November 26, 2003
Bald Eagles Host 2003 Mat-Town USA Invitational This Saturday

Below is a weight-by-weight preview for this season’s Mat-Town U.S.A. Invitational:

125
         Two ranked grapplers and two of last season’s placewinners could be among the crowd at 125 pounds. North Carolina’s Chris Rodrigues is a returning NCAA qualifier and All-American who is ranked 16^th in both AWN and InterMat national polls.  Ranked 18^th by AWN, Cornell’s Alejandro Alvarez was a national qualifier at 133 last season but is now wrestling at 125 pounds.  Other wrestlers who have bounced in and out of the rankings in the early season include Jordan Sianni of Pittsburgh and Adam Smith of Penn State.  Sianni was third and Smith was fifth at last year’s Mat-Town tournament.
       Lock Haven returning starter Jim Collins could leave his mark as a formidable opponent on his home turf.  Buffalo’s Mark McKnight has drawn starting duties of late, and will battle against national qualifier Bobby Stinson or Jim DiCicco of Rider, Drew Headlee of Pittsburgh or Matt Smith of Ohio. Clarion’s Peter Derstine is certainly a contender, as are potentials Chris Lape and Mike Lauff of Slippery Rock.

133
           The 133-pound weight class has the makings of a top-two showdown, as No. 1 Travis Lee of Cornell and Penn State’s No. 2 ranked Josh Moore could potentially square off at some point this weekend.  Lee captured the NCAA title at 125 pounds last season and Moore is the returning Mat-Town champion and was an All-American last season after placing third.   A host of other wrestlers will try to play spoiler, including Lock Haven freshman Casey Moore who placed second to Moore at last weekend’s East Stroudsburg Open.  Also look for Ohio’s Anthony Carrizales, a two-time national qualifier, or Jim Fowler, Buffalo’s Brian Sebaaly or Cliff Smith, North Carolina’s Bobby Shaw and Pittsburgh’s Adam Curry or Tyshawn Scharlet to fill in the placewinner slots on the 133-pound bracket.   Young but not to be taken lightly, Clarion’s Doug Surra and Rider’s Don Fisch will also be competing in their first Mat-Town tournament.

141
          Four of the nation’s top wrestlers at 141 pounds make their return to Thomas Fieldhouse, including last year’s champion DeWitt Driscoll of Penn State. Driscoll was also named 2002 Mat-Town Most Outstanding Wrestler and is currently ranked as high as 17^th (InterMat) in the nation.  His top challenger is a former teammate, No. 2 Scott Moore who now wrestles for Virginia.  He was an All-American last season after finishing fourth overall.  Moore was the 141-pound Mat-Town champion in 2002, and finished as the runner-up to Driscoll, 7-6, last season.  Pittsburgh’s Ronald Tarquinio was an 8-3 victim of Driscoll’s in 2002, finishing sixth overall. A national qualifier, Tarquinio is also nationally ranked as high as 17^th by AWN.  Rider’s Mike Molosky is the fourth ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, making an appearance among the nation’s notable wrestlers at 20^th in the latest InterMat poll.
           Nick Hawlrylchak of Lock Haven could pose a challenge for nationally ranked quartet, as could Clarion’s Frank Edgar, a returning national qualifier.  Others looking to mix things up include North Carolina’s Jacob Paul, Buffalo’s Mike Trotta, Cornell’s Mike Reish and Ryan Bridge, Ohio’s Aaron Gromoll and Slippery Rock’s Cory Mancuso.

149
            Only one placewinner from last year’s bracket returns and is joined by No. 3 (AWN)/No. 11 (InterMat) Mike Maney of Lock Haven.  Maney, a two-time All-American who was third at 141 pounds last season, has since moved up a weight class. The third-place finisher in 2002 was Penn State’s Nathan Galloway, but a new addition to the field is a nationally ranked Penn State freshman Matt Storniolo. Storniolo is ranked 10^th by InterMat, most recently capturing the East Stroudsburg Open title. Returning All-American and No. 2 ranked Dustin Manotti hails from Cornell and will also factor into the wrestlers’ placement on the awards stand.
         Buffalo’s Labe Black, a national qualifier at 157 pounds, has moved into the 149-pound bracket, and could wreak havoc on the expectations of the aforementioned trio of ranked wrestlers.
         Others who could pull off an upset over the pre-tournament favorites or place high are Pittsburgh’s Matt Kocher, Buffalo’s Jody Ashline and Patrick Lloyd, North Carolina’s Brett Baglio, Ohio’s Brandon Shriver and Lock Haven’s Brian Hoover.

157  
           Fans will be hard-pressed to find an uneventful match-up at 157 pounds, a bracket that could contain three ranked wrestlers as well as four of last year’s placewinners.  Last year’s 157-pound champion was Ohio ’s No. 3-ranked Jake Percival, who returns in search of his second title after capturing his second All-America honor at the 2003 national champinships.  Lock Haven’s Charlie Brenneman placed third last year, and while he is unranked, cannot be ignored after a second-place finish last week in the East Stroudsburg Open. Cornell’s Scott Roth, a two-time national qualifier at 165 and 13^th in the nation, is a competitive addition to the field.  Placing seventh here last season was Justin Nestor of Pittsburgh , who returns this time around after an appearance at the national tournament and a current national ranking of 14^th (AWN). 
        Slippery Rock’s Brad Cieleski was seventh at 149 pounds last season but will compete at 157 pounds this weekend.  Penn State could place James Woodall or Jarrad Turner high, and Buffalo’s Dave Edwards and Rider’s Dave Miller are also potential placewinners.  North Carolina’s Ashton Buswell, Lock Haven’s Seth Martin, and Clarion’s Stephen Stremple and Chris Horning will also be in competition.

165
          There will be no shortage of top-notch wrestling at 165 pounds with three ranked grapplers and another two who placed at last year’s Mat-Town invite among the contenders. Pittsburgh ’s Zach Doll, a national qualifier, carries a current national rank of ninth (InterMat).  Virginia’s Tim Foley, a national qualifier at 157 pounds last season, is currently ranked 18^th by InterMat.  Cornell’s Joe Mazzurco has earned a No. 16 ranking courtesy of InterMat.  Clarion national qualifier Jeremy Reitz won last weekend’s East Stroudsburg Open and will be a threat as will Mat-Town veterans Jason Gilligan of Lock Haven and Slippery Rock’s Jason Cardillo.  Gilligan is a two-time national qualifier and Mat-Town placewinner.  Penn State’s Jeremy Hart, Nick Rausenberger of Buffalo, Rider’s Ryan Cunningham, Garrett Atkinson of North Carolina and Ohio’s Tony DeAnna could also be among the top placewinners at the end of the day.

174
          In the 174-pound contest, Ohio’s Ed Willis was fifth last season and Lock Haven’s Mike Greenberg was seventh, but both could be upstaged by several characters who will also have their eyes on the first-place finish.  Cornell’s Tyler Baier, a returning national qualifier, is ranked 12^th by InterMat. Francis Iorfido of Pittsburgh has been ranked as high as 17^th this season.  Buffalo’s Ed Pawlak was a two-time Mat-Town placewinner and a national qualifier and could also be among the top finishers. Penn State’s James Yonushonis and Slippery Rock’s Charles Pienaar could also challenge.  Rider’s Chris Marold and Joe Maroney are candidates, as are Clarion’s Aaron Wright and Lock Haven’s Dan Riggs and Ryan Summers.  Riggs was sixth at the 2002 Mat-Town invite, wrestling at 184 pounds.

184
         Another competitive bracket will be unveiled at 184 pounds, with four ranked wrestlers and a group of unranked but hungry grapplers looking for the title. Rider’s Nick Catone headlines the group, ranked 14^th by AWN and 16^th by InterMat.  North Carolina’s Mark Canty, a national qualifier at 174 and still ranked among the 174-pounders at 15th, moves up to join the 184-pound battle.  Clarion will utilize freshman Kyle Cathcart who has been ranked as high as 16^th by InterMat.  Cornell’s Ray Callaway is ranked 19^th  and could also challenge for top honors.
          Only one of last year’s placewinners returns, seventh-place finisher Travis Smith of Ohio.  Mike Greenberg of Lock Haven, Garrett Hicks of Buffalo, Cornell’s Jerry Rinaldi, Pittsburgh’s Mike Croyle and Penn State’s Eric Bradley will also make things interesting for the ranked competitors.

197
         Two top-ten ranked wrestlers could clash at 197 pounds, the stage set for a possible meeting between Lock Haven’s No. 4 Morgan Horner and Cornell’s No. 8 Matt Greenberg.  Last year’s fourth-place finisher Kyle Cerminara of Buffalo has also earned a national ranking of 18^th(AWN), and will offer up strong challenge to both Horner and Greenberg. North Carolina’s Venroy July and  Penn State’s Phillip Davis and Adrian Rivera could push here, as could Ohio’s Marcus Adelman and Joel Weimer, a 6^th place finisher in 2002, Rider’s Jared Terrell and Pittsburgh’s Josh Birt.

HWT
        Penn State’s Pat Cummins was ranked 13^th in the nation last season when he captured the Mat-Town title at heavyweight, but an All-America title and a first-place ranking (InterMat) later, he enters this weekend’s tournament as the obvious favorite.  Another Nittany Lion, Josh Walker, was second last season here, and Lock Haven’s Steve Itterly wound up eighth overall. Ohio ’s Jeremiah Beltran placed sixth at the ’02 Mat-Town Invite.  Two other ranked grapplers will challenge Cummins and the rest of the field for top honors, No. 8 Carmelo Marrero of Rider, a national qualifier, and North Carolina’s Ryan Adams, who is ranked 20^th by AWN.  
         Names that could also surface include Greg Thomas of Buffalo, Cornell’s Mat Bogunil, Pittsburgh’s Travis Shirley, Lock Haven’s Tim Meyers and Clarion’s Matt Wilcox.

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