Penn College Wrestlers Finish Third in National Tournament

Competing Sunday in the Penn State University Athletic Conference/United States Collegiate Athletic Association wrestling championships, Pennsylvania College of Technology placed third as a team and crowned two individual champions.

Flashback WrestlingFreshmen Derek Leiby, of Troy, in the 149-pound weight class, and Logan Gresock, of Wadsworth, Ohio, at 174, claimed titles in the nine-team tournament at Rec Hall in University Park and helped the Wildcats to 108 points and a third-place team finish behind No. 1 Newport News Apprentice School and No. 2 Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) University. Among PSUAC schools, Penn College was at the top with Penn State DuBois second in the conference and fourth overall.

Also for Penn College, freshmen Kyle Sunseri, of Athens, at 141; Paul Crutchlow, of Morris Plains, N.J., at 184, and Jasper Ocker, of Burnham, at 197, all scored third-place finishes; sophomore Tyler Myers, of Centre Hall, at 157, placed fourth; freshman Austin Clark, of Elysburg, at 165, placed fifth; and freshman Kevin Sutherland, of Branfort, Conn., at 141, placed sixth.

"I'm pretty happy with the overall results. They guys are continuing to get better and I'm hoping that this is proof to them and helps build their confidence that they are highly competitive at a high level," Penn College coach Schuyler Frey said.

"We're going to take a day off and then start working to peak for our (National College Wrestling Association) regional tournament, which is in two weeks," he added. "We had a fun day in Happy Valley."

Men's Basketball In a game that may very well have long-term implications for the program, the Wildcats proved on Monday that, if you can keep the score close, no matter whom the opponent is, victory is possible. On the road, Penn College, dead last in the PSUAC North Division, squared off against Penn State Brandywine, second in the South Division. Down by nine points with eight minutes to go, the Wildcats went on a run and took the lead on a jump shot by Colton Acorn, of Wellsboro. Forced to foul, Brandywine sent Acorn and Scott Fenton, of Dickson City, to the charity stripe, where they both hit shots to seal a 66-62 win. Fenton finished the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Acorn; Bryant House, of Columbia Cross Roads; and Michael Smith, of Pleasantville, N.J., each scored 13.

Playing at home Wednesday, the Wildcats continued their late-season surge with a 77-75 overtime comeback win over Penn State Scranton. Smith drilled a 3-point shot with five seconds remaining for the game's final points and the victory. Penn College trailed by as many as 14 points with a little more than 13 minutes to play when it started coming back. The score was tied at 63 at the end of regulation. Fenton led the squad with 24 points and 13 rebounds while Acorn scored 14 points and pulled down 10 caroms and Ethan Kline, of Bellefonte, tallied 14 points.

On Thursday against Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Penn College bolted to an 8-1 lead and was up 21-11 midway through the first half, but the visitors fought back for a 58-47 win that snapped the Wildcats' longest win streak of the season at two games. Acorn and Azeez Sulaimon, of Burtonsville, Md., led Penn College with 10 points each. Penn College now is 4-19 overall and 4-10 in the PSUAC.

Saturday's scheduled home game with Penn State New Kensington was postponed.

Women's BasketballAt Penn State Brandywine on Monday, Penn College trailed by 16 at the intermission and couldn't recover in a 70-55 loss. Kierstin Steer, of South Williamsport, scored 16 points for the Wildcats while Mackenzie Brown, of Lititz, scored 14 and Dana Reed, of Sunbury, and Bryanna Valentine, of Mifflinburg, each added 11.

Facing Penn State Scranton on Wednesday, four Penn College players notched double-doubles in a 67-61 loss. Steer had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Reed had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Brown had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Valentine had 10 points and 16 rebounds.

With a 20-point performance, Steer continued her drive toward 1,000 career points in a 67-61 loss to Penn State Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. Valentine and Reed each added 11 points as the Wildcats dropped to 2-21 overall and 1-12 in the conference. Steer now has 949 points in three seasons. Penn College closes out its season Monday at Penn State Schuylkill.

Schedule/Results/Records Men's Basketball Overall record: 4-19 PSUAC record: 4-10Monday, Feb. 6 at Penn State Brandywine, W, 66-62 Wednesday, Feb. 8 host Penn State Scranton, W, 77-75 overtime Thursday, Feb. 9 host Penn State Wilkes-Barre, L, 58-47 Saturday, Feb. 11 host Penn State New Kensington, postponed Monday, Feb. 13 at Penn State Schuylkill, 7:30 p.m.

Women's Basketball Overall record: 2-21 PSUAC record: 1-12 Monday, Feb. 6 at Penn State Brandywine, L, 70-55 Wednesday, Feb. 8 host Penn State Scranton, L, 67-61 Thursday, Feb. 9 host Penn State Wilkes-Barre, L, 67-61 Monday, Feb. 13 at Penn State Schuylkill, 6 p.m. (End of regular season)

Wrestling Overall record: 6-3 PSUAC record: 5-1 Sunday, Feb. 12 PSUAC/USCAA Championships at Rec Hall, University Park, team finished third Friday, Feb. 17 at Lock Haven University (preliminaries), 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 NCWA Mid-East Conference Championships at Valley Forge Military Academy, 10 a.m. March 8-9-10 NCWA National Championships at Daytona Beach, Fla.

ArcherySaturday, March 3 Pennsylvania Indoor Championships at Taylor, to be announced

Vol. 10, No. 26