Lycoming Edged At Elizabethtown
Cullen Drops First Match in Six Tries

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA—The Lycoming wrestling team was edged by Elizabethtown 19-16 on Monday night. The match was the final regular season contest for the Warriors, who travel next to the NCAA Regional Qualifier on February 17.

Lycoming never led in the match, dropping its first two contests before getting a win from Kyle Hopkins (Milton, DE) at 141 pounds. Drew Barder (Millersburg, PA) fell in a tight 3-2 decision and the Warriors found themselves in a 10-3 hole.

Head coach Roger Crebs’ squad went on a tear in the middle weights, securing ties at 10 and 16 points. However, the Warriors were never able to take the lead from a Blue Jay team coached by Lycoming alumnus Eric Walker.

At 157 pounds, Chris Dahlheimer (Felton, PA) won an 8-4 decision, then Eric Miller (Muncy, PA) took a 8-0 major decision at 165. With the team score knotted at 10, Elizabethtown’s Brett Epps pinned Clint Gardener (Montoursville, PA) at 174 to break the tie. But the Warriors fought back with heart, as Bryan Kopesky (Phillipsburg, NJ) and Matt Milller (Muncy, PA) won consecutive decisions to tie the match again.

It all came down to the heavyweights. Senior Joe Ostrowski (Wilkes Barre, PA), fresh off of his first dual win at the York Tournament, left it all on the mat versus Mike Daub. However, Daub proved too much and secured the meet for E-town with a 6-3 victory.

The Warrior postseason begins next Wednesday  at the regional qualifiers. The NCAA Division III Championships then take place March 2-3 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Elizabethtown 19, Lycoming 16
125: Pete Achilles (E) maj. dec. Joseph Palmitessa (L), 13-2      4-0  E
133: Terry Bartholomew (E) dec. Sean Cullen (L), 10-8                7-0  E
141: Kyle Hopkins (L) dec. Drew Winegar (E), 6-0                       7-3  E
149: Bud Croswell (E) dec. Drew Barder (L), 3-2                         10-3 E
157: Chris Dahlheimer (L) dec. Jereme Heisey (E), 8-4               10-6 E
165: Eric Miller (L) maj. dec. Paul Connor (E), 8-0                       10-10 T
174: Brett Epps (E) pinned Clinton Gardener (L), 0:41                16-10 E
184: Bryan Kopesky (L) dec. Josh Herbert (E), 5-2                      16-13 E
197: Matthew Miller (L) dec. Deron Sharp (E), 2-0                       16-16 T
285: Mike Daub (E) dec. Joe Ostrowski (L), 6-3                           19-16 E