BLOOMSBURG --Edinboro University won its fifth PSAC Wrestling championship in the last six years on Saturday at Bloomsburg University. The Fighting Scots won the 64th annual championship with a total of 147.5 points, while host-Bloomsburg finished as runner-for the second straight season totaling 119 points. Lock Haven was third with 111.5 points. Overall, Edinboro's title was the 10th in school history.
Named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler was Mike Sees of Bloomsburg University, while Edinboro's Alex Clemsen joined a select group by becoming a four-time PSAC champion.
The 125 pound finals saw Sees defend his championship against the top-seed, Obenson Blanc of Lock Haven. Sees, seeded second, jumped out in front 2-0 after the first period with a takedown 20 seconds into the match. Sees opened the second period with an escape before Blanc got a takedown to pull within 3-2. Sees then escaped and then scored another takedown for a 6-2 advantage. Then in the third period, with Sees leading 6-3, Blanc got a takedown to get within a point, 6-5. After Sees escaped, he then took Blanc down and a point for riding time in a 10-5 win. Sees reached the finals with a 12-4 win over Toby Seger of Clarion.
At 133 pounds, Ricky Deubel of Edinboro earned a 3-1 win over Joe Kemmerer of Kutztown. The match featured no scoring in the opening period with Deubel getting an escape and a takedown to go up 3-0. Kemmerer got a third period escape, but that was it as Deubel, the top seed, won the title.
Bloomsburg's Darren Kern, the top-seed at 141 pounds, earned a 4-1 win over Darryl Cocozzo of Edinboro. Kern scored two first period takedowns and then held off Cocozzo to win his first PSAC title.
At 149 pounds, East Stroudsburg's Scott Heckman won his first PSAC championship with an, 8-4, overtime win against Matt Moley of Bloomsburg. Heckman opened with a first period takedown with Moley getting an escape. Moley then came back with a takedown of his own with Heckman escaping to make it 3-3 after one period. After Moley escaped Heckman's hold to open the second, there was no scoring till third when Heckman escaped to make it 4-4 at the end of regulation. In the extra session, Heckman got a takedown with two near fall points to earn the win.
Lock Haven's Seth Martin defended his 157-pound title with a 5-1 win over Matt Hill of Edinboro. In their third meeting of the season, Martin got a takedown to open the scoring with Hill escaping to make it 2-1 after one period. After no scoring in the second period, Martin escaped to open the third and then took down Hill to earn the championship.
Edinboro's Deonte Penn, the defending champion at 165 pounds, earned his second pin of the tournament in the finals with a fall in 2:23 over Bloomsburg's Ricky Schmelyun. Penn was in control of the match through and picked up his 46th career fall.
At 174 pounds, top-seed Phil Moricone of Edinboro was in control throughout his bout with Andrew Jordon Bloomsburg. Moricone scored a takedown in the third and two more in the third to earn an 8-2 victory.
Edinboro's Alex Clemsen joined a small and distinguished group of PSAC wrestlers when he became the 14th wrestler to ever win four conference titles with a 14-4 win over Tom Kocher of Lock Haven. Clemsen went in front 6-2 with three first period takedowns, then scored two more in the third period and a near-fall two to earn a 14-4 win. Clemsen becomes the first conference wrestler to win four titles since Mike Maney of Lock Haven in 2004. Clemsen is also just the second Edinboro wrestler to join this club with Josh Koscheck being the first back in 2002.
At 197 pounds, top-seed Jim Gibson posted a hard-fought 3-2 win over Jermaine Cook of Lock Haven in the finals. Gibson scored a first period takedown, then added an escape in the third period to win the PSAC title.
At heavyweight, defending champ Mike Spaid knocked off last year's 197-pound champ Joe Fendone of Edinboro. Spaid scored a couple of takedowns in the match and held off Fendone to win by major decision.
FINAL RESULTS - 64TH PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
BLOOMSBURG NELSON FIELD HOUSE JANUARY 27, 2007
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Edinboro 147.5
2. Bloomsburg 119.0
3. Lock Haven 111.5
4. Clarion 79.0
5. East Stroudsburg 57.0
6. Millersville 44.5
7. Kutztown 43.5
8. Shippensburg 23.0
Tournament "OW" - Mike Sees - Bloomsburg
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
125- Mike Sees (Bloom) dec. Obenson Blanc (LH) 10-5
133- Ricky Deubel (Ed) dec. Joe Kemmerer (Ku) 3-1
141- Darren Kern (Bloom) dec. Daryl Cocozzo (Ed) 4-1
149- Scott Heckman (ES) dec. Matt Moley (Bloom) 8-4;sv
157- Seth Martin (LH) dec. Matt Hill (Ed) 5-1
165- Deonte Penn (Ed) pinned Rickey Schmelyun (Bloom) 2:23
174- Phil Moricone (Ed) dec. Andrew Jordan Andrew Jordan (Bloom) 8-2
184- Alex Clemsen (Ed) maj. dec. Tom Kocher (LH) 14-4
197- Jim Gibson (Ed) dec. Jeremie Cook (LH) 3-2
285- Mike Spaid (Bl) maj. dec. Joe Fendone (Ed) 9-0
THIRD PLACE
125- Eric Morrill (Ed) wbf Toby Seger (Clarion) F 2:58
133- Sal Lascari (Clarion) dec. John Stout (ES) 11-8
141- Greg Lewis (Clarion) dec. Zach Kell (LH) 10-3
149- Joel Webster (Ed) dec. Donnie Ament (LH) 5-4
157- Dennis Bermudez (Bl) dec. Jarrett Hostetter (Mill) 8-4
165- Landis Wright (LH) dec. Josh Evans (Mill) 12-5
174- Mike Metzger (LH) maj. dec. Jeremy Brooks (Mill) 11-2
184- David Williams (ES) dec. Dominic Ross (Clarion) 7-6
197- Peter Grodziak (Ship) dec. PJ DiStefano (Bloom) 9-2
285- A.J. Brooks (Clarion) dec. Ben Hepburn (LH) 6-2
FIFTH PLACE
125- Stephen Gambino (ES) dec. Cory Weiss (Ku) 6-0
133- Ricky Donald (Bl) maj. dec. Nick Hyatt (LH) 8-0
141- Sean Carr (ES) dec. Brett Martinez (Ku) 8-6
149- Hadley Harrison (Clarion) dec. Chris Chambers (Ku) 6-4
157- Jake Wilson (Ship) dec. Nick Billups (Clarion) 12-6
165- Mario Morelli (Clarion) maj. dec. Kirby Fanus (Ship) 8-0
174- Scott Joseph (Clarion) med. For. Eric Bauder (Ku)
184- Steve Funk (Mill) med. For. Andrew Osborne (Ku)
197- Keith McDonald (Mill) med for. Kyle Davis (Ku)
285- Charles Deighton (ES) dec. Rich Dalmus (Ku) 3-1