APRIL 24, 2008

KING'S MCGINLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO PENNSYLVANIA WRESTLING HALL OF FAME MAY 3

WILKES-BARRE -- King's College veteran wrestling coach Ned McGinley will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 3 at the Ramada Inn in State College, according to Norm Palovsik, Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee.

McGinley will be one of 10 individuals voted into the Hall of Fame by the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association. Joining McGinley in the Class of 2008 are Maynard Aungst, Dave Becker, Jim Clark, Mark Dugan, Alan Housner, Rick LaFerriere, John Sefter, Larry Suhey, and Don Thomas.

McGinley recently concluded his 39th year as the Monarch head coach and has an overall record of 386-317-1 mark at King's. Many of those losses, however, were when King's wrestled at the Division II level before the program dropped down to Division III in 1980. Since then, McGinley has coached 38 College Division/Division III national tournament qualifiers; 16 NCAA Division III All-Americans; 19 Middle Atlantic Conference individual champions; five National Catholic Invitational Tournament winners; and 29 NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans, while 12 of his wrestlers have concluded undefeated dual-meet seasons.

McGinley's teams have finished the season ranked among the NCAA Top-25 on 12 occasions and have won numerous tournament championships. Consistency has been a constant theme of McGinley's teams as the Monarchs have suffered only three sub-.500 season since 1983 and just four losing seasons since joining Division III in 1980.

McGinley has produced a number of top teams during his storied coaching career. His 1996-97 squad was 19-3 while the 2000-01 team finished with a 19-2-1 record. In 2001-02, McGinley led the Monarchs to a school-record 24-2 mark as King's concluded the dual meet season ranked fourth nationally, its highest national ranking ever. The Monarchs also placed fourth in the first NWCA Division III National Duals. McGinley also spearheaded the effort which brought the 2002 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Tournament to Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre where King's served as co-host of the event with the University of Scranton.

In 2002-03, King's finished 11th in the Division III National Tournament and produced a pair of individual national runner-ups in Mitch Marcks (125) and Jim Morgan (141).

In 2006-07, King's wrestling began a new era as the Monarchs began competing as members of the Metropolitan Wrestling Conference. In its first year in the conference, the Monarchs crowned David Morgan and Jason Reilly as individual champions. Reilly would go on to earn all-American honors by placing fourth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Morgan, meanwhile, made history when he became King's first-ever NCAA Division III national champion in any sport.

A year later in 2007-08 Morgan and freshmen Mike Reilly earned national tournament berths by winning Metropolitan titles. Morgan would go on to successfully defend his Division III national title with a 301 overtime victory over Jacob Helvey of team champion Wartburg College. In all, McGinley has had five wrestlers reach the Division III finals. David Morgan won titles in 2007 and 2008 while Marcks and Jim Morgan were second in 2003. Larry Danko was the first Monarch grappler to advance to the Division III championship match, finishing second in 1990 at 177-pounds.

"This is a tremendous honor and I am truly humbled to be included as a member of the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame," McGinley stated. "Pennsylvania is one of the top, if not the top state in the nation for wrestling and possesses such an incredible history that I was totally shocked to find out I was selected. To have wrestled in Pennsylvania as a young man and to have coached in the state for so many years, I am extremely proud and thrilled to be recognized as someone who has made significant contributions in wrestling within the state of Pennsylvania. I had great coaches when I wrestled and have had the opportunity to coach so many outstanding wrestlers during my time at King's. Each one of those people shares in this moment and I thank all of them for being a part of my career in one way or the other."

McGinley is a 1961 graduate of the former Kingston High School (now Wyoming Valley West) where he was a three-year starter and a two-time District 2 champion and Northeast Regional Tournament runner-up at 98-pounds. McGinley, who served as a team captain as a senior, sported a 31-1-1 career dual meet record at Kingston.

He continued his wrestling career at Wilkes where he went 21-3-1 in dual meets over his three-year varsity career. he was runner-up of the 1962 Wilkes Open, regarded as "The Rose Bowl of Wrestling" and was an NAIA All-American third-place finisher in 1963. He was then MAC Runner-up in 1964-65 and was a two-time NCAA College Division national qualifier.

 

King's College
133 North River Street  Wilkes-Barre, PA  18711
1 (888) KINGS PA

Questions or comments to:  Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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