Jan. 6, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A solid group of Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers performed well on Saturday at the Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Open hosted by Millersville University. True freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) led six Penn State place winners with a runner-up showing at 149 pounds. Darling and most of his teammates were wrestling unattached.
Darling went 3-0 with two major decisions to advance to the finals before falling to North Carolina's Mike Rappo 5-2 in the title bout. Junior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), continuing to perform well at 174, went 5-0 overall, but a semifinal loss to a non-collegiate wrestler moved him to the consolation bracket where he continued his prowess to place third. Friend had three pins and a technical fall during his run.
Junior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) also had a solid tournament, going 5-1 with a major decision to also finish third at 184 pounds. Sophomore heavyweight Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) posted a 4-1 record at HWT to place third as well. Three of Herlihy's four wins came in overtime. True freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) actually led Penn State in victories at the tournament, racking up a 7-1 record to finish a strong third at 165 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) was solid at 133 pounds as well, going 3-2 and placing fourth. Eagen had two pins and a major decision.
Other Nittany Lions competing at the event were Desmond Moore (Easton, Pa.), 1-2 at 125; Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.), 0-2 at 125; Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.), 2-2 at 141; Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.), 2-2 at 157; Craig Owsiany (Phoenixville, Pa.), 4-2 at 165; Matt Dodds (Leola, Pa.), 0-2 at 165; Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.), 2-2 at 165; Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.), 1-2 at 184; Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio), 2-2 at 184; and Justin Hepburn (Williamsport, Pa.), 0-2 at 197.
Penn State, currently ranked No. 4 nationally, will trek to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, next weekend for the 2008 National Duals, hosted by Northern Iowa in the UNI-Dome. The tournament, which features nine of the nation's top ten teams and 14 of the top 17, will take place on Saturday and Sunday, January 12-13. Penn State's next home dual will be on Sunday, Jan. 27, when the Nittany Lions host No. 15 Indiana at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall. All Penn State duals can be heard locally on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA (920 AM). Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual tickets.