Crane Named MASCAC Scholar-Athlete
Top Conference Honor for Academic and Athletic Prowess

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming wrestling senior Derek Crane (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) earned one of the top athletic and academic combination awards in the conference by being named a Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation Scholar Athlete.

To be considered for such an honor, a conference athlete must be a senior standing and have participated in a 2005 fall sport.  Eligible athletes must carry at least a 3.2 grade point average, and will also receive recognition for excellent civic and co-curricular involvement.  The award is evenly based on athletic prowess and academic record and is presented to one senior athlete per sport throughout the conference.

Crane was the 2005-06 Middle Atlantic Conference champion at 174 pounds, earning a spot in the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Meet.  He went 1-2 in the national tournament, finishing the season with an 18-9 overall record.

He placed two other times in the MAC tournament, finishing second at 174 pounds in the 2004-05 tournament and third at 165 pounds in the 2001-2002 meet.  He received the Lycoming wrestling Most Valuable Team Player award in 2005.  During his four-year career, Crane racked up a 52-38 overall record.

Crane has earned a spot on the Lycoming College Dean’s List each semester, and is a member of the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society and the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society.  He is a three-time member of the Middle Atlantic Conference Honor Roll, and has been honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association as a Scholar All-American in 2005 and 2006.

He added extra emphasis to his classroom studies by participating in an internship at an environmental consulting agency.  He was accepted to the Duke University, Penn State University, and University of Michigan biology master’s degree programs.  Crane will continue his education at the University of Michigan to work towards a Master’s of Aquatic and Resource Management degree.

His leadership involvement spans numerous areas including a term as President of the Alpha Phi Sigma.  He also served as a wrestling team captain this past season, leading both on the mats and during practice.  He and the Warrior wrestlers have partaken in several community service ventures including a Williamsport citywide bike race and a walk-run to benefit Habitat for Humanity. 

Crane is a mentor in the Lycoming Peer Athlete Leaders program (PAL).  The purpose of the program is to help new freshman student-athletes, and those others pointed out by coaches, to cope with the academic and social rigors that accompany the beginning of college life.  Crane was selected as a mentor for not only meeting the academic criteria, but for his commitment to positive citizenship towards the Lycoming College community.

Aside from being a tutor available to all Warrior athletes, Crane was charged with running the Lycoming wrestling study tables, making sure his teammates were on task with their school work.