March 5, 2003
Bald Eagle Wrestlers To Vie For EWL Tournament Title

       Last season, the Haven hosted the EWL tournament, finishing in third place by just one-half a point. One Bald Eagle, JaMarr Billman at 149 pounds, captured the individual crown. At 125 pounds, Trap McCormack placed second and Ed Pawlak (174 lbs.) and Josh Millard (184 lbs.) both recorded third-place finishes. Of the current Lock Haven wrestlers, four have competed at the EWL Championships in previous seasons -- Mike Maney (141 lbs.), Charlie Brenneman (157 lbs.), Jason Gilligan (165 lbs.) and Steve Itterly (HWT).

Below is the LHU weight-by-weight preview:

125: Jim Collins (Jonestown/Northern Lebanon) is 12-15 overall and went 2-5 in EWL dual meet competition. Collins’ two league wins came against Geoff Head of Virginia Tech (F, 1:08) and Bloomsburg’s Michael Collins (MD 11-2). This year’s 125-pound class contains three wrestlers ranked among the nation’s best in West Virginia’s #15 Seth Lisa, Pittsburgh’s #17 Jordan Sianni and Cleveland State’s #16 Rocco Mansueto. Edinboro’s Jacob Gray has bounced in and out of the rankings and is also considered a top candidate.

133: Justin Owens (Morrisdale/West Branch) will be right in the mix of things in the 133-pound battle. Owens, at 19-11 on the season, posted a 5-3 mark versus EWL opponents including two technical falls and a pair of major decisions. Returning EWL champion and 11th-ranked Phil Mansueto of Cleveland State returns to defend his title, and the weight class will also include Edinboro’s #12 Shawn Bunch, last year’s 125-pound champion. West Virginia’s #14 Brandon Lauer and Clarion’s #13 Rad Martinez are also in the hunt.

141: No. 7-ranked Mike Maney (Clarence/Bald Eagle Area) was fifth last season and the runner-up at the 2001 EWL championships. Maney, at 25-2 on the season, won each of the four league bouts he wrestled. Top competition for the 141-pound crown includes Edinboro’s Cory Ace, a returning All-American and currently ranked 13th, the 2002 runner-up and 14th-ranked Shane Cunanan of West Virginia, and Clarion’s Frank Edgar. 

149: James LaValle (East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park) owns a 12-16 season mark including a 2-4 ledger against EWL opponents. The favorites at 149 pounds include West Virgina’s #9 Billy Smith, #15 Pittsburgh’s Justin Giovinco, and Cleveland State’s Anthony Coleman. 

157: Charlie Brenneman (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg) returns to action after taking a month off to rehabilitate a knee injury. Brenneman is 13-14, and was 1-2 in EWL action before the injury. Last season, the Bald Eagle finished fourth at 165 pounds at the EWL tournament. Bloomsburg’s #14 George Carter comes into championship as the top-ranked grappler at 157 pounds, followed by a handful of potential candidates for top honors in West Virginia’s Matt Lebe, Clarion’s Jeremy Reitz, Edinboro’s Eric Ring and Virginia Tech’s Chris Stith. 

165: Jason Gilligan (Brookville/Brookville) has accumulated a pair of fifth-place finishes at the EWL championships over the past two seasons. With a 16-10 overall ledger and a 3-2 EWL mark, Gilligan will have to contend with both of last season’s finalists in returning champion and 16th-ranked Tom McMath of West Virginia and Edinboro’s #15 Matt R. King. Pittsburgh’s Francis Iorfido and Cleveland State’s Jason Effner are also top challengers.

174: This will be the first EWL Championships experience for Chris Haines (Gettysburg/Gettysburg), who enters with 10-15 overall and 2-5 EWL records. Returning EWL and national champion Greg Jones of West Virginia is the odds on favorite, while Bloomsburg’s #19 Hunter Guenot and Pittsburgh’s #13 Carl Fronhofer are both potential spoilers. 

184: Mike Greenberg (Canton/Canton) is 12-17 on the season and was 2-5 in EWL match-ups. Three of his five losses, however, came by three points or less. Another strong weight class, returning EWL champion and 14th-ranked Scott Justus of Virginia Tech returns along with #4 Gerald Harris of Cleveland State and #16 Ryan Wilman of West Virginia. 

197: The 197-pound bracket should produce some exciting match-ups including LHU’s Morgan Horner (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J./Hasbrouck Heights). Horner brings in a season ledger of 17-8 and has gone 5-2 in league dual meets. His two losses came versus Cleveland State’s Stipe Miocic and Edinboro’s #5 David Shunamon, both strong contenders for the title. Returning champion Eric Mausser of Clarion is ranked 14th and is also in the fight for the crown again this season. 

HWT: Steve Itterly (Bethlehem/Nazareth) makes his second appearance at the EWL tournament, and will look to build on the sixth-place finish recorded one year ago. Itterly is 16-13 overall and has a 3-3 EWL ledger. Standing in the way of a top finish in the heavyweight bracket are two-time EWL champion and ninth-ranked John Testa, along with #13 Russ Davie of Cleveland State, West Virginia’s #14 Brent Miller and Edinboro’s Joe Hennis.

UP NEXT: Bald Eagles who qualify will travel to the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., for the NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships from March 20-22. The top three placewinners in each weight class, along with eight wild cards, advance to the national championships.

###LHU###