FEBRUARY 13, 2007

MONARCH WRESTLERS FINISH DUAL MEET SEASON RANKED 29TH NATIONALLY IN DIVISION III

WILKES-BARRE -- Thanks to a season-ending 10-match winning streak, the King's College wrestling team concluded the 2006-07 dual meet season ranked 29th nationally in the Brute-Adidas NWCA National Poll. Additionally, King's junior standout David Morgan (left) is now the top-ranked wrestler nationally at 133-pounds, moving up from the number-two spot in the last poll.

King's struggled for much of the season with a rash of injuries and illness that left the squad unable to field a full lineup for nearly two months.
The Monarchs, however, finally became healthy and were able to put out its full lineup for the first time all season on January 19 when King's promptly upset Lycoming, which was ranked 24th at the time, by a 25-15 count. After posting a 26-13 road victory over Muhlenberg, the Monarchs followed up with an impressive 29-10 win over then-10th ranked York College.

King's would win its remaining seven dual meets to close out the season to finish the dual meet campaign with a 10-match winning streak. After standing just 2-9 in early January, King's finished the season with a 12-9 mark with no opponent coming within a 10-point margin of defeat.

Morgan has been dominant this season and owns a 30-2 mark at 133-pounds. Morgan has defeated four wrestlers this season who were ranked among the top eight in his weight class, including a pair of pins over second-rankled Jacob Helvey (Wartburg) and seventh-ranked Justin Hulegaard of Buena Vista. He also posted a 6-5 decision of fifth-ranked Ray Sarinelli of The College of New Jersey.

King's has also been led by senior Jason Reilly (right) who owns a 29-7 record at 197-pounds and was nationally-ranked early in the season.  Reilly stands seventh on the King's victory list with a 114-19 career record.

Senior heavyweight Jim Bishop (below left) is 24-11. Fellow senior Drew Dehaut, who struggled early in the year making 157-pounds, stands at 16-11 after moving up to 165-pounds.

Sophomore Zach Wilkinson has enjoyed a solid season at 184-pounds, posting a 17-8 record while a fourth senior, Zach Dietrick, is 16-15 at 174-pounds.

A pleasant surprise for the Monarchs has been the success of freshman Anthony Miele who is 24-14 at 141-pounds. Sophomore Jeff Mazurek (9-8), missed most of the season with a hamstring injury but his healthy return at 125-pounds has helped solidify the Monarch lineup as King's was forced to forfeit the weight for a five-week span.

Freshman Taylor Green has also contributed with some big victories and is 15-18 at 157, while Frankie Davis, who transferred to King's from Division I Hofstra in January, is 7-8 at 149-pounds.

With its dual meet season completed, the Monarchs will look toward the post-season on Sunday when King's competes in the Metropolitan Wrestling Conference Championships at the College of New Jersey, Ewing. It will mark King's debut in the MWC tournament after the Middle Atlantic Conference dropped wrestling as a championship sport following the conclusion of the 2005-06 campaign.

The event will serve as a national qualifying event for the NCAA Division III National Championships slated for March 2-3 at Loras College, Dubuque, IA
 

BRUTE-ADIDAS/ NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES ASSOCIATION DIVISION III INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

133-Pounds
1. David Morgan, Jr., King's College
2. Jacob Helvey, Jr., Wartburg College
3. Jafari Vanier, Jr., Augsburg College
4. Adam Johnson, Jr., North Central College
5. Ray Sarinelli, Jr., College of New Jersey
6. Gannon Hjerleid, Jr., Coe College
7. Justin Hulegaard, Sr., Buena Vista University
8. Nick Nothern, Fr., Cornell College
 

BRUTE-ADIDAS/ NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES ASSOCIATION DIVISION III TEAM RANKINGS

Rk   Team (Record)
1.  Wartburg College (IA) (21-1)
2.  Augsburg College (MN) (11-1)
3.  University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse (13-1)
4.  Delaware Valley College (PA) (17-2)
5.  Luther College (IA) (15-3)
6.  Coe College (IA) (18-5)
7.  Elmhurst College (IL) (10-1)
8.  College of New Jersey (19-1)
9.  Johnson and Wales University (RI) (20-3)
10.  SUNY-Cortland State (16-3)
11.  SUNY-Brockport (5-2)
12.  Ithaca College (NY) (9-3)
13.  Buena Vista University (IA) (10-10)
14.  Cornell College (IA) (14-8)
15.  Olivet College (MI) (12-6-1)
16.  Loras College (IA) (11-8)
17.  University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (12-8-1)
18.  University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire (12-6)
19.  John Carroll University (OH) (10-3-1)
20.  University of Wisconsin - Platteville (7-5)
21.  Heidelberg College (OH) (8-4)
22.  University of Dubuque (IA) (8-9)
23.  University of Wisconsin - Whitewater (12-4)
24.  North Central College (IL) (9-7)
25.  SUNY-Oneonta (13-7-1)
26.  Baldwin Wallace College (OH) (12-10)
27.  Saint John's University (MN) (7-6)
28.  Roger Williams University (RI) (19-7-1)
29.  King's College (PA) (12-9)
30.  Simpson College (IA) (5-11-1)

 

 

 

 

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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