Wrestling News

2007-08 SEASON PREVIEW

For the last six seasons, the Delaware Valley College wrestling team has dominated the qualifying tournament for the NCAA Division III Championships.

The first five years of the run saw the Aggies capture the old Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship. They then joined the NCAA Midwest Regional last season and walked away with the '07 team crown. Three wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Championship and the Aggies capped their 17-2 season by placing 18th at the national tournament.

Expectations are high for "seventh heaven." Delaware Valley enters the 2007-08 campaign ranked sixth in all of Division III and is favored to defend their regional crown. Four individuals are ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes, including three with NCAA championship experience.

The team's lineup also consists of another wrestler who has reached the NCAAs, solid veterans and one of the top recruiting classes in recent memory.

"The team has been working hard and the future looks bright," Aggie head coach Brandon Totten said. "If we can take advantage of the talent in the wrestling rook, we can have a memorable year."

125 Pounds
Freshman and four-time state placewinner Chris Sheetz (Barto, PA/Upper Perkiomen) heads the weight class. He notched a 189-23 record and capped a stellar high school career with a PIAA state championship.

Sheetz will be challenged by junior Mike McCauley (Harleysville, PA/Souderton), who transfers in from Lycoming College and was a former state qualifier in high school.

133 Pounds
Junior Brandon Clemmer (Pottstown, PA/Upper Perkiomen) transfers in from Division II Kutztown University where he was a East Regional medalist and a national qualifier in both 2005 and 2006.

Clemmer will be challenged by freshman Eric McCann (Hatfield, PA/Pennridge). McCann was a two-time state qualifier who won 137 matches in his high school career.

Another wrestler to watch is sophomore Tramaine Franklin (Homestead, FL/South Dade). Franklin, a former Florida state champion, was a junior college national qualifier while attending Waubonsee Community College.

141 Pounds
The Aggie lineup will be bolstered by the return of three-time national qualifier Dan Hall (Waretown, NJ/Southern Regional), who missed last season with an injury.

Hall enters the 2007-08 campaign ranked eighth nationally. He won three MAC titles from 2004 to 2006 and was one win shy of a top eight finish and All-American honors in '06.

Sophomore Matt Lindsay (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) earned valuable experience with the Aggies last season as he went 13-9 (six pins) and placed in the top six at three regular-season invitationals.

Another wrestler to watch in the weight class is sophomore Matt Myers (Waldorf, MD/McDonough). He was a two-time Maryland state champion and a four-time placewinner in high school.

149 Pounds
Jaryd Steinbacher (Montgomery, PA/Montgomery) qualified for the NCAA Championships after winning the MAC title as a freshman in 2006 and will look to return to the national scene in '08.

Last season, Steinbacher finished with a 31-10 record (11 pins). He won the York Invitational title during the year and placed third at the Midwest Regional

Freshman Jesse Harrington (New Providence, NJ/Bound Brook) placed second at the New Jersey state championships and won 128 of 143 high school matches.

157 Pounds
Two-time national qualifier Ryan Herwig (Glen Burnie, MD/Mt. St. Joseph's) enters his senior season ranked fourth in Division III.

Herwig, who transferred in Gloucester County Community College two years ago, is coming off a 33-15 season, including 12 pins He placed second at the Midwest Regional and was selected for a wild-card berth to nationals. Then for the second straight season, Herwig came within one victory of a top eight finish and All-American honors at the NCAA Championships.

Freshman Darren Hackenburg (New Holland, PA/Garden Spot) enters the program after being a two-time state qualifier in high school.

165 Pounds
Junior Greg Miele (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional) is back after seeing action in each of his first two seasons. He went 10-8 as a freshman at 157 pounds. Last year, Miele moved up to 174 pounds and went 4-8.

174 Pounds
John Barrett (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) went 9-6 with three pins for the Aggies before he suffered a season-ening injury at the York Invitational.

184 Pounds
Junior Michael Wilcox (Buena, NJ/Buena) transfers in from Gloucester Community College where he was a two-time junior college qualifier, including a third-place finish last year.

197 Pounds
Kevin Orr (Quakertown, PA/Quakertown) was having a season to remember in 2006-07 as he moved down from heavyweight to 197 and posted a 21-6 record (10 pins). However, he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year.

Orr is now healthy again and the junior enters the national rankings at the fifth spot in his weight class.

Joe West (Washington, PA/Trinity) replaced Orr in the Aggie lineup and went 14-9 with four pins in his rookie campaign.

Heavyweight
National qualifier Kyle Bilquist (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) is back and the junior is ranked seventh in the coaches' preseason poll.

Bilquist made an immediate impact for Delaware Valley after transferring from Division I Monmouth University (did not wrestler at the school). He shook off the rust from a two-year wrestling hiatus and notched a 38-7 record with 17 pins. Bilquist was ranked as high as third during the year, finished as the regional runner-up at heavyweight and was selected for a wild-card berth to the NCAA Championships.

Sophomore Charlie Pendlebury (East Quague, NY/Westhampton Beach) is coming off a medical redshirt. As a rookie, he went 4-4 with two pins.