Competing in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships at Daytona Beach, Fla., Pennsylvania College of Technology had two All-Americans in competition that ended Saturday. Also last week, the baseball team went 4-3 and the softball team was 1-5 in season-opening action in South Carolina, and the archery team was outstanding in state indoor competition.
Wrestling
Freshman Derek Leiby, of Troy, placed third in the 149-pound weight class and sophomore Tyler Myers, of Centre Hall, was eighth at 157. Because of their top-eight finishes, both earned All-American status the first ever for the Wildcats.
"It's a goal that we wanted to achieve, have guys be All-Americans. I'm really excited that we were able to achieve that in our second year," coach Schuyler Frey said.
In his consolation bout for third place, Leiby won by decision over Alex Stemer, of Simon Fraser, 5-2, while Myers dropped a major decision to Josh Ballard, of McKendree, 16-4. Leiby finished the three-day tournament with a 5-1 record and Myers was 3-3.
"(Derek) wrestled extremely well. He faced some really good guys and never backed down from anyone. He believed in himself and wrestled really smart and aggressive," Frey said. "The one match he lost was just by riding time."
And he added of Myers, " Tyler is the true leader of the team, who can't seem to catch any breaks in matches. After last year experiencing nationals, his focus was nothing less than All-American, and he achieved that."
Leiby opened the tourney Thursday with wins by technical fall and decision while Myers recorded a pin and decision. In quarterfinal action Friday, Leiby won on an injury default to move into the semifinals while Myers lost by decision in his quarterfinal and then rebounded with a win by fall in the consolation bracket to stay alive.
Facing top-seeded Dylan Cataline, of California Baptist, in Saturday's semifinal, Leiby dropped an 8-7 decision. He recovered with a win by decision in his first consolation match to get in position for a top-four finish. Myers, meanwhile, lost by decision in his first Saturday bout that left him battling for seventh.
Eliminated in earlier action for Penn College were Kyle Sunseri, of Athens, at 141 (0-2 after losses by pin and decision Thursday); Logan Gresock, of Wadsworth, Ohio, at 174 (1-2 after splitting with a decision win and pin loss Thursday and pin loss Friday); Paul Crutchlow, of Morris Plains, N.J., at 184 (2-2 after winning by fall and then upsetting top-seeded CJ Knowland, of California Baptist, 3-2, on Thursday and then dropping a pair of 5-4 decisions Friday); and Jasper Ocker, of Burnham, at 197 (1-2 after losing a decision and winning by forfeit Thursday and losing a 9-8 decision Friday). All are freshmen.
"Paul personally wrestled out of his mind. He wrestled every match smart, in good positions, stayed aggressive and made things happen," the coach said of Crutchlow's performance.
"Everyone who came down here wrestled extremely well. They wrestled tough. They got after it. A couple of guys wrestled above where I thought they were," Frey said.
Teamwise, Penn College ended No. 17 among 79 teams, bettering last year's 42nd-place finish.
"Everyone had their own goals. They wrestled their hearts out and it was a total team effort to get us to 17. Our hat is off to the guys for working as hard as they have all year long to achieve this," Frey said.
Earlier, the Wildcats won the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship and finished third in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
"I'm really happy with the season. Last year, we ended up with six guys and, this year, we ended up with 10 guys and these 10, as a group, were a total different animal. It was really nice to see what they did and I think it is going to continue to help us build the program. "¦ It's going to set the foundation for next year already," the coach added.
Baseball
Offense was no problem in their first two games Monday as the Wildcats opened play in the Ripken Experience Spring Break Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C., with an 18-4 win over the King's College Jayvee team and 18-6 victory over the Eastern University Jayvees. In the opener against King's, Cody Buterbaugh, of Conestoga, went 3 for 4 at the plate with four runs batted in while Garrett Hornung, of Emporium, also went 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBI. Pitcher Harrison Myers, of Lebanon, earned the win. Against Eastern, Buterbaugh drove in three of seven first-inning runs with a double. Hornung hit a three-run home run in the second to cap a six-run effort. On the mound, Brian Santangelo, of Middletown, Conn., recorded the win with three strikeouts, one hit and no runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Facing Olney College on Tuesday, Penn College fell, 12-2, while giving up six unearned runs on two errors. Offensively, Thomas Hughes, of Easton, went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles.
On Wednesday, Jared Johnson, of Wyalusing, went 3 for 4 with three RBI in a 9-5 win over Ancilla, Ind., College. Jarod Bull, of Jacobus, recorded the mound win and Hughes finished 2 for 3 at the plate with three runs scored.
The Wildcats split Thursday, falling to Olney College, 5-1, and topping Ancilla College, 8-2. Against Olney, Skylar Gingrich, of Lititz, went 3 for 3 with two doubles. In the win over Ancilla, Zachary Yetter, of Thompsontown, pitched three innings with three strikeouts, three hits and a walk while picking up the win. Zachary Smith, of Middletown, drove in three runs with a double in a seven-run second inning to pace the offense.
Wrapping up its week Friday, Penn College lost to Danville, Ill., 5-2. Gingrich homered in the loss.
Softball
On Monday, Penn College split in the Snowbird Softball Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C., opening with a 6-5 win over Southern Vermont College and then losing 15-0 in five innings to King's College.
Against Southern Vermont, Lacy Lose, of Avis, recorded the win, giving up four earned runs and striking out eight in seven innings of work. Cora Bova, of Port Allegheny, went 3 for 3 at the plate while Stephanie Koleno, of Moshannon, and Casey Davis, of New Albany, finished 2 for 4.
In play Tuesday, Penn College lost to Swarthmore College, 8-0 in five innings, and Miami-Hamilton University, 5-4. In the opener, Lose; Britni Fennell, of Conyngham; and Kaseen Woodward, of Troy, each were 2 for 2 at the plate. In the nightcap, Lose had a good outing on the mound, striking out four and allowing only three earned runs in seven innings, but the Wildcats couldn't produce enough offense for the win.
Wednesday was tough for Penn College in more ways than one as injuries to three starters, two of them pitchers, and errors proved costly in a 10-0 loss to Eastern University. The Wildcats then forfeited their second scheduled game of the day.
The Wildcats completed the trip with a 15-0 loss to Olney College on Thursday.
Archery
Capturing five first-place finishes, the Penn College archery team stood tall in the PA State Indoor Championships Collegiate Division March 3 at Taylor.
Senior Glen Thomas, of Mercer, won men's recurve; freshman Andrew Everett, of New Market, Md.; won in men's compound; freshman Nichole Lapinski, of Bloomsburg, won in women's compound; sophomore Joseph Dowdrick, of Lebanon, took the top spot in men's bowhunter; and freshman Eileen McKinney, of New Brighton, captured the women's bowhunter division.
Also for the Wildcats, Stephen Keys, of Reynoldsville, was second in men's recurve; Zack Bixby, of Gillett, was second in men's compound; Kevin Dewalt, of Easton, was second in men's bowhunter; and Brianna Batykefer, of Butler, was second in women's bowhunter.
Wrestling
Freshman Derek Leiby, of Troy, placed third in the 149-pound weight class and sophomore Tyler Myers, of Centre Hall, was eighth at 157. Because of their top-eight finishes, both earned All-American status the first ever for the Wildcats.
"It's a goal that we wanted to achieve, have guys be All-Americans. I'm really excited that we were able to achieve that in our second year," coach Schuyler Frey said.
In his consolation bout for third place, Leiby won by decision over Alex Stemer, of Simon Fraser, 5-2, while Myers dropped a major decision to Josh Ballard, of McKendree, 16-4. Leiby finished the three-day tournament with a 5-1 record and Myers was 3-3.
"(Derek) wrestled extremely well. He faced some really good guys and never backed down from anyone. He believed in himself and wrestled really smart and aggressive," Frey said. "The one match he lost was just by riding time."
And he added of Myers, " Tyler is the true leader of the team, who can't seem to catch any breaks in matches. After last year experiencing nationals, his focus was nothing less than All-American, and he achieved that."
Leiby opened the tourney Thursday with wins by technical fall and decision while Myers recorded a pin and decision. In quarterfinal action Friday, Leiby won on an injury default to move into the semifinals while Myers lost by decision in his quarterfinal and then rebounded with a win by fall in the consolation bracket to stay alive.
Facing top-seeded Dylan Cataline, of California Baptist, in Saturday's semifinal, Leiby dropped an 8-7 decision. He recovered with a win by decision in his first consolation match to get in position for a top-four finish. Myers, meanwhile, lost by decision in his first Saturday bout that left him battling for seventh.
Eliminated in earlier action for Penn College were Kyle Sunseri, of Athens, at 141 (0-2 after losses by pin and decision Thursday); Logan Gresock, of Wadsworth, Ohio, at 174 (1-2 after splitting with a decision win and pin loss Thursday and pin loss Friday); Paul Crutchlow, of Morris Plains, N.J., at 184 (2-2 after winning by fall and then upsetting top-seeded CJ Knowland, of California Baptist, 3-2, on Thursday and then dropping a pair of 5-4 decisions Friday); and Jasper Ocker, of Burnham, at 197 (1-2 after losing a decision and winning by forfeit Thursday and losing a 9-8 decision Friday). All are freshmen.
"Paul personally wrestled out of his mind. He wrestled every match smart, in good positions, stayed aggressive and made things happen," the coach said of Crutchlow's performance.
"Everyone who came down here wrestled extremely well. They wrestled tough. They got after it. A couple of guys wrestled above where I thought they were," Frey said.
Teamwise, Penn College ended No. 17 among 79 teams, bettering last year's 42nd-place finish.
"Everyone had their own goals. They wrestled their hearts out and it was a total team effort to get us to 17. Our hat is off to the guys for working as hard as they have all year long to achieve this," Frey said.
Earlier, the Wildcats won the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship and finished third in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
"I'm really happy with the season. Last year, we ended up with six guys and, this year, we ended up with 10 guys and these 10, as a group, were a total different animal. It was really nice to see what they did and I think it is going to continue to help us build the program. "¦ It's going to set the foundation for next year already," the coach added.
Baseball
Offense was no problem in their first two games Monday as the Wildcats opened play in the Ripken Experience Spring Break Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C., with an 18-4 win over the King's College Jayvee team and 18-6 victory over the Eastern University Jayvees. In the opener against King's, Cody Buterbaugh, of Conestoga, went 3 for 4 at the plate with four runs batted in while Garrett Hornung, of Emporium, also went 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBI. Pitcher Harrison Myers, of Lebanon, earned the win. Against Eastern, Buterbaugh drove in three of seven first-inning runs with a double. Hornung hit a three-run home run in the second to cap a six-run effort. On the mound, Brian Santangelo, of Middletown, Conn., recorded the win with three strikeouts, one hit and no runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Facing Olney College on Tuesday, Penn College fell, 12-2, while giving up six unearned runs on two errors. Offensively, Thomas Hughes, of Easton, went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles.
On Wednesday, Jared Johnson, of Wyalusing, went 3 for 4 with three RBI in a 9-5 win over Ancilla, Ind., College. Jarod Bull, of Jacobus, recorded the mound win and Hughes finished 2 for 3 at the plate with three runs scored.
The Wildcats split Thursday, falling to Olney College, 5-1, and topping Ancilla College, 8-2. Against Olney, Skylar Gingrich, of Lititz, went 3 for 3 with two doubles. In the win over Ancilla, Zachary Yetter, of Thompsontown, pitched three innings with three strikeouts, three hits and a walk while picking up the win. Zachary Smith, of Middletown, drove in three runs with a double in a seven-run second inning to pace the offense.
Wrapping up its week Friday, Penn College lost to Danville, Ill., 5-2. Gingrich homered in the loss.
Softball
On Monday, Penn College split in the Snowbird Softball Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C., opening with a 6-5 win over Southern Vermont College and then losing 15-0 in five innings to King's College.
Against Southern Vermont, Lacy Lose, of Avis, recorded the win, giving up four earned runs and striking out eight in seven innings of work. Cora Bova, of Port Allegheny, went 3 for 3 at the plate while Stephanie Koleno, of Moshannon, and Casey Davis, of New Albany, finished 2 for 4.
In play Tuesday, Penn College lost to Swarthmore College, 8-0 in five innings, and Miami-Hamilton University, 5-4. In the opener, Lose; Britni Fennell, of Conyngham; and Kaseen Woodward, of Troy, each were 2 for 2 at the plate. In the nightcap, Lose had a good outing on the mound, striking out four and allowing only three earned runs in seven innings, but the Wildcats couldn't produce enough offense for the win.
Wednesday was tough for Penn College in more ways than one as injuries to three starters, two of them pitchers, and errors proved costly in a 10-0 loss to Eastern University. The Wildcats then forfeited their second scheduled game of the day.
The Wildcats completed the trip with a 15-0 loss to Olney College on Thursday.
Archery
Capturing five first-place finishes, the Penn College archery team stood tall in the PA State Indoor Championships Collegiate Division March 3 at Taylor.
Senior Glen Thomas, of Mercer, won men's recurve; freshman Andrew Everett, of New Market, Md.; won in men's compound; freshman Nichole Lapinski, of Bloomsburg, won in women's compound; sophomore Joseph Dowdrick, of Lebanon, took the top spot in men's bowhunter; and freshman Eileen McKinney, of New Brighton, captured the women's bowhunter division.
Also for the Wildcats, Stephen Keys, of Reynoldsville, was second in men's recurve; Zack Bixby, of Gillett, was second in men's compound; Kevin Dewalt, of Easton, was second in men's bowhunter; and Brianna Batykefer, of Butler, was second in women's bowhunter.
SCHEDULE/RESULTS/RECORDS
Wrestling
Final overall record: 6-3
Final PSUAC record: 5-1
March 8-9-10 NCWA National Championships at Daytona Beach, Fla. Derek Leiby placed third at 149 and Tyler Myers placed eighth at 157. Penn College finished 17th in a 79-team field.
Archery
Saturday, March 24-25 Adam Wheatcroft Memorial Invitational at Harrisonburg, Va., noon
Baseball
Overall record: 4-3
Monday, March 5 vs. King's College Jayvees at Myrtle Beach, S.C., W, 18-4 in 5 innings Monday, March 5 vs. Eastern University Jayvees at Myrtle Beach, S.C., W, 18-6 Tuesday, March 6 vs. Olney College at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 12-2 Wednesday, March 7 vs. Ancilla College, at Myrtle Beach, S.C., W, 9-5 Thursday, March 8 vs. Olney College at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 5-1 Thursday, March 8 vs. Ancilla College at Myrtle Beach, S.C., W, 8-2 Friday, March 9 vs. Danville, Ill., at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 5-2 Wednesday, March 14 at Penn StateHarrisburg (2), 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 at Wilkes University, 3:30 p.m.
Softball
Overall record: 1-5
Sunday, March 5 vs. Southern Vermont at Myrtle Beach, S.C., W, 6-5 Sunday, March 5 vs. King's College at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 15-0 in 5 innings Tuesday, March 6 vs. Swarthmore at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 8-0 in 5 innings Tuesday, March 6 vs. Miami-Hamilton at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 5-4 Wednesday, March 7 vs. Eastern University at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 10-0 Wednesday, March 7 vs. SUNY Institute of Technology, at Myrtle Beach, S.C., canceled Thursday, March 8 vs. Olney at Myrtle Beach, S.C., L, 15-0 in 5 innings Saturday, March 17 vs. Penn StateHarrisburg at Elm Park (2), 1 p.m. Friday, March 23 host Alfred, N.Y., University at Elm Park (2), 3 p.m.
Vol. 10, No. 30