HOSTETTER TAKES HOME INDIVIDUAL TITLE, MILLERSVILLE FINISHES FOURTH AT NCAA EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9 – Jarrett Hostetter (jr. Oxford/Oxford) claimed the individual championship in the 157-pound weight class as the Marauders placed fourth at the 2008 East Regional Championship held at Liberty University Sunday afternoon.

The Marauders scored a team total of 62.5 points, finishing one point shy of third-place Duquesne (63.5) and five points short of second-place finisher Gardner Webb (67.5).  Host Liberty ran away with the team title as they accumulated 108.5 points and claimed 6 of the 10 individual champions.

Hostetter used back-to-back decisions to knock off Delaware State’s Kyle Robinson (4-1) and Liberty’s Shaun Smith (5-2) to claim the individual title at 157 pounds.

Hostetter, who has now qualified for the Division I NCAA Championships to be held March 20 thru March 22, extended his winning streak to 20 straight matches and now ranks 6th in school history for most victories in a season.  His record now stands at 34-6 on the season, including a perfect 15-0 mark in dual meets.

Several Marauder wrestlers needed just one more victory to claim the individual championships in their respective weight classes.  Mike Greck (fr. Nazareth/Nazareth), Jeremy Brooks (so. Jersey Shore/Jersey Shore) and Raymond Bennett (fr. Clarks Summit/Abington Heights) each placed second in their divisions.

Greck, who used a major decision over Wagner’s Michael Tutnjian (12-4) to advance to the finals in the 141-pound weight class, fell by a 4-1 decision to Liberty’s Tim Harner in the finals.

Brooks sneaked out a 4-3 decision in the semifinals of the 174-pound weight class to advance to the finals where he was pinned by Liberty’s Aaron Kelly at the 6:28 mark.

Bennett also made a strong showing at 197, using a 7-4 decision over Duquesne’s Dave Mitchell and a pin of Wagner’s Anthony Interiano to advance to the finals.  Gardner-Webb’s Dustin Porter ended Bennett’s bid at the championship, using a 10-7 decision to end his day.

John Andel (jr. Red Lion/Red Lion) and Steve Funk (sr. Perkasie/Pennridge) each recorded third-place finishes in the 141 and 184-pound weight classes, respectively.

Team Standings:
1.       Liberty – 108.5 points
2.       Gardner-Webb – 67.5 points
3.       Duquesne – 63.5 points
4.       Millersville – 62.5 points
5.       Delaware State – 44.0 points
6.       Wagner – 13.5 points
 
Individual Champions
125 – Jonathan Bittinger (Duquesne)
133 – Christian Smith (Liberty)
141 – Tim Harner (Liberty)
149 – Matt Cathell (Delaware State)
157 – Jarrett Hostetter (Millersville)
165 – Chad Porter (Liberty)
174 – Aaron Kelley (Liberty)
184 – Chris Daggett (Liberty)
197 – Dustin Porter (Gardner-Webb)
HWT – Patrick Walker (Liberty)