LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Mercyhurst duo of senior Eric Bartos and freshman Jake Niffenegger, along with Pitt-Johnstown head coach Pat Pecora, all earned major awards for the 2023 All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Teams, the league office announced Wednesday. Along with the major award winners, First, Second, and Third-Team All-Conference selections were announced.
All-conference teams and major award winners are decided by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Mercyhurst senior Eric Bartos captures the 2023 Athlete of the Year honor after a stellar season In which he went 31-4 overall and earned All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Division II Championships. He was the Super Region 1 champion at 133 pounds and also added a pristine 7-0 record In PSAC dual meets. Bartos was previously named the PSAC Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season and has compiled a career record of 114-35 throughout his time as a Laker.
Mercyhurst’s Jake Niffenegger earns Freshman of the Year honors following a breakout first season for the Lakers. The native of Cincinnati, Ohio placed seventh at 141 pounds at the NCAA Division II Championships to earn All-American honors. He finished the year with a 25-9 record and was the 141-pound Super Region 1 champion. Niffenegger's award makes it back-to-back Freshman of the Year honors for Mercyhurst, with Dillon Walker claiming the award for the 2021-2022 season.
Pat Pecora earns his third consecutive conference Coach of the Year honor in the PSAC and fourth overall of his career after another standout season for the Mountain Cats. Pecora was a finalist from Super Region 1 for the NCAA Division II National Men's Wrestling Coach of the Year and led Pitt-Johnstown to a 7-0 conference dual meet record (15-0 overall) and the program’s 25th NCAA Regional Title. UPJ earned its seventh consecutive conference championship and eight Mountain Cat wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Mercyhurst and Pitt-Johnstown both tied for the most first-team honorees on the all-conference teams with three, while UPJ and Gannon both tallied a conference-leading eight overall all-conference members. For the full list of All-PSAC teams, see the squads below:
PSAC Wrestling Major Award Winners
Athlete of the Year: Eric Bartos, Mercyhurst
Freshman of the Year: Jake Niffenegger, Mercyhurst
Coach of the Year: Pat Pecora, Pitt-Johnstown
PSAC WRESTLING FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Wt. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| 125 |
Trevon Gray |
Pitt-Johnstown |
R-Fr. |
Chesapeake, VA / Oscar F. Smith |
| 133 |
Eric Bartos |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Valley City, Oh. / Buckeye High School |
| 141 |
Jake Niffenegger |
Mercyhurst |
Fr. |
Cincinnati, Oh / LaSalle High School |
| 149 |
Jacob Ealy |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Jr. |
Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell |
| 157 |
Nate Smith |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sr. |
Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional |
| 165 |
Alex Farenchak |
Gannon |
Gr. |
Painesville, Ohio / Riverside |
| 174 |
Dillon Walker |
Mercyhurst |
So. |
Cincinnati, Ohio / Lasalle High School |
| 184 |
Matt Weinberg |
Kutztown |
R-So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Archbishop Ryan |
| 197 |
Joel Leise |
Gannon |
R-Sr. |
Transfer, Pa. / Reynolds |
| 285 |
John Meyers |
Seton Hill |
Jr. |
Greensburg, PA Greensburg Salem |
PSAC WRESTLING SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Wt. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| 125 |
Jose Diaz |
Gannon |
R-Sr. |
Valparaiso, Ind. / Wheeler |
| 133 |
Devin Flannery |
Millersville |
R-Jr. |
Wantage, N.J. / High Point Regional |
| 141 |
Caleb Morris |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sr. |
Waynesburg, PA Waynesburg Central |
| 149 |
Nick Young |
Gannon |
Gr. |
Batavia, N.Y. / Alexander |
| 157 |
Dom Means |
Gannon |
R-Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic |
| 165 |
Brandon Connor |
Millersville |
R-Jr. |
Sinking Spring, Pa. / Wilson |
| 174 |
Cole Casilio |
Gannon |
R-Fr. |
Wilcox, Pa. / Johnsonburg Area |
| 184 |
Brock Biddle |
Pitt-Johnstown |
R-Sr. |
Martinsburg, PA / Central Martinsburg |
| 197 |
Luke McGonigal |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Frenchville, Pa. / Clearfield High School |
| 285 |
Isaiah Vance |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
New Stanton, PA / Hempfield |
PSAC WRESTLING THIRD TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Wt. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| 125 |
Brady Carter |
E. Stroudsburg |
Fr. |
Lacey Township, N.J. / Lacey Township |
| 133 |
Cameron Enriquez |
E. Stroudsburg |
Jr. |
Stroudsburg, Pa. / Stroudsburg |
| 141 |
Jimmy Ryan |
Gannon |
R-So. |
Staten Island, N.Y. / Monsignor Farrell |
| 149 |
Craig Cook |
Millersville |
Sr. |
Burlington, N.J. / Burlington Township |
| 157 |
Avery Shay |
Shippensburg |
Gr. |
New Fairfield, Ct. New Fairfield |
| 165 |
Dalton Gimbor |
Kutztown |
R-Fr. |
Bernville, Pa. / Hamburg |
| 174 |
Alex Weber |
Pitt-Johnstown |
R-So. |
Jefferson Hills, PA / Thomas Jefferson |
| 184 |
Cole Hivnor |
Gannon |
Fr. |
Painesville, Ohio / Lake Catholic |
| 197 |
Dakoda Rodgers |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
Acme, PA / Connellsville |
| 285 |
Danny Scheib |
Shippensburg |
R-Jr. |
Hegins, Pa. Tri-Valley |