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(Lock
Haven, Pa.) - Lock
Haven University of Pennsylvania hosts the annual Mat-Town USA Invitational
wrestling tournament this weekend, Saturday, November 30, in Thomas Fieldhouse.
A total of 10 competing teams take to the mats beginning at 9 a.m. and
conclude with the finals at 8 p.m. Teams
grappling for top honors include: University of Buffalo, Franklin &
Marshall College, Lock Haven University, University of Nebraska, Ohio
University, University of Oregon, Penn State University, University of
Pittsburgh, Purdue University, and Slippery Rock University.
The 2002 field contains four teams positioned among the nation’s
top-25 as released by InterMat (11/19/02) and NWCA (11/19/02).
After an eighth-place finish at the national tournament a year ago,
Nebraska enters this weekend rated as the highest-ranked squad at 13th
in the NWCA poll and 18th by InterMat.
Penn State, last year’s Mat-Town champion, has entered the season
highly touted, earning competitive rankings in both polls of 20th (NWCA)
and 17th (InterMat). Purdue is rated 23rd in both
rankings, while Lock Haven holds down a 24th-place rank in the
coaches’ poll.
Known as one of the premier national wrestling events in the early
season, the brackets of this year’s Mat-Town U.S.A. include 29 top-ranked
individual grapplers, including 15 among the top-10 in their respective weight
class. There are six returning
All-Americans and 28 returning NCAA championship participants among the lineups
including, with one exception, at least one pair of 2002 national qualifiers in
each weight class. Six wrestlers who took top honors at the Mat-Town tournament
a year ago return to defend their titles along with a total of 21 of last
year’s top-three placewinners.
The Nittany Lions of Penn State edged out the competition in 2001 for
the team title, scoring 161.50 points with three champions and four runners-up.
Purdue University was second, just 10 points behind with 151.50 points
after placing five wrestlers in the finals with two emerging as champions.
Third and fourth places were decided by one-half a point, with Ohio
University (130.0) squeezing by Lock Haven University (129.5) for third place.
Rounding out the top five was the University of Pittsburgh (121.5).
Old Dominion University (90.5), Franklin and Marshall College (26.5),
Slippery Rock University (18.0), and Bucknell University (9.5) finished sixth
through ninth last season. [link
to 2001 results]
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MAT
TOWN USA
Schedule of Events
Sat., Nov. 30, 2002
Thomas Fieldhouse - Lock Haven, Pa.
First Round: 9 a.m.
Quarterfinals: 12 p.m.
Semifinals: 3 p.m.
Consolation Finals: 6 p.m.
Finals: 8 p.m. |
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ADMISSION
| Time |
Student |
Adult/General |
| Until 2 pm |
$5.00 |
$8.00 |
| 2-5 pm |
$3.00 |
$6.00 |
| After 5 pm |
$2.00 |
$4.00 |
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| Time |
Adult/Reserved |
| Until 2 pm |
$15.00 |
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| 2-5 pm |
$10.00 |
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| After 5 pm |
$5.00 |
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Tickets will be available
for purchase the day of the event.
For advance tickets, call the LHU
Department of Athletics at
(570) 893-2102. |
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Below is a weight-by-weight preview for this season’s
Mat-Town U.S.A. Invitational:
125
Fans will have their eye on a potential showdown
between Purdue’s Chris Fleeger and Nebraska’s Jason Powell in the tussle
for bragging rights at 125 pounds. Fleeger, the 2001 Mat Town champion and Most Outstanding
Wrestler, was an All-American (3rd) in his inaugural season and is
currently ranked second in the nation in both InterMat and AWN polls.
Powell, a junior, is also a 2002 All-American (5th) and
enters this weekend’s action ranked third (InterMat) nationally.
Others to watch at 125 pounds include Lock Haven’s Leslie Morrow and
Jim Collins along with Pittsburgh’s James Thornton and Buffalo’s Michael
Sebaaly.
133
Five ranked wrestlers fill the 133-pound weight class
including four with NCAA tournament experience. Last year’s champion was Josh
Moore of Penn State, but the Nittany Lions’ Marat Tomaev, last year’s
Mat-Town runner-up, is the favored wrestler here this season.
Tomaev is a national qualifier who is currently seated ninth by InterMat.
Teammate Moore is ranked ninth by AWN. Also
on the list of ranked opponents looking to capture a tournament win are Anthony
Carrizales of Ohio (17th – InterMat), Jason Harless of Oregon (19th
– AWN), and Pittsburgh’s Mike May (17th – AWN).
Lock Haven’s Justin Owens was fifth at 141 pounds in the Mat-Town
tourney last season and has moved down a class to challenge for the title.
141
The two finalists from last year’s brackets are
back and ready to go head-to-head once more this year – Penn State’s Scott
Moore, the returning champion, and Mike Maney of Lock Haven, the runner-up.
Looking to dethrone Moore, returning All-American (8th) Mike
Maney is ranked third in the nation in both InterMat and AWN polls.
Moore, who took the win over Maney in the finals on a medical forfeit,
is ranked 16th by InterMat and 14th by AWN.
National qualifier (at 149) Casey Hunt of Oregon enters the national
radar at No. 20 (AWN), and along with Ron Tarquinio of Pittsburgh, could offer
serious challenge to both of the returning placewinners.
149
One of the deepest weight classes is 149 pounds,
where five ranked grapplers, including one returning All-American, will have to
tough it out in order to emerge from the pile as the winner.
Ohio’s Jake Percival headlines the group after placing fourth at the
NCAA Championship as a freshman one year ago.
Percival, the runner-up at last year’s Mat-Town tournament, is
currently ranked fourth the nation. Oregon
senior Tony Overstake comes in with a No. 10-national ranking (InterMat), while
returning national qualifiers Travis Shufelt of Nebraska (16th/15th)
and Justin Giovinco of Pittsburgh (14th/16th) are also
touted wrestlers who will vie for top honors.
Penn State’s James Woodall is 15th in the latest InterMat
poll and will look to make a statement. Lock
Haven’s James LaValle, who placed third at Mat-Town one year ago, and
nationals qualifier Brad Cieleski of Slippery Rock, could also work their way
into the finals.
157
Two of last year’s place finishers, both currently
unranked, return including defending Mat-Town champion Ryan Smith of Ohio. Purdue’s Brad Harper returns after placing third last
season, while teammate Clovis Crane is also in action this season after
rebounding from a late-season injury in 2001-02. Crane is one of two ranked
wrestlers here, currently ranked 17th (InterMat). Penn State’s No.
14-ranked (AWN) Nate Wachter was a national qualifier at 149 pounds last season
and moves up a class to challenge along with Buffalo’s Labe Black. Pittsburgh’s Jason Nestor joins the field as well as Lock
Haven’s Charlie Brenneman, both looking to push the headliners for top
placings.
165
Last year’s champion has jumped up a weight class
but the second and third-place wrestlers return in what will amount to another
exciting battle for the title at 165 pounds.
Three ranked grapplers will hit the mats led by No. 4-ranked (InterMat)
Doc Vecchio of Penn State. Vecchio,
a returning All-American (8th), was third in last year’s
tournament. Purdue’s Oscar
Santiago was last year’s runner-up and is currently ranked 15th by
both InterMat and AWN. A strong newcomer to the Mat-Town field is Oregon’s Luke
Larwin, seated 16th in the nation. Lock Haven’s Jason Gilligan,
the 2001 runner-up at 157 pounds, and Franklin & Marshall’s Craig Frost,
the 2001 third-place winner at 174 pounds, join the field this year and could
both work their way into crown contention.
174
There should be no lack of high-caliber wrestling at
174 pounds with four ranked wrestlers and five returning national qualifiers
among the names that could potentially fill the bracket.
Among the handful of ranked wrestlers here, three are listed in the
top-ten including No. 3-ranked Travis Pascoe of Nebraska, No. 6-ranked Ryan
Lange of Purdue, and No. 9-ranked Carl Fronhofer of Pittsburgh.
Fronhofer was the Mat-Town 165-pound champion last season, and Lange was
second at 174 pounds. Ohio’s
Luke Moore is ranked 15th, while Oregon’s Shane Webster will be
another wrestler in good position to contend for a top finish.
184
At first glance the bracket at 184 pounds appears
slim, with returning champion Penn State’s Mark Becks as the only returning
national qualifier. Becks is the
only ranked grappler (9th) in the field at 184 pounds.
Ohio’s Mark Shrout will offer competition, as well as Buffalo’s
Garrett Bontempo. Others who will
challenge include Nebraska freshman B.J. Padden, Purdue’s Ben Wissell and
Lock Haven’s Morgan Horner.
197
The 197-pound weight class will feature returning
All-American and second-ranked Justin Ruiz of Nebraska.
Two garner the crown, Ruiz will need to get past Purdue’s No.
10-ranked Jon Bush, the 2000 Mat-Town champion and 2001 runner-up.
Buffalo’s Kyle Cerminara has burst onto the scene this season, while
Penn State freshman C.J. Wonsettler and Lock Haven junior Tim Boetsch could
also be contenders.
HWT
The field at heavyweight includes two ranked
wrestlers in No. 9-ranked Eric Webb of Oregon and No. 13-ranked Pat Cummins of
Penn State. Another Penn State wrestler, Josh Walker, could also be in
the mix after finishing in third-place at last year’s tournament.
Lock Haven will front Steve Itterly to challenge in his first Mat-Town
appearance, while Ohio University’s Erik Jones also has a shot at a placing
high.
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