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HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 19, 2010) – Stevens Institute of Technology will serve as host of the 2010 Centennial Conference Wrestling Championships on Saturday, February 20 in Hoboken, N.J. Seven teams, including the host Ducks, will be looking to end the United States Merchant Marine Academy’s two-year run as conference champions. The Mariners, however, may have something to say about that as they were a perfect 7-0 in the Centennial Conference (CC) regular season and are currently ranked 13th in the Brute-Adidas/National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Poll.
Merchant Marine topped the conference standings at 7-0, and Ursinus College was second with a mark of 5-1. McDaniel College was 5-2, while Stevens finished 4-3. Johns Hopkins University and Gettysburg College had three and two Centennial wins, respectively, and Washington & Lee University and Muhlenberg College were both winless in the regular season.
Though the 13th-ranked Mariners are the favorite, a lot can happen in a championship tournament and all eight teams are holding out hope for a chance at winning several of the 11 individual NCAA berths on the line or making a run at the team championship.
125 lbs.
Six grapplers will be competing for an NCAA berth at 125 lbs. and that group is headlined by Merchant Marine junior Jordan Alfaro. Alfaro took second in 2008, won the title in 2009 and was a perfect 7-0 in the Centennial Conference this season. Adam Stevens of Johns Hopkins and Earl Eppard of McDaniel were both 5-2 in the conference regular season. Both wrestlers have double-digit wins in total with Eppard compiling a 15-13 overall mark and Stevens notching 10 wins against 15 losses. Sophomore Ben Ersing of W&L joins Alfaro (16-13) and Eppard (15-13) as the only other 125 pounders to have overall marks above .500. Ersing was 3-2 in the CC and 9-8 overall. Looking to make some noise will be freshman Connor Gregory of Ursinus (2-3 CC) and sophomore Brad Warren of Stevens (2-5 CC).
133 lbs.
The 133-lb. weight class will have a new winner in 2010 as two-time defending champion Phil Greene has graduated from the USMMA. The favorite at 133 has to be McDaniel sophomore Tommy Goretsas who was a perfect 7-0 in the conference and had a league-high 24 wins in the 2009-10 regular season. Though Goretsas is the favorite, the Green Terror sophomore will have some serious competition throughout the day. Sophomore Alex Blank of Ursinus was 22-8 overall, 4-1 in the conference, and was strong in his first Centennial Conference Championship appearance in 2009. Hopkins freshman Paul Marcello has been solid all year as well and can definitely give either Goretsas or Blank a good run. Marcello only wrestled four bouts in the conference (3-1) but was 14-5 overall for the Blue Jays.
Muhlenberg’s Tommy Gazza is the next most-tested grappler at 133 pounds, going 3-3 in the league and 6-14 overall. Stevens junior Kyle Brisson (3-6 overall, 2-2 CC) and Merchant Marine’s Ian Nisely (2-3 CC) will be in contention as well.
141 lbs.
Two undefeated athletes will lead the way at 141. Stevens sophomore Ryan Bridge missed the beginning of the year due to injury but has been excellent since returning to the mat. He was 7-0 in the Centennial Conference and 12-2 overall. He is coming into the championship tournament on a nine-match winning streak. Freshman Sam Campbell of W&L is also undefeated in the conference (5-0) but did not wrestle Bridge when the two teams battled earlier this month.
Dan Glover of Ursinus has also been impressive, compiling a 4-1 conference record. His only loss came at the hands of Bridge, an 11-3 major decision. Kevin Homan of Muhlenberg (12-11 overall, 4-2 Centennial) is the only other wrestler over .500 at 141 pounds. Gettysburg sophomore Matt Danielson, Merchant Marine’s Garrick Skubon, McDaniel freshman Michael Tancredi, Ursinus’ Dan Glover, and freshman Matt Nelson of Hopkins will all look to make a run.
149 lbs.
The clear-cut favorite at 149 lbs. is the undefeated Connor McCormick of Ursinus. McCormick comes in with a mark of 17-0 overall but was only 2-0 in the conference. Martin Bell of the Merchant Marine Academy had a strong conference regular season (5-1) and was 13-10 overall. Junior Brent Lowe of McDaniel recorded 23 wins against just 10 losses for McDaniel and will almost certainly make noise at 149, while Stevens freshman Ryan Owens (3-2 CC) has also been wrestling well of late. Also in the mix will be Matt Parker of Muhlenberg, Michael Slabinski of Gettysburg, J.P. Welsh of W&L, and Ben Kaufman of JHU. The foursome has totaled three conference wins this year.
157 lbs.
David Dennis of W&L and Dan Twito of Merchant Marine headline the group at 157. Dennis was undefeated in the Centennial Conference in 2009-10 (5-0), and Twito was the 149-lb champion a year ago. Twito is 6-1 in the Centennial and a remarkable 26-6 overall. Charles Favia of Stevens will be a dark horse at 157 as the senior turned in a 5-2 conference mark and has been coming on strong at the end of the season. Sophomore Michael Testa of JHU is the only other competitor with a winning conference record (3-2). Keith Swanson of Muhlenberg (12-14 overall), Matt Peters of McDaniel, and Joe Fiore of Gettysburg will all look to make some noise.
165 lbs.
Defending champion Vincent Renault of the Merchant Marine Academy seems primed for a repeat as the junior turned in a 7-0 conference regular season and was 20-3 overall. Stevens sophomore Joe Favia, last year’s runner-up, is 23-6 this season, and his only conference loss came to Renault. Eric Levenseller of Hopkins has also been solid (19-10 overall, 5-2 CC), falling to Renault and Favia in good bouts.
The bottom half of the 165-lb. weight class will feature Harris Papas of Ursinus, Patrick Doherty of Gettysburg, Kenneth Ludwig of Muhlenberg, junior Keith Jaworski of Washington & Lee, and freshman Tony Vorndran of McDaniel.
174 lbs.
The 174-pound weight class should be a treat for everyone as Stevens junior Bobby Bishop, Justin Diesel of Merchant Marine, and Andrew Giannascoli of Hopkins could all realistically take the title. Bishop was 5-0 in the Centennial Conference, 19-7 overall, and defeated Diesel in a head-to-head bout in early February. Diesel was 6-1 in league action and is ranked eighth in the country. He has an overall mark 23-7. Giannascoli, a freshman, is just 6-4 overall but went 5-1 in the conference.
Mike Kevlin of Ursinus, D.J. Neri of Gettysburg, Scott Forrester of McDaniel have all carded a pair of conference wins thus far and will look to make a name for themselves with an upset win or two. Eric Veres of W&L will also be in the hunt.
184 lbs.
The 184-lb. weight class should be interesting and wide-open. Nate Murren of Ursinus comes in with an unblemished 4-0 Centennial Conference record and is 20-3 overall. Murren, probably the favorite, should be challenged by McDaniel senior Will Yeo (19-12 overall, 5-2 CC), and Stevens junior Vincent Termini (3-1 CC). Luke Mitchell of Gettysburg also has the potential to pull an upset, earning three conference victories and compiling 13 wins overall. Eric Schott of Merchant Marine carded three conference wins and definitely has the ability to knock off anyone in the field. Ben Finelli of Hopkins and Jon Brown of W&L will also be in the mix.
197 lbs.
Connor McNamara of Ursinus is 5-0 in conference and 27-3 overall. Defending conference champion Eric Vincent of the Merchant Marine Academy is 24-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference. These two are the clear-cut headliners in this weight class and should face each other in the final.
Though there are definite favorites, formidable foes will provide significant obstacles from the start as Stevens senior Ernie Guaimano and McDaniel sophomore Joe Camlin both tallied four conference wins this year and can get a victory against any given foe. Marshal Puls of Gettysburg and Reid Mosquera of Hopkins each earned three Centennial wins this season and can make some noise in addition to Richard Knack of W&L.
Heavyweight
Like most years, the heavyweights should be entertaining and close but reigning champion Brock Glotfelty of McDaniel is the favorite. Glotfelty is 7-0 in the conference and 35-4 overall. He leads the conference in falls (15) and wins (35) and is also the ninth-ranked heavyweight in the nation. Judd Connell of Merchant Marine has been solid, compiling a 6-1 conference record and a 16-6 overall mark. Bobby Christopher of Gettysburg is another extremely capable heavyweight going 5-1 in the conference at 21-5 overall. He placed second at last year’s championship. Others in the mix with be James Roarty of Stevens who finished fourth last year, Chris Galletta of Muhlenberg, Ed Minelli of Ursinus, Zak Colangelo of W&L, and Rick Danilkowicz of Hopkins.
Action will begin at 10 a.m. from the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Visit www.stevensducks.com/visitors/index.asp for directions and more information about Stevens. There will be a free webcast of the finals beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. on www.PennAtlantic.com/main.php.
Merchant Marine topped the conference standings at 7-0, and Ursinus College was second with a mark of 5-1. McDaniel College was 5-2, while Stevens finished 4-3. Johns Hopkins University and Gettysburg College had three and two Centennial wins, respectively, and Washington & Lee University and Muhlenberg College were both winless in the regular season.
Though the 13th-ranked Mariners are the favorite, a lot can happen in a championship tournament and all eight teams are holding out hope for a chance at winning several of the 11 individual NCAA berths on the line or making a run at the team championship.
125 lbs.
Six grapplers will be competing for an NCAA berth at 125 lbs. and that group is headlined by Merchant Marine junior Jordan Alfaro. Alfaro took second in 2008, won the title in 2009 and was a perfect 7-0 in the Centennial Conference this season. Adam Stevens of Johns Hopkins and Earl Eppard of McDaniel were both 5-2 in the conference regular season. Both wrestlers have double-digit wins in total with Eppard compiling a 15-13 overall mark and Stevens notching 10 wins against 15 losses. Sophomore Ben Ersing of W&L joins Alfaro (16-13) and Eppard (15-13) as the only other 125 pounders to have overall marks above .500. Ersing was 3-2 in the CC and 9-8 overall. Looking to make some noise will be freshman Connor Gregory of Ursinus (2-3 CC) and sophomore Brad Warren of Stevens (2-5 CC).
133 lbs.
The 133-lb. weight class will have a new winner in 2010 as two-time defending champion Phil Greene has graduated from the USMMA. The favorite at 133 has to be McDaniel sophomore Tommy Goretsas who was a perfect 7-0 in the conference and had a league-high 24 wins in the 2009-10 regular season. Though Goretsas is the favorite, the Green Terror sophomore will have some serious competition throughout the day. Sophomore Alex Blank of Ursinus was 22-8 overall, 4-1 in the conference, and was strong in his first Centennial Conference Championship appearance in 2009. Hopkins freshman Paul Marcello has been solid all year as well and can definitely give either Goretsas or Blank a good run. Marcello only wrestled four bouts in the conference (3-1) but was 14-5 overall for the Blue Jays.
Muhlenberg’s Tommy Gazza is the next most-tested grappler at 133 pounds, going 3-3 in the league and 6-14 overall. Stevens junior Kyle Brisson (3-6 overall, 2-2 CC) and Merchant Marine’s Ian Nisely (2-3 CC) will be in contention as well.
141 lbs.
Two undefeated athletes will lead the way at 141. Stevens sophomore Ryan Bridge missed the beginning of the year due to injury but has been excellent since returning to the mat. He was 7-0 in the Centennial Conference and 12-2 overall. He is coming into the championship tournament on a nine-match winning streak. Freshman Sam Campbell of W&L is also undefeated in the conference (5-0) but did not wrestle Bridge when the two teams battled earlier this month.
Dan Glover of Ursinus has also been impressive, compiling a 4-1 conference record. His only loss came at the hands of Bridge, an 11-3 major decision. Kevin Homan of Muhlenberg (12-11 overall, 4-2 Centennial) is the only other wrestler over .500 at 141 pounds. Gettysburg sophomore Matt Danielson, Merchant Marine’s Garrick Skubon, McDaniel freshman Michael Tancredi, Ursinus’ Dan Glover, and freshman Matt Nelson of Hopkins will all look to make a run.
149 lbs.
The clear-cut favorite at 149 lbs. is the undefeated Connor McCormick of Ursinus. McCormick comes in with a mark of 17-0 overall but was only 2-0 in the conference. Martin Bell of the Merchant Marine Academy had a strong conference regular season (5-1) and was 13-10 overall. Junior Brent Lowe of McDaniel recorded 23 wins against just 10 losses for McDaniel and will almost certainly make noise at 149, while Stevens freshman Ryan Owens (3-2 CC) has also been wrestling well of late. Also in the mix will be Matt Parker of Muhlenberg, Michael Slabinski of Gettysburg, J.P. Welsh of W&L, and Ben Kaufman of JHU. The foursome has totaled three conference wins this year.
157 lbs.
David Dennis of W&L and Dan Twito of Merchant Marine headline the group at 157. Dennis was undefeated in the Centennial Conference in 2009-10 (5-0), and Twito was the 149-lb champion a year ago. Twito is 6-1 in the Centennial and a remarkable 26-6 overall. Charles Favia of Stevens will be a dark horse at 157 as the senior turned in a 5-2 conference mark and has been coming on strong at the end of the season. Sophomore Michael Testa of JHU is the only other competitor with a winning conference record (3-2). Keith Swanson of Muhlenberg (12-14 overall), Matt Peters of McDaniel, and Joe Fiore of Gettysburg will all look to make some noise.
165 lbs.
Defending champion Vincent Renault of the Merchant Marine Academy seems primed for a repeat as the junior turned in a 7-0 conference regular season and was 20-3 overall. Stevens sophomore Joe Favia, last year’s runner-up, is 23-6 this season, and his only conference loss came to Renault. Eric Levenseller of Hopkins has also been solid (19-10 overall, 5-2 CC), falling to Renault and Favia in good bouts.
The bottom half of the 165-lb. weight class will feature Harris Papas of Ursinus, Patrick Doherty of Gettysburg, Kenneth Ludwig of Muhlenberg, junior Keith Jaworski of Washington & Lee, and freshman Tony Vorndran of McDaniel.
174 lbs.
The 174-pound weight class should be a treat for everyone as Stevens junior Bobby Bishop, Justin Diesel of Merchant Marine, and Andrew Giannascoli of Hopkins could all realistically take the title. Bishop was 5-0 in the Centennial Conference, 19-7 overall, and defeated Diesel in a head-to-head bout in early February. Diesel was 6-1 in league action and is ranked eighth in the country. He has an overall mark 23-7. Giannascoli, a freshman, is just 6-4 overall but went 5-1 in the conference.
Mike Kevlin of Ursinus, D.J. Neri of Gettysburg, Scott Forrester of McDaniel have all carded a pair of conference wins thus far and will look to make a name for themselves with an upset win or two. Eric Veres of W&L will also be in the hunt.
184 lbs.
The 184-lb. weight class should be interesting and wide-open. Nate Murren of Ursinus comes in with an unblemished 4-0 Centennial Conference record and is 20-3 overall. Murren, probably the favorite, should be challenged by McDaniel senior Will Yeo (19-12 overall, 5-2 CC), and Stevens junior Vincent Termini (3-1 CC). Luke Mitchell of Gettysburg also has the potential to pull an upset, earning three conference victories and compiling 13 wins overall. Eric Schott of Merchant Marine carded three conference wins and definitely has the ability to knock off anyone in the field. Ben Finelli of Hopkins and Jon Brown of W&L will also be in the mix.
197 lbs.
Connor McNamara of Ursinus is 5-0 in conference and 27-3 overall. Defending conference champion Eric Vincent of the Merchant Marine Academy is 24-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference. These two are the clear-cut headliners in this weight class and should face each other in the final.
Though there are definite favorites, formidable foes will provide significant obstacles from the start as Stevens senior Ernie Guaimano and McDaniel sophomore Joe Camlin both tallied four conference wins this year and can get a victory against any given foe. Marshal Puls of Gettysburg and Reid Mosquera of Hopkins each earned three Centennial wins this season and can make some noise in addition to Richard Knack of W&L.
Heavyweight
Like most years, the heavyweights should be entertaining and close but reigning champion Brock Glotfelty of McDaniel is the favorite. Glotfelty is 7-0 in the conference and 35-4 overall. He leads the conference in falls (15) and wins (35) and is also the ninth-ranked heavyweight in the nation. Judd Connell of Merchant Marine has been solid, compiling a 6-1 conference record and a 16-6 overall mark. Bobby Christopher of Gettysburg is another extremely capable heavyweight going 5-1 in the conference at 21-5 overall. He placed second at last year’s championship. Others in the mix with be James Roarty of Stevens who finished fourth last year, Chris Galletta of Muhlenberg, Ed Minelli of Ursinus, Zak Colangelo of W&L, and Rick Danilkowicz of Hopkins.
Action will begin at 10 a.m. from the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Visit www.stevensducks.com/visitors/index.asp for directions and more information about Stevens. There will be a free webcast of the finals beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. on www.PennAtlantic.com/main.php.
