It was a break-out season for senior Phil Bomberger in 2007-08. After a sophomore year of taking his lumps in a move up to 184, Bomberger emerged last year as a real force for Penn State, being ranked among the nation[apos]s top 20 all year long and earning his first trip to the NCAA Championships. Voted the most improved wrestler on the team last season, if Bomberger improves as much between his junior and senior years as he did the year prior, then the sky is the limit for the talented Port Royal native.
Lion Career:
2007-08: Went 2-0 at wrestle-offs with hard fought 4-1 and 2-1 wins over teammate Mike Ward to earn the starting spot...downed Maryland[apos]s Joshua Haines 12-6 on 11/11 to get first career home dual victory...pinned Hofstra[apos]s Jeff Siciliano in 1:52 to cap off Penn State[apos]s 28-11 win over the visiting Pride on 11/17...went 5-1 (6-1 w/ a non-collegiate win) in the Nittany Lion Open on 12/2 to take fifth place, with only loss a 9-1 defeat to #8 and eventual Champion Rocco Caponi of Virginia....posted 9-5 decision over #17 David Craig of Lehigh to help Penn State shut-out LU 33-0 on 12/7...beat Oklahoma State[apos]s Cody Hill 8-5 to help Penn State win 21-18 over the Cowboys...14-6 major over Cornell[apos]s Michael Moore sparked PSU to 31-10 win on 1/4....at National Duals, downed UTC[apos]s Josh Edmondson 11-5, fell 10-5 to #10 Vince Jones of Nebraska, posted 7-4 win over Cornell[apos]s Justin Kerber...beat Indiana[apos]s Marc Bennett (12-10) in Penn State[apos]s 25-9 win over IU on 1/27...dual clinching, 14-7 win over Northwestern[apos]s Adil Kolovic on 2/1, notching final points in Penn State[apos]s 18-15 win over Northwestern on 2/1.
Big Ten Championships (2-2, 5th): Fifth seed at 2008 Big Ten Tournament...went 2-2 with wins over A.J. Kissel of Purdue and a forfeit over Roger Kish of Minnesota
NCAA Championships (0-2, DNP): Pinned by No. 12 seed Jack Jensen of Oklahoma State...lost tough 4-2 decision to No. 4 Josh Weitzel of Oklahoma.
2006-07: Bomberger went 1-2 at the Pa. Duals, including a tough 6-2 loss to #3 Alex Clemsen of Edinboro...posted first career technical fall in PSU[apos]s win over Clarion in opener...went 4-1 at Wilkes Open and placed third...dropped tough 9-4 decision to No. 11 Alex Clemsen of Edinboro on 1/13, going 1-1 at the Virginia Duals...dropped tough 10-6 decision to No. 10 Joe Williams of Michigan State on 2/18...went 0-2 in first run through Big Ten Tournmanet. Big Ten Championships (0-2, DNP): Unseeded in inaugural Big Ten Tournament...fell 9-3 to third-seeded Mike Pucillo of Ohio State...lost to #5 seed Marc Bennett of Indiana in wrestle-backs. 2005-06: Made his dual match debut at 165 in Penn State[apos]s Big Ten duals vs. Wisconsin and Michigan on Nov. 20 and 26, falling to two nationally ranked wrestlers...went 5-1 in the Nittany Lion Open to take second place...went 0-2 in the Reno Tournament of Champions...2-1 in the Millersville Open and finished as runner-up at 165...got first career dual match win with a 6-3 win over Indiana[apos]s Marc Bennett at 174...went 8-6 as red-shirt freshman...1-1 in falls...picked up three dual points in Penn State[apos]s Big Ten win over Indiana.
2004-05: A red-shirt season...went 14-7 in unattached tournament action, including placings in three tournaments and a second at the Buffalo Open.
High School/Personal: The runner-up at 171 pounds at the 2004 PIAA AA Championships after finishing fourth in 2003, Bomberger posted a career record of 165-21, tying for the most wins in District 3 history. A four-year starter, he was a four-time sectional champion, three-time district champion and two-time regional champion. He earned All-America honors by finishing fifth at the 2004 National High School Senior Wrestling Championships and his 79 career falls are a school record. He was also part of Juniata[apos]s 2003 State Dual Team Championship squad. He also excelled in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition, winning a Cadet Greco-Roman national championship and finishing runner-up in Cadet freestyle, and is a two-time All-State academic team selection. Bomberger also starred on the football field setting school single-season records with 1,531 yards rushing and 156 points scored and a single-game record with five touchdowns in leading Juniata High to the Eastern Conference championship.
CAREER STATISTICS
| Year | Overall | Duals (B10) | Tourn. (B10/NCAA) | Falls | TF | MD | Pts. |
| 2004-05 | Red-Shirt Season | ||||||
| 2005-06 | 8-6 | 1-2 (1-2) | 7-4 (0-0/0-0) | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 3 |
| 2006-07 | 8-14 | 2-10 (0-4) | 6-4 (0-2/0-0) | 0-3 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 8 |
| Career | 16-20 | 3-12 (1-6) | 13-8 (0-2/0-0) | 1-4 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 11 |