Preview

Feb. 27, 2008

GOLDEN BEAR GRAPPLERS HEADED TO NCAA EAST REGIONALS 

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University wrestling team will take part in the 2008 NCAA Division II East Regional Championships this Friday-Saturday, Feb. 29-March 1, at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

KU enters the regionals after completing its dual-meet schedule with a 10-4-1 record. This year’s East Regional Tournament will feature several of the nation’s top-ranked teams, including No. 7 Newberry (S.C.), No. 8 Pitt-Johnstown, No. 12 Gannon, No. 14 Mercyhurst and No. 19 Limestone (S.C.).    

Also competing are American International (Mass.), Anderson (S.C.), Belmont Abbey (N.C.), North Carolina-Pembroke, Shippensburg, St. Andrews Presbyterian (N.C.) and West Liberty State (W.Va.).

KU placed sixth at last year’s regional, which was hosted by UNC-Pembroke. Pitt-Johnstown won the team title for the fifth consecutive season. 

KU’s grapplers will battle for berths to the NCAA Championships, March 14-15 at Upper Iowa University. The top four finishers in each of the 10 weight classes advance to nationals.

The Golden Bears have one wrestler looking to make his way back to nationals, and several other grapplers looking to make noise at regionals and earn their first national berths.  

Last season, 149-pounder Chris Chambers (so. Holland/Council Rock South) placed fourth at regionals and is KU’s only returning national qualifier from a year ago. Chambers, a two-time NCAA qualifier, holds a record of 17-8 this season.    

Four other Golden Bears will bring winning records into the tournament.  At 157pounds, David Zeek (so. Newtown/Council Rock North) is 17-10.  At 184 pounds, Kyle Davis (so. Peckville/Valley View) is 16-8.  Both are competing at regionals for the second straight season. 

Rookie Kevin Bolinsky (fr. Ashland/North Schuylkill), at 285 pounds, and Scott Snyder (so. Slatington/Northern Lehigh), at 197 pounds, will make their regional debuts.  Bolinsky is 15-8 on the year, while Snyder is 16-8.  Snyder is a transfer from UNC-Greensboro, while Bolinsky was a member of the KU football team this past fall.

Rounding out KU’s probable lineup will be Eddie Harris (fr. Wilmington, Del./Howard), at 125, Rob Vollrath (fr. Richboro/Council Rock South), at 133, Jamie Soupik (fr. Boyertown/Boyertown), at 141, Sonny Flood (jr. Southampton/William Tennent), at 165, and Curtis Beardsell (jr. Warminster/William Tennent) , at 174. 

Sessions one and two of wrestling will begin at 4 p.m. Friday  and will consist of the preliminaries, quarterfinals and two rounds of consolations. On Saturday, Session three will begin at 10 a.m. with the semifinals and the consolation quarterfinals, followed by the consolation semifinals at approximately 12:30 p.m.  The final session will start at 2:30 p.m., featuring the finals, consolation finals, fifth-sixth place matches and true-fourth matches.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children younger than 12 years of age per session.  All-Tournament passes and complimentary tickets will not be available.

GOLDEN BEARS LEFT WITH FIVE WRESTLERS AT EAST REGIONAL

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Five Kutztown University wrestlers advanced to the consolation quarterfinals at the NCAA Division II East Regionals at Pitt-Johnstown Friday.

Kyle Davis (so. Peckville/Valley View),  Scott Snyder (so. Slatington/Northern Lehigh) and Kevin Bolinsky (fr. Ashland/North Schuylkill) all collected pins in the second round of consolations to advance to Saturday’s competition.

Chris Chambers (jr. Holland/Council Rock South), with a technical fall at 149 pounds, and Dave Zeek (so. Newtown/Council Rock North), with a decision at 157, did the same, advancing in the consolations quarterfinals.

Bolinsky, a No. 7 seed at heavyweight, also picked up a pin in the first round of the championship bracket. He flattened Belmont Abbey College’s Justin Moriarty in 1:28, before losing 3-2 to Pitt-Johnstown’s Zach Majocha, who was seeded No. 2.

Zeek, the No. 7 seed, was the only other KU wrestler to win a bout in the championship bracket, decisioning American International College’s Martin Thompson Jr. 3-1.

Fourth-seeded Chambers, seventh-seeded Davis at 184 and fifth-seeded Snyder at 197 each had first-round byes.

All three, along with Zeek and Bolinsky, lost their second-round bouts to move down to the consolation bracket.

There, Chambers won 17-1 in 4:28 over American International’s Derrick Sandiford. Chambers will face eighth-seeded Ryan McIntyre, of Pitt-Johnstown in the consolation quarterfinals.

Zeek decisioned UNC-Pembroke’s Rashaad Saunders 4-2 and will advance to face Gannon University’s Brandon Monin, who is seeded No. 3.

Davis pinned American International College’s Yaakov Bloch in 6:31, while Snyder took down St. Andrew’s Charles Richardson (1:57) and Bolinsky pinned St. Andrew’s Andre Ellerbe (2:02).

As a team, KU is in 10th place with 15.0 points. Pitt-Johnstown is in first with 59.5 points and Newberry College is second with 53.0 points.

ZEEK QUALIFIES FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN IOWA

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Dave Zeek (so. Newtown/Council Rock North) placed fourth at the NCAA Division II East Regionals at Pitt-Johnstown Saturday to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Zeek was one of five Kutztown University wrestlers competing in the second day of the East Regionals, but he was the only one to advance to the third-place bout.

Chris Chambers (jr. Holland/Council Rock South), Kyle Davis (so. Peckville/Valley View), Scott Snyder (so. Slatington/Northern Lehigh) and Kevin Bolinsky (fr. Ashland/North Schuylkill) all competed in fifth-place bouts, with Chambers and Bolinsky emerging victorious.

Fourth-seeded Chambers, at 149, defeated Anderson University’s Nick DiCarlo 3-2 to claim fifth, while Bolinsky, at heavyweight, won 1-0 against West Liberty State College’s Joey McGee in his fifth-place bout.

Davis, at 184, lost to fourth-seeded Bryan Wolf 15-9, and at 197, Limestone College’s David Bush decisioned Snyder 3-2.

Zeek decisioned Gannon University’s Brandon Monin 13-8 in the quarterfinals before winning 7-2 over Limestone College’s Mikel Bush in the semifinals.

But second-seeded Dan Nauman, from Shippensburg, pinned Zeek in 4:59.

Like Zeek, the other four KU wrestlers in action Saturday won their consolation quarterfinal bouts.

Chambers, who had the Golden Bears’ best seed, decisioned eighth-seeded Ryan McIntyre, of Pitt-Johnstown 4-2 to open the day. However, he couldn’t duplicate his success in the consolation semifinals, as third-seeded Zack McKendree, of Gannon University, pinned him in 1:09.

Davis, seeded seventh, upended the sixth seed, Shippenburg’s Jon Hade, with a 4-2 decision, but No. 5 Pino Scavella, of Gannon University, pinned him in 2:48 in the consolations semifinals.

Fifth-seeded Snyder won 7-5 in the quarterfinals, decisioning Belmont Abbey College’s Tim Stanton. No. 3 Trevor Gallo, of Mercyhurst College, however, decisioned Snyder 3-1 in the semifinals.

Seventh-seeded Bolinsky, who had two pins Friday, decisioned No. 6 Kenny Bluska, of Mercyhurst College, 3-2 before falling 7-0 to No. 4 Frank McGrath, of Gannon University.

KU finished ninth overall in the team standings with 43 points. Newberry College won the team title with 129.5 points, ahead of host Pitt-Johnstown, which had 121 points. Mercyhurst (87), Gannon (83.5) and West Liberty State College (83.5) round out the top five.

Zeek will represent KU and travel to the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the NCAA Division II Championships on March 14-15. Upper Iowa University will host the tournament.

KEY: Pitt Johnstown (UPJ); Newberry College (NC); Gannon University (GU); West Liberty State College (WLSC); Mercyhurst College (MC); Limestone College (LC); Shippensburg University (SU); UNC-Pembroke (UNCP); Belmont Abbey College (BAC); Kutztown University (KU); Anderson University (AU); St. Andrews College (SA); American International College (AIC).

First round
125 — No. 8 Ian Barker (LC) pinned Eddie Harris (KU), 3:55
133 — No. 8 Daniel Clausing (LC) dec. Rob Vollrath (KU), 5-0
141 — No. 5 Kevin McElhaney (GU) pinned Jamie Soupik (KU), 1:25
149 — No. 4 Chris Chambers (KU), bye
157 — No. 7 Dave Zeek (KU) dec. Martin Thompson Jr. (AIC), 3-1
165 — Tony Petrella (GU) dec. No. 6 Sonny Flood (KU), 3-1 
174 — No. 5 Joby Shreckhise (LC) dec. Curtis Beardsell (KU), 9-5
184 — No. 7 Kyle Davis (KU), bye
197 — No. 5 Scott Snyder (KU), bye
285 — No. 7 Kevin Bolinsky (KU) pinned Justin Moriarty (BAC), 1:28

Consolation quarterfinals
149 — No. 4 Chris Chambers (KU) dec. No. 8 Ryan McIntyre (UPJ), 4-2
157 — No. 7 Dave Zeek (KU) dec. Brandon Monin (GU), 13-8
184 — No. 7 Kyle Davis (KU) dec. No. 6 Jon Hade (SU), 4-2
197 — No. 5 Scott Snyder (KU) dec. No. 8 Tim Stanton (BAC), 7-5
285 — No. 7 Kevin Bolinsky (KU) dec. No. 6 Kenny Bluska (MC), 3-2

Consolation semifinals
149 — No. 3 Zack McKendree (GU) pinned No. 4 Chris Chambers (KU), 1:09
157 — No. 7 Dave Zeek (KU) dec. Mikel Bush (LC), 7-2
184 — No. 5 Pino Scavella (GU) pinned No. 7 Kyle Davis (KU), 2:48
197 — No. 3 Trevor Gallo (MC) dec. No. 5 Scott Snyder (KU), 3-1
285 — No. 4 Frank McGrath (GU) dec. No. 7 Kevin Bolinsky (KU), 7-0

Consolations finals (third-place bout)
157 — Dan Nauman (SU) pinned No. 7 Dave Zeek (KU), 4:59

Consolations (fifth-place bout)
149 — No. 4 Chris Chambers (KU) dec. Nick DiCarlo (AU), 3-2
184 — No. 4 Bryan Wolff (MC) dec. No. 7 Kyle Davis (KU), 15-9
197 — No. 7 David Bush (LC) dec. No. 5 Scott Snyder (KU), 3-2
285 — No. 7 Kevin Bolinsky (KU) dec. No. 8 Joey McGee (WLSC), 1-0

Final Team Standings
      Pts.        School
1   129.5    Newberry College
2   121.0    Pitt Johnstown
3    87.0     Mercyhurst College
4    83.5     Gannon University
      83.5     West Liberty State College
6    62.5     Limestone College
7    47.0     Belmont Abbey College
      47.0     Shippensburg University
9    43.0     Kutztown University
10  42.0     UNC-Pembroke
11  14.5     Anderson University
      14.5    St. Andrews College
13     3.0   American International College