NOVEMBER 4, 2001
BOB ZIADIE
KING’S GRAPPLERS FINISH SECOND AT
MESSIAH TOURNAMENT
GRANTHAM – The King’s College wrestling team, ranked 12th nationally,
opened
the 2001-02 season on a strong
note as the Monarchs finished second in the Messiah
College Invitational Tournament Saturday.
King’s posted 125.0 points to trail Brockport State University, ranked
eighth
nationally in Division III, with
145.0 points. The Monarchs placed nine
wrestlers among the top four as seven grapplers advanced
to the championship finals.
2001 MAC runner-up Mitch Marcks of
Dieruffcaptured the 125-pound weight class with a 3-2
decision over Brockport’s Salvador Cruz while enjoying a 3-0 on the day.
At 133-pounds, Meyers’ product Mike Griffith,
the defending MAC champion, dropped a 8-4
decision to Daniel Robert of Brockport while going 2-1 in the event.
At 141, King’s rookie Tim Martinez of Hanover Area enjoyed an
outstanding tournament in his collegiate
debut, advancing to the finals where he fell to defending
national champion Lenny Baker of Brockport 14-3 en route to a 2-1 day.
Former Hazleton Area star Dave Shafer, a returning MAC runner-up, dominated
the 157-pound weight class with three straight wins, gaining a pin in
1:19 over Chad Russell of Brockport State.
At 165, two-time MAC runner-up Jesse Martinez of Hanover Area posted
three straight pins before earning a 3-1
decision over Brockport’s Richard D’Amico in
the finals. Monarch freshman Joe Arnone of Honesdale was also solid in
his collegiate debut by finishing second in the
event at 174-pounds. Arnone went 2-1 in
the tournament, falling 6-3 to top-seeded Don Favro of Brockport State.
At 184, Monarch senior all-American Jason Schlingman of Meyers went 4-0
to capture tournament gold, posting a 6-4
decision over returning national qualifier
Nick Hansen of Brockport in the finals. King’s 197-pound freshman Panther Valley's Tegan McKee went 4-1 in the tournament to place third,
while heavyweight Kyle Burton posted a
4-2 mark to place fourth in the event.
The Monarchs performed outstanding despite wrestling without defending
141-pound MAC champion Jim Morgan of West
Scranton who sat out the event.
King’s and Brockport faced-off seven times in the championship finals
with the Monarchs winning four of the
title bouts over their higher-ranked rival.
King’s will host the annual Monarch Invitational Tournament on
Saturday.
Team Scoring
Brockport State, 145.0
King’s
125.0
Messiah
72.0
Gettysburg
42.0
Waynesburg 42.0
Baptist Bible 26.5
Johns Hopkins 25.5
Ursinus
23.0
Elizabethtown 19.0
