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2000-2001 Press Release Index
EDINBORO, PA - The Edinboro University wrestling team welcomes Gannon and Clarion to McComb Fieldhouse for a pair of dual matches on Thursday and Friday evenings, February 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., respectively.
Edinboro stands at 6-3-1 overall, 2-0-1 in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Fighting Scots are ranked 11th by InterMat and 15th by the NWCA.
Head coach Tim Flynn's squad enters this week's matches on a losing skid, dropping three of its last four matches. Edinboro posted a 1-2 record at the National Duals on Saturday, January 20, dropping dual matches to third-ranked Iowa (35-14) and sixth-ranked Oklahoma (23-13). Edinboro did avenge its 16-16 tie with Virginia Tech on December 9 by dominating the Hokies in seven of ten matches for a 25-12 victory.
The Fighting Scots also saw their three-year reign as the PSAC Tournament champions ended by Lock Haven last weekend, finishing as the runners-up to the Bald Eagles for the first time in four seasons. The Bald Eagles tallied 153.5 team points, winning all ten matches during the final session. Five Lock Haven wrestlers won championship matches, including three over Fighting Scots. Edinboro finished in second place with 126.0 points. Bloomsburg (119.0), Clarion (100.5), and Slippery Rock (57.0) rounded out the top five.
Seven Fighting Scots competed in championship matches, but only All-American Josh Koscheck (Waynesburg, PA/Waynesburg) came away victorious. Edinboro featured six second-place finishers, one third-place winner, and a fourth-place finisher.
Gannon enters the matchup with a 7-3 dual match record, after routing Waynesburg, 41-5, on Tuesday night. The Knights have won their last five duals, thrashing Thiel, 50-0, on January 27 before the victory over Waynesburg. Gannon finished in fourth place as a team at the Thiel Invitational, and in ninth at the Oklahoma Classic in November. The Fighting Scots were the runners-up at the Oklahoma Classic, finishing behind host Oklahoma.
Flynn's Fighting Scots return to Eastern Wrestling League action on Friday against Clarion. The Golden Eagles have an 8-1 dual match record, winning each of their last seven contests. They have a perfect 3-0 record in the EWL with wins over West Virginia (27-10), Cleveland State (37-3), and Bloomsburg (18-17). Edinboro also owns a 32-9 victory over Cleveland State and a 25-12 win against Bloomsburg. Their lone loss came at the hands of Penn State, 37-6, on December 10.
Clarion defeated Rider, 19-15, in its last match and finished in fourth place at the PSAC Championships last weekend. They boasted two individual champions in 184-pound Bob Topper and heavyweight John Testa. Testa defended his 2000 crown, defeating Edinboro's Josh Pearce (Greenville, PA/Commodore Perry) in the final match, 3-1, for the second straight season.
The Bald Eagle lineup features two nationally-ranked grapplers, led by Testa who owns the tenth spot at heavyweight with a 21-4 record. Rad Martinez, the 133 lbs. starter, is ranked 15th with a 23-5 season mark.
Edinboro holds a 9-5 advantage in the series since the Fighting Scots joined the Division I ranks in 1987. They have won the last two meetings, downing the Eagles by a 21-14 score a year ago. In fact, Edinboro has not lost to an EWL opponent in its last 18 DUAL MATCHES (17-0-1), CAPTURING THE LAST TWO DUAL MEET CROWNS.
The Fighting Scots return to action next Friday, February 9 against EWL rival Lock Haven at 7:00 p.m. The annual Edinboro Open tournament takes place on Saturday.
Here's a weight-by-weight breakdown of the two dual matches:
125 Pounds - Jacob Gray (10-15) vs. Gannon's Jason Parker (11-8) and Clarion's Peter Derstine (12-11)
Freshman Jacob Gray (Essex, VT/Essex), a two-time Vermont state champion, is now the sole owner of the starting spot with Charlie Soto moving up to 133 lbs. for the remainder of the season. Gray is 10-15, losing his two matches at his first PSAC Tournament last weekend. He faced a tough first-round draw, opposing top-seed Trap McCormack of Lock Haven in a pigtail match, losing by an 11-6 score. In the consolation bracket, Clarion's Derstine eliminated Gray from the tournament with a 4-3 victory. Derstine has a 12-11 record in his freshman season. Gannon's Parker is 11-8, with a 6-3 dual match record. A Butler, PA native, Parker scored a 23-9 major decision against Thiel's Chris Brown in their dual match.
133 Pounds - Charlie Soto (7-13) vs. Gannon's #8 Aaron Waters (10-1) and Clarion's #10 Rad Martinez (23-5)
With the return of injured sophomore Justin Wilcox still questionable, Flynn moved redshirt junior Charlie Soto (El Paso, TX/J.M. Hanks) into the spot permanently for the PSAC's. Soto responded by finishing in third place, upending third-seeded Russ Witt of Bloomsburg twice in the tournament, winning by a 5-3 score in the consolation final, improving his record to 7-13. He opened the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Witt, avenging a 5-3 sudden victory loss to the Huskie in their dual match. He then dropped a 4-3 decision to Clarion's 10th-ranked Rad Martinez in the semifinals. Martinez finished as the runner-up, losing to Lock Haven's Scott Bair by a 10-3 score. Martinez is 23-5 with a fourth-place finish at the Las Vegas Invitational. Waters, ranked 8th in the D-II poll, is a perfect 9-0 in dual matches. The former Cathedral Prep standout has two falls.
141 Pounds - Chad Caros (8-7) or Cory Ace (16-6) vs. Gannon's Brendan Bosko (14-12) and Clarion's Frank Edgar (14-12)
Chad Caros (Franklinville, NY/Suffern) will get the starting nod against Gannon's Bosko, but Cory Ace (Franklin, PA/Franklin) could regain the role against Clarion. Caros, who splits time with this season's PSAC runner-up Ace, has an 8-7 record. He downed Oklahoma's Marvin Lofton by a 5-3 score in his last match, evening his dual match record at 4-4. Ace improved his record to 16-6 at the PSAC Tournament, three victories before his 4-3 finals loss to 15th-ranked Mike Maney. He avenged an earlier loss to Slippery Rock's Tony Abbate in the semifinals, scoring a takedown in overtime for a 5-3 victory. Bosko brings a 6-4 dual match record to the mat tonight. The McDowell High School grad pinned Thiel's Josh Horne in 2:31, but lost to Waynesburg's Shawn Whyte by a 7-2 score. He also captured the title at the Thiel Invitational. Edgar finished fourth at the PSAC's, losing a 15-1 major decision to Abbate in the consolation finals.
149 Pounds - #10 Ryan Shapert (17-7) or Chris Bala (3-7) vs. Gannon's Lenny McNeal (10-13) and Clarion's Dominic Surra (17-8)
Senior Ryan Shapert (Glenshaw, PA/Shaler) may give way to newcomer Chris Bala (Darien, NY/ Alexander Central) against Gannon's McNeal. Shapert is 17-7 after finishing as the runner-up at the PSAC Tournament. He lost to 9th-ranked Jamarr Billman of Lock Haven by a 9-8 score in the finals. The tenth-ranked Shapert defeated Brett Owen of Shippensburg, 12-1, in the first round, then shut out Clarion's Surra by an 8-0 score in the semifinals. Bala has a 3-7 record with two wins at the Cleveland State Open last weekend, including a 10-4 win over Josh Beals of Indiana. He was a two-time sectional champ at Alexander High School in Darien, NY. McNeal will take the mat against one of the Fighting Scots with a 4-5 dual record and three falls. Surra captured fourth place at the PSAC's, losing to Bloomsburg's 11th-ranked George Carter by fall in the consolation final.
157 Pounds - Shaun Shapert (19-7) vs. Gannon's Kris Oros (18-13) and Clarion's Shane McChesney (9-9) or Jim Perry (9-6)
Returning All-American Shaun Shapert (Glenshaw, PA/Shaler) faced Oros in the opening round of the Slippery Rock Open earlier this season, downing the Golden Knight by a 6-3 score. Shapert is 19-7 after finishing as the runner-up at the PSAC Tournament. He lost to ninth-ranked Ed Hockenberry by a 9-3 score in the finals. Oros, an Erie native from Fairview High School, is 18-13 overall in his first season with the Knights. He pinned Waynesburg's Mike Glover in just 40 seconds in his last match. McChesney did not compete at the PSAC's, giving way to Jim Perry, the fifth-place finisher. Shapert sent Perry to the consolation bracket with a 4-2 victory. A former standout at Corry High School, McChesney has a 9-9 season mark, while Perry stands at 9-6.
165 Pounds - Yanni Diamond (15-9) or Matt King (17-5) or Ben Boozer (9-0) vs. Gannon's #4 Lantz Schwabenbauer (8-3) and Clarion's Pete Kroshefskie (7-13)
Senior Yanni Diamond (Wellesley, MA/Wellesley) has a 15-9 record as the starter in the weight class, but may give way to redshirt freshman Matt King (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville) or senior Ben Boozer (Cochranton, PA/Cochranton). Diamond earned his second straight runner-up finish at the PSAC's with a 2-1 loss to Slippery Rock's 15th-ranked Doug Cieleski in the finals. Diamond opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Kroshefskie. While Diamond was at the PSAC's, Boozer and Diamond competed in the Cleveland State Open. Boozer captured the 165-pound championship with a 4-0 victory over King in the finals. Boozer is 9-0 with a title at the Slippery Rock Open, as well, that included a 3-0 win over Diamond. King carries a 17-5 record, 1-1 in dual matches. Schwabenbauer is ranked fourth in Division II with an 8-3 record. He pinned Matt Queen in the Waynesburg dual in 6:09. Kroshefskie did not place at the PSAC's and is 7-13 overall.
174 Pounds - Josh Koscheck (29-0) vs. Gannon's Derek Maynard (4-4) and Clarion's Aaron Mitchell (12-11)
Consensus number one Josh Koscheck (Waynesburg, PA/Waynesburg) returns to Edinboro after dominating second-ranked Otto Olson of Michigan by a 6-1 score in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Monday. He also cap tured his third straight PSAC title last weekend, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors for the second time in three years. Koscheck is an amazing 110-18 as a Fighting Scot, three behind Dean Hall for tenth place, and leads the team with nine falls. Maynard and Mitchell are already among Koscheck's 29 victims this season, each being planted on their backs for falls. The NCAA runner-up dropped Mitchell to the mat for the fall in just 30 seconds in the semifinals of the PSAC's. Maynard had a little better luck, lasting for 1:21 on the mat with Koscheck .
184 Pounds - Justin Millard (16-11) or Matt Camino (2-7) vs. Gannon's Dave Spinelli (5-3) and Clarion's Bob Topper (18-6)
Freshmen Justin Millard (Laceyville, PA/Wyalusing) or Matt Camino (Solon, OH/Solon) will battle Gannon's 28-year-old freshman Spinelli. With a 16-11 record, Millard finished in fourth place at his first PSAC Tournament. He was scheduled to meet his older brother Josh of Lock Haven, but each agreed to forfeit their third-place match against each other and settle for fourth-place finishes. Millard pinned Shippensburg's Nick Hensley in the first round in 2:03, but lost by a 10-2 score to Clarion's top-seeded Topper in the semifinals. Topper captured the title with a 3-2 decision over Bloomsburg's Kris Smith, improving his record to 18-6. Spinelli, a former standout at Tech Memorial High School in Erie, is 5-3 while competing exclusively in dual matches. He pinned Tom Coghlan in the Waynesburg dual in 1:31. Spinelli spent several years in the Army before enrolling at Gannon.
197 Pounds - #11 David Shunamon (23-3) or Matt Camino (2-7) vs. Gannon's Doug Joseph (16-4) and Clarion's Eric Mausser (21-6)
Sophomore Dave Shunamon (Tewksbury, MA/Tewksbury) lost a heartbreaker in the PSAC finals, losing in the double-overtime tiebreaker by a 5-4 score to Lock Haven's Avery Zerkle. It took Zerkle ten seconds to break Shunamon's grasp and earn the victory. Shunamon, ranked 11th nationally, has a 23-3 season mark. Freshman Camino may also move up to this weight class. Joseph was a Division II NCAA qualifier a year ago. He has a 16-4 overall record, including a perfect 4-0 mark in dual matches. Mausser appeared in the top twenty rankings a week ago in the 19th spot, but dropped out after losing in the first round of the PSAC's to Millersville's Greg Enyon, 5-5, in the tiebreaker when he could not escape Enyon's grasp. He has a 21-6 overall record.
Heavyweight - #11 Josh Pearce (18-6) or Kevin O'Meara (10-6) vs. Gannon's #3 Todd Proper (25-4) and Clarion's #10 John Testa (21-4)
Either Josh Pearce (Greenville, PA/Commodore Perry) or senior Kevin O'Meara (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) will take the mat against Proper and Testa. Pearce represented Edinboro with Koscheck in the NWCA All-Star Classic, dropping a narrow 5-3 decision to top-ranked Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State. Pearce has an 18-6 season mark and finished as the runner-up at the PSAC Tournament. In a rematch of the finals a year ago, Pearce again battled Clarion's John Testa. Pearce was unable to avenge last season's loss, dropping a 3-1 decision to Testa. It was Pearce's second loss to Testa this season, losing in the finals of the Slippery Rock Open, 7-4, in November. Testa is ranked tenth in the weight class, boasting a 21-4 overall record. O'Meara, the EWL Wrestler of the Week two weeks ago after dominating his opponents at the National Duals, has a 10-6 mark. He has not faced Testa this season, but does own a 6-4 victory over Todd Proper at the Slippery Rock Open. Proper is a two-time Division II All-American and is ranked third nationally, leading the Golden Knights with 25 wins and 12 falls. He owns a 9-1 dual match record.
~ Fighting Scots ~
Created on ... January 31, 2001