds for the Warriors. He enters the tournament, however, as an underdog with a record of 14-5 and a number-three seed. Scranton freshman Nick Barber (18-6) is ranked eighth nationally and is the favorite. Delaware Valley junior John Powell (16-14) defeated Smith in a dual match earlier in the season and claims the second seed. Junior Kyle Hart (9-7) from Elizabethtown will be the fourth seed.

165
Lycoming has high hopes for junior Grant Brindle (Pine Grove, Pa.; Pine Grove) at 165 pounds. Brindle returned to the Warriors for the second semester of competition and is undefeated in nine matches with six pins. He is the second seed for the MAC Championships despite being the only 165-pounder ranked in the nation at sixth. King’s senior Joe Arnone (25-4) earned All-American status after finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships last season and is the top seed again this season. Messiah sophomore Derek Ricker (26-10), who was third in this weight class a season ago, is seeded third, and Delaware Valley sophomore Ryan Pope (13-5) is the fourth seed.

174
Senior Derek Crane (Elizabethtown, Pa.; Elizabethtown) will compete for Lycoming at 174 pounds. Crane compiled a record of 10-8 during the regular season and enters the tournament as the number-two seed. Delaware Valley senior Jason Shivak (15-4), an All-American last season after finishing sixth at the NCAA tournament, is ranked eighth in the weight class this season and is the top seed. Wilkes sophomore Kyle Lenio (18-13) is the number-three seed and Messiah senior Tony Valenti (21-21)  is the fourth seed.

184
The Warriors will enter a freshman at 184 pounds, as rookie Matt Miller (Montgomery, Pa.; Muncy) will represent Lycoming. Miller is the fourth seed for the championships after going 15-11 with six pins in his first collegiate season. Delaware Valley senior Andrew Helms (27-4), who is ranked fifth nationally, is the favorite to win this weight class. Helms was third at last season’s NCAA Championships in the 197-pound weight class to earn All-American honors. Messiah senior Tim Pentz (39-9), who was the runner-up in this weight class last season, is seeded second. Wilkes senior Jon Neyerlin (24-7), who was the runner-up here in 2003, in seeded third.

197
Senior Kevin Colton Craig (Flanders, N.J.; West Morris Mendham) will make his first appearance at the MAC Championships at 197 pounds for Lycoming. Craig was 12-9 during the regular season and is the fourth seed for this event. Wilkes sophomore Brandon Kelly (20-7) is the number-one seed and Delaware Valley junior Jamall Johnson (20-9), ranked sixth in the nation, is the second seed. Kelly defeated Johnson, 5-4, in their lone meeting this season. King’s sophomore Jason Reilly (15-1) was the conference runner-up and Rookie of the Year in 2004. He is the third seed entering this season’s tournament.

285
The Warriors’ Tommy Snyder (Jr./New Columbia, Pa.; Milton) returns to defend his conference title at heavyweight. Snyder is the top seed at the weight with a record of 19-5 entering the competition. Delaware Valley sophomore Mike Moore (13-7) is the second seed, Wilkes sophomore Matt Carey (17-15) is the third seed, and King’s sophomore Jim Bishop (14-14) is the fourth seed. Snyder defeated both Carey and Bishop by major decision during the season, but did not face Moore.