George Mason University Wrestling News Articles

Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA

Gettysburg- Thomson Named to d3wrestle.com All-Freshman Team

Bullet named top first-year at 165 by d3wrestle.com

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Gettysburg College freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) was named to the 2012 d3wrestle.com All-Freshman Team following an outstanding debut season for the Bullets.

Thomson was tabbed the top newcomer at 165 pounds by the website. He broke Gettysburg's single-season record for wins with a 41-3 mark in his opening collegiate campaign. Thomson recorded 13 pins - tied for third in school history - to go with two technical falls and 10 major decisions. He won individual titles at the King's Monarch Invitational, Ursinus Fall Brawl, and Oneonta Red Dragon Invitational and he was ranked as high as third in the nation at his weight class this season.

The 2012 Centennial Conference Wrestler of the Year, Thomson finished runner-up at the conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament. The first-year won his opening bout at nationals before suffering an injury and losing in the quarterfinals. He was forced to withdraw from the event because of the injury.

Gettysburg won seven matches this season, its highest total in over a decade. The squad finished fourth at the Centennial Conference Championship on the strength of five top-four finishes.

Gettysburg Wrestling Trio Garners Academic Laurels

Poplaski, Leon, Spano named NWCA Scholar All-Americans

LA CROSSE, Wis. - Junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) and sophomores Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) and Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) were named National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Scholar All-Americans following outstanding seasons on the mat.

Gettysburg's trio met the stringent academic and athletic requirements put down by the NWCA by maintaining 3.2 GPAs or better and wrestling at a successful level this past season. Each grappler finished top four in the Centennial Conference with Poplaski qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament as the conference heavyweight champion.

Poplaski turned in one of the best seasons in school history by a heavyweight. The junior economics major went 31-15 with seven pins, four technical falls, and six major decisions. He set a new single-season standard for wins by a Gettysburg heavyweight. Poplaski posted a pair of decisions en route to his first conference championship and competed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this past weekend.

Leon posted his second consecutive 20-win season in the 174-pound weight class. He went 22-13 overall with four pins and four major decisions. Leon, who has not declared a major, picked up his first individual tournament title by taking the 174 crown at the Ursinus Fall Brawl. He also finished runner-up at the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragon Invitational. At the Centennial Conference Tournament, Leon took down nationally-ranked Gregg Martino from New York University before finishing runner-up with an overtime setback in the championship match.

A biology major, Spano tied the fourth-highest single-season win total in school history, finishing with a 34-12 overall record at 133 pounds. He logged nine pins, six major decisions, and one technical fall. Like Leon, Spano picked up his first individual tournament title at the Ursinus Fall Brawl and he finished runner-up at the Red Dragon Invitational. The sophomore placed for the second-consecutive season at conferences with a fourth-place effort.

Gettysburg placed fourth at the Centennial Conference Championship, marking its highest finish since 2004.

Gettysburg- Thomson, Poplaski Close Year at Nationals

Gettysburg duo comes up short of All-America goals

LA CROSSE, Wis. - Gettysburg College freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) and junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) capped outstanding seasons by competing in the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship held at the La Crosse Center on Friday, March 9.

Both Bullet grapplers were unable to advance to the second day of competition and claim All-America accolades. The sixth-seeded Thomson won his opening bout at 165 pounds before suffering an upset in the quarterfinals. He was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. Poplaski dropped a pair of decisions in the heavyweight bracket.

In his national debut, Thomson fell behind early to Roger Williams University's Collin Crowell in the opening round. Crowell led 4-2 after the first period thanks to a pair of takedowns and he surged ahead to a 7-2 lead via a near-fall early in the second stanza.

Thomson quickly turned the tide in the second period beginning with an escape. He took a more aggressive approach and landed his first takedown, turning it into a near-fall situation and forcing the match's first tie. Crowell fought through and pulled off a reversal before the end of the period to regain the lead 9-7.

Despite a takedown midway through the period, Thomson was staring at a loss as Crowell managed an escape. Accounting for the riding-time advantage, the Roger Williams grappler was sitting with an 11-9 lead with less than 20 seconds to go. Thomson kept pushing, however, and latched onto Crowell's upper body and forced him to the mat. The Bullet first-year continued through the move and put his opponent on his back for a pin with only seven seconds left.

In the 165 quarterfinals, Thomson squared off with Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Kevin Obrien from host University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The unseeded O'Brien was eyeing his second-straight upset after knocking off No. 3 seed Nick Sanko of Ithaca College in the first round.

After a scoreless first period, Thomson scored the first point with an escape to start the second. Obrien provided the bout's only takedown just past the midway point of the second stanza and a Thomson escape tied the score at 2-2 heading into the final frame.

Obrien escaped out of the down position to take a 3-2 lead at the start of the third period and held off Thomson's takedown attempts for the victory. Thomson, who injured his neck at the Centennial Conference Championships two weeks ago, appeared to re-injure himself during his match with Obrien and was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the tournament.

Thomson's victory over Crowell in the opening round was his 41st of the season, moving him past Jake Dell '98 and Matt Shank '08 into first on Gettysburg's list. He finished the year with a record of 41-3 and his 13 pins rank third all-time for a season at the school.

Also making his first national appearance, Poplaski came up short in a pair of decisions. Facing fifth-seeded Ryan Frank from Wartburg College to start the day, Poplaski put the first points on the board with a takedown less than a minute into the match. Frank came right back with a quick escape and a takedown to take a 3-2 lead. The Gettysburg heavyweight picked up a final point via an escape to end the first period tied.

Frank controlled Poplaski for the entire second stanza to build up a sizeable riding-time advantage. The Wartburg grappler kicked off the final period with an escape and a takedown to take a 7-3 lead. After Poplaski escaped his grasp, Frank took the Bullet wrestler back down to the mat for a final time. The riding-time point gave Frank a 9-4 win.

Poplaski's first match in the consolation bracket against Ithaca's Matt Mahon started out fast and furious with 11 points totaled in the opening period alone. The Gettysburg grappler procured the first points via a takedown less than 10 seconds into the contest, but Mahon grabbed the advantage later with a takedown and near-fall. A reversal by Poplaski later in the stanza set the score at 6-5 in favor of the Bomber wrestler.

A Mahon escape accounted for the only points in the second period, but the pace picked up late in the third. Poplaski managed another reversal out of the down position to tie the contest 7-7. Following an escape, the Bullet junior spun around his opponent near the edge of the mat and pulled him to the ground to take a 9-8 lead.

Mahon escaped again and with just seconds left in the final period, he got around Poplaski's defense and picked up the takedown to secure an 11-9 win.

Poplaski closed the year with an impressive 31-15 record, setting a new single-season standard for wins by a Gettysburg heavyweight.

Results
165 #6 Zach Thomson pinned Collin Crowell (Roger Williams), 6:53
165 Kevin Obrien (UW-La Crosse) dec. #6 Zach Thomson, 3-2
165 #5 Derrick Longo (Springfield) medical forfeit Zach Thomson
285 #5 Ryan Frank (Wartburg) dec. Kevin Poplaski, 9-4
285 Matt Mahon (Ithaca) dec. Kevin Poplaski, 11-9

Gettysburg- Poplaski, Thomson Ready for National Stage

Bullet grapplers head to NCAA Div. III Championship

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) and freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) will pit their mat talents against the best the nation has to offer at the 2012 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship held at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis., on March 9-10.

Poplaski and Thomson are the first Gettysburg College grapplers heading to the national stage since Andrew Goldstein '09 in 2009. They are also the first Bullet teammates to travel together since Goldstein and Matt Shank '08 in 2008.

"This is what everyone in the country has been working for since the NCAA tournament ended last year, and now that it's here, they can expect to be tested," said Head Coach Andy Vogel. "They are well-prepared and feeling good right now, so I know that Zach and Kevin will be as ready as possible to do whatever it takes to succeed."

The two grapplers have taken very different roads to reach the national stage. After two years competing behind Bobby Christopher '11, a three-time Centennial Conference place-winner and the school's all-time leader in wins by a heavyweight, Poplaski knew he had big shoes to fill, but the junior was confident in his abilities to reach his goals.

"When I came into the year, my goal was to be an All-American," said the economics major. "I knew I had the talent and the ability…so I set my goal to be on the national stage."

Poplaski has reached his goal despite a slow start the season. He dropped three of his first five matches, but came on strong late in the year, culminating in the team's only individual Centennial Conference championship.

With a 31-13 record this season, the junior from North Reading, Mass., has set a new single-season standard for wins by a heavyweight and he will attempt to become the first Bullet heavyweight to be named an All-American. He heads into the national tournament riding a nine-match winning streak and will square off against Wartburg University's Ryan Frank. Frank won the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference heavyweight title and is the No. 5 seed.

"I think it's fantastic," said Thomson of his teammate's accomplishments. "I remember at the beginning of the year he didn't have a strong start. As the season went on, he just got better and better. At conferences he really showed what he's made of. I'm happy we're both going together."

On the other side of the coin, the start of Thomson's career was anything but slow. The first-year won his first 17 matches at 165 pounds and took home individual titles at tournaments hosted by King's College, Ursinus College, and SUNY Oneonta. After his only setback to Springfield College's Derrick Longo in the finals of the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament, Thomson added 23 more wins to his resume to tie Gettysburg's single-season record for wins.

"Coming into the season, I think my goals were lower than what they should have been," recalled the Mechanicsburg High School graduate. "As the season went on and I kept getting more and more success, I reevaluated the goals. Now I want to be the best wrestler in Gettysburg history and I want to be Gettysburg's first four-time All-American."

Thomson, who was named the CC Wrestler of the Year, was upended in the finals of the CC Tournament by Stevens Institute of Technology's Joey Favia, but the conference coaches voted the first-year into the national tournament as the wild card selection.

"I haven't seen somebody be that dominant physically with opponents the way he is," noted Poplaski. "He always goes into a match knowing he can win."

Seeded sixth overall, Thomson will be striving to be the first Bullet to garner All-America status as a freshman since Bob Ortenzio '79 in 1976. Craig Helmuth '78 is the only Gettysburg grappler to win a national title in his first year on campus, taking the 1975 title. Thomson will square off against Collin Crowell from Roger Williams University in the opening round.

Seven Bullets have claimed All-America status in wrestling, but only two have earned the honor in the last 33 years. Jake Dell '98 was a three-time All-American from 1996 to 1998 and Goldstein earned national recognition in 2008. Gettysburg hasn't witnessed teammates win All-America certificates in the same season since Helmuth and Ortenzio accomplished the feat in 1976.

Vogel, a three-time All-American at Messiah College, tapped into his experiences at the national tournament to help guide the two first-time participants.

"It was exciting to have the chance to compete at that level, and that's what I've shared with them, though they don't need me to tell them to be excited to compete. I have tried to use some of the same methods my coach used with me to prepare them to have their best performance of the year this weekend."

Despite the differences in their paths to the national tournament, Poplaski and Thomson ultimately have the same goal. The last year of preparation for both grapplers has just been the warm-up to this weekend's ultimate test.

"The work they have done up to this point is the most important factor in their success," said Vogel. "Everything they have done so far was an investment in their performance this weekend, and now they will see a return on that investment. If each of them can walk out on the mat Friday morning focused on the task at hand and ready to go all-out from whistle to whistle, there is no limit on what they can accomplish."

"At this point it's anybody's game," said Thomson. "For a lot of guys it's their last shot at doing this. You never know what's going to happen down the road so you have to make every chance count."

"The guy that wins the national tournament isn't going to be the best wrestler," noted Poplaski. "He's going to be the best guy that day. The All-Americans aren't going to be the top eight guys in the nation. They're going to be the top eight guys that weekend. I am one of those guys. I just have to get out there and do it."

The 2012 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship will begin with preliminary rounds at noon (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday, March 9. The double-elimination tournament continues throughout Friday and into Saturday, culminating in the championship matches at 7 p.m.

Gettysburg- Thomson Named CC Wrestler of the Year

Gettysburg freshman third Bullet to cop honor

LANCASTER, Pa. - Freshman Zach Thomson's (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) outstanding debut season just got a little sweeter as the Gettysburg College grappler was voted the Centennial Conference Wrestler of the Year in balloting by the conference's nine head coaches.

Thomson is the third Gettysburg grappler to land CC Wrestler of the Year, joining Jake Dell '98 and Andrew Goldstein '09. Dell won the award as a freshman in 1995, while Goldstein captured the accolade during his senior campaign. Thomson is the first freshman to win the award in the conference since Ursinus College's Mike Troutman in 2003.

From the start, Thomson's season took off as the Mechanicsburg, Pa., native won his first 17 matches competing at 165 pounds. He took home tournament titles at the King's Monarch Invitational, Ursinus Fall Brawl, and the Oneonta Red Dragon Invitational. After suffering his first loss in the finals of the Messiah Petrofes Tournament, he's added 21-straight victories to put his record at 38-1 entering this weekend's conference tournament.

Thomson, who is ranked third in the nation by both the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and D3wrestle.com, is just two wins shy of tying Gettysburg's single-season record for wins held by Dell and Matt Shank '08. He was 8-0 in conference duals this season and he leads the Bullets with 11 pins and nine major decisions.

The newly minted Wrestler of the Year and his teammates will seek conference titles this weekend as Gettysburg plays host to the 2012 CC Wrestling Championship. Opening bouts are slated to begin at 10 a.m. inside Bream Gym.

Gettysburg hosts 2012 CC Championships

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - For the second consecutive weekend, a Gettysburg College athletics team will try to use the friendly confines of home to its advantage as Bream Gym will host the 2012 Centennial Conference Wrestling Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25.

One week after the Bullets swept the team titles inside the school's natatorium, the Gettysburg wrestling team will challenge for its first-ever Centennial team title on its own mat. The Bullets will also be looking for their first championship won by an individual since 2009.

"It gives everyone a chance to sleep in his own bed and not have to worry about travel," said Gettysburg Head Coach Andy Vogel. "It's a familiar feel, and I'm hoping that we will have a good home crowd there to cheer our guys on. At this point in the year, feeling healthy and rested are two important things, and hosting should help with that."

Gettysburg last hosted the CC Wrestling Championship in 2007. The team finished seventh in the eight-team field that year with Matt Shank '08 and Andrew Goldstein '09 claiming individual titles at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively.

Goldstein claimed the school's last conference crown by an individual in 2009, but several Bullets this season have opportunities to stake a claim to the top of the podium. Gettysburg returns three place-winners from last season's event and several newcomers have the potential to make a splash as well.

"I believe we have at least four guys who have a chance to win the conference, regardless of where they are seeded," stated Vogel. "If we put together a solid top to bottom performance, we should finish higher than last year and put more guys on the podium."

Last winter, the Bullets placed sixth in the eight-team field with four grapplers finishing among the top four. The three returning place-winners from a year ago are senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover), and sophomores Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketchem) and Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough).

Evans is a two-time place-winner at 125, finishing fourth as a freshman and runner-up last season. He enters his final conference tournament sporting a 28-8 record this year. The veteran will be challenged for the top spot by a pair of newcomers in Chris Donaldson from Ursinus College and Paul Bewak from Johns Hopkins University.

Spano took third in his first conference tournament appearance at 133 pounds. After winning 22 matches last year, the second-year grappler has put up 32 victories in 2011-12. With last year's 133 champ Paul Marcello of Johns Hopkins University moving up a weight class, Spano will be a top seed alongside Alex Blank from Ursinus College, Sam Cambell from Washington & Lee University, and Mike Tancredi from McDaniel College.

Leon recorded his second consecutive 20-win season with a 20-12 record this year. A fourth-place finisher at this meet a year ago, he will face a very deep bracket at 174, including returning champion Ryan Dormann from Stevens Institute of Technology and New York University's Greg Martino. Leon fell in close decisions to both Dormann and Martino this season.

"Abe will have to turn around some losses from earlier this year, but it is certainly within his abilities to do so," noted Vogel. "I believe Matt is the best wrestler at 133, and if he wrestles the way he is capable, he will be going to the NCAA tournament. Jared is in a tough weight class for sure, but a top three finish is our expectation.

Perhaps Gettysburg's strongest potential for its first individual title in three years comes in the 165 bracket. Freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) has taken the conference and nation by storm, racking up a 38-1 record and receiving a No. 3 national rank by both the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and D3wrestle.com. He has won his last 21 matches and is just two wins short of tying the school's single-season record for victories.

Thomson swept through the CC this year, going a combined 11-0 in tournaments and duals against Centennial foes. Included in that number are wins over NYU's David Rice and Stevens' Joey Favia, the fourth and eighth-ranked wrestlers in Division III and the likely No. 2 and No. 3 seeds for the upcoming conference championship. Thomson handed Rice his first and so far only loss of the season 8-4 on Jan. 14 and the Bullet first-year took down Favia in an all out war 12-11 on Feb. 12. With the conference owning only 11 national qualifiers - 10 champions and one wild card selection - one of the top wrestlers in the nation at 165 will see his season end Saturday.

"It helps to see what tools his opponents have," noted Vogel. "Now that he has seen how those guys wrestle, he has been able to train to be ready for their strengths and try to take advantage of their weaknesses. One advantage in beating them earlier this year is that he is the top seed, so the two of them will match up in the semifinals and he won't have to take on both of them this weekend. If he wrestles anywhere close to his capabilities, he should win the rematch as well."

Following the graduation of three-time conference place-winner Bobby Christopher '11, junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) has filled the void at heavyweight and will be one of the top seeds this weekend. Poplaski marched his way to a heavyweight school record 29 wins and lost only once to a conference foe. That one setback was a 6-5 decision at the hands of McDaniel College's Joe Camlin, the likely No. 1 seed for this weekend's tournament.

The remainder of Gettysburg's lineup will be shooting to stand on the podium for the first time. Newcomers Andrew Petroulias (East Quogue, N.Y./Westhampton Beach) and Tony Stanell (Upper Black Eddy, Pa./Palisades) will take up the challenge at 141 and 149, respectively.

Both junior Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and senior Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) scored victories at last season's conference event and will aim for more in the 157 and 184 brackets, respectively. Junior Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) put up five wins in conference competition this season and rounds out the lineup at 197.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy has won the last four CC crowns, but with the graduation of a talented class, the 2012 title appears up for grabs. Ursinus finished with an unblemished conference dual record with Stevens in the rear-view mirror. From a team standpoint and an individual standpoint, all the titles will be up for grabs on Saturday.

"Any time top wrestlers compete," said Vogel, "it often comes down to who is peaking at the right time. We have worked hard to make sure Zach (Thomson) and our other guys are peaking this weekend, so I feel confident the team will perform."

Weigh-ins for Saturday's event begin at 8 a.m. with opening competitions set for 10 a.m. The consolation finals and championship bouts will start approximately at 3 and 4 p.m., respectively.

Gettsyburg- Thomson Climbs National Rankings

Bullet freshman third in NWCA, d3wrestle.com polls

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Gettysburg College freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) continued his climb up the national wrestling polls heading into a key weekend of Centennial Conference competition.

Thomson moved up to third in the 165-pound division in both national polls conducted by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and D3wrestle.com. The Bullet first-year had previously been ranked fifth by the coaches and fourth by the website.

Thomson is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, let alone one of the best by a newcomer to the collegiate level. Heading into the weekend, he sports a record of 35-1 with 10 pins, nine major decisions, and two technical falls. His season win total rates third in school history behind the 40 victories put up by Jake Dell '98 in 1997-98 and tied by Matt Shank '08 in 2004-05.

Gettysburg's freshman standout could face one of his most challenging opponents this weekend when he lines up against Steven Institute of Technology's Joey Favia. Favia is currently ranked eighth at 165 pounds and sports a season record of 26-6.

Gettysburg closes out its Centennial dual schedule this Sunday, Feb. 12, with matches against Stevens and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The contests will begin at 11 a.m. on the campus of Johns Hopkins University.

Gettysburg- Poplaski Leads Bullets in Split

Gettysburg Falls to D-I F&M, Defeats Muhlenberg

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) enjoyed a big night, posting a major decision and a technical fall as the Gettysburg College wrestling team earned a split on Senior Night in Bream Gymnasium Wednesday evening.

The Bullets (7-12, 2-4 CC) opened with a 29-16 loss to Division I Franklin & Marshall College but, on the strength of six forfeits, defeated Muhlenberg College 35-15 in a Centennial Conference match.

Gettysburg's two seniors - Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) and Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) - were honored in a brief ceremony at the start of the night.

The Bullets jumped to a 6-0 lead on decisions from Evans at 125 and sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) at 133. However, the Diplomats (2-12) won six of the last eight bouts, including pins at 141 and 197 and a forfeit at 174. Gettysburg received a forfeit at 165 and an 11-3 major decision from Poplaski at heavyweight.

Muhlenberg (0-7, 0-7 CC) sent just four wrestlers to the mat but won three of those bouts, including pins at 149 and 184. Poplaski provided the Bullets with their only non-forfeited win, posting a 19-3 technical fall while improving to 26-13.

Evans and Spano were the beneficiaries of forfeits against Muhlenberg to finish the night 2-0. Evans pushed his record to 26-7 while Spano moved to 30-9, joining teammate Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) as one of just four Gettysburg wrestlers to earn 30 wins in a season.

Thomson did not have to break a sweat in his 2-0 night, using a pair of forfeits at 165 to extend his winning streak to 18 and push his season mark to 35-1. He is now third all-time in school history in single-season wins, trailing only the Gettysburg record of 40 victories shared by Jake Dell (1997-98) and Matt Shank (2004-05).

Gettysburg returns to action on Sunday, when it competes in a Centennial Conference quad-match at Johns Hopkins University at 11 a.m. The Bullets will wrestle against Stevens Institute and Merchant Marine.

Franklin & Marshall 29, Gettysburg 16 F&M GC
125 Abe Evans (G) dec. David Hershberger, 8-3 0 3
133 Matt Spano (G) dec. Robert Ruiz, 9-7 0 6
141 Richard Durso (F&M) pinned Andrew Petroulias (2:24) 6 6
149 Andrew Murano (F&M) tech. fall Tony Stanell, 18-2 11 6
157 Eric Norgard (F&M) dec. Joe Fiore, 6-1 14 6
165 Zach Thomson (G) won by forfeit 14 12
174 Matt Fullowan (F&M) won by forfeit 20 12
184 Matt Latessa (F&M) dec. Anton Serhan, 6-3 23 12
197 Colin Ely (F&M) pinned Marshall Puls, 1:50 29 12
285 Kevin Poplaski (G) major dec. Alexander Henry, 11-3 29 16

Gettysburg 35, Muhlenberg 15 MC GC
125 Abe Evans (G) won by forfeit 0 6
133 Matt Spano (G) won by forfeit 0 12
141 Matt Parker (M) dec. Andrew Petroulias, 2-1 3 12
149 Kevin Homan (M) pinned Tony Stanell (1:38) 9 12
157 Joe Fiore (G) won by forfeit 9 18
165 Zach Thomson (G) won by forfeit 9 24
174 no bout 9 24
184 Jonathan Sternlicht (M) pinned Anton Serhan (0:29) 15 24
197 Marshall Puls (G) won by forfeit 15 30
285 Kevin Poplaski (G) tech. fall Nick Pallotta, 19-3 15 35

Gettysburg Wrestling

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Freshman #Zach Thomson# went 3-0 with a pair of pins at 165 to run his record to 33-1 as the Gettysburg College wrestling team finished 1-2 at a home non-conference quad meet Saturday afternoon in Bream Gymnasium.

The Bullets (6-11), who forfeited a pair of weight classes in all three matches, started with a 27-18 loss to King's College before dropping a 34-18 decision to 24th-ranked Messiah College. Gettysburg closed the day with a 38-4 win over Penn State-Beaver. Gettysburg split the eight bouts it wrestled with both King's and Messiah.

Thomson extended his winning streak to 16 and moved into sixth on Gettysburg's single-season wins list. With his two pins, he also slid into a tie for eighth in school history in single-season falls (11).

Senior #Abe Evans# also went 3-0 at 125 to push his season record to 24-7 while junior #Marshall Puls# was 2-0 with a pin. Sophomore #Matt Spano# was 2-1 with a pin - his ninth of the year - at 133 to improve to 28-9 while junior #Kevin Poplaski# also finished 2-1 with his team-best third technical fall of the year at heavyweight. Poplaski is now 24-13.

The Bullets jumped to a 9-0 lead against King's as Evans and Spano opened with a decision and fall, respectively. The Monarchs came back to score the next 12 points but a pin from Thomson put Gettysburg up 15-12. However, a forfeit at 174 and a decision at 184 gave King's a 24-15 lead, and after Puls earned a decision at 197, Peter Dwyer secured the Monarchs' victory with a close 4-3 win at 285.

The win was never in doubt for Messiah, which won four straight bouts and opened a 22-3 lead after Evans won by decision leading off. However, the Bullets claimed three of the last five match-ups, including another pin from Thomson and a fall by Puls.

In its final match of the day, Gettysburg found itself pitted against a short-handed Penn State-Beaver team. Competing in their inaugural season, the Lions brought just five wrestlers but only three were able to compete against the Bullets. Poplaski closed the meet on a high note with a 16-0 technical fall.

Gettysburg competes in its final home dual meet on Wednesday, when it wrestles Franklin & Marshall College in a non-conference affair.

King's 27, Gettysburg 18
125 #Abe Evans# (G) dec. Aaron Perez, 5-1
133 #Matt Spano# (G) pinned Travis Boardman (6:15)
141 Nathanial Seals (K) dec. #Tony Stanell#, 10-4
149 Chris Mazzochi (K) won by forfeit
157 Gordon Custer (K) dec. #Joe Fiore#, 5-2
165 #Zach Thomson# (G) pinned Zach Grey (3:32)
174 Shane Stark (K) won by forfeit
184 Mike Reilly (K) pinned #Anthony Iorio#(3:43)
197 #Marshall Puls# (G) dec. Cemah Tudae-Torboh, 6-5
285 Peter Dwyer (K) dec. #Kevin Poplaski#, 4-3

Messiah 57, Penn State-Beaver 0
125 Danny Lethbridge (M) won by forfeit
133 Kaleb Lohte (M) won by forfeit
141 Victor Bracey (M) won by forfeit
149 Ty Kanouff (M) tech. fall Dylan Winkle, 19-3
157 Devin Anderson (M) pinned Bobby Tempalski (1:22)
165 Ricardo Plummer (M) won by forfeit
174 Matt Cross (M) pinned Keagan Donnan (1:39)
184 Tim Stewart (M) won by forfeit
197 Tom Kuegler (M) major dec. Fabian Jackson, 13-4
285 Evan Canady (M) pinned Wesley Mummert (1:12)

Messiah 34, Gettysburg 18
125 #Abe Evans# (G) dec. Danny Lethbridge, 4-3
133 Kaleb Loht (M) major dec. #Matt Spano#, 12-3
141 Kyle Coblentz (M) pinned #Tony Stanell# (1:29)
149 Ty Kanouff (M) won by forfeit
157 Josh Bressler (M) pinned #Joe Fiore# (2:34)
165 #Zach Thomson# (G) pinned Ricardo Plummer (5:42)
174 Matt Cross (M) won by forfeit
184 Tim Stewart (M) pinned #Anthony Iorio# (4:45)
197 #Marshall Puls# (G) pinned Travis Ebersole (2:23)
285 #Kevin Poplaski# (G) dec. Russell Jones, 9-5

King's 52, Penn State-Beaver 0
125 Aaron Perez (K) won by forfeit
133 Travis Boardman (K) won by forfeit
141 Nathanial Seals (K) won by forfeit
149 Chris Mazzochi (K) pinned Dylan Winkle (1:25)
157 Gordon Custer (K) major dec. Bobby Tempalski, 14-2
165 Zach Grey (K) won by forfeit
174 Shane Stark (K) pinned Keagan Donnan (5:28)
184 Mike Reilly (K) won by forfeit
197 Cemah Tudae-Torboh (K) dec. Fabian Jackson, 7-4 0 49
285 Kevin Trant (K) dec. Wesley Mummert, 5-3 0 52

Gettysburg 38, Penn State-Beaver 4
125 #Abe Evans# (G) won by forfeit
133 #Andrew Petroulias# (G) won by forfeit
141 #Matt Spano# (G) won by forfeit
149 Dylan Winkle (PSB) major dec. #Tony Stanell#, 13-4
157 #Joe Fiore# (G) won by forfeit
165 #Zach Thomson# (G) won by forfeit
174 no bout
184 no bout
197 #Anthony Iorio# (G) dec. Fabian Johnson, 10-4
285 #Kevin Poplaski# (G) tech. fall Wesley Mummert, 16-0

Messiah 36, King's 10
125 Danny Lethbridge (M) pinned Aaron Perez (0:53)
133 Kaleh Loht (M) pinned Travis Boardman (6:10)
141 Victor Bracey (M) pinned Nathanial Seals (4:16)
149 Ty Kanouff (M) dec. Chris Mazzocchi, 4-3
157 Chris Hardenberg (M) tech. fall Gordon Custer, 16-0
165 Jacob English (M) major dec. Zach Grey, 8-0
174 Matt Cross (M) dec. Shane Stark, 3-2
184 Mike Reilly (K) major dec. Tim Stewart, 17-5
197 Travis Ebersole (M) dec. Cemah Tudoe-Torboh, 8-4
285 Peter Dwyer (K) pinned Russell Jones (0:58)

Gettysburg Wrestling Edged by McDaniel, 24-21

Spano, Thomson Earn Pins

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - McDaniel's Joe Camlin won 6-5 at heavyweight to break a 21-all tie, giving the Green Terror a 24-21 victory in a Centennial Conference nailbiter Wednesday evening in Bream Gymnasium.

The Bullets (4-6, 1-3 CC) trailed 18-9 at the midway point of the match before pulling even on a pin and a decision. However, McDaniel (3-7, 2-3 CC) earned decisions in two of the final three bouts to come away with the win.

In the deciding contest, Gettysburg junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep.) led 2-1 after the first period and 4-3 heading into the final stanza. But Camlin tied it with an early escape, then took a 6-4 lead on a takedown with 1:00 left. Poplaski pulled to within one on an escape with 25 seconds remaining, but Camlin held on down the stretch.

The Bullets jumped to a 9-0 lead, getting a decision from senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) at 125 and a pin from sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) at 133 - his seventh fall of the season. But that's when the Green Terror ran off 18 unanswered points on a pair of pins and a forfeit at 149 to gain its 18-9 advantage.

Freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg), ranked No. 4 in Division III at 165 by d3wrestle.com and No. 5 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), made it a three-point match with his team-leading eighth pin of the season. With the fall, Thomson ran his record to 26-1 with his ninth win in a row.

Sophomore Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) tied it at 18-18 with a 6-1 victory at 174, but McDaniel answered with a decision at 184 to go up 21-18. Junior Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) evened the score again for the Bullets following his 8-5 decision at 197, setting up the classic finish.

Gettysburg continues its season on Saturday, when it travels to Wilkes University for a quad also featuring Trinity (Conn.) and RIT.

°©°©°©McDaniel 24, Gettysburg 21 MC GC

125: Abe Evans (G) dec. Mike O'Boyle, 7-4 0 3

133: Matt Spano (G) pinned Sean Ensign (6:26) 0 9

141: Mason Goretsas (M) pinned Tony Stanell (2:37) 6 9

149: Logan Yox (M) won by forfeit 12 9

157: Brent Lowe (M) pinned Joe Fiore (4:30) 18 9

165: Zach Thomson (G) pinned Torin Lehman (4:09) 18 15

174: Jared Leon (G) dec. Jake Reik, 6-1 18 18

184: Scott Forrester (M) dec. Anthony Iorio, 12-6 21 18

197: Marshall Puls (G) dec. Sule Marquez-Monsanto, 8-5 21 21

285: Joe Camlin (M) dec. Kevin Poplaski, 6-5 24 21

Gettysburg- Thomson Named d3wrestle.com Wrestler of the Week

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 01:53 AM PST

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - One day after earning a No. 4 national ranking, freshman Zach Thomson has been named the d3wrestle.com/WWSport.com Wrestler of the Week, the website announced Friday.

Thomson is the first Gettysburg College grappler to be named Wrestler of the Week by d3wrestle.com, which gave him his national ranking on Thursday.

Thomson is coming off a big performance at the New York University quad this past Saturday. He finished 3-0 at 165, including a key 8-4 Centennial Conference decision over NYU's David Rice, who was undefeated and ranked third at the time.

For the year, Thomson is 24-1 and leads the Bullets in wins, pins (seven), technical falls (two), and major decisions (six). He opened the season 17-0, racking up the most consecutive wins to start a career in program history. He has won three tournament titles, and his lone loss - a 3-2 decision - came at the hands of the current eighth-ranked wrestler at 165.

Gettysburg (4-4, 1-1 CC) hosts Ursinus College and Muhlenberg College in a pair of Centennial Conference matches on Saturday starting at noon.

Gettysburg College Athletics

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Freshman #Zach Thomson# of the Gettysburg College wrestling team has been ranked No. 4 by d3wrestle.com at 165 pounds, it was announced Thursday.

Thomson, who is off to a 24-1 start, is the first Gettysburg wrestler to crack into the d3wrestle.com individual rankings since Andrew Goldstein '09 was also ranked fourth at 157 in 2009. Only Chris LeClere of Coe College (No. 1), Orlando Ponce of Augsburg College (No. 2), and Landon Williams of Wartburg College (No. 3) were slotted ahead of Thomson.

Thomson's ranking was strengthened by his recent victory over David Rice of New York University, who is currently one spot behind Thomson at fifth. At a quad meet at NYU this past Saturday, Thomson handed Rice, who was ranked third at the time, his first loss of the season with an 8-4 decision.

For the year, Thomson leads the Bullets in wins, pins (seven), technical falls (two), and major decisions (six). He opened the season 17-0, racking up the most consecutive wins to start a career in program history. He has won three tournament titles, and his lone loss - a 3-2 decision - came at the hands of the current eighth-ranked wrestler at 165.

Gettysburg hosts Ursinus College and Muhlenberg College in a pair of Centennial Conference matches on Saturday starting at noon.

The defending national champions will be led by plenty of experience this spring as seniors #Hannah Church#, #Maddie Coleman#, and #Lexi Kelly# have been named captains of Gettysburg College women's lacrosse team.

Church, Coleman, and Kelly are decorated veterans for the Gettysburg College women's lacrosse team and Head Coach Carol Cantele '83. The trio has helped the program reach the national semifinals in each of the last three seasons, culminating in the 2011 NCAA Division III championship.

A strong candidate for national player of the year honors this spring, Church was named Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-America Second Team after finishing among the national leaders with 86 goals and 99 points in 2011. The senior attacker scored a goal every game last spring and was also named first-team all-region and first-team All-Centennial Conference. In the NCAA playoffs, Church shattered the record for points and goals scored with 29 and 26, respectively, en route to being tabbed the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Coleman was impressive in her first season as Gettysburg's starting goalkeeper. She appeared in 19 games with 16 starts and finished with a goals against average of 7.57 and a save percentage of .534. Coleman rated fourth in Division III in save percentage, while rating 10th overall in GAA. She was named All-Metro Region Second Team and All-Centennial Conference First Team. The Bullets goalie was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after stopping a combined 19 shots in the final two games, including 10 against No. 4 SUNY Cortland in the semifinals.

One of the team's most vocal leaders, Kelly was named a team captain for the second year in a row. The senior defender was an essential component of Gettysburg's seventh-ranked defense in 2011 and garnered All-CC Honorable Mention. Kelly started all 22 games she played last spring and finished second on the team with 22 caused turnovers, while also contributing 30 ground balls.

Gettysburg begins the defense of its national title on February 23 when the team travels to the University of Mary Washington for a 4 p.m. battle.

Gettysburg- Bullets Finish 1-2; Thomson, Puls, Poplaski Go 3-0

NEW YORK - The Gettysburg College wrestling team went 1-2 at a quad match at New York University Saturday afternoon.

The Bullets (4-4, 1-1 CC) opened the day with a 23-13 Centennial Conference loss to the host Violets before topping Plymouth State 35-15 and falling 28-15 to Elizabethtown College in a pair of non-conference matches.

Junior Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) had a memorable trip to his hometown, going 3-0 at 197 while earning his first two pins of the year. Freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) and junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep.) also went 3-0, with Poplaski capturing both a major decision and a technical fall. Sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and freshman Tony Stanell (Upper Black Eddy, Pa./Palisades) (141) each went 2-1 on the day.

The Violets jumped to a 17-3 lead against the Bullets before Gettysburg won three of the last five bouts, with Poplaski finishing the match with his major decision at 285.

The Bullets never trailed against Plymouth State, getting forfeits at two of the first three weight classes to build a 16-0 lead. Spano picked up an 8-0 major decision at 133 before Thomson recorded a technical fall at 165. Puls followed up with a 2:00 pin before Poplaski registered a 16-0 technical fall.

As it did in the NYU match, Gettysburg captured three of the final five bouts, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 19-3 Blue Jay lead. Puls recorded his fall at 1:55.

With his three wins, Thomson ran his season record to 24-1 while Spano also reached 20 wins and is now 20-8. Poplaski improved to 19-9.

The Bullets return to action next Saturday, when they host Muhlenberg College and Ursinus College in a Centennial Conference tri-match starting at noon.

NYU Quad Meet Results

NYU 23, Gettysburg 13
125: Janik Santana-Quintana (N) dec. Josh Scharf (G) 9-5 3-0
133: Matt Spano (G) dec. Adlee Fayyaz (N) 5-4 3-3
141: Matt DiGiovanni (N) maj dec. Tony Stanell (G)12-3 7-3
149: Dan Gorman (N) maj dec. Pat Thomas (G) 12-4 11-3
157: Sam Friedfeld (N) forfeit 17-3
165: Zach Thomson (G) dec. David Rice (N) 8-4 17-6
174: Gregg Martino (N) dec. Jared Leon (G) 5-3 20-6
184: Jake Pawlowski (N) dec Michael Sheehan (G) 10-4 23-6
197: Marshall Puls (G) dec Dan Brereton (N) 8-4 23-9
285: Kevin Poplaski (G) maj dec. Rudy De La Cruz (N) 23-13

Elizabethtown 26, NYU 12
125: William Bentley (E) dec Janik Santana-Quintana (N) 13-8 3-0
133: Nick Grimm (E) maj dec Adlee Fayyaz (N) 14-3 7-0
141: Matt DiGiovanni (N) pin Kevin Aspril (E) 3:34 7-6
149: Tye Boyer (E) pin Dan Gorman (N) 1:37 13-6
157: Zach Sheridan (E) maj dec Sam Friedfeld (N) 12-3 17-6
165: David Rice (N) dec Quint Eno (E) 11-7 17-9
174: Gregg Martino (N) dec Julian Meaney (E) 4-3 17-12
184: Dylan Carmichael (E) dec Jake Pawlowski (N) 6-4 20-12
197: Kyle Deeds (E) dec Dan Brereton (N) 5-4 23-12
285: Jeremy Rieth (E) dec Rudy De La Cruz (N) 26-12

Elizabethtown 33, Plymouth 12
125: William Bentley (E) forfeit 6-0
133: Nick Grimm (E) forfeit 12-0
141: Kevin Aspril (E) dec Alex Cronin (P) 8-5 15-0
149: Tye Boyer (E) dec Mike Willey (P) 5-0 18-0
157: Femi Wheeler (P) dec Jordan Moser (E) 9-6 18-3
165: Quint Eno (E) pin James Tarpey (P) 1:50 24-3
174: Dylan Carmichael (E) dec Daniel Curley (P) 7-3 27-3
184: Rob Phillips (P) dec Kyle Deeds (E) 3-2 27-6
197: Zac Giovannetti (P) pin Jared Weaver (E) 1:53 27-12
285: Jeremy Rieth (E) pin Daniel Treffy (P) 1:34 33-12

Gettysburg 35, Plymouth 15
125: Josh Scharf (G) forfeit 6-0
133: Matt Spano (G) maj dec Alex Cronin (P) 8-0 10-0
141: Tony Stanel (G) forfeit 16-0
149: Cody Oliverio (P) pin Pat Thomas (G) 1:26 16-6
157: Femi Wheeler (P) forfeit 16-12
165: Zach Thomson (G) tech fall James Tarpey (P) 18-1 21-12
174: Jared Leon (G) dec Daniel Curley (P) 6-0 24-12
184: Rob Phillips (P) dec Michael Sheehan (G) 4-1 24-15
197: Marshall Puls (G) pin Zac Giovannetti (P) 2:00 30-15
285: Kevin Poplaski (G) tech fall Daniel Treffy (P) 16-0 35-15

NYU 37, Plymouth 9
125: Janik Santan-Quintana (N) forfeit 6-0
133: Adlee Fayyaz (N) pin Alex Cronin (P) 2:55 12-0
141: Matt DiGiovanni (N) forfeit 18-0
149: Mike Willey (P) dec Dan Gorman (N) 12-6 18-3
157: Sam Friedfeld (N) pin Kyle Graham (P) 4:28 24-3
165: David Rice (N) maj dec Femi Wheeler (P) 8-0 28-3
174: Gregg Martino (N) dec Daniel Curley (P) 4-2 31-3
184: Jake Pawlowski (N) dec Rob Phillips (P) 3-1 34-3
197: Zac Giovannetti (P) pin Michael Roberson (N) 0:28 34-9
285: Rudy De La Cruz (N) dec Daniel Trefry (P) 3-1 OT 37-9

Elizabethtown 28, Gettysburg 15 (individual scores unavailable)
125: William Bentley (E) maj dec Josh Scharf (G) 4-0
133: Nick Grimm (E) maj dec Matt Spana (G) 8-0
141: Tony Stanell (G) dec Kevin Aspril (E) 8-3
149: Tye Boyer (E) tech fall Pat Thomas (G) 13-3
157: Zack Sheridan (E) forfeit 19-3
165: Zach Thomson (G) dec Quint Eno (E) 19-6
174: Julian Meaney (E) pin Jared Leon (G) 1:22 25-6
184: Dylan Carmichael (E) dec Tony Iorio (G) 28-6
197: Marshall Puls (G) pin Kyle Deeds (E) 1:55 28-12
285: Kevin Poplaski (G) dec Jeremy Rieth (E) 28-15

Exhibitions:
Jared Weaver (Elizabethtown) maj dec Doug Tomlinson (NYU) 12-4
Henry Tucker (Elizabethtown) dec Doug Tomlinson (NYU) 3-2
Chris Amro (NYU) maj dec Shawn Kavanash (Plymouth) 10-0
Kyle Graham (Plymouth) pin Cooper Puls (NYU) 4:07
Mike Roberson (NYU) dec Anton Serhan (Gettysburg) 4-3

Evans, Leon, Thompson Go 3-0

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover),
The Bullets (3-1, 1-0 CC) started the day with
Evans earned a decision and picked up a pair
Against W&L, the Bullets were the beneficiaries
Gettysburg led from start to finish against Washington
In his first action of the day, Evans gave the
Gettysburg returns to the mat next Saturday,
Gettysburg 31, Washington and Lee 16 125 Abe Evans (G) won by forfeit 133 Sam Campbell (W&L) dec. Matt Spano, 9-5 141 Conor Duffey (W&L) major dec. Tony Stanell, 12-2 149 H.T. Kotchinian (W&L) dec. Pat Thomas, 7-2 157 Dan Igel (W&L) won by forfeit 165 Zach Thompson (G) dec. David Dennis, 9-4 174 Jared Leon (G) major dec. Marino Orlandi, 16-2 184 Mike Sheehan (G) pinned Morgan Moskal, 3:34 197 Marshall Puls (G) won by forfeit 285 Kevin Poplaski (G) won by forfeit
Hunter 37, Washington & Jefferson 12 125 Brandon Haegarty (H) won by forfeit 133 Ryan Gerondel (H) maj. dec. Zach Cecchetti, 11-3 141 Josh Etzel (W&L) dec. Sean Messiana, 8-6 149 Brady Kwon (H) pinned Roja Stephenson, 2:50 157 Matt Cartusciello (H) pinned Chris Leva, 5:21 165 David Dibendetto (W&J) pinned 174 Luke Pragdat (H) pinned Matt Barton, 2:09 184 Alan Djokic (H) dec. Eric Kohr, 4-2 197 Musa DeReese (H) pinned Cody Mitchell, 2:52 285 Taylor Potts (W&J) dec. Leon Bodden, 5-2
Gettysburg 25, Washington & Jefferson 23 125 Abe Evans (G) won by forfeit 133 Matt Spano (G) pinned Zachary Cecchetti, 6:27 141 Josh Etzel (W&J) major dec. Tony Stanell, 14-3 149 Roja Stephenson (W&J) major dec. Pat Thomas, 12-4 157 Chris Leva (W&J) won by forfeit 165 Zach Thompson (G) dec. David Dibendetto, 3-2 (OT) 174 Jared Leon (G) pinned Matt Baron, 2:08 184 Mike Sheehan (G) major dec. Eric Kohr, 10-1 197 Theron Mitchell (W&J) pinned Marshall Puls, 2:51 285 Taylor Potts (W&J) dec. Kevin Poplaski, 3-2
Hunter 47, Washington & Lee 3 125 Kenneth Albert (H) won by forfeit 133 Ryan Gerondel (H) major dec. Sam Campbell, 10-0 141 Sean Messina (H) pinned Conor Duffey, 2:08 149 Chris Gogatz (H) dec. H.T. Kotchinian, 3-2 157 Matt Cartusciello (H) pinned Dan Igel, 4:24 165 David Dennis (W&L) dec. Jesse Capello-Colon, 2-1 174 Luke Pragdat (H) major dec. Marino Orlandi, 11-3 184 Jordan Donahue (H) pinned Morgan Moskal, 3:40 197 Musa DeReese (H) won by forfeit 285 Leon Bodden (H) won by forfeit
Hunter 31, Gettysburg 9 125 Abe Evans (G) dec. Kenneth Albert, 6-1 133 Ryan Gerondal (H) dec. Matt Spano, 10-4 141 Sean Messina (H) pinned Tony Stanell, 3:27 149 Chris Gogatz (H) major dec. Pat Thomas, 16-3 157 Brady Kwong (H) won by forfeit 165 Zach Thompson (G) dec. Matt Cartusciello, 5-1 174 Jared Leon (G) dec. Thor McHugh, 5-2 184 Luke Pragdat (H) pinned Mike Sheehan, 3:44 197 Musa DeReese (H) dec. Marshall Puls, 8-2 285 Leon Bodden (H) dec. Kevin Poplaski, 6-4
Washington & Lee 22, Washington & Jefferson 15 125 no bout 133 Sam Campbell (W&L) dec. Zachary Cecchetti, 7-6 141 Conor Duffey (W&L) dec. Josh Etzel, 6-5 149 H.T. Kotchinian (W&L) dec. Rojo Stephenson, 6-2 157 Dan Igel (W&L) major dec. Chris Leva, 14-6 165 David Dennis (W&L) dec. David Dibendetto, 2-1 174 Marino Orlandi (W&L) pinned Matt Barton, 4:07 184 Eric Kohr (W&J) dec. Morgan Moskal, 8-3 197 Braden Fyffe (W&J) won by forfeit 285 Taylor Potts (W&J) won by forfeit
sawebroot/all%20major%20pages/subscribe.html">Gettysburg Wrestling Goes 2-1 at Home Quad
sophomore Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough), and freshman Zach Thompson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) all went 3-0 as the Gettysburg College wrestling team went 2-1 at its home quad match Saturday afternoon in Bream Gymnasium.
a 31-16 win over Washington & Lee University in their Centennial Conference opener. Gettysburg then defeated Washington & Jefferson College 25-23 before dropping a 31-9 decision to Hunter College in a pair of non-conference affairs.
of forfeits at 125 pounds to improve to 17-5. Leon, who scored his fourth pin of the season to go with a major decision at 174, improved to 14-6, and Thompson ran his record to 21-1 with three decisions at 165. Sophomore Mike Sheehan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) contributed a pin and a major decision.
of four forfeits but fell behind 16-6. However, Gettysburg scored 25 unanswered points to win going away. Sheehan notched his second pin of the year at 184 (3:34) while Leon picked up his major, winning 16-2, to make it 19-16. The Generals forfeited the last two bouts.
& Jefferson and survived a late President surge. A forfeit at 125 and a pin from sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) - his sixth of the year and 18th victory of the season - at 133 put the Orange & Blue up 12-0. After W&J rallied to take a 14-12 lead, the Bullets ran off nine straight points, getting a 3-2 overtime decision from Thompson, a pin (2:08) from Leon, and a 10-1 major from Sheehan. The Presidents came back with a pin at 197 and a decision at heavyweight but it wasn't enough.
Bullets a 3-0 lead with a 6-1 decision to start off his team's match against Hunter. However, the Hawks took command with a 19-0 run that included a pin and a major decision. Gettysburg pulled to within 10 (19-9) when Thompson and Leon posted back-to-back decisions, but Hunter closed the match with a pin followed by two decisions.
when it wrestles at New York University in a tri-match that includes Elizabethtown College.
W&L GC
0 6
3 6
7 6
10 6
16 6
16 9
16 13
16 19
16 25
16 31
HC W&J
6 0
10 0
10 3
16 3
22 3
J. Capello-Colon, 1:29 22 9
28 9
31 9
37 9
37 12
W&J GC
0 6
0 12
4 12
8 12
14 12
14 15
14 21
14 25
20 25
23 25
HC W&L
6 0
10 0
16 0
19 0
25 0
25 3
29 3
35 3
41 3
47 3
HC GC
0 3
3 3
9 3
13 3
19 3
19 6
19 9
25 9
28 9
31 9
W&L W&J
0 0
3 0
6 0
9 0
13 0
16 0
22 0
22 3
22 9
22 15

Gettysburg College Athletics

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Senior #Abe Evans#, sophomore #Jared Leon#, and freshman #Zach Thomson# all went 3-0 as the Gettysburg College wrestling team went 2-1 at its home quad match Saturday afternoon in Bream Gymnasium.

The Bullets (3-1, 1-0 CC) started the day with a 31-16 win over Washington & Lee University in their Centennial Conference opener. Gettysburg then defeated Washington & Jefferson College 25-23 before dropping a 31-9 decision to Hunter College in a pair of non-conference affairs.

Evans earned a decision and picked up a pair of forfeits at 125 pounds to improve to 17-5. Leon, who scored his fourth pin of the season to go with a major decision at 174, improved to 14-6, and Thompson ran his record to 21-1 with three decisions at 165. Sophomore #Mike Sheehan# contributed a pin and a major decision.

Against W&L, the Bullets were the beneficiaries of four forfeits but fell behind 16-6. However, Gettysburg scored 25 unanswered points to win going away. Sheehan notched his second pin of the year at 184 (3:34) while Leon picked up his major, winning 16-2, to make it 19-16. The Generals forfeited the last two bouts.

Gettysburg led from start to finish against Washington & Jefferson and survived a late President surge. A forfeit at 125 and a pin from sophomore #Matt Spano# - his sixth of the year and 18th victory of the season - at 133 put the Orange & Blue up 12-0. After W&J rallied to take a 14-12 lead, the Bullets ran off nine straight points, getting a 4-2 overtime decision from Thomson, a pin (2:08) from Leon, and a 10-1 major from Sheehan. The Presidents came back with a pin at 197 and a decision at heavyweight but it wasn't enough.

In his first action of the day, Evans gave the Bullets a 3-0 lead with a 6-1 decision to start off his team's match against Hunter. However, the Hawks took command with a 19-0 run that included a pin and a major decision. Gettysburg pulled to within 10 (19-9) when Thompson and Leon posted back-to-back decisions, but Hunter closed the match with a pin followed by two decisions.

Gettysburg returns to the mat next Saturday, when it wrestles at New York University in a tri-match that includes Elizabethtown College.

Gettysburg 31, Washington and Lee 16
125 #Abe Evans# (G) won by forfeit
133 Sam Campbell (W&L) dec. #Matt Spano#, 9-5
141 Conor Duffey (W&L) major dec. #Tony Stanell#, 12-2
149 H.T. Kotchinian (W&L) dec. #Pat Thomas#, 7-2
157 Dan Igel (W&L) won by forfeit
165 #Zach Thomson# (G) dec. David Dennis, 9-4
174 #Jared Leon# (G) major dec. Marino Orlandi, 16-2
184 #Mike Sheehan# (G) pinned Morgan Moskal, 3:34
197 #Marshall Puls# (G) won by forfeit
285 #Kevin Poplaski# (G) won by forfeit

Hunter 37, Washington & Jefferson 12
125 Brandon Haegarty (H) won by forfeit
133 Ryan Gerondel (H) maj. dec. Zach Cecchetti, 11-3
141 Josh Etzel (W&L) dec. Sean Messiana, 8-6
149 Brady Kwon (H) pinned Roja Stephenson, 2:50
157 Matt Cartusciello (H) pinned Chris Leva, 5:21
165 David Dibendetto (W&J) pinned J. Capello-Colon, 1:29
174 Luke Pragdat (H) pinned Matt Barton, 2:09
184 Alan Djokic (H) dec. Eric Kohr, 4-2
197 Musa DeReese (H) pinned Cody Mitchell, 2:52
285 Taylor Potts (W&J) dec. Leon Bodden, 5-2

Gettysburg 25, Washington & Jefferson 23
125 #Abe Evans# (G) won by forfeit
133 #Matt Spano# (G) pinned Zachary Cecchetti, 6:27
141 Josh Etzel (W&J) major dec. #Tony Stanell#, 14-3
149 Roja Stephenson (W&J) major dec. #Pat Thomas#, 13-4
157 Chris Leva (W&J) won by forfeit
165 #Zach Thomson# (G) dec. David Dibendetto, 4-2 (OT)
174 #Jared Leon# (G) pinned Matt Baron, 2:08
184 #Mike Sheehan# (G) major dec. Eric Kohr, 10-1
197 Theron Mitchell (W&J) pinned #Marshall Puls#, 2:59
285 Taylor Potts (W&J) dec. #Kevin Poplaski#, 3-2

Hunter 47, Washington & Lee 3
125 Kenneth Albert (H) won by forfeit
133 Ryan Gerondel (H) major dec. Sam Campbell, 10-0
141 Sean Messina (H) pinned Conor Duffey, 2:08
149 Chris Gogatz (H) dec. H.T. Kotchinian, 3-2
157 Matt Cartusciello (H) pinned Dan Igel, 4:24
165 David Dennis (W&L) dec. Jesse Capello-Colon, 2-1
174 Luke Pragdat (H) major dec. Marino Orlandi, 11-3
184 Jordan Donahue (H) pinned Morgan Moskal, 3:40
197 Musa DeReese (H) won by forfeit
285 Leon Bodden (H) won by forfeit

Hunter 31, Gettysburg 9 HC GC
125 #Abe Evans# (G) dec. Kenneth Albert, 6-1
133 Ryan Gerondal (H) dec. #Matt Spano#, 10-4
141 Sean Messina (H) pinned #Tony Stanell#, 3:27
149 Chris Gogatz (H) major dec. #Pat Thomas#, 16-3
157 Brady Kwong (H) won by forfeit
165 #Zach Thomson# (G) dec. Matt Cartusciello, 5-1
174 #Jared Leon# (G) dec. Thor McHugh, 5-2
184 Luke Pragdat (H) pinned #Mike Sheehan#, 3:44
197 Musa DeReese (H) dec. #Marshall Puls#, 8-2
285 #Leon Bodden# (H) dec. #Kevin Poplaski#, 6-4

Washington & Lee 22, Washington & Jefferson 15
125 no bout
133 Sam Campbell (W&L) dec. Zachary Cecchetti, 7-6
141 Conor Duffey (W&L) dec. Josh Etzel, 6-5
149 H.T. Kotchinian (W&L) dec. Roja Stephenson, 6-2
157 Dan Igel (W&L) major dec. Chris Leva, 14-6
165 David Dennis (W&L) dec. David Dibendetto, 2-1
174 Marino Orlandi (W&L) pinned Matt Barton, 4:07
184 Eric Kohr (W&J) dec. Morgan Moskal, 8-3
197 Braden Fyffe (W&J) won by forfeit
285 Taylor Potts (W&J) won by forfeit

CHESTERTOWN, Md. - Kevin Breslin sent the game to overtime with a conventional 3-point play, then hit a pair of foul shots with one second left in the extra session to lift host Washington College to an 84-82 over Gettysburg in a Centennial Conference men's basketball thriller Saturday afternoon.

Breslin's heroics overshadowed a Bullet comeback that saw the visitors erase a seven-point deficit with a 10-0 run in the final 2:36.

Gettysburg (5-7, 2-3 CC) has now played four overtime games, the most by a Bullet squad since the 1978-79 team went to bonus basketball five times. This season, the Bullets opened the year 1-2 on three straight overtime contests.

In a game that featured 16 ties and nine lead changes, junior center #Benjamin Constable# had a breakout game for the Bullets. Making his first collegiate start, he posted career-highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Junior forward #Alex Zurn# added 17 points while freshman guard #Sean Gordon# notched season-bests of 14 points and eight assists. Senior guard #Brendan Trelease# added 10 points.

Five players scored in double figures for Washington (8-5, 4-2 CC), with Chris Olsen leading the way with 17 points and six rebounds. Breslin finished with 16 points while Sal Schittino shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc to also score 16. Tony Hawkins added 12 points while Kevin Cunningham finished with 10.

Trelease gave the Bullets a three-point lead (70-67) when he drained his final trey of the night with 25 seconds left in regulation. But 10 seconds later Breslin got his lay-up to fall, then hit an ensuing free throw. Freshman guard #Joe Emerusabe# missed a jumper at the buzzer for Gettysburg.

The Bullets led just once in the extra session - when Emerusabe dropped in a lay-up four seconds into the period. However, the Shoremen would lead by no more than two the rest of the way in a nail-biting finish that would feature five ties in the final 4:32. A jumper from Zurn with 30 seconds left knotted the score for the last time.

Breslin missed a lay-up with five seconds left, but after Washington was awarded the rebound, he drew another foul before hitting two more free throws with one tick showing. The Bullets were unable to get off a shot before the buzzer.

Gettysburg enjoyed its largest lead of the day when Constable knocked down a jumper with 8:34 on the first-half clock, giving his team a 20-14 advantage. But the Shoremen used a 7-0 run to take the lead, and the hosts would go into the locker room with a 33-30 advantage.

Washington led for nearly the entire second half, though it never led by more than seven. After Hawkins hit a pair of foul shots to give the Shoremen their late seven-point lead, Emerusabe kicked off Gettysburg's comeback with a lay-up at the 1:35 mark. Constable followed up with a lay-in before Zurn hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it 67-65 with 1:25 remaining. A Gordon jumper tied it with 1:07 left before Trelease's big triple.

The Bullets shot 54.5 percent for the game and out-rebounded the Shoremen 37-24 - their largest surplus on the glass all season. However, Gettysburg was guilty of a season-high 28 turnovers.

The Orange & Blue picks up its schedule on Monday, when it travels to Swarthmore College for another Centennial Conference game starting at 7 p.m.

GETTYSBURG (5-7, 2-3 CC)
Benjamin Constable 9-12 5-6 23; Alex Zurn 6-10 5-9 17; Sean Gordon 3-6 7-8
14; Brendan Trelease 3-8 1-2 10; Joe Emerusabe 4-7 0-1 8; Connor Poston 2-4
0-3 4; JoJo Savaglio 2-5 0-0 4; Christian Bors 1-3 0-0 2; Christian Healy
0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-55 18-29 82.
WASHINGTON COLLEGE (8-5, 4-2 CC)
Chris Olsen 8-10 1-1 17; Kevin Breslin 5-13 5-5 16; Sal Schittino 6-12 0-0
16; Tony Hawkins 3-6 6-7 12; Kevin Cunningham 4-7 2-3 10; Adam Naymick 2-3
0-0 4; Charlie McShane 1-2 0-0 3; Max Finch 1-1 0-0 2; Ryan Kearney 1-2 0-0
2; John Weston 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 32-60 14-16 84.
Gettysburg.................... 30 40 12 - 82
Washington College............ 33 37 14 - 84
3-point goals--Gettysburg 4-11 (Brendan Trelease 3-5; Sean Gordon 1-2; Joe
Emerusabe 0-1; JoJo Savaglio 0-1; Alex Zurn 0-2), Washington College 6-15
(Sal Schittino 4-7; Kevin Breslin 1-2; Charlie McShane 1-2; Ryan Kearney
0-1; John Weston 0-2; Tony Hawkins 0-1). Fouled out--Gettysburg-Benjamin
Constable, Washington College-Tony Hawkins. Rebounds--Gettysburg 37
(Benjamin Constable 11), Washington College 24 (Chris Olsen 6).
Assists--Gettysburg 19 (Sean Gordon 8), Washington College 21 (Kevin Breslin
10). Total fouls--Gettysburg 17, Washington College 24. Technical
fouls--Gettysburg-None, Washington College-None. A-177

CHESTERTOWN, Md. - Gettysburg slimmed a 22-point deficit down to nine with two minutes left, but Washington College held on to hand the Bullets a 65-50 Centennial Conference defeat Saturday afternoon in women's basketball action.

The Shorewomen (8-4, 3-4 CC) outscored Gettysburg 27-7 to start the game and led 34-15 at halftime. But the Bullets (4-8, 2-5 CC) refused to go quietly, and a lay-up from senior #Lauren Dadigan# made it 57-48 with 2:06 remaining. But Washington went 8-for-12 from the foul line the rest of the way and finished 24-for-38 at the charity stripe for the game.

Junior guard #Alyssa Oursler# led Gettysburg with 15 points while sophomore forward #Caroline Murphy#, making her first collegiate start, added 12 points. Senior center #Sara Kinsley# contributed seven rebounds off the bench.

Washington had two different players finish with a double-double. Meghan Tait posted 15 points and 14 rebounds along with six assists while Latisha Pledger notched 11 points and 12 boards. Sally O'Connell tossed in 12 points and seven rebounds while Erin Fitzgerald registered 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Shorewomen led by as much as 22 on three occasions early in the second half, and it was still a 20-point game (50-30) when an 8-0 run - bookended by a pair of #Cori Younghans# gave the Bullets a spark. A Murphy lay-up at the 7:06 mark made it 54-42, and after Washington pushed its lead back to 15, a 6-0 Bullet run over a 2:23 span got the visitors within single figures. But the Shorewomen would hold the Bullets to a pair of free throws the rest of the way.

Gettysburg continues its season on Tuesday, when it visits Bryn Mawr College at 7 p.m. in another Centennial Conference match-up.

GETTYSBURG (4-8, 2-5 CC)
Alyssa Oursler 5-13 5-6 15; Caroline Murphy 4-9 4-4 12; Cori Younghans 2-12
0-0 6; Sara Kinsley 2-7 1-4 5; Taylor Flatau 0-3 4-4 4; Katie Earley 1-4 0-0
2; Brittany Jones 1-1 0-0 2; Alyssa Isler 0-3 2-2 2; Lauren Dadigan 1-3 0-0
2; Sam Pagel 0-3 0-0 0; Jenna Swope 0-3 0-0 0; Rianna Doane 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 16-61 16-20 50.

WASHINGTON COLLEGE (8-4, 3-4 CC)
Meghan Tait 3-9 9-14 15; Sally O'Donnell 4-14 2-3 12; Erin Fitzgerald 2-8
7-8 11; Latisha Pledger 5-10 1-3 11; Claire Mattox 3-4 1-4 8; Kelly Mitchell
2-4 0-0 4; Katie Bay 0-1 3-4 3; Erin Kile 0-2 1-2 1; Liz Warkala 0-2 0-0 0;
Jackie O'Connell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-54 24-38 65.
Gettysburg.................... 15 35 - 50
Washington College............ 34 31 - 65
3-point goals--Gettysburg 2-12 (Cori Younghans 2-9; Taylor Flatau 0-1;
Alyssa Isler 0-2), Washington College 3-13 (Sally O'Donnell 2-7; Claire
Mattox 1-2; Kelly Mitchell 0-1; Meghan Tait 0-3). Fouled
out--Gettysburg-Alyssa Oursler, Washington College-None.
Rebounds--Gettysburg 40 (Sara Kinsley 7), Washington College 49 (Meghan Tait
14). Assists--Gettysburg 13 (Cori Younghans 2; Katie Earley 2; Alyssa Isler
2; Jenna Swope 2; Alyssa Oursler 2), Washington College 13 (Meghan Tait 6).
Total fouls--Gettysburg 25, Washington College 14. Technical
fouls--Gettysburg-None, Washington College-None. A-118

Gettysburg College Athletics

YORK, Pa. - The Gettysburg College wrestling team suffered its first loss of the season on Wednesday night, falling to 22nd-ranked York (Pa.) College 34-7 in a non-conference affair.

Gettysburg (1-1) earned two individual victories in its last mat action before the end of 2011. Sophomore #Matt Spano# improved to 17-5 on the year with a 10-2 major decision victory over Jimmy Ciampi at 133 pounds.

After four losses, the Bullets jumped back into the win column at 174 pounds. Wrestling up from his usual 165, freshman #Zach Thomson# bounced back from his first loss of the season with a 6-5 victory over Matt Heisey. Thomson is now an impressive 18-1 heading into the holiday break.

Gettysburg's closest result among the remaining matches came in the finale as York heavyweight George Saliba edged junior #Kevin Poplaski# 5-3.

The Bullets return to action on Jan. 7 with a quadrangular at home. Joining the Orange and Blue will be Hunter College, Washington & Jefferson College, and Washington & Lee University. Opening bouts are set to begin at 1 p.m. inside Bream Gym.

No. 22 York (Pa.) 34, Gettysburg 7 YC GC
125 - Joey Giaccio (Y) dec. #Andrew Petroulias# (G), 9-2
133 - #Matt Spano# (G) major dec. Jimmy Ciampi (Y), 10-2
141 - Landry Badman (Y) dec. #Dan Traficanti# (G), 8-3
149 - Chris Gugliotti (Y) pinned #Tony Stanell# (G), 0:46
157 - Thomas Demetrio (Y) won by forfeit
165 - Trent Bond (Y) dec. #Joe Fiore# (G), 6-1
174 - #Zach Thomson# (G) dec. Matt Heisey (Y), 6-5
184 - Alex Martocello (Y) major dec. #Jared Leon# (G), 14-4
197 - Kyle Minogue (Y) pinned #Anton Serhan# (G), 1:17
285 - George Saliba (Y) dec. #Kevin Poplaski# (G), 5-3

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Gettysburg shaved a double-figure deficit down to three in the final minute of its Centennial Conference battle with Franklin & Marshall College, but the Diplomats capitalized at the charity stripe down the stretch to pull out a 64-56 victory inside Bream Gym Wednesday night.

Gettysburg (2-5, 1-3 CC) looked like it was all but done trailing 59-49 with 55 seconds left against Franklin & Marshall (4-2, 4-0 CC). After corralling the rebound following a missed free throw, the Bullets raced down the court with freshman #Taylor Flatau# drilling a three-pointer from the wing.

After a quick timeout, the hosts set up for the full-court press and forced the Diplomats into a turnover. Flatau came up with the ball away and dropped a lay-up into the bucket to cut the lead to 59-54 with 39 seconds left.

Gettysburg's timeout strategy after the bucket worked its magic once again with sophomore #Cori Younghans# coming up with the loose ball on the Bullets' side of the court. Younghans missed the lay-up after the turnover, but the ball eventually caromed off a Diplomat and out-of-bounds. Younghans made her next lay-up try to pull the score to 59-56 with just 25 ticks left.

Franklin & Marshall nearly turned it over again following another Gettysburg timeout, but a foul was called before the ball found its way to the sideline. Reigning CC Player of the Week Alexa Barbush canned both free throws to pad the advantage to five (61-56) with 24 seconds left.

Gettysburg missed its next shot and was forced to foul. After the Diplomats picked up one point at the charity stripe, the Bullets came down the court with under 20 seconds remaining only to have an errant pass go out-of-bounds. Barbush was sent to the line again and she capped a 23-point night with two more free throws to set the final margin with 10 seconds left.

Wednesday's contest was close throughout with Franklin & Marshall jumping out to an early lead only to see Gettysburg go ahead 20-17 on a putback by senior #Lauren Dadigan# with 4:51 left in the first half.

That would be the host's last lead as the Diplomats mounted a 12-1 run to pull ahead 29-21 with 1:37 to go before the break. The score stood at 31-25 heading into the half.

The visitors went ahead by eight early in the final period, but Gettysburg was able to take advantage of some turnovers to stay within striking distance. After a steal by freshman #Sam Pagel#, sophomore #Caroline Murphy# knocked down a jumper to cut the lead to 45-42 with 7:46 to play.

Franklin & Marshall came right back with the next seven points, including six straight by Barbush to post its first double-figure lead at 52-42 with 2:56 remaining.

Gettysburg finished 23-of-61 (37.7 percent) from the field, while Franklin & Marshall made one more shot in the same number attempts (24-of-61, 39.3 percent). Both teams committed 25 turnovers, but the Diplomats owned a 43-35 advantage on the boards.

Three players reached double figures for Gettysburg. Sophomore #Alyssa Isler# led the way with a season-high 11 points, including a 4-of-5 effort at the line. Murphy also notched a season high with 10 points, adding five boards and three assists.

Senior #Sara Kinsley# finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks before fouling out. She is now just four blocks shy of tying Gettysburg's career record.

Barbush did a little of everything for Franklin & Marshall. She finished 7-of-16 from the field and 9-of-10 at the charity stripe, while adding four rebounds and five steals. Kristina McCarthy posted a double-double with 10 points and a dozen boards, including nine caroms on the offensive glass.

Gettysburg's last action in 2011 will take place this Friday, Dec. 9, when the Bullets travel to Swarthmore College. Game time is 7 p.m.

Gettysburg-Thomson Takes Second at Petrofes

Bullets finish 11th in team standings

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Gettysburg College freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) saw his perfect record come to an end as part of a runner-up showing at 165 pounds at the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament on Saturday.

After picking up three victories on Friday, Thomson made short work of his semifinal opponent on Saturday, taking down SUNY Cortland's Jon Conroy with a first-round fall and extending his record to 17-0 on the year. The longest winning streak to start a career in school history came to a close in the title match as Springfield College's Derrick Longo, the 10th-ranked wrestler in Division III, edged the Bullet first-year 3-2.

Senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) was Gettysburg's only other place-winner, taking fifth at 125. Evans was pinned in his semifinal bout with top seed Nigel McNeil of Cortland, who went on to take the title with a first-round pin. Sent to the consolation semifinals, Evans came up short against Wilkes University's Michael Fleck 7-6 before taking the fifth-place bout by default over Stephen Hinton of Lycoming College. Evans is now 14-5 on the season.

Sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) also competed in the 133 bracket on Saturday. He was upended by Cortland's Sean Kempf 5-4 and dropped to 15-5 on the year.

As a team, Gettysburg finished 11th in the 12-team field with 52.5 points. The Bullets were just six points shy of eighth. Eighth-ranked Cortland earned the team title with 165.5 points, edging No. 11 Wilkes which finished with 159.5.

Gettysburg returns to action with a dual match at No. 22 York (Pa.) College on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.

Gettysburg College Athletics

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Gettysburg men's swimming team's assault on the school record book continued on Saturday, as the Bullets broke four more school relay records to finish the meet with new Gettysburg marks in all five relays at the inaugural Final Fall Fast Festival at the Gettysburg College Bullets Pool.

Both Bullet squads finished second behind Johns Hopkins University, which placed in the top-10 on the NCAA Division III Championships on both sides last season. Mary Washington's men's and women's teams each placed third while Dickinson, which only competed on Saturday, rounded out the team standings.

The incredibly-fast meet featured a total of three NCAA Division III Championship "A" cuts, 35 "B" cuts, and 21 pool records.

The Gettysburg men also established Centennial Conference (CC) records in every relay except the 400 medley. The Bullets already owned the CC record in all three freestyle relays, setting all three at last year's CC Championships, but lowered all three of those conference standards as well as the 200 medley relay.

Senior #Matt Libby# led the onslaught, swimming on all five teams. Freshman #Jason Potter# competed on four of the teams while classmates #Mike Harmon# and #Ashton Leyens# contributed to three. Senior #Roger Nawrocki# and freshman #Stu Cubbison# helped set two relay records apiece.

Harmon also performed extremely well individually, including a stellar Saturday. After setting a school record and posting a"B" cut in the 200-backstroke Friday night, he followed up with another "B" cut in the 100-backstroke (51.78) on Saturday to go with a school record in the 200-IM (1:56.21), finishing third in both events. He eclipsed the former school mark of 1:56.81 set by Ryan McAnelly '05 in 2005. Harmon also swam the backstroke leg for both record-setting medley relay teams on Saturday after helping the 400-free relay team break the school and Centennial Conference record with a "B" cut on Friday.

The men's 200-medley relay began the day Saturday with a third-place finish, with Harmon, Nawrocki, Libby, and Cubbison clocking a 1:33.90. Their time was a full 1.80 seconds better than the previous school record set last season and 0.15 faster than the former Centennial Conference record set by Dickinson a year ago.

Potter, Leyens, sophomore #Sean Staerk#, and Libby closed Saturday's morning session in style in the 800-free relay, finishing second in 6:53.34 and taking 0.75 seconds off their previous school and conference record.

The men's team went on to open Saturday's evening session with another school and conference record, as the 200-free relay team of Potter, Cubbison, Leyens, and Libby touched the wall in a "B" cut time of 1:23.38, knocking 0.32 seconds of the former Gettysburg and CC standard. Finishing off the night was the 400-medley relay team of Harmon, Nawrocki, Libby, and Potter, which clocked a 3:27.72, surpassing the former school record of 3:28.74 set at last year's Centennial Conference Championships.

Libby also registered a "B" cut of his own on Saturday with his third-place finish in the 200-freestyle (1:41.01). Placing fourth were senior #Pat McDevitt# in the 400-IM (4:17.23), senior #Drew Close# in the 500-freestyle (4:48.15), and Potter in the 50-freestyle (21.20), while the Bullets posted 13 additional top-eight performances.

Senior #Tom Everett# finished fifth in the 100-butterfly (52.00) as did Potter in the 200-freestyle (1:43.55), Nawrocki in the 100-breaststroke (59.33), and sophomore #Adam Weinbrom# in the 100-backstroke (53.62). Placing sixth were freshman #Kevin Nicholson# in the 400-IM (4:18.09), Leyens in the 200-freestyle (1:43.60), and Staerk in the 500-freestyle (4:50.13).

Taking seventh were Close in the 200-freestyle (1:44.23) and Cubbison in the 50-freestyle (21.62) while senior Kyle Bauer (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) (400 IM, 4:29.42), freshman Patrick Sweeney (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) (100-butterfly, 53.03), Staerk (200-freestyle, 1:44.30), and Everett (50-freestyle, 22.16) all added eighth-place finishes.

Turning in the top finish for the women's team was junior #Caroline Coolidge#, who took fourth in the 400-IM (4:50.18). Sophomore #Perri Finnican# added a fifth-place showing in the 100-breaststroke (1:09.82) while freshman #Haley Weaver# placed sixth in both the 200-freestyle (1:58.86) and the 200-IM (2:14.86). Freshman #Cooper Kearns# also turned in a sixth-place finish in the 500-freestyle (5:16.60) as did sophomore #Ali Roth# in the 50-freestyle (25.39).

Placing seventh were junior #Siobhan Collins# in the 400-IM (4:52.57), junior #Brooke Lacey# in the 100-breaststroke (1:11.27), and senior #Kayte Demont# in the 100-backstroke (1:02.33). Sophomore #Jess D'Alessandro# contributed an eight-place showing in the 400-IM (5:02.12).

Gettysburg will now take a 48-day break from competition before returning to action on Jan. 21 with a home dual meet versus Mary Washington.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Gettysburg dished out 20 assists on 23 field goals and the Bullets used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 64-41 victory over Haverford College in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Bream Gymnasium.

The Bullets (4-3, 2-1 CC) had 10 different players find the scoring column, with junior center #Christian Bors# netting a game-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Gettysburg recorded its highest assist total since it had 24 in an 83-42 win over Dickinson College on Feb. 17, 2010.

Junior guard #Derek Brooks# led all players with a career-high seven assists, equaling the most by a Bullet since Andrew Powers '11 had seven in a win over York (Pa.) College on Nov. 28 of last season. Brooks also tied a career-best with six rebounds and scored five points.

Freshman guard #Joe Emerusabe# contributed 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench for the Bullets, who shot 57.5 percent from the floor. Nine of his points came during Gettysburg's crucial late-game push.

Junior guard Cam Baker led Haverford (2-4, 1-2 CC) with 12 points while sophomore forward Brett Cohen contributed 11 points and five rebounds.

Gettysburg led 42-36 with 11:37 remaining following a Cohen lay-up before embarking on its decisive run, which spanned nearly seven minutes. Senior forward #Tim Lang# opened the surge with a free throw at the 9:31 mark before Emerusabe got hot, scoring seven straight points, capped by a 3-pointer with 6:49 left that made it 50-36.

After Zurn dropped in a wide-open lay-up off an outstanding feed from freshman center #Christian Healy#, who was making his collegiate debut, Emerusabe brought the crowd to its feet with a tremendous play. Gliding under the basket, he tossed up an acrobatic reverse lay-up that found bounced off the glass and through the net, giving the Bullets a 54-36 cushion with 4:40 to go and prompting a Haverford timeout. The Fords were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.

It was a close game in the early going, as the first half featured four ties and three lead changes. The Fords led for the majority of the opening period before Gettysburg went ahead to stay after a 10-0 run late in the stanza. Four different players scored during the spurt, and a Bors lay-in put the Orange & Blue on top 28-21 with 5:13 on the clock. Haverford would cut it to four, but the Bullets scored the final six points of the half, capped by a Brooks tip-in with six seconds remaining, to go up 34-24 at the break.

Gettysburg had an assist on 13 of its 14 first-half field goals, as Brooks' put-back was the lone bucket without an assist.

For the game, the Bullets held Haverford to 32.6 percent shooting.

Gettysburg plays its final game before taking a 21-day Christmas break when it hosts 14th-ranked Franklin & Marshall College in another Centennial Conference affair.

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Gettysburg College freshman #Zach Thomson# saw his perfect record come to an end as part of a runner-up showing at 165 pounds at the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament on Saturday.

After picking up three victories on Friday, Thomson made short work of his semifinal opponent on Saturday, taking down SUNY Cortland's Jon Conroy with a first-round fall and extending his record to 17-0 on the year. The longest winning streak to start a career in school history came to a close in the title match as Springfield College's Derrick Longo, the 10th-ranked wrestler in Division III, edged the Bullet first-year 3-2.

Senior #Abe Evans# was Gettysburg's only other place-winner, taking fifth at 125. Evans was pinned in his semifinal bout with top seed Nigel McNeil of Cortland, who went on to take the title with a first-round pin. Sent to the consolation semifinals, Evans came up short against Wilkes University's Michael Fleck 7-6 before taking the fifth-place bout by default over Stephen Hinton of Lycoming College. Evans is now 14-5 on the season.

Sophomore #Matt Spano# also competed in the 133 bracket on Saturday. He was upended by Cortland's Sean Kempf 5-4 and dropped to 15-5 on the year.

As a team, Gettysburg finished 11th in the 12-team field with 52.5 points. The Bullets were just six points shy of eighth. Eighth-ranked Cortland earned the team title with 165.5 points, edging No. 11 Wilkes which finished with 159.5.

Gettysburg returns to action with a dual match at No. 22 York (Pa.) College on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Senior #Abe Evans# and freshman #Zach Thomson# advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight classes on the opening day of the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament Friday.

As a team, Gettysburg sits in a tightly-grouped pack in the team standings. The Bullets are 10th in the 12-team field with 39.5 points and trail seventh-place Ursinus College by just 5.5 points. Four nationally-ranked programs sit atop the team standings with No. 11 Wilkes University holding a slim half-point lead (99.5-99) over No. 8 SUNY Cortland.

Seeded fourth in the 125 bracket, Evans picked up three wins to earn a spot in the semis. After putting down Messiah's Spencer Alexander 8-3, he picked up his fourth major decision of the season 8-0 against Lycoming College's Cody Barbiche. Evans continued his march by nailing down a 6-3 win over fellow Centennial Conference grappler Andrew Brehm of McDaniel College. The Bullet senior will have his work cut out for him in the semifinals against SUNY Cortland's Nigel McNeil, who entered the tournament rated fifth in the nation. McNeil recorded two technical falls and a major decision on the day.

Thomson continued his outstanding season with three more wins at 165 pounds. The undefeated first-year moved to a perfect 16-0 on the year with pins of McDaniel's Sean McGarry and Lycoming's Daniel Bennett in 1:12 and 3:40, respectively. Thomson advanced to the semifinals with a 9-2 decision over the University of Mount Union's John Plechuta.

The Gettysburg freshman will face Cortland's Jon Conroy in Saturday's semifinal, while the other 165 semi will pit Messiah's Rico Plummer against Springfield College's Derrick Longo. Longo is the highest ranked wrestler in the bracket, entering the weekend rated 10th in Division III. Thomson has won each of his first three tournaments on the season and will be aiming to be the first Bullet to win four in a single season. The only other Bullets to win three titles in a single season are Matt Shank '08 in 2006-07 and Jake Dell '98 in 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-98.

The tournament will also continue for sophomore #Matt Spano# in the consolation bracket at 133. Seeded fifth, Spano was upset in the opening round by McDaniel's Mike Tancredi 4-3. The Gettysburg grappler bounced back in the consolation bracket with four wins, starting with a 13-6 decision over Lycoming's Zachary Finn. After pinning Cortland's Jared Lemke in the first round, Spano notched 8-4 and 6-2 decisions over Griff Panicucci and Mark Ulano of Wilkes. Spano will face fourth seed Sean Kempf of Cortland in the wrestleback quarterfinals on Saturday.

Junior #Kevin Poplaski# and freshman #Josh Scharf# turned in multiple wins at heavyweight and 125, respectively.

Poplaski won his first bout against Matt Belle of Ursinus with a second-round pin before getting pinned himself by Cortland's Joseph Glaramita. In the wrestleback, he picked up his team-best seventh pin of the campaign in the final minute against Mike DiOrio of Messiah. Poplaski then knocked off William Fletcher from Wilkes by major decision 10-1. The Bullet junior's day came to a close with as Bridgewater State's Ricky Caruso, the third seed in bracket, advanced to the consolation quarterfinals via a riding time advantage following a 6-6 draw. Poplaski improved to 15-6 on the season.

Scharf was the only other Bullet to record multiple wins on the day. After getting bounced from the main bracket at 125, he posted a pair of close decisions in the wrestleback. Scharf edged a pair of Mount Union wrestlers 2-1 and 5-3 before falling before falling by decision.

Opening bouts on the second day of the Petrofes Tournament will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Gettysburg-Grapplers Finish Day One at Petrofes

Evans, Thomson vie for individual titles

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) and freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight classes on the opening day of the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament Friday.

As a team, Gettysburg sits in a tightly-grouped pack in the team standings. The Bullets are 10th in the 12-team field with 39.5 points and trail seventh-place Ursinus College by just 5.5 points. Four nationally-ranked programs sit atop the team standings with No. 11 Wilkes University holding a slim half-point lead (99.5-99) over No. 8 SUNY Cortland.

Seeded fourth in the 125 bracket, Evans picked up three wins to earn a spot in the semis. After putting down Messiah's Spencer Alexander 8-3, he picked up his fourth major decision of the season 8-0 against Lycoming College's Cody Barbiche. Evans continued his march by nailing down a 6-3 win over fellow Centennial Conference grappler Andrew Brehm of McDaniel College. The Bullet senior will have his work cut out for him in the semifinals against SUNY Cortland's Nigel McNeil, who entered the tournament rated fifth in the nation. McNeil recorded two technical falls and a major decision on the day.

Thomson continued his outstanding season with three more wins at 165 pounds. The undefeated first-year moved to a perfect 16-0 on the year with pins of McDaniel's Sean McGarry and Lycoming's Daniel Bennett in 1:12 and 3:40, respectively. Thomson advanced to the semifinals with a 9-2 decision over the University of Mount Union's John Plechuta.

The Gettysburg freshman will face Cortland's Jon Conroy in Saturday's semifinal, while the other 165 semi will pit Messiah's Rico Plummer against Springfield College's Derrick Longo. Longo is the highest ranked wrestler in the bracket, entering the weekend rated 10th in Division III. Thomson has won each of his first three tournaments on the season and will be aiming to be the first Bullet to win four in a single season. The only other Bullets to win three titles in a single season are Matt Shank '08 in 2006-07 and Jake Dell '98 in 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-98.

The tournament will also continue for sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) in the consolation bracket at 133. Seeded fifth, Spano was upset in the opening round by McDaniel's Mike Tancredi 4-3. The Gettysburg grappler bounced back in the consolation bracket with four wins, starting with a 13-6 decision over Lycoming's Zachary Finn. After pinning Cortland's Jared Lemke in the first round, Spano notched 8-4 and 6-2 decisions over Griff Panicucci and Mark Ulano of Wilkes. Spano will face fourth seed Sean Kempf of Cortland in the wrestleback quarterfinals on Saturday.

Junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) and freshman Josh Scharf (Charlottesville, Va./Louisa County) turned in multiple wins at heavyweight and 125, respectively.

Poplaski won his first bout against Matt Belle of Ursinus with a second-round pin before getting pinned himself by Cortland's Joseph Glaramita. In the wrestleback, he picked up his team-best seventh pin of the campaign in the final minute against Mike DiOrio of Messiah. Poplaski then knocked off William Fletcher from Wilkes by major decision 10-1. The Bullet junior's day came to a close with as Bridgewater State's Ricky Caruso, the third seed in bracket, advanced to the consolation quarterfinals via a riding time advantage following a 6-6 draw. Poplaski improved to 15-6 on the season.

Scharf was the only other Bullet to record multiple wins on the day. After getting bounced from the main bracket at 125, he posted a pair of close decisions in the wrestleback. Scharf edged a pair of Mount Union wrestlers 2-1 and 5-3 before falling before falling by decision.

Opening bouts on the second day of the Petrofes Tournament will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Gettysburg- Vogel Named to Messiah's All-Time Wrestling Team

Former Falcon part of four decades of mat excellence

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Gettysburg College head wrestling coach Andy Vogel was recently recognized for his undergraduate wrestling exploits at Messiah College by being named one of the top grapplers in program history.

Vogel was named to Messiah's All-Time Team as part of the wrestling program's celebration of the last four decades of competition. The 2003 graduate was one of 30 former Falcon grapplers selected to the squad by a committee of alumni wrestlers. Additionally, Vogel was one of just 12 wrestlers named to the "Dream Team," representing the top wrestler at each weight class.

"It's a great honor to be named to this team, and I know that it wouldn't have been possible without my coach, Neil Turner, and my teammates and training partners pushing me along the way," said Vogel. "Wrestlers compete as individuals, but nobody ever had success without a team behind him. I had a great experience as a Messiah wrestler, and that's the same type of experience I hope to give to wrestlers here at Gettysburg."

Vogel was tabbed the program's all-time top performer at 149 pounds. He was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American, finishing runner-up in 2001 and seventh in both 2002 and 2003. Vogel won more matches than any other Falcon in school history, piling up a record 157 victories on the mat against just 16 losses. He was a three-time Middle Atlantic Conference champion and finished as the school's all-time leader in takedowns (422) and near-falls (190).

The Stow, Ohio, native was also three-time Academic All-American and graduated from Messiah with honors in electrical engineering. He was Messiah's Senior Athlete of the Year and received a postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA.

Vogel is in his fifth year at the helm of Gettysburg's wrestling program. During that time, the program has produced one All-American, three national qualifiers, three conference champions, and 11 conference place-winners.

Vogel will lead Gettysburg back to his alma mater this weekend as the Bullets take part in the annual Petrofes Tournament on Dec. 2-3.

Gettysburg College Wrestling

ONEONTA, N.Y. - Freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) shrugged off all challengers to claim his third consecutive individual title at the Oneonta State Red Dragon Invitational on Saturday. Overall, the Gettysburg grapplers finished fifth out of 11 teams.

Gettysburg turned in its highest finish as a team since placing fifth out of eight teams at the 2008 Centennial Conference Championships. The Bullets beat out six teams on Saturday, totaling 86.5 points on the strength of five top-five showings by individuals. No. 10 SUNY Cortland claimed the team title with 133.5 points, followed by Rochester Institute of Technology (111 points), Johns Hopkins University (105), and No. 13 Wilkes University (94).

In addition to Thomson's title, Gettysburg picked up runner-up showings by sophomores Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) at 133 and 174, respectively, and a third-place finish by heavyweight Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep). Two Bullets placed in the 125 bracket with senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) and freshman Josh Scharf (Charlottesville, Va./Louisa County) finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Thomson remained perfect on the year at 13-0 with his third tournament title in as many tries. After posting his fourth pin of the season in the first round of the 165 bracket, the first-year notched a pair of major decisions 15-3 and 8-0 to reach the championship bout. He finished the day with a 7-2 win over Nathan White from Wilkes.

Spano just missed his bid for a second-straight tournament title and improved to 11-3 on the year with a second-place finish at 133. Ranked fourth in the bracket, he opened the day with his fourth pin of the year in the second round. He shut out each of his next two foes by 2-0 and 5-0 scores to reach the finale against No. 3 seed Benjamin Mikac from Oneonta. Mikac came away with the championship by a 13-6 count.

Coming off his first career title at 174, Leon mimicked Spano's approach with a first-round pin and a pair of shutout decisions to reach the championship bout. After dispatching the third seed James Neal from Oneonta 4-0, the Bullets sophomore was taken down with a second-round pin by No. 4 seed Louis Puca of Cortland. Leon is now 10-3 on the year.

Poplaski followed up a third place finish at the Ursinus Fall Brawl by claiming the heavyweight consolation bracket at Oneonta. He earned a 10-2 major decision in his first bout and then picked up a third-round pin to reach the semifinals. The Gettysburg junior was sent to the consolation bracket by eventual champion Lance Moore from Niagara Community College 12-4. Poplaski closed with a pair of dominating wins, blowing past Norwich's Anthony Joyce 17-1 and taking down fourth-seeded Travis Spencer 11-4 in the third place match to improve to 12-4 this season.

Evans and Scharf combined for seven wins in the 125 bracket. Seeded No. 1, Evans opened with a first-round pin and a 7-2 decision to reach the semifinals. After getting upset by a pin, the senior pulled off a 9-2 decision in the wrestleback semifinals. His day ended with an injury, however, as Johns Hopkins' Paul Bewak claimed third via medical forfeit.

Scharf had the misfortune of meeting eventual champion Nigel McNeil of Cortland in his opening bout, but the first-year rebounded with four wins in the consolation ladder. After earning his first victory with a first-round pin, he edged teammate Andrew Petroulias (East Quogue, N.Y./Westhampton Beach) 5-4. Scharf posted an 11-3 major decision in his next match to reach the wrestleback semis where he was upended by Bewak 2-0. The first-year bounced back in the fifth-place match with a 9-2 win over Wilkes' Lucas Dise.

Sophomore Dan Traficanti (Pittsburg, Pa./Kiski School), junior Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial), and sophomore Mike Sheehan (Fairfield, Conn./Ludlowe) each went 2-2 in their respective weight classes. Traficanti opened with a 5-2 decision and then beat No. 5 seed Eli Wolfgang of Worcester Polytechnic 10-8 in the wrestleback at 141 pounds. Competing in the 165 bracket, Fiore bounced back from an opening loss to score a pair of one-point decisions in the consolation ladder. Sheehan took a similar path at 184, rebounding from an opening loss to post a technical fall and decision in the wrestleback.

Gettysburg returns to action on Dec. 2-3 with the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament.

Gettysburg College Wrestling

Grapplers Take Down Three Titles at Fall Brawl

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - Freshman Zach Thomson and sophomores <about:blank>Matt Spano and Jared Leon each won their respective weight classes at the Ursinus College Fall Brawl on Saturday.

Thomson won his second tournament in as many tries this season by taking the 165-pound bracket. Spano and Leon each won individual titles for the first time, the former winning the bracket at 133 and the latter sweeping through the 174-pound division.

Gettysburg also received runner-up showings from sophomore Mike Sheehan at 184 and senior Abe Evans at 125, while junior Kevin Poplaski swept the heavyweight consolation bracket to finish third.

After taking the 165 championship at the King's Monarch Invitational last weekend, Thomson remained unbeaten on the year with four wins at Ursinus. After picking up a second-round fall to start his day, the Bullet first-year ran off three major decisions to close the day. He shut out his quarterfinal and semifinal opponents 10-0 and 9-0, respectively, and improved to 9-0 on the season with a 12-2 win over Richie Jasinski of Ursinus in the final.

Spano notched his best career finish by sandwiching a pair of pins around a 6-2 win over The College of New Jersey's Chris Benvenuto. After earning a third-round pin in the semifinals, Spano edged Ursinus' Alex Blank 4-3 in the championship.

Leon, who finished third at the same event as a freshman, won a pair of tough decisions to close out his first championship at 174. After earning the quickest pin of his career in just 36 seconds, the Gettysburg sophomore went the distance and then some in a semifinal match up against West Chester's Dan Tancredi, finally besting the Gold Ram grappler in the third tiebreaker 4-1. He pulled out another close win the championship 2-1 over Hunter College's Luke Pragdat.

For the second week in a row and third-straight event dating back to last season's Centennial Conference Championships, Evans had to settle for runner-up at 125 pounds. He cruised in his first two bouts with a technical fall (18-3) and a major decision (11-1) before edging TCNJ's PJ Schmidt 4-2. In the finals, Evans fell in his bid for the title 7-5 to the host's Chris Donaldson.

Sheehan picked up his highest career finish at 184. After winning his opening bout with a 12-2 major decision, he knocked off teammate <about:blank>Anton Serhan with a first-round pin. Sheehan fell in the finale 15-6 to Dan Manganaro from Ursinus. Serhan, who pinned his first opponent in less than a minute, also placed in the bracket, finishing sixth overall.

Poplaski rebounded from an opening loss to win his final six matches and earn his highest career finish at heavyweight. The Gettysburg junior posted a pair of first-round pins, a major decision, and a decision to earn a trip to the consolation semifinals. In the semis, he downed TCNJ's Trever Salvatore 7-2 and claimed the consolation crown via medical forfeit.

Gettysburg returns to action next weekend at the Oneonta Red Dragon Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 9:30 a.m.

125
Abe Evans technical fall Jose Pagan (Alfred), 18-3 (5:00)
Abe Evans major decision Kyle McNulty (Elizabethtown), 11-1
Abe Evans dec. PJ Schmidt, 4-2
Chris Donaldson (Ursinus) dec. Abe Evans , 7-5 Championship Match

Mike O'Boyle (McDaniel) dec. Josh Scharf, 8-4
Josh Scharf pinned Brandon Hegarty (Hunter), 2:11
Ken Albert (Hunter) pinned Josh Scharf, 4:35

Chris Donaldson (UC) pinned Holt Johnson, 3:00
Holt Johnson pinned Mitch Rogers (Alfred), 0:56
Kyle McNulty (Elizabethtown) pinned Holt Johnson , 1:45

Joey DiCarolo (TCNJ) technical fall Andrew Petroulias, 16-1 (7:00)
Andrew Petroulias major decision Earl Eppard (McDaniel), 10-0
Mike O'Boyle (McDaniel) pinned Andrew Petroulias, 2:25

133
Matt Spano pinned James McGarry (McDaniel), 4:26
Matt Spano dec. Chris Benvenuto (TCNJ), 6-2
Matt Spano pinned Kyle Liberato (West Chester), 6:09
Matt Spano dec. Alex Blank (Ursinus), 4-3 Championship Match

149
Kevin Homan (Muhlenberg) pinned Pat Thomas, 0:47
Kody Rittenbaugh (Elizabethtown) dec. Pat Thomas, 7-3

165
Zach Thomson pinned Kyle Blazic (West Chester), 4:35
Zach Thomson major decision KC Murphy (TCNJ), 10-0
Zach Thomson major decision Sean McGarry (McDaniel), 9-0
Zach Thomson major decision Richie Jasinski (Ursinus), 12-2 Championship Match

174
Jared Leon pinned Jared Weaver (Elizabethtown), 0:36
Jared Leon dec. Luke Pragdat (Hunter), 3-1 Championship Match

Andrew McHugh (Hunter) pinned Adam Finkelstein, 2:35
Matt Berry (TCNJ) pinned Adam Finkelstein, 2:53

184
Mike Sheehan major decision Alan Djokic (Hunter), 12-2
Mike Sheehan pinned Anton Serhan (Gettysburg), 1:07
DJ Manganaro (Ursinus) major decision Mike Sheehan, 15-6 Championship Match

Anton Serhan pinned Matt Sowers (Alfred), 0:58
Mike Sheehan (Gettysburg) pinned Anton Serhan , 1:07
Mike Williams (Ursinus) pinned Anton Serhan, 3:40
Alan Djokic (Hunter) dec. Anton Serhan, 7-5 Fifth-place Match

285
Leon Bodden (Hunter) decision Kevin Poplaski, 7-4
Kevin Poplaski pinned Matt Belle (Ursinus), 2:17
Kevin Poplaski major decision Nick Pallotta (Muhlenberg), 9-0
Kevin Poplaski dec. Tom Dwyer (West Chester), 12-6
Kevin Poplaski pinned Zach Race (Alfred), 1:22
Kevin Poplaski dec. Trevor Salvatore (TCNJ), 7-2
Kevin Poplaski medical forfeit Ryan Kreppel (West Chester) Third-Place Match

Gettysburg College Athletics

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Gettysburg College wrestling team won its home debut with some dominant displays on the mat in a 36-12 victory over the University of Scranton inside Bream Gym Wednesday night.

Gettysburg (1-0) posted five pins and a pair of decisions en route to the victory. The Bullets started out strong as senior #Abe Evans# took care of business quickly, taking Kyle McCall down just seconds into the match and ending it in less than two minutes with a pin.

Sophomore #Matt Spano# went to round two before pulling out another fall to put the hosts up 12-0. After picking up his third takedown, Spano put James Kelly's back to the mat at 4:18.

After a forfeit at 141 gave Scranton (0-1) its first points of the night, the Royals evened the bout with decisions at 149 and 157. Ryan Giovanetti scored four takedowns to beat freshman #Pat Thomas# 10-4 and Shawne Flesche edged freshman #Max Sataloff# 5-2.

Freshman #Zach Thomson# put the Bullets back on track and improved to 5-0 on the year with a two-minute pin of Paul Rajan at 165.

Sophomores #Jared Leon# and #Mike Sheehan# pulled off a pair of close decisions at 174 and 184, respectively. Leon scored an early takedown and held Chris Silakoski off the board in a 4-0 win, while Sheehan erased a 4-2 second-period deficit with a reversal and added an escape and two takedowns in the final period to win 10-6.

Sophomore #Anton Serhan# clinched the victory for Gettysburg by pinning Stephen Kaiser in just over two minutes. Junior #Kevin Poplaski# put a stamp on the victory by rushing out to an 11-0 lead before putting Luke Genovese on his back at 4:42.

Gettysburg returns to action this Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Ursinus College Fall Brawl. Opening bouts are scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

Gettysburg 36, Scranton 12
125 - Abe Evans (G) pinned Kyle McCall (S), 1:47 6-0
133 - Matt Spano (G) pinned James Kelly, 4:18 12-0
141 - Vinny Signoriello (S) wins by forfeit 12-6
149 - Ryan Giovanetti (S) dec. Pat Thomas (G), 10-4 12-9
157 - Shawn Flesche (S) dec. Max Sataloff (G), 5-2 12-12
165 - Zach Thomson (G) pinned Paul Rajan (S), 2:00 18-12
174 - Jared Leon (G) dec Chris Silakoski (S), 4-0 21-12
184 - Mike Sheehan (G) dec. Matthew Terry (S), 10-6 24-12
197 - Anton Serhan (G) pinned Stephen Kaiser (S), 2:04 30-12
285 - Kevin Poplaski (G) pinned Luke Genovese (S), 4:42 36-12

Gettysburg places eighth at King's Invitational

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Freshman Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) took home the individual title at 165 pounds and senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) finished runner-up at 125 to lead the Gettysburg College wrestling team in its season debut at the King's Monarch Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Gettysburg finished eighth out of the 13-team field with 67 points. In addition to Thomson and Evans, sophomore Mike Sheehan (Fairfield, Conn./Ludlowe) and junior Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) placed by each finishing sixth at 184 and 197, respectively.

Thomson was impressive in his collegiate debut, winning in every possible manner on Saturday. Seeded fourth, he opened with a 17-1 technical fall over Western New England College's Thomas Caliento. Thomson added his first pin in his next bout, throwing Bill Dress from York (Pa.) College in 4:15. After securing a 10-0 major decision over RIT's Tory Cain, the Bullet first-year wrapped up his first collegiate title by beating second-seeded Nathan White from Wilkes University 6-0.

Evans picked up right where he left off last season with a strong debut. The Centennial Conference runner-up last year, he recorded a first-round pin and a 13-4 major decision in his first two bouts. He added another major decision win (15-7) over RIT's Shin Wakabayashi before falling to Oneonta State's Nick Oliveto in the first round of the title match.

Sheehan advanced to the semifinals of the 184 bracket with a pair of opening wins. He defeated Alan Djokic of Hunter College and Alex Myers of SUNY Cortland by decision 8-6 and 10-4, respectively. He was knocked out of the championship bracket by eventual champ Alex Martocello of York 13-6. In the wrestleback, Sheehan fell short 4-0 in the consolation semis and was pinned in the fifth-place match.

Puls picked up three wins at 197 to finish sixth. He won by decision 9-7 in his opening bout before getting knocked off by eventual champion Jared Myhrberg from Cortland. Puls won each of his next two matches by decision 5-3 over Tyler Brent of RIT and 3-2 over Mike McGrath of Cortland. Like Sheehan, his day came to a close with a decision loss in the consolation semis before suffering a pin in the fifth-place bout.

Junior Adam Finkelstein (Purdys, N.Y./Somers) fell one win shy of placing in the 174 bracket. He opened with a decision win before getting knocked down to the consolation bracket. In the wrestleback, Finkelstein added three more wins with a 13-6 decision over Joe Weitmeyer of Scranton, a 9-0 major decision over Jared Vergara of Roger Williams, and an injury default. He was denied a shot at a top-six finish with a 5-2 loss to Chanse Menedez from Cortland.

Freshman Andrew Petroulias (East Quogue, N.Y./Westhampton Beach), sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham), junior Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial), and sophomore Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) each posted three wins in their respective weight classes. Petroulias scored a second-round pin in his collegiate debut at 125 before bowing to eventual champ Nick Oliveto. He added two wins in the consolation bracket, pinning teammate Holt Johnson (Durham, N.C./Blair Academy) in 2:24 and winning by decision 12-6 over Anthony Danton from Roger Williams.

Spano won his first two bouts by decision 7-4 and 3-2 at 133. After falling by a 7-4 count to Oneonta's Benjamin Mikac, he added a 4-2 win over Oneonta's Frank Cabbibo in the wrestleback.

Fiore also won each of his first two matches, beating Scranton's John Carmody 12-5 and putting up a technical fall (18-1) against Hunter's Chris Goss. After falling to the eventual runner-up, he notched another decision in the consolation bracket before his day ended.

Seeded third, Leon was upset in the opening round with a pin at the hands of Hunter's Luke Pragdat. He bounced back in the wrestleback with a second-round pin, a one-point decision, and a win by injury default before coming up one round shy of placing.

Several more Bullets recorded at least two wins on the day. Freshman Josh Scharf (Charlottesville, Va./Louisa County) complemented Evans and Petroulias in the 125 bracket with a decision and first-round pin. Fellow first-years Pat Thomas (Jamesport, N.Y./Riverhead) and Max Sataloff (Pikesville, Md./McDonogh) each scored a pair of decision victories at 149 and 157, respectively. Sophomore Anton Serhan (Needham, Mass./Needham) logged a pair of decisions at 184, including a 13-8 win in his season debut.

Gettysburg returns to action with a home dual against the University of Scranton on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Gettysburg opens at King's Invitational Nov. 5

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Competition breeds success and the Gettysburg College wrestling team has put together its most competitive roster in recent years heading into the 2011-12 campaign.

Gettysburg has been plagued with injuries over the last four seasons as the team has been forced to forfeit 121 individual contests during that period, including 29 last season. That should not be the trend in 2011-12 for fifth-year mentor Andy Vogel, who has added 11 newcomers to his roster of 13 returning letterwinners.

"I think we're going to be improved this year over last year," noted Vogel, a former three-time All-American at nearby Messiah College. "I really believe this will be the best year since I've been here in terms of the team's success.

"We've been building up our team roster and have multiple guys at every weight class. That will make us better able to deal with illnesses and injuries that pop up along the way."

Vogel's team is coming off a vastly improved season despite the hurdles. The squad won six dual matches - its highest total since 2004-05 when the program totaled nine wins. A dozen wrestlers recorded at least 10 wins, with three reaching the 20-win plateau. Four Bullets posted top-four finishes at the Centennial Conference Championships as the team finished sixth overall.

Gettysburg's success will start at the lowest weight class as senior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) makes a bid for the conference title after finishing runner-up last fall. Evans turned in a solid junior season, finishing 14-9 overall. He'll be aiming for his third placement at the conference meet after finishing fourth as a freshman.

The Bullets return another place-winner at 133 in sophomore Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham). Spano turned in one of the most productive campaigns among the team, compiling 22 wins and seven pins. He finished third at the Centennial meet, while also finishing top five at tournaments hosted by Oneonta State and Waynesburg.

Gettysburg's biggest loss from 2010-11 was heavyweight Bobby Christopher '11. Christopher was a three-time Centennial place-winner, finishing third in both 2009 and 2011. He graduated as the school's all-time leader in wins at heavyweight with 90. The Bullets also lost captain DJ Neri '11, who closed out his career with a 13-13 record at 184.

"Those guys were here every year I was so this is my first year without them," said Vogel. "I think we're going to fill those spots pretty well this season. I'm confident Kevin [Poplaski] is going to have a good season and there are three guys in a pitched battle to win the spot at 184."

Junior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) was arguably the top No. 2 heavyweight in the conference last season, posting an 18-7 record and notching six pins. He placed fourth at both the King's Monarch Invitational and the Waynesburg Invitational. The heavyweight division in the conference took a big hit with the loss of each of the top three finishers due to graduation, opening the door for Poplaski to make an impact this season.

The battle at 184 features three returners in senior Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) and sophomores Anton Serhan (Needham, Mass./Needham) and Mike Sheehan (Fairfield, Conn./Ludlowe). Both Iorio and Sheehan will be making a move up the lineup as Iorio was 10-9 at 165 and 174, while Sheehan went 11-9 at 174.

Gettysburg's top returner by victories is sophomore Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) who has locked up the starting spot at 174. In his debut season, Leon won 26 matches with four each coming by pin and major decision. He placed in every tournament he wrestled, including third at the Ursinus Fall Brawl and fourth at the Centennial Conference Tournament.

An added year should prove beneficial to both Leon and Spano as they attempt to climb the ranks, in addition to fellow sophomores Serhan, Sheehan, and returning 141-starter Dan Traficanti (Pittsburg, Pa./Kiski School).

"The biggest thing for sophomores is they have a lot better idea what to expect," said Vogel. "There's less uncertainty. As a freshman, you don't always know what you're getting yourself into. But now they know what to expect and they're aren't going to be surprised by anything at this point."

Two veterans will likely maintain starting spots at 157 and 197 in juniors Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss). Fiore doubled his win total from his freshman season with 16 as a sophomore, while Puls has posted 25 victories in his first two campaigns.

Several freshmen will be in the running for starting spots in the lineup early in the season. Two-time state qualifier Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) will likely take the starting role at 165, while Pat Thomas (Jamesport, N.Y./Riverhead) could fill the void at 149.

Max Sataloff (Pikesville, Md./McDonogh School) could see time at 157 as Fiore makes his way down to the weight, while Josh Scharf (Charlottesville, Va./Louisa County) and Matt Laux (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) will push Evans at 125.

Gettysburg will embark on the usual assortment of early-season tournaments at King's, Ursinus, Oneonta State, and Messiah to get the team ready for its head-to-head match ups. The Bullets will enjoy the friendly confines of Bream Gym for more than half of their dual schedule, beginning with an early meeting with the University of Scranton on Nov. 9.

The schedule will come to an epic conclusion with the Centennial Conference Championships hosted by Muhlenberg College on Feb. 25. The United States Merchant Marine Academy has won the last four titles, but after graduating five conference champions, the Mariners will be facing a league hungry for a new team champion.

"I think it's pretty wide open this year," noted Vogel. "A lot of teams have a chance to do well. Merchant Marine is still in the running, but it's not as much of a fore-gone conclusion. We could see a new champion, but I hesitate to predict who it's going to be."

A Wrestler's Way: Bobby Christopher '11 Pins Down a Successful Wrestling Career at Gettysburg

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Adversity is a term that resonates with many of the competitors that take up the collegiate wrestling lifestyle, but that word means more to Bobby Christopher '11, who has overcome a wide array of challenges during his four years at Gettysburg College.

Christopher is Gettysburg's winningest heavyweight and heads into the final weeks of his senior season with more than 80 varsity wins to his credit. Getting all those victories hasn't been easy, however, for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native. He has endured a variety of setbacks - physical, mental, and emotional - during his time with the Orange and Blue.

Christopher was a highly successful prep wrestler at Cardinal Gibbons High School, winning the 2007 Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A heavyweight championship to cap an undefeated (42-0) senior season. He blew past most of his opponents, including scoring two pins and a technical fall in the state championships alone.

A collegiate wrestling career was in the cards for Christopher, and with his older brother, John, already attending Washington & Lee University, Bobby opted to take his talents to another member of the Centennial Conference and become a Bullet.

Arriving at Gettysburg in the fall of 2007, Christopher was on the upper-end of the heavyweight division's 285-pound maximum. In high school, he finished opponents so quickly stamina and endurance did not play as much of a factor. Christopher quickly realized things would be different on the college mats.

"There are no bad college wrestlers," said Christopher. "Everyone is here because they want to be here, and they all ultimately deserve to compete at this level. In terms of the matches themselves, high school heavyweights were more often than not either out-of-season football players or basically out-of-shape fat kids. College heavyweights, on the other hand, are much more athletic, and as such the matches are much more demanding."

Christopher's first season of collegiate grappling was somewhat of a rollercoaster. He finished third on the team with 24 wins, but he also lost 20 bouts, including several following the opening round when he would exhaust himself trying to score a quick takedown and pin. Things that worked in high school didn't work the same way in college and Christopher received a crash course as a freshman.

"I thought he seemed athletic for a wrestler of that size, and he was used to winning," recalled Head Coach Andy Vogel, a former All-American at Messiah College. "I saw a lot of potential, but knew it would take some time to develop. He wasn't in the best of shape, and that made it hard to finish matches strong."

After finishing fourth at the Centennial Conference Championships, Christopher turned over a new leaf heading into his sophomore campaign. An improved diet and workout regime sliced his weight by over 50 pounds. No more soda and no more sweets led to a leaner and meaner Bullet heavyweight.

"By being lighter it's easier to have good conditioning, so there is basically a reciprocal relationship between the two things," noted Christopher. "The pace and physicality of college matches is much different than high school ones, and this is what basically necessitated the weight loss in the first place. My overall condition is much better than it was when I was heavier."

The improvements in conditioning have spelled success on the mats. Over the last three seasons, Christopher has won more than two-thirds of his bouts. He placed third at his second CC Championships in 2009 and he captured his first tournament championship at the King's College Monarch Invitational in his junior season debut.

Early in his career, Christopher tried to pin everybody because he was aware he could gas out by the end of the match. Now though, he lets the opportunities come to him, while not placing himself in dire circumstances.

As a result, he has become a much more efficient wrestler. Christopher has racked up 23 pins over the last three seasons, all but one of which has occurred in the first round. During his junior campaign, he logged a career-high 10 falls, including a 14-second throw of Elizabethtown College's Mike Daub, the fastest recorded pin by a Bullet in program history.

"Now, I just try to pace myself," said Christopher. "If a situation presents itself wherein I am able to catch my opponent in a pin, then I go for it, but I never try to force it. In dual meets, if our team needs the six points that are awarded for a pin then I will try my hardest to do so, but trying to do it quickly isn't necessarily my primary objective.

"It's something pretty cool to have under my belt," he added in reference to the 14-second pin. "It will be interesting to see how long that stands, but it is neat to know that out of all the matches that have been wrestled in the history of the college, I was able to end my opponent faster than anyone else who has been a Bullet wrestler."

Despite the success, there were many bumps in the road along the way. Midway through his sophomore year, he was knocked out of competition with a concussion. Muscle pulls and strains, sprained ankles and joints, and other ailments are commonplace in wrestling, and Christopher was forced to less than 30 competitive bouts in each of his sophomore and junior campaigns.

"Missing time from this sport is tough," noted Christopher, "mainly because of the high level of conditioning that one must maintain in order to be competitive."

Weight issues and physical ailments put Christopher on the same level as nearly every other collegiate wrestler. It's a fact of life when you choose to compete in a sport where two people expend more energy in seven minutes than most do in a whole day. What makes Christopher's career and persona more impressive, however, is the way he has dealt with mental and emotional stress beyond the normal scope of what a student-athlete typically deals with.

Late in the fall of his sophomore season, Christopher's mother, Carol, went to the hospital for what she assumed was just minor pains in her chest. However, the prognosis turned out to be much worse as she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. In just over a year, the disease ran its course and Carol passed away on Jan. 31, 2010.

"The passing of my mother was a much more emotionally challenging," said Christopher. "Though I am passionate about wrestling, it sort of took a backseat for a while."

Christopher missed time throughout his sophomore and junior seasons as his mother struggled with the disease. When he did return to the team, it was a challenge mentally and emotionally; he wanted to be at home and help take care of his mother, but at the same time he wanted to be on the mat, if nothing else to take a brief respite from the emotional turmoil. Having his mother follow his progress from home ultimately helped him get through those tough times.

"My mother was a very proud woman," said Christopher. "Every time I did well she would just be so visibly excited to let other people know how I did. A lot of times I would get through tough matches knowing that this would make her day. Though she didn't give me any special message directly related to wrestling, my mom always told me to follow my heart and to do the things that I wanted to do. Whether this is wrestling or not, she was always very supportive and believed in me, and wanted me to do the things that I was passionate about."

Amazingly, Christopher returned to the team just two weeks after his mother's death to compete in the CC Championships. He knew his team needed him, and he knew his mother would want him to be there.

"It's been tough the past few years as he has had to deal with his mother's illness," noted Vogel. "He was clearly affected by it, as anyone would be, but he managed to still become one of the best heavyweights we've ever had at Gettysburg. The conference tournament was tough last year, coming just two weeks after his mother's death, but I thought it was admirable that he came back and finished the season at all, as nobody would have faulted him if he decided to sit out the end of the year."

Christopher and Vogel have high hopes for his final collegiate campaign. He's become a team leader, setting standards during practices and competitions for his teammates. He has already taken over the heavyweight wins record at the school, but the elusive conference heavyweight title and the NCAA automatic bid still lie on the horizon. To get to both, Christopher will need to climb through arguably the toughest division in the conference that features several championship contenders, including two-time champ Brock Glotfelty of McDaniel College.

"I know what I need to do to go to the national tournament," remarked Christopher. "Our conference only gets one national bid for each weight class, and Glotfelty has been the man for the past two years. There's no way around him, and I must beat him in order to achieve this goal. I know I am physically capable of doing so, but it is going to be a mental challenge to prepare myself, and to ultimately realize this goal."

Christopher has been knocked down by opponents, physical ailments, and even death. However, despite the setbacks, he has always managed to get back up and find his way to his goals, whatever those may be.
Franklin & Marshall Downs Gettysburg Wrestling 34-9

Bobby Christopher earns decision at heavyweight

LANCASTER, Pa. - Senior Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) picked up a victory in his heavyweight match, but Gettysburg College fell to NCAA Division I Franklin & Marshall College 34-9 on Wednesday night inside the Mayser Center.

Gettysburg (5-11) jumped ahead initially with a forfeit at 125, but Franklin & Marshall won each of the next eight matches, including three by fall. Freshman Dan Traficanti (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski School), junior Matt Danielson (Bethesda, Md./Bullis School), and senior DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) each lost by just two points at 141, 149, and 184, respectively.

Christopher was locked 4-4 with Dan Caulfield late in the heavyweight match up, but the senior scored a takedown with 24 seconds left to secure a 6-4 win. He improved to 21-6 on the season and moved one win shy of 10th on the program's all-time wins list with a mark of 85-38.

Gettysburg closes out is Centennial Conference schedule this weekend with a quadrangular hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology. The Bullets will face the hosts and the United States Merchant Marine Academy, both conference opponents, in addition to Yeshiva University beginning at 1 p.m.

Franklin & Marshall 34, Gettysburg 9

125: Abe Evan (GC) by forfeit (0-6)

133: Jake Bucha (F&M) pinned Matt Spano, 3:24 (6-6)

141: Aaron Velasquez (F&M) dec. Dan Traficanti, 9-7 (9-6)

149: Andrew Murano (F&M) dec. Matt Danielson, 7-5 (12-6)

157: Eric Norgard (F&M) maj. dec. Joe Fiore, 11-3 (16-6)

165: Anthony Bongarzone (F&M) pinned Anthony Iorio, 2:28 (22-6)

174: Matt Fullowan (F&M) dec. Jared Leon, 9-3 (25-6)

184: Matt Latessa (F&M) dec. D.J. Neri, 5-3 (28-6)

197: Colin Ely (F&M) pinned Marshall Puls, 2:23 (34-6)

285: Bobby Christopher (GC) dec. Dan Canfield, 6-4 (34-9)
Gettysburg Grapplers Earn Two Wins at Messiah Quad

Bullets take down King's, Morrisville State

GRANTHAM, Pa. - Junior Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) and freshman Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) each won three matches to lead Gettysburg to a 2-1 record at a quadrangular hosted by Messiah College on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Gettysburg (5-10) lost a close match to host Messiah to start the day as the Falcons won three of the final four bouts to secure a 24-18 win. The Bullets bounced back with decisive wins over King's (Pa.) College (27-13) and Morrisville State College (31-9), winning a combined 14 of 20 matches overall.

Iorio was perfect in three bouts at 165 pounds as his season record jumped to 8-3. He opened with his second fall of the year against the hosts, pinning Ryan Pastore in 3:35 and tying the team scoring in that match at 15-15 before Messiah ran off the next three decisions. Iorio added 4-2 and 4-0 decisions against King's and Morrisville, respectively, to close the day.

Spano tacked on a pair of pins and a forfeit at 133. He took down Messiah's Kyle Coblentz in 4:50 and tossed King's Mike Laporta in overtime (7:32) for his fifth and sixth pins of the season. Spano improved to 18-17 on the year.

Senior Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons), sophomore Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial), and freshmen Dan Traficanti (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski School) and Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) each tacked on two wins for the Bullets. Christopher closed the Messiah match with a hard-fought 3-2 decision before blowing through King's heavyweight in just 25 seconds. The wins boosted the senior's record to 20-6, giving him his third 20-win campaign.

Traficanti and Fiore each went 2-1 at 141 and 157, respectively. Traficanti opened with a pair of decisions against Messiah (7-1) and King's (9-4) before a one-point loss to Morrisville State (4-3). Fiore was pinned in his opener, but he rebounded with 7-2 and 4-3 decisions in his final two bouts.

Wrestling competitively for the first time in three weeks, Leon was perfect in two matches at 174. He beat King's Amhed Burton 7-4 and closed with his fourth major decision (12-3) against Morrisville State's Jeremy Hoyte to improve to 23-7 on the year.

Senior DJ Neri (Fairfax Station, Va./W.T. Woodson) and sophomore Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) each posted pins at 184 and heavyweight, respectively, , while sophomore Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) added a 9-3 decision at 197 against Morrisville State. Junior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) kicked off Gettysburg's win over King's with a 9-6 win at 125.

Gettysburg returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at NCAA Division I Franklin & Marshall College at 7:30 p.m.

Messiah 24, Gettysburg 18

125 - Andrew Rentzel (MC) dec. Abe Evans, 9-6 (3-0)

133 - Matt Spano (GC) pinned Kyle Coblentz, 4:50 (3-6)

141 - Dan Traficanti (GC) dec. Matt Gusick, 7-1 (3-9)

149 - Dave Standridge (MC) pin Jack Bostrom, 1:21 (9-9)

157 - Mike Bressler (MC) pinned Joe Fiore, 4:59 (15-9)

165 - Anthony Iorio (GC) pinned Ryan Pastore, 3:35 (15-15)

174 - Ricardo Plummer (MC) dec. Adam Finkelstein, 7-3 (18-15)

184 - C. Jones (MC) dec. Luke Mitchell, 6-3 (21-15)

197 - Tim Hopkins (MC) dec. Marshall Puls, 3-1 (24-15)

285 - Bobby Christopher (GC) dec. Pat Hogan, 3-2 (24-18)

Gettysburg 27, King's 13

125 - Abe Evans (G) dec. Ricky Dorsey, 9-6 (3-0)
133 - Matt Spano (G) pinned Mike Laporta, 7:32 (9-0)
141 - Dan Traficanti (G) dec. James Straight, 9-4 (12-0)
149 - Chris Mazzocchi (K) major dec. Jack Bostrom, 10-0 (12-4)
157 - Joe Fiore (G) dec. Gordon Custer, 7-2 (15-4)
165 - Anthony Iorio (G) dec. Frank Marinucci, 4-2 (18-4)
174 - Jared Leon (G) dec. Ahmed Burton 7-4 (21-4)
184 - Mike Reilly (K) tech fall D.J. Neri, 17-1 (21-9)
197 - Peter Dwyer (K) major dec. Marshall Puls, 10-2 (21-13)
285 - Bobby Christopher (G) pinned Cemah Tudae-Turboh, 0:25 (27-13)

Gettysburg 31, Morrisville 9

125 - Justin Delamothe (M) dec. Abe Evans, 7-6 (0-3)

133 - Matt Spano (G) win by forfeit (6-3)

141 - Dante Epps (M) dec. Dan Traficanti, 4-3 (6-6)

149 - Peyton Amato (M) dec. Jack Bostrom, 4-3 (6-9)

157 - Joe Fiore (G) dec. Goodson Philippe, 4-3 (9-9)

165 - Anthony Iorio (G) dec. Anthony Vorndran, 4-0 (12-9)

174 - Jared Leon (G) major dec. Jeremy Hoyte, 12-3 (16-9)

184 - DJ Neri (G) pinned Zachary McCutcheon, 3:40 (22-9)

197 - Marshall Puls (G) dec. Joseph Rodriguez, 9-3 (25-9)

285 - Kevin Poplaski (G) pinned Todd Hall, 2:26 (31-9)
Gettysburg 41, Muhlenberg 12

Gettysburg beats Muhlenberg 41-12

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Gettysburg College wrestling team earned a split in a Centennial Conference triangular hosted by Ursinus College, beating Muhlenberg College 41-12 before dropping a 31-12 decision to the hosts.

Gettysburg (3-5, 2-2 CC) took advantage of a depleted Muhlenberg team with four forfeit victories. Freshman Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and sophomore Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) each recorded falls, the former in 29 seconds at 133 and the latter in 3:32 at heavyweight.

Junior Matt Danielson (Bethesda, Md./Bullis School) shut out Patrick Gibson at 157 pounds en route to a 6-0 decision. The Bullets' final decision came from senior DJ Neri (Fairfax Station, Va./W.T. Woodson) who picked up a 5-1 win at 184.

Gettysburg jumped out to a five-point lead on Ursinus as junior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) won by technical fall at 125 pounds. The hosts roared back by winning the next five matches before junior Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) defeated Mike Kevlin 5-2 at 174 pounds. Poplaski capped an undefeated afternoon at heavyweight with his third major decision of the season 10-0 against Brett Smyers.

Next up for the grapplers is a quadrangular hosted by Wilkes University on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m.

Gettysburg 41, Muhlenberg 12

125 - Abe Evans (G) forfeit (6-0)

133 - Matt Spano (G) pinned Michael Slevin, 0:29 (12-0)

141 - Kevin Homan (M) forfeit (12-6)

149 - Jack Bostrom (G) forfeit (18-6)

157 - Matt Danielson (G) dec. Patrick Gibson (M), 6-0 (21-6)

165 - Jonathan Sternlicht (M) pinned Joe Fiore (G), 1:29 (21-12)

174 - Anthony Iorio (G) forfeit (27-12)

184 - DJ Neri (G) dec. William Sholly IV (M), 5-1 (30-12)

197 - Marshall Puls (G) forfeit (36-12)

285 - Kevin Poplaski (G) pinned Nicholas Pallotta, 3:32 (42-12)

Ursinus 31, Gettysburg 12

125 - Abe Evans (G) tech fall LauraLee Lightwood-Mater, 16-0 (4:32) (0-5)

133 - Alex Blank (U) dec. Matt Spano (G), 2-0 (3-5)

141 - Curtis Watkins (U) forfeit (9-5)

149 - Connor McCormick (U) maj dec. Matt Danielson (G), 12-0 (13-5)

157 - John Whitham (U) dec. Joe Fiore (G), 7-2 (16-5)

165 - Bill Reick (U) Forfeit (22-5)

174 - Anthony Iorio (G) dec. Mike Kevlin (U), 5-2 (22-8)

184 - Nate Murren (U) dec. D.J. Neri (G), 5-1 (25-8)

197 - Ted Conrad (U) dec. Marshall Puls (G), 6-0 (31-8)

285 - Kevin Poplaski (G) maj. dec. Brett Smyers (U), 10-0 (31-12)
Three Gettysburg Bullets Wrestle Back at Waynesburg

Christopher, Fiore, Neri win consolation brackets

WAYNESBURG, Pa. - Seniors Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) and DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) and sophomore Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) each placed third in their respective weight classes at the Waynesburg University Invitational on Saturday.

Gettysburg placed sixth out of seven teams with 77.5 points. Waynesburg defended their territory with 142.5 points to out-distance Baldwin-Wallace College (114 points) for the team title.

Seeded second in the heavyweight bracket, Christopher posted a pair of falls in his opening two bouts, pinning Baldwin-Wallace's Ryan Tudor and Waynesburg's Martin Kisla in 2:45 and 1:09, respectively. He was upended in the semis 8-6 by third-seeded Brandon Fedorka from Waynesburg, but the Bullet senior bounced back for a 9-8 win in his first consolation match.

Christopher was set to face teammate Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep), who recorded a pair of wins on the day, in the wrestleback final, but the sophomore was forced to forfeit due to an injury. Christopher placed in the top three at a tournament for the fourth time this season and he improved to 16-5 on the year.

Neri recorded his best career showing at a tournament, but he had to fight through the entire 184 wrestleback to get there. After falling 7-3 in his first match, the senior recorded back-to-back decisions to earn a trip to the consolation final. Facing third-seeded Marlon Baker of Mercyhurst North East, Neri notched his first pin of the season just before the end of the second round (4:59) to grab third place. Neri improved to 7-5 on the season.

Fiore also posted his best tournament finish at 157 pounds. Entering the event with just two pins on the season, the Gettysburg grappler posted a trio of falls, beginning with a pin of McDaniel's Jacob Schuster (1:59) to open the day. After falling 3-1 to the No. 2 seed, Fiore pinned teammate Jack Bostrom (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) in 2:44 and he took down another Green Terror grappler in the consolation championships, pinning Tom Boehm in 3:56 to even his season record at 12-12.

Seeing his first action of the season, junior Anthony Iorio (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) finished fourth at 174 pounds. Iorio picked up three wins in the consolation bracket, including a pin of McDaniel's Marcus Carter in 4:38. Competing at the same weight class as Iorio, freshman Mike Sheehan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) went 4-2 with a pair of pins to place fifth overall. Freshman Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) was seeded second at 174 and won his opening match by fall, but he was forced out of the competition due to injury.

Freshman Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) recorded a fall and finished fourth at 133 pounds, while classmate Dan Traficanti (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski School) tallied a pair of wins at 141. Sophomores Matt Danielson (Bethesda, Md./Bullis School), Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss), and Branden Strohl (Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua) each posted a win at 149, 197, and 285, respectively.

Gettysburg returns to action next Saturday (Jan. 22) for a triangular at Ursinus College with Muhlenberg College. The first match is set to begin at 11 a.m.
Gettysburg College Grapplers Win CC Opener, Christopher Cops Wins Record

Bullets down Washington & Lee 27-15 at W&J quadrangular

WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Gettysburg College wrestling team won its Centennial Conference opener over Washington & Lee University 27-15 and senior heavyweight Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) became the program's all-time wins leader in his weight class at the Washington & Jefferson College Quadrangular on Saturday.

Gettysburg (2-3, 1-0 CC) went 1-2 at the event, opening the day with losses to Washington & Jefferson (27-13) and Muskingum University (24-17) before beating conference foe Washington & Lee. Freshman Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) and junior DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) each posted three wins for the Bullets, while Christopher, junior Matt Danielson (Bethesda, Md./Bullis School), and freshman Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) each earned a pair of wins.

Christopher passed Mike Pattanite '07 for the top spot on the program's heavyweight wins list with a 7-3 decision in his first bout against the host's Taylor Potts. He added a forfeit win against Washington & Lee to improve to 12-3 this season and 76-35 for his career.

The Bullets had to fight from behind to secure a win against the Generals. Washington & Lee won three of the first five bouts contested, securing a fall at 165 to take a 12-9 lead. Leon provided a big blow by pinning Daniel Igel in 2:23 and forfeits at 184 and heavyweight helped secure the win. Gettysburg's remaining wins came via forfeit at 133 and a 5-2 decision by Danielson at 149.

Gettysburg mounted late charges in both of its earlier matches, winning each bout at 174, 184, and heavyweight. Leon was perfect en route to improving to 19-7 on the year, securing an 11-1 major decision against Washington & Jefferson and squeaking out a 6-4 overtime win against Muskingum.

Neri improved to 4-3 with a pair of close wins. He beat the host's Stefen Firmstone 3-2 and edged Muskingum's Danny Dunn 4-2. Sophomore Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) ensured a perfect day at heavyweight for Gettysburg by putting up an 11-2 major decision against Muskingum to improve to 11-6 this season.

Gettysburg also received wins from Danielson and sophomore Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) against Muskingum. Danielson went 2-1 in his season debut by adding an 8-5 win over Kenny Poland, while Fiore took down Thomas Patterson by major decision 12-2 at 157 pounds.

Next up for Gettysburg is a conference match at McDaniel College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

W&J 27, Gettysburg 13

125- Zach Cecchetti (W&J) wins by forfeit

133- Matt Spano (GC) wins by forfeit

141- Chris Leva (W&J) d. Dan Traficanti (GC), 10-3

149- Josh Etzel (W&J) d. Matt Danielson (GC), 2-0

157- Tyler Berger (W&J) vs. Joe Fiore (GC), 2-1

165- David Dibenedetto (W&J) d. Dan Grabfelder (GC), Fall 0:51

174- Jared Leon (GC) d. Eric Kohr (W&J), 11-1

184- DJ Neri (GC) d. Stefen Firmstone (W&J), 3-2

197- Robbie Mies (W&J) d. Marshall Puls (GC), Fall 1:35

285- Bobby Christopher (GC) d. Taylor Potts (W&J), 7-3

Muskingum 24, Gettysburg 17

125- Shawn Feistamel (MUS) wins by forfeit

133- Chip Halko (MUS) d. Matt Spano (GC), Fall 4:56

141- Luke Caracofe (MUS) d. Dan Traficanti (GC), 4-3

149- Matt Danielson (GC) d. Kenny Poland (MUS), 8-5

157- Joe Fiore (GC) d. Thomas Patterson (MUS), 12-2

165- Adam Harris (MUS) d. Dan Grabfelder (GC), Fall 5:45

174- Jared Leon (GC) d. Mike Frasure (MUS), 6-4 (OT)

184- DJ Neri (GC) d. Danny Dunn (MUS), 4-2

197- Lucas Weber (MUS) d. Marshall Puls (GC), 8-3

285- Kevin Poplaski (GC) d. Torrey McCray, Jr. (MUS), 11-2

Gettysburg 27, Washington and Lee 15

125- No match

133- Matt Spano (GC) wins by forfeit

141- Eric Fessel (W&L) d. Dan Traficanti (GC), 6-3

149- Matt Danielson (GC) d. HT Kotchinian (W&L), 5-2

157- Keith Jaworski (W&L) d. Joe Fiore (GC), 4-1

165- David Dennis (W&L) d. Dan Grabfelder (GC), Fall 4:13

174- Jared Leon (GC) d. Daniel Igel (W&L), Fall 2:23

184- DJ Neri (GC) wins by forfeit

197- Jordan Yost (W&L) d. Marshall Puls (GC), 2-0

285- Bobby Christopher (GC) wins by forfeit
Gettysburg Wrestling Set to Take Down Competition

Heavyweight Bobby Christopher shoots for podium return

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Bolstered by the return of three talented upperclassmen, including senior heavyweight Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons), the Gettysburg College wrestling team has its sights set on reaching the podium at the Centennial Conference Championships multiple times this season.

No returning Bullet graced the podium at last winter's conference meet, but the current roster features a blend of youth and experience that will breed a competitive environment for Head Coach Andy Vogel's fourth season at the helm.

"The focus for us this year is on each individual wrestler with the belief that team results will come if each individual has done what he can to be successful," said Vogel. "It's hard to predict anything this far in advance, but I believe each of our returners will fare better than last year, and our incoming freshmen have a good chance to make an impact on the final results."

Christopher rates as one of the top returning grapplers in a stacked Centennial Conference heavyweight division. He ranks third all-time in victories by a Gettysburg heavyweight with a career mark of 64-32, trailing only Mike Pattanite '07 (74-50) and Glenn Faust '84 (66-39-1). In 2009-10, he posted a record of 22-7 with 10 victories by pin, seven of which took less than a minute.

After reaching the conference podium in each of his first two collegiate campaigns, Christopher fell short as a junior with a pair of overtime losses. That should help to serve as motivation for the Florida native heading into his final campaign as a Bullet.

"His attitude and focus are right where we want them to be right now, and it's just a matter of carrying that through a long season," noted Vogel. "He needs to make a few changes to his style to be more aggressive and vary his attacks, but he is as talented as anyone in the conference and should be ready to have one last great season."

Joining Christopher with captain's duties this winter is fellow senior DJ Neri (Fairfax Station, Va./W.T. Woodson). Neri was arguably the team's most improved wrestler last season, posting a record of 15-19 at 174 pounds. At the conference meet, he won his second bout and suffered a pair of close losses, including ending the tournament with a 4-3 sudden-victory setback.

Junior Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover) is another former conference place-winner with designs on returning to the top of the 125-division. After going 16-14 and placing fourth at the 2009 CC Championships, Evans got off to a slow start in his sophomore season and missed the conference tournament altogether. In the off-season, Evans was hard at work, competing at the ASICS University & FILA Cadet National Championships and training at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"They have done a good job taking the lead in our preseason training and first few weeks of practice," said Vogel of his three upperclassmen. "If they can set the tone for how we want to train, the rest of the team will follow along behind."

The overall success largely rests on the shoulders of the youth of the squad. The roster includes five sophomores and seven freshmen that will fill most of the lineup.

"The jump from freshman to sophomore year is always a big one, especially if the wrestlers have put in the extra work that I know our guys have this spring and summer," said Vogel. "It would not surprise me at all to see some of those guys on the podium at the conference tournament in February."

Leading the sophomore class is Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss), who both should retain starting positions at 157 and 197, respectively. Fiore won eight matches and Puls tied for second on the team in wins with 15 as freshmen.

Sophomore Adam Finkelstein (Purdys, N.Y./Somers) will look to be in the mix at 165 after an injury-plagued freshman season, while Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) and Branden Strohl (Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua) provide competition and depth at heavyweight.
vFreshmen have the potential to fill half of Gettysburg's starting lineup this season, but what the group lacks in experience, it will more than make up for in talent according to Vogel.

"This is a pretty talented group, and all seven of them should turn into competitive college wrestlers. Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and Dan Traficanti (Pittsburg, Pa./Kiski School) will be in the lineup right away for us, and a few other guys will be in a dogfight for the starting spot. I know that the returning starters from 157-174 will have to fight hard to hold off guys like Dan Grabfelder (Collegeville, Pa./Germantown Academy), Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough), and Mike Sheehan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe). I'm excited to see how this group matures over the next four years to become winning wrestlers at this level."

Competition will be high this season as Gettysburg takes part in tournaments at King's College, Ursinus College, SUNY Oneonta, Messiah College, and Waynesburg University, in addition to a challenging dual-meet schedule. The Bullets will aim to improve throughout the season and hit their stride going into the Centennial Conference Championships hosted by Washington & Lee University on Feb. 26.
Calhoun Joins Gettysburg Wrestling, Equipment Staffs

Former Pointer enters first season with the Bullets

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Jake Calhoun, a two-time national qualifier at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has joined the Gettysburg College athletics department as an assistant with both the Bullets wrestling program and equipment room.

Calhoun will split duties between helping Head Coach Andy Vogel oversee Gettysburg's NCAA Division III wrestling program and aiding Equipment Manager Kelly Jones in the day-to-day operation of the department's equipment room in 2010-11.

Calhoun came to Gettysburg following an outstanding collegiate career at Stevens Point, where he earned bids to the national tournament in both 2007 and 2008. He earned All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference accolades in three of his four seasons, including winning the 125-pound title in 2007. Calhoun concluded his career by helping the Pointers finish 10th at the 2008 NCAA Championships.

After graduating from Stevens Point with a degree in physical education, Calhoun returned to his alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2009-10 season. The Stevens Point native attended Stevens Point High School where he was a state place-winner in wrestling and graduated with school records for wins and pins.

Calhoun and the Bullets recently started practicing for the fast-approaching season. They have just a month before the start of the new campaign, which officially kicks off on Nov. 6 with the King's College Monarch Invitational.
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)

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