Wrestling

No. 9 Delaware Valley College 23 vs No. 19 Lycoming College 15

DOYLESTOWN (PA) -- Nationally-ranked wrestlers Jason Shivak, Josh Housekeeper and Andrew Helms notched consecutive victories to break a 12-12 tie as Delaware Valley College, ranked ninth in Division III, defeated No. 19 and archrival Lycoming College 23-15 in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) match.

Delaware Valley and Lycoming have combined to win 22 of last 23 MAC Championships (11 by each school), including the last two by the Aggies who improved to 10-5 overall and 2-0 in the conference with the victory. The Warriors fell to 10-6, 1-1.

With the match deadlocked at 12-12, Shivak put his undefeated record on the line against Colton Craig at 174 pounds. The two-time national qualifier and sixth-ranked wrestler in Division III in his weight class, dominated throughout and earned a 19-3 technical fall victory (5:56) to give Delaware Valley a 17-12 lead. Shivak is now 18-0 on the year.

Housekeeper, who was an All-American in 2002 and currently ranked fourth at 184 pounds, followed with an 11-7 decision over Andy Hull for a 20-12 team advantage. The win lifted Housekeeper's record to 17-7 on the season.

Helms moved to 23-1 on the year as the fifth-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds notched four takedowns en route to a 9-4 victory over Lance Wilt. The triumph sealed the team victory for the Aggies

The match began at 125 pounds and Lycoming took an early 3-0 lead as Sean Cullen (15-11) posted a 5-0 shutout over Mike Handleman. Handleman was in the Aggie lineup for the flu-ridden Mike Weston.

Returning All-American Barry Wise, who is ranked third in Division III at 133 pounds, led throughout the match then pinned Kyle Hopkins with just eight seconds remaining to give Delaware Valley a 6-3 advantage. Wise is now 20-6 on the season.

The Aggies then received back-to-back decisions from Rob Jiminez (141) and Jeremy Messinger (149) to build a 12-3 lead. Jiminez (9-7) used an escape and takedown in the opening minute of the third period to gain a 5-2 lead and went on to a 6-4 victory over John Ambs. Messinger built a 7-1, second-period lead with a take-down and three-point near-fall, and cruised to a 7-3 triumph over Sean Reese. The senior is now 14-10 on the year.

The Warriors tied the match at 12-12 with victories at 157 and 165 pounds. Jason Smith (21-6) pinned Mike Berlanda in 2:44 while Clint Swartz (9-11) built a 3-0 lead and went on to a 6-4 decision over Aaron Harris.

That set the stage for three of the four Aggie ranked wrestlers to take command of the match. The final bout of the afternoon saw Tommy Snyder of Lycoming improve to 14-2 with a 4-1 decision over Forest Smith at heavyweight.

DELAWARE VALLEY 23, LYCOMING 15
125 - Sean Cullen (L) by decision over Mike Handelman (DVC), 5-0
133 - Barry Wise (DVC) by fall over Kyle Hopkins, 6:52
141 - Rob Jiminez (DVC) by decision over John Ambs, 6-4
149 - Jeremy Messinger (DVC) by decision over Sean Reese, 7-3
157 - Jason Smith (L) by fall over Mike Berlanda, 2:44
165 - Clint Swartz (L) by decision over Aaron Harris, 6-4
174 - Jason Shivak (DVC) by technical fall over Colton Craig, 19-3 (5:56)
184 - Josh Housekeeper (DVC) by decision over Andy Hull, 11-7
197 - Andrew Helms (DVC) by decision over Lance Wilt, 9-4
Hwt - Tommy Snyder (L) by decision over Forest Smith, 4-1