Gannon's McGrath Wins Heavyweight Gold at Ashland Open Saturday
ASHLAND, Ohio - Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) won the heavyweight tournament at the Ashland University Open as the Gannon wrestling team competed with over 200 grapplers Saturday. Three other Golden Knights placed in the top five of their invidual weight classes.
McGrath won all four of his matches on his way to the heavyweight crown. It was his second consecutive tournament victory, as the senior won at the National Catholic Invitational November 7.
Zack McKendree (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) placed third in the 157-pound division, going 4-1 in the tournament. Kevin McElhaney (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) recorded three pins, taking fourth place in the 149-pound class. He went 4-2 on the day. Bret Terry (Canal Winchester, Ohio/New Albany) went 4-2 in the 184-pound tournament, finishing fifth.
GU heads to the East Stroudsburg Open Saturday, November 21, for its next event. Complete results from the Ashland Open will be available this week on gannonsports.com.
Gannon Wrestling Team Ranked 17th in Preseason National Rankings
McGrath and McElhaney Listed Among Individual Rankings
ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon wrestling team is ranked 17th in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Top 20 released Wednesday afternoon. In addition, Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) and Kevin McElhaney (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) are ranked fourth nationally in their respective weight classes.
Defending NCAA Division II champion Nebraska-Omaha is the unanimous pick to retain its title in 2010. The Mavericks received 160 points. Minnesota State (148), Newberry (S.C.) (138), Nebraska-Kearney (132) and Adams State (Colo.) (123) completed the top five.
Central Oklahoma (121), Western State (Colo.) (103), St. Cloud State (Minn.) (95), Upper Iowa (95) and Pitt-Johnstown (90) rounded out the top 10. Gannon is tabbed 17th with 41 points.
McGrath is the nation's fourth-ranked heavyweight in the preseason rankings. The senior, who was earlier tabbed No. 1 in the East region, placed fifth at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships with a 4-2 record. He finished 33-8 overall and 10-0 in dual competition with a team-high 15 pins last season.
McGrath is a two-time national qualifier, placing fourth at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships. He owns a 63-23 overall record and 18-3 dual mark during his collegiate career. Twenty-one of those victories ended via a pin, the ninth-highest mark in school history.
McElhaney is listed fourth nationally at 149. Ranked second in the NCAA Division II Preseason East regional rankings, McElhaney finished sixth at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships after winning the East Regional 149-pound title. The senior posted an 18-11 overall record and 5-2 dual mark with three pins last season. He has a 57-37 overall record with 23 pins during his collegiate career. His career pin total ranks seventh all-time at Gannon.
Gannon opens the season Sunday, November 1 at the University of Buffalo Open. The Golden Knights then host the National Catholic Invitational Saturday, November 7 at the Carneval Athletic Pavilion.
Gannon Wrestling Ranked Fourth in Preseason Regional Rankings
Six Golden Knights Listed Among Individual Rankings
ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon wrestling team is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II Preseason East regional rankings released this week. In addition, six Golden Knights are listed among the region's best.
Newberry and Pitt-Johnstown tied for first in the preseason rankings with 72 points. West Liberty State (58), Gannon (52) and Mercyhurst (41) completed the top five.
UNC-Pembroke (40), Kutztown (39), Limestone (37), Shippensburg (20) and Anderson (17) rounded out the top 10.
Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) is the region's top-ranked heavyweight in the preseason rankings. The senior placed fifth at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships with a 4-2 record. He finished 33-8 overall and 10-0 in dual competition with a team-high 15 pins last season.
McGrath is a two-time national qualifier, placing fourth at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships. He owns a 63-23 overall record and 18-3 dual mark during his collegiate career. Twenty-one of those victories ended via a pin, the ninth-highest mark in school history.
Kevin McElhaney (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) and Zack McKendree (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) are tabbed second at 149 and 157, respectively. McElhaney finished sixth at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships after winning the East Regional 149-pound title. The senior posted an 18-11 overall record and 5-2 dual mark with three pins last season. He has a 57-37 overall record with 23 pins during his collegiate career. His career pin total ranks seventh all-time at Gannon.
McKendree redshirted last season after earning All-America honors with a seventh-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships. The junior is a two-time national qualifier and has finished in the top three during back-to-back NCAA Division II East Regionals in 2007 and 2008. He owns a 51-25 overall record and 11-6 dual mark with 11 pins during his collegiate career.
Corey Bowers (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) is ranked third in the 133-pound ratings. The senior redshirted last season after advancing to the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships by winning a true fourth-place match at the East Regionals, where he won four of six bouts. Bowers has a 33-14 overall record and 7-1 dual mark with 11 pins during his stay at Gannon.
John Fleming (Bethel Park, Pa./Lakeview) is tabbed fourth in the 125-pound division. The junior transfer had a 148-12 record at Lakeview High School, where he was a two-time state placewinner and two-time regional champion. He was a national qualifier at the University of Indianapolis before his transfer.
Bret Terry (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) completed Gannon's group of regionally-ranked wrestlers, being ranked sixth at 174. The junior was 13-17 overall and 5-4 in dual matches during his first season at Gannon in 2008-09.
Gannon opens the season Sunday, November 1 at the University of Buffalo Open. The Golden Knights then host the National Catholic Invitational Saturday, November 7 at the Carneval Athletic Pavilion
2nd Annual Gannon Wrestling Golf Tournament
When: Saturday, August 15, 2009
Where: Gospel Hill Golf and Country Club, 4415 Steimer Road, Erie, PA 16510 / Phone (814) 899-5700
Format: Golf Scramble; Shot gun start at 1 p.m.
Cost: $65/person or $260 team until July 18th, 2009; $75/person or $300/team after July 18th, 2009 - Buffet Dinner Included
Limit: 30 teams and on a first come, first serve basis
For more information or a registration form, please go to Gannon's Web site www.gannonsports.com or directly at
http://www.gannonsports.com/documents/2009/7/13/2nd%20Annual%20Gannon%20Wrestling%20Golf%20Tournament%20(5).doc?path=wrestling
Gannon Wrestling Team Finishes 15th at NCAA Division II National
ChampionshipsHOUSTON, Texas - The Gannon wrestling team had a fifth-place individual finish and two sixth-place individual finishes en route to a 15th-place team finish Saturday evening at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Houston, Texas.
Nebraska-Omaha won the team title with 146.5 points, out-scoring the next team by 66 points. Newberry (80.5), Minnesota State Mankato (71.5), Nebraska-Kearney (65), and Adams State (62) completed the top five. Gannon placed 15th with 32.5 points.
Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) posted Gannon's best finish, placing fifth in the heavyweight division. The junior opened the day with a 5-2 victory over Findlay's Travis Clark in the wrestlebacks, before losing 3-0 to Minnesota State Mankato's Brady Wilson. He then captured fifth place by pinning San Francisco State's Steve Franklin in two minutes and 55 seconds.
Kevin McElhaney (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown Area) and Jacob Tazzi (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) both recorded sixth-place finishes. McElhaney placed sixth at 149. The junior dropped Saturday's opener 11-0 to Minnesota State Mankato's Tommy Abbott. He was then lost consecutive matches in the wrestlebacks to Nebraska-Omaha's Esai Dominguez (14-8) and Central Oklahoma's Luke Elmore (pin, 4:49).
Tazzi also dropped three matches Saturday in the 184-pound division after going 2-0 during the first day. The senior fell in consecutive matches to Adams State's Kyle Sand (6-1), Newberry's Bryant Blanton (4-3), and Findlay's Hiram Smith (9-8).