McDaniel Grapplers Down Gettysburg 29-12

Evans wins fourth Centennial match of the year

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Gettysburg College wrestling team pulled to 14-12 in its dual match with visiting McDaniel College, but the Green Terror swept the final three bouts to close with a 29-12 Centennial Conference victory Wednesday night inside Bream Gym.

Gettysburg (3-11, 2-3 CC) jumped in front as sophomore Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) managed a pair of takedowns in a 4-0 decision over Earl Eppard at 125 pounds. The Bullets dropped the next three bouts by forfeit, decision, and technical fall to fall behind 14-3 on the scoreboard. Evans improved to 4-1 in CC duals this season.

Freshman Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) started a comeback with a hard-earned 6-4 win over Matt Peters at 157 and fellow first-year Timothy Zielinski (Newton, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) followed up with a two-point win of his own, pulling out a late takedown to scrape out a 4-2 victory.

Junior DJ Neri (Fairfax Station, Va./W.T. Woodson) scored an early takedown and near-fall to jump in front of Scott Forrester in their match at 174. Neri just missed a major decision in the scoring, eventually winning 12-5 and pulling Gettysburg to a pair of points on the board.

Junior Luke Mitchell (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and Will Yeo battled to a deadlock at 4-4 at the end of two periods, but Yeo opened the final two minutes with a quick escape and takedown en route to an 8-4 win.

McDaniel capped the evening with a pair of pins by Joe Camlin at 197 and returning All-American Brock Glotfelty at heavyweight.

The Bullets return to action this Saturday, Feb.6, for a quadrangular hosted by King's College with Messiah College and SUNY Morrisville. Opening bouts are set for a noon start.

McDaniel 29, Gettysburg 12

125 Abe Evans (GC) dec. Earl Eppard (MC) 4-0 GC 3-0

133 Tom Goretsas (MC) wins by forfeit MC 6-3

141 Mike Tancredi (MC) dec. Matt Danielson (GC), 7-3 MC 9-3

149 Brent Lowe (MC) tech. fall Michael Slabinski (GC), 17-2 (3:50) MC 14-3

157 Joe Fiore (GC) dec. Matt Peters (MC), 6-4 MC 14-6

165 Tim Zielinski (GC) dec. Tony Varndon (MC), 4-2 MC 14-9

174 DJ Neri (GC) dec. Scott Forrester (MC), 12-5 MC 14-12

184 Will Yeo (MC) dec. Luke Mitchell (GC), 8-4 MC 17-12

197 Joe Camlin (MC) pinned Marshall Puls (GC), 6:03 MC 23-12

285 Brock Glotfelty (MC) pinned Kevin Poplaski (GC), 1:21 MC 29-12

Exhibition

174 Colin Pryor (GC) dec. Mason Goldbach (MC), 6-0                             

284 Jimmy Selfinger (MC) pinned Branden Strohl (GC), 1:02
Gettysburg Wins Twice at W&L Quad

Neri picks up three wins to lead Bullets

LEXINGTON, Va. - Junior DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) won all three of his matches Saturday afternoon to lead the Gettysburg College wrestling team to a pair of victories at a quadrangular hosted Washington & Lee University.

Gettysburg (2-3, 1-0 CC) earned its first two wins of the season, including opening its Centennial Conference slate with a 21-17 decision over host Washington & Lee. The Bullets lost to Washington & Jefferson College 37-12, but ended the day with a 31-12 win over Penn State Dubois.

Neri went 3-0 at 174 pounds, scoring a decision, a major decision, and a pin. Trailing Washington & Lee 17-0 in the opening match, senior Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade) ended the shutout with an 8-2 win over Keith Jaworski at 165 and Neri followed with a major decision (10-0) over Jon Brown.

Junior Luke Mitchell (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and freshman Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) each notched major decisions in the next two bouts, the former winning 12-2 and the latter 8-0, to set the stage for a showdown at heavyweight between Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) and Zak Colangelo with the score at 17-15 in favor of the Generals. Christopher made short work of his opponent, felling Colangelo in just 21 seconds for his team-best fifth pin of the season to give the Bullets the decision.

Gettysburg picked up three individual wins in the loss to Washington & Jefferson with Neri earning a 5-2 decision over Eric Kohr at 174. The Bullets added another win at heavyweight as freshman Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) stepped in for a 6-2 victory. Junior Jack Bostrom (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) accounted for the Bullets' remaining win at 141, taking the decision by default at 3:43.

Sophomore Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) put his first win of the season in the books to start Gettysburg's final contest against Penn State Dubois, pinning Andrew Spicer in 1:35 at 125. The Nittany Lions jumped ahead 12-6on the strength of three wins before the Bullets swept the final six bouts. Freshman Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial), Mitchell, and Puls all won by decision at 157, 184, and 197, respectively, while Doherty turned in a major decision (9-1) at 165.

Neri capped his day with his third fall of the season against Chris Rushmore at 4:33 and freshman Branden Strohl (Catasauqua, N.Y./Catasauqua) picked up his first collegiate victory with a pin of Jimmy Moser in 6:08 at heavyweight.

Gettysburg returns to action next Saturday, Jan. 16, with a quad hosted by Elizabethtown College with New York University and Millersville University. Opening bouts are slated for 1 p.m.

GETTYSBURG 21, WASHINGTON AND LEE 17
125 - Ben Ersing (W&L) d. Abe Evans (GC); 17-2 (5-0)
133 - Double Forfeit (5-0)
141 - Sam Campbell (W&L) d. Jack Bostrom (GC); 6-1 (8-0)
149 - Sammy Brusca (W&L) d. Mike Slabinski (GC); 10-8 (11-0)
157 - David Dennis (W&L) d. Joe Fiore (GC); Fall 2:58 (17-0)
165 - Pat Doherty (GC) d. Keith Jaworski (W&L); 8-2 (17-3)
174 - DJ Neri (GC) d. Jon Brown (W&L); 10-0 (17-7)
184 - Luke Mitchell (GC) d. Eric Veres (W&L); 12-2 (17-11)
197 - Marshall Puls (GC) d. Richard Knack (W&L); 8-0 (17-15)
285 - Bobby Christopher (GC) d. Zak Colangelo (W&L); Fall 0:21 (17-21)
Exhibition: J.P. Welch (W&L) d. Ben Patton (GC); 6-4

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 30, PSU-DUBOIS 13
125 - Zach Cecchetti (W&J) d. Andrew Spicer (PSU); 2-0 (3-0)
133 - Brandon Sansom (W&J) d. Jeff Smallwood (PSU); 9-8 (6-0)
141 - Holden Lowe (PSU) d. Brady Fyffe (W&J); 13-10 (6-3)
149 - Kasey Haines (PSU) d. Brett Jeffries (W&J); 12-2 (6-7)
157 - Dominick Demor (W&J) d. Tyler Muton (PSU); Fall 6:00 (12-7)
165 - Brandon Roshon (W&J) d. Kyle Bish (PSU); Fall 2:15 (18-7)
174 - Eric Kohr (W&J) d. Steve Terwilliger (PSU); 10-7 (21-7)
184 - Shawn Hall (PSU) d. Stefen Firmstone (W&J); Fall 3:56 (21-13)
197 - Robbie Mies (W&J) d. Joe Shields (PSU); Fall 3:31 (27-13)
285 - Taylor Potts (W&J) d. Jimmy Mosher (PSU); 3-1 (30-13)

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 37, GETTYSBURG 12
125 - Zach Cecchetti (W&J) d. Abe Evans (GC); Fall 0:40 (6-0)
133 - Brandon Sansom (W&J) won by forfeit (12-0)
141 - Jack Bostrom (GC) d. Brady Fyffe (W&J); 5-0, Default 3:43 (12-6)
149 - Tyler Berger (W&J) d. Mike Slabinski (GC); 8-2 (15-6)
157 - Dominick Demor (W&J) d. Joe Fiore (GC); 16-0 (20-6)
165 - Brandon Roshon (W&J) d. Ben Patten (GC); 17-0 (25-6)
174 - DJ Neri (GC) d. Eric Kohr (W&J); 5-2 (25-9)
184 - Stefen Firmstone (W&J) d. Luke Mitchell (GC); Fall 1:56 (31-9)
197 - Robbie Mies (W&J) d. Marshall Puls (GC); Fall 1:29 (37-9)
285 - Kevin Poplaski (GC) d. Taylor Potts (W&J); 6-2 (37-12)

PSU-DUBOIS 31, WASHINGTON AND LEE 13
125 - Ben Ersing (W&L) d. Andrew Spicer (PSU); 13-2 (4-0)
133 - David Hommell (PSU) won by forfeit (4-6)
141 - Sam Campbell (W&L) d. Holden Lowe (PSU); 4-2 (7-6)
149 - Kasey Haines (PSU) d. Sammy Brusca (W&L); 15-3 (7-10)
157 - David Dennis (W&L) d. Ryan Taylor (PSU); 6-1 (10-10)
165 - Kyle Bish (PSU) d. Keith Jaworski (W&L); 2-0 (10-13)
174 - Chris Rushmore (PSU) won by forfeit (10-19)
184 - Shawn Hall (PSU) d. Richard Knack (W&L); Fall 6:47 (10-25)
197 - Joe Shields (PSU) d. Richard Knack (W&L); Fall 1:19 (10-31)
285 - Zak Colangelo (W&L) d. Jimmy Mosher (PSU); 16-10 (13-31)
Exhibition: David Hommell (PSU) d. Brian Ross (W&L); Fall 4:22

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 42, WASHINGTON AND LEE 6
125 - Zach Cecchetti (W&J) d. Ben Ersing (W&L); 5-4 (3-0)
133 - Brandon Sansom (W&J) won by forfeit (9-0)
141 - Sam Campbell (W&L) won by forfeit (9-6)
149 - Tyler Berger (W&J) d. Sammy Brusca (W&L); 3-1 (12-6)
157 - Dominick Demor (W&J) d. David Dennis (W&L); 9-1 (16-6)
165 - Brandon Roshon (W&J) d. Keith Jaworski (W&L); 15-2 (20-6)
174 - Eric Kohr (W&J) won by forfeit (26-6)
184 - Stefen Firmstone (W&J) d. Eric Veres (W&L); Fall 1:23 (32-6)
197 - Robbie Mies (W&J) d. Richard Knack (W&L); Fall 0:50 (38-6)
285 - Taylor Potts (W&J) d. Zak Colangelo (W&L); 10-0 (42-6)
Exhibition: Brett Jeffries (W&J) d. J. P. Welch (W&L); 8-4

GETTYSBURG 31, PSU-DUBOIS 12
125 - Abe Evans (GC) d. Andrew Spicer (PSU); Fall 1:35 (6-0)
133 - Jeff Smallwood (PSU) won by forfeit (6-6)
141 - David Hommell (PSU) d. Jack Bostrom (GC); 5-4 (6-9)
149 - Holden Lowe (PSU) d. Mike Slabinski (GC); 5-4 (6-12)
157 - Joe Fiore (GC) d. Ty Albright (PSU); 12-7 (9-12)
165 - Patrick Dougherty (GC) d. Ryan Taylor (PSU); 9-1 (13-12)
174 - DJ Neri (GC) d. Chris Rushmore (PSU); Fall 4:33 (19-12)
184 - Luke Mitchell (GC) d. Shawn Hall (PSU); 12-6 (22-12)
197 - Marshall Puls (GC) d. Joe Shields (PSU); 6-3 (25-12)
285 - Branden Strohl (GC) d. Jimmy Mosher (PSU); Fall 6:08 (31-12)
Exhibition: Stephen Terwillinger (PSU) d. Colin Pryor (GC); 8-5
Doherty Earns Victory at Centenary, but Gettysburg Bullets Fall in 2010 Debut

Senior captain notches major decision in 40-4 loss

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. - Senior Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade) made a triumphant return to Gettysburg's lineup on Thursday night, winning his 157-pound match by major decision against Centenary College. The Bullets were unable to pull off the victory, however, as the Cyclones overpowered the visitors for a 40-4 non-conference decision.

After winning his first match of the season by technical fall at the King's College Monarch Invitational on Nov. 7, Doherty suffered an injury in his second bout and was sidelined for the remainder of the opening semester. The senior captain made the most of his return on Thursday, scoring his 10th career major decision 10-1 over Pat Bowen at 157.

Centenary (4-5), which shut out the Bullets 46-0 last season, had little trouble the rest of the way, notching two forfeit wins, a pin, and four major decisions. A pair of Gettysburg freshmen put up the stiffest challenges at the final two weight classes. Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) and Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) each dropped close decisions at 197 and 285, respectively, the former losing 5-3 and the latter 4-2.

Gettysburg returns to action this Saturday, Jan. 9, with a quadrangular hosted by Washington & Lee University with Washington & Jefferson College and Penn State Dubois. The Bullets will face the host Generals in a Centennial Conference battle to start the day at 11 a.m.

Centenary 40 - Gettysburg 4

125 - Jose Vega (CC) pins Abe Evans (GC) 5:15 6-0 CC

133 - Cody Mooney (CC) wins by forfeit 12-0 CC

141 - Dave Alsiuex (CC) 14-1 maj. dec. over Michael Slabinski (GC) 16-0 CC

149 - Jon Stillo (CC) 13-1 maj. dec. over Jack Bostrom (GC) 20-0 CC

157 - Patrick Doherty (GC) 10-1 maj. dec. over Pat Bowen (CC) 20-4 CC

165 - Michael Montgomery (CC) wins by forfeit 26-4 CC

174 - Matt Regan (CC) 15-5 maj. dec. over DJ Neri (GC) 30-4 CC

184 - JJ Mitchell (CC) 8-0 maj. dec. over Luke Mitchell (GC) 34-4 CC

197 - Tim Tomaino (CC) 5-3 dec. over Marshall Puls (GC) 37-4 CC

285 - Mike Hall (CC) 4-2 dec. over Kevin Poplaski (GC) 40-4 CC

EXH

285 - Russell Boardman (CC) pins Brandon Strohl (GC) in 3:20
Gettysburg Bullets Fall to No. 22 Lycoming in Dual Meet Opener

Poplaski scores overtime decision in 54-3 setback

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The Gettysburg College wrestling team opened its dual meet schedule against a top-ranked squad in No. 22 Lycoming College, and the host Warriors showed the Bullets why they were slotted among the nation's best with a 54-3 victory Wednesday night.

Lycoming (4-0) picked up seven pins and two forfeits against a Gettysburg (0-1) lineup devoid of six starters. The lone Bullet victory came from freshman heavyweight Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep), who secured a 4-3 overtime decision against Zack Eckstrom.

After a scoreless opening period, Eckstrom earned the first point in round two with an escape. After an exchange of reversals in the third period, Poplaski managed a final escape to force overtime. The Bullet freshman logged an escape at the start of the first tiebreaker period to jump ahead 4-3 and Eckstrom was unable to break Poplaski's iron grip in the second tiebreaker session. Poplaski improved to 5-4 this season with the victory.

Next up on the Bullet grapplers' docket is another big tournament hosted by SUNY Oneonta on Saturday, Nov. 21. Opening bouts are slated for 9:30 a.m.

Lycoming 54, Gettysburg 3
125 - Noel Faison (L) pinned Abe Evans (G), 0:53

133 - Andrew Lewis (L) wins by forfeit
141 - Jonathan Quiggle (L) pinned Jack Bostrom (G), 2:14

149 - Isaiah Britton (L) wins by forfeit
157 - Colton Ever (L) pinned Joe Fiore (G), 0:48

165 - Christopher Dahlheimer (L) pinned Michael Picciani (G), 1:03

174 - Kyle Crouthamel (L) pinned Colin Pryor (G), 1:55

184 - Troy Hayre (L) pinned Luke Mitchell (G), 1:07

197 - Russel Korbul (L) pinned Marshall Puls (G), 0:57

285 - Kevin Poplaski (G) dec. Zach Eckstrom (L), 4-3 (TB-2)
Gettysburg's Christopher Captures Title at Monarch Invitational

Gettysburg junior wins first career championship at heavyweight

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Junior Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal-Gibbon) kicked off the 2009-10 wrestling season with a bang, earning his first collegiate individual championship at heavyweight and leading Gettysburg College at the King's College Monarch Invitational.

Gettysburg finished eighth overall in the 10-team field, totaling 63.5 points on the strength of Christopher's top finish at heavyweight and junior DJ Neri's (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) fifth-place showing at 174.

Christopher highest previous finish was third-place at last season's Centennial Conference Championship, but the Bullet junior turned in a dominating performance in his opening competition of this season. As the number four seed, he wasted no time in his opening two bouts, pinning Chris Pike of Oneonta State and Nick Pallotta of Muhlenberg College in 40 and 29 seconds, respectively. After earning a medical forfeit decision from the top seed, Christopher took down third seed Chris Rash of King's 7-4.

After a 10-win season as a sophomore, Neri turned in his best individual finish at a tournament by winning four matches. He dropped a razor-thin 4-3 decision to King's Franklin Marinucci to open the event, but recovered nicely with back-to-back pins in his first two bouts in the consolation bracket. He advanced to the consolation semifinals with a 13-2 major decision over Army's Tom O'Connor before Marinucci once again stepped in the way for a 7-4 decision. In the fifth-place match, Neri secured the victory over Oneonta's Kris Stafford by a 5-2 count.

Senior Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.J./Chaminade) began the day on a high note with a dominating 19-3 technical fall in his opening contest at 157. The Bullet captain, seeded fifth in his division, was halted in his run at a title by injury in his second match of the afternoon.

Thirteen of the Bullets' 16 wrestlers scored a victory at the event with only junior Luke Mitchell (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) earning at least two outside of Christopher and Neri. Competing at 184, Mitchell earned his first pin of the season in his opening bout, taking down Braden Frisica of RIT in 3:28. Each of his final three matches was decided by three points or less, including a 6-5 victory in his second consolation match.

Sophomore Michael Slabinski (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's & St. Agnes), and freshmen Anthony Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and Adam Finkelstein (Purdys, N.Y./Somers) each earned pins at 149, 157, and 165, respectively, while freshman heavyweight Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) managed a major decision (10-0) in his first consolation bout.

The Gettysburg grapplers return to the mats next Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Ursinus College Fall Brawl. Opening bouts are slated to begin at 9 a.m.
Depth and Experience Key Gettysburg Wrestling in 2009-10

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Head Coach Andy Vogel has already figured out the formula for replacing three-time national qualifier and three-time Centennial Conference champion Andrew Goldstein on the Gettysburg College wrestling team: you don't. Instead, Vogel has bulked up the size of his roster and combined a mixture of experienced veterans and talented newcomers that will ultimately make the Bullets a better and more competitive team in 2009-10.

In his first two seasons, Vogel was fortunate to have two of the best wrestlers in school history on the roster in 2008 graduate Matt Shank and Goldstein. Both grapplers won over 100 matches in their careers, with Shank claiming a pair of conference titles and Goldstein taking each of the last three at 157 pounds. Goldstein posted a 24-2 record last season, swept all of the conference's wrestling awards, and qualified for the national tournament for the third-straight season. Both he and Shank left big shoes to fill, but Vogel is confident in his current roster's capabilities.

"It's a big loss to have someone as talented as Andrew leave," said Vogel. "The level he achieved showed his teammates what was possible coming out of Gettysburg. Overall, I think the team will be stronger this year than in years past, even though we'll miss Andrew."

Vogel staked his claim on the strength of Gettysburg's deepest roster in over a decade. The Bullets enter the first weekend of competition with 22 student-athletes on the roster, the most since 24 joined the team for the 1997-98 season. Among the number are nine returning letterwinners, all with ample experience in tournaments and dual-meet competition.

Where that depth will be particularly useful will be the middle of the season when the daily grind results in injuries to members of the starting lineup. Last season, Gettysburg was forced to forfeit at least one position in all but one of its 25 dual matches.

"The depth helps keep us in matches," noted Vogel. "If someone goes out with an illness or an injury, we're not necessarily stuck. There's someone else that can fill in. In a couple cases, that someone else filling in is nearly as good as the person they'd be replacing."

When the Bullets are healthy, they have the potential to score a lot of points, especially at the beginning, middle, and end of the lineup. At those positions return three of the team's top performers in sophomore Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover), senior Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade), and junior Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons).

Evans and Christopher had breakout seasons a year ago, each placing at the conference meet. Evans battled through injuries to post a 16-14 record at 125 and managed a fourth-place finish in one of the toughest divisions in the conference. Christopher also overcame a mid-season injury and a very difficult weight class to post a record of 18-5 and grab third at conferences.

Doherty was named a team captain and will aptly fill the void left by Goldstein this season. In his last two campaigns, he has posted a record of 41-20 at a combination of 157 and 165. Last season, he went 20-9 before taking part in Gettysburg's study abroad program.

"I think just having three guys like that in the lineup that have a lot of experience and have had some success will definitely help the team continue to be successful," said Vogel. "I expect each one of them to have a better year this year than last year."

Outside of those three, Gettysburg returns a handful of capable grapplers that received a lion's share of time on the mat last season. Junior DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) and sophomore Michael Slabinski (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's and St. Agnes) each wrestled in over 30 matches last season. Neri has bounced around the lineup in his first two years, but should be set to assume a starting role at 174, while Slabinski will move up to 141 after spending the majority of his freshman campaign at 133.

Vogel is also looking to sophomore Matt Danielson (Bethesda, Md./Bullis School) for a successful season. A national prep place-winner in high school, Danielson was limited to just 10 matches in his freshman season because of illness. He's returned healthier and quicker and has the inside line on the starting spot at 133.

The remaining returnees are juniors Luke Mitchell (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and Jack Bostrom (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury). Mitchell won 11 matches in his first year as a Bullet and will compete at 174 and 184 this season. Bostrom has almost 60 career matches under his belt and will be in the running at 133.

The first-year class will look to fill the voids at several positions this season, most notably at 149, 165, 184, and 197. The 149 and 197 weight classes were the most forfeited positions in the Bullets lineup last season, but this season will be a different story with two freshmen competing at each position. Former Northfield Mount Hermon School teammates CJ Ceci (Greenwich, Conn./Northfield Mount Hermon) and Tim Zielinski (Newtown, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) will compete at the lighter weight, while Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) will challenge Nick Cutler (Big Flats, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling) at 197.

Other freshman battling for starting spots include Adam Finkelstein (Purdys, N.Y./Somers) at 165, Colin Pryor (Northport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) at 174, and Anthony Parry (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) at 184. Though not likely to bump Doherty from a starting spot at 157, Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) will nonetheless challenge for time and will fill in when the Bullet senior needs to rest.

For the first time in his three-year career, Christopher will be able to grapple with full-size heavyweights at practice. Freshmen Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) and Branden Strohl (Catasauqua, N.Y./Catasauqua) will push the junior and likely see time in the lineup when Christopher needs a reprieve.

Gettysburg's goals this season are simple: improve its dual meet record and improve its finish in the Centennial Conference championships. Vogel believes his team can accomplish both as long as everyone maintains focus and continues to improve day-by-day.

"I like what we've done so far with our training," commented Vogel. "The guys have done well and they're buying into what we're trying to accomplish here and putting forth good effort."

"The key is just going to be able to sustain that effort over the length of the season," he added. "It's only October now, and we want to be at our best in February. Everything from here until then is just incremental improvement; just trying to get one percent better every day between now and the end of the year."

Gettysburg opens the 2009-10 season this Saturday (Oct. 31) at the University of Scranton Electric City Duals. The Bullets have their annual stops at the King's College Monarch Invitational, Ursinus College Fall Brawl, and the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament all before Christmas with the New Year bringing the bulk of the dual meet schedule, including the team's only home matches against McDaniel College on Feb. 3 and Stevens Institute of Technology and the Merchant Marine Academy on Feb. 13. Everything leads up to the Centennial Conference Wrestling Championships hosted by Stevens on Feb. 20.
Gettysburg's Goldstein Remains Perfect with Hat Trick at Messiah

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Gettysburg College senior Andrew Goldstein (Easton, Pa./Easton) remained perfect on the season with a trio of victories at a quadrangular meet hosted by Messiah College on Saturday, Feb. 7. Goldstein improved his record to 18-0 this winter and climbed into third place on the school's career wins list with a pair of pins and a decision on Saturday.

As a team, Gettysburg dropped decisions to each of its three opponents as only six Bullets were healthy enough to take to the mat. The Orange & Blue suffered a 40-17 non-conference loss to McDaniel College to start, and went down 43-9 to King's College in the second bout. Gettysburg closed with a 36-15 setback to 28th-ranked Messiah.

Goldstein came into Saturday's contests ranked 10th in NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and ranked fourth by d3wrestle.com at 157 pounds. He wasted no time living up to the billings with a 31-second pin of McDaniel's Matt Peters in his opening bout. Goldstein put his next opponent on his back as well, downing Chris Poleto of King's in exactly two minutes for his seventh fall of the season and the 94th victory of his career, pushing him past Steve Kareha '03 for third all-time on Gettysburg's wins list.

In his final bout of the day, Goldstein was pit against Messiah senior Craig Gin, who had pinned both of his previous opponents on the day. A close and heated affair eventually went the Bullet senior's way with a 7-5 decision. Goldstein has potentially three matches remaining in the regular season to maintain his perfect record, a feat that has not been accomplished by a Gettysburg grappler with at least 10 decisions since Robert Ortenzio '79 went 11-0-1 during the regular season in 1977-78.

Goldstein wasn't the only Bullet in the win column as freshman Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover), sophomore DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson), and sophomore Luke Mitchell (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) each posted a pair of victories. Evans' wins came in his first and final matches of the quad at 125. He scored a technical fall (16-1) against McDaniel's Sean Ensign and closed with an 11-5 win over Danny Lethbridge of Messiah, improving his season record to 12-11.

Neri duplicated Evans' feat with wins in his first and final bouts at 174, starting with his second pin of the season against McDaniel's Courtney Nightengale in 4:54, avenging an overtime loss to the Green Terror grappler earlier this season. He managed a 10-7 decision against Messiah's David Okerblom to end his day.

Mitchell notched wins in each of his final two contests at 184. He came out on top of King's Lew Shover with an 8-2 win and earned his third pin of the year against Messiah's Nate Deisem in 3:45.

Gettysburg wraps up the regular season portion of its schedule with a dual match and a tri-match this week in Bream Gym. The Bullets will aim to take down NCAA Division I Franklin & Marshall College on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 14, Gettysburg will host Centennial Conference opponents Stevens Institute of Technology and United States Merchant Marine Academy at noon.
Christopher Sweeps at Gettysburg Quad

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Gettysburg College sophomore Bobby Christopher (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) continued his successful season at heavyweight by earning three victories at a quadrangular meet hosted by the Bullets on Saturday, Jan. 31. Riddled with injuries and illness, Gettysburg as a team dropped its three bouts to Plymouth State University (33-13), No. 18 (NCAA Division II) Kutztown University (41-9), and No. 20 Wilkes University (44-9).

Since returning from a concussion suffered just after the start of the New Year, Christopher has won all seven of his bouts, including four by pin. On Saturday, he started off with a pair of decisions over Plymouth State's Jake Gagnon (7-3) and Kutztown's Cory Rutt (6-4). He ended in an impressive manner, man-handling Wilkes' Chris Smith with several big takedowns before earning a pin in with 52 seconds left in the second round. Christopher is now 13-3 on the season.

One of a handful of Bullets suffering from illness, senior Andrew Goldstein (Easton, Pa./Easton) managed to compete in one match at 157 before heading to the sideline for the remainder of the day. He won his bout 9-4 against Plymouth State, maintaining his perfect season record at 15-0.

Gettysburg tacked on two more wins against Plymouth State as freshman Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) posted a 12-2 major decision over Mark Watts at 165 and sophomore DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) earned a 4-3 victory over Kyle Mosely at 174. Neri later added a second win against Wilkes, scoring a takedown in the third period to edge Matt Brode 10-8 at 165.

Freshman Michael Slabinski (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) joined Christopher in the win column against Division II Kutztown, rebounding from an early takedown and near fall to claim a pin of Chad Emmerick in 2:15 at 133.

Gettysburg returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 7, with a quadrangular at Messiah College. The Bullets will be joined by the host Falcons, King's (Pa.) College, and McDaniel College with opening bouts slated to begin at noon.

Plymouth State 33, Gettysburg 13

125 - Fred Wilkinson (PS) pinned Abe Evans (GC), 6:16 (PS, 6-0)

133 - Chris Greenwood (PS) dec. Michael Slabinski (GC), 3-2 (PS, 9-0)

141 - Pat Cassella (PS) pinned Jack Bostrom (GC), 1:33 (PS, 15-0)

149 - Logan Russell (PS) wins by forfeit (PS, 21-0)

157 - Andrew Goldstein (GC) dec. Mike Willey (PS), 9-4 (PS, 21-3)

165 - Anthony Iorio (GC) maj. dec. Mark Watts (PS), 12-2 (PS, 21-7)

174 - DJ Neri (GC) dec. Kyle Mosely (PS), 4-3 (PS, 21-10)

184 - Eric Larcomb (PS) pinned Luke Mitchell (GC), 4:45 (PS, 27-10)

197 - Josh St. Ours (PS) pinned Jon Paul (GC), 1:38 (PS, 33-10)

285 - Bobby Christopher (GC) dec. Jacob Gagnon (PS), 7-3 (PS, 33-13)

Exhibition

125 - Eric Bergeron (PS) pinned Connor Taylor (GC), 1:47

Wilkes 18, Kutztown 16

125 - Shaun Farnham (WU), maj. dec. Clayton Youtz (KU), 8-0 (WU, 4-0)

133 - Josh Pauling (WU), maj. dec. Chad Emerick (KU), 14-6 (WU, 8-0)

141 - Anthony Dattolo (WU) dec. John Paukovits (KU), 10-3 (WU, 11-0)

149 - Brett Martinez (KU), dec. Erik Smith (WU), 7-2 (WU, 11-3)

157 - James Histed (WU) dec. Joe Yavoich (KU), 6-3 (WU, 14-3)

165 - David Zeek (KU) maj. dec. Rich Sparks (WU), 13-1 (WU, 14-7)

174 - Sonny Flood (KU) dec. Frank Heffernan (WU), 3-1 (WU, 14-10)

184 - Robert Mort (KU)dec. DJ Brown (WU), 7-6 (WU, 14-13)

197 - Scott Snyder (KU) dec. Zach Pizarro (WU), 3-1 (KU, 16-14)

285 - Andrew Feldman (WU) maj. dec. Cory Ruff (KU), 12-4 (WU, 18-16)

Kutztown 41, Gettysburg 9

125 - Clayton Youtz (KU) pinned Connor Taylor (GC), 1:37 (KU, 6-0)

133 - Michael Slabinski (GC) pinned Chad Emmerick (KU), 2:15 (Tied, 6-6)

141 - John Paukovits (KU) tech. fall Jack Bostrom (GC), 15-0 (2:25) (KU, 11-6)

149 - Brett Martinez (KU) wins by forfeit (KU, 17-6)

157 - Joseph Yovoich (KU) wins by forfeit (KU, 23-6)

165 - David Zeek (KU) tech. fall DJ Neri (GC), 17-2 (5:00) (KU, 28-6)

174 - Sonny Flood (KU) dec. Anthony Iorio (GC), 10-4 (KU, 31-6)

184 - Eric Sergent (KU) pinned Luke Mitchell (GC), 2:00 (KU, 37-6)

197 - Scott Snyder (KU) maj. dec. Jon Paul (GC), 12-0 (KU, 41-6)

285 - Bobby Christopher (GC) dec. Cory Rutt (KU), 6-4 (KU, 41-9)

Wilkes 32, Plymouth State 15

125 - Shaun Farnham (WU) dec. Fred Wilkinson (PS), 9-3 (WU, 3-0)

133 - Josh Pauling (WU) pinned Fred Wilkinson (PS), 4:39 (WU, 9-0)

141 - Anthony Dattolo (WU) pinned Chris Greenwood (PS), 0:45 (WU, 15-0)

149 - Erik Smith (WU) pinned Dan Saisa (PS), 2:15 (WU, 21-0)

157 - Logan Russell (PS) dec. James Histed (WU), 5-3 WU, 21-3)

165 - Rich Sparks (WU) dec. Mike Willey (PS), 6-4 (WU, 24-3)

174 - Frank Heffernan (WU) tech. fall Dustin Rudy (PS), 17-2 (6:24) (WU, 29-3)

184 - DJ Brown (WU) dec. Dan Curley (PS), 13-7 (WU, 32-3)

197 - Zac Giovanneti (PS) pinned Zack Pizarro (WU), 6:53 (WU, 32-9)

285 - Josh St. Ours (PS) wins by injury default Jake Weinrich (WU) (32-15)

Wilkes 44, Gettysburg 9

125 - Shaun Farnham (WU) pinned Santosh Nandabalan (GC), 2:13 (WU, 6-0)

133 - Josh Pauling (WU) tech. fall Jack Bostrom (GC), 18-3 (5:47) (WU, 11-0)

141 - Anthony Dattolo (WU) pinned Michael Slabinski (GC), 0:53 (WU, 17-0)

149 - Erik Smith (WU) wins by forfeit (WU, 23-0)

157 - James Histed (WU) wins by forfeit (WU, 29-0)

165 - DJ Neri (GC) dec. Matt Brode (WU), 10-8 (WU, 29-3)

174 - Frank Heffernan (WU) dec. Luke Mitchell (GC), 6-0 (32-3)

184 - Daniel Brown (WU) pinned Jon Paul (GC), 4:20 (WU, 38-3)

197 - Zach Pizarro (WU) wins by forfeit (WU, 44-3)

285 - Bobby Christopher (GC) pinned Chris Smith (WU), 3:52 (WU, 44-9)

Kutztown 25, Plymouth State 15

125 - Clayton Youtz (KU) dec. Fred Wilkinson (PS), 7-5 (KU, 3-0)

133 - Chris Greenwood (PS) pinned Chad Emmerick (KU), 2:58 (PS, 6-3)

141 -John Paukovitz (KU) pinned Pat Cassella (PS), 1:24 (KU, 9-6)

149 - Brett Martinez (KU) dec. Logan Russell (PS), 6-3 (KU, 12-6)

157 - Mike Willey (PS) dec. Joseph Yovoich (KU), 9-3 (KU, 12-9)

165 - David Zeek (KU) maj. dec. Dustin Rudy (PS), 9-0 (KU, 16-9)

174 - Sonny Flood (KU) dec. Kyle Moseley (PS), 9-4 (KU, 19-9)

184 - Eric Sergent (KU) dec. Eric Larcomb (PS), 4-1 (KU, 22-9)

197 - Josh St. Ours (PS) pinned Victory Montanez (KU), 0:57 (KU, 22-15)

285 - Cory Rutt (KU) dec. Jake Gagnon (PS), 2-1 SV-1 (KU, 25-15)