BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — The Clarion University wrestling team is set for Saturday’s EWL Championships at Bloomsburg.
(Photo: Brock Zacherl)
Here are the notes courtesy of the Sports Information Department.
PROBABLE CLARION LINEUP
| Wt. | Name | Rec. | Yr. | Hometown/High School |
| 125 | Jake Gromacki | 18-6 | R-So. | Erie, Pa. / Cathedral Prep |
| 133 | Roshaun Cooley | 13-17 | So. | Williamsport, Pa. / Williamsport |
| 141 | Brock Zacherl | 20-3 | R-So. | Brookville, Pa. / Brookville |
| 149 | Jake Keller | 5-9 | R-Sr. | Curwensville, Pa. / Curwensville |
| 157 | Mac Tanner | 5-10 | Fr. | Port Allegany, Pa. / Port Allegany |
| 165 | Evan DeLong | 17-9 | Jr. | Kane, Pa. / Kane |
| 174 | Dom Rigous | 16-6 | R-Jr. | Warrington, Pa. / C.B. South |
| 184 | Scott Marmoll | 13-14 | R-Sr. | Marietta, Ga. / Lassiter |
| 197 | Dustin Conti | 12-6 | R-Jr. | Jefferson, Pa / Jefferson-Morgan |
| 285 | Evan Daley | 11-14 | Sr. | Erie, Pa. / Fort LeBoeuf |
Quick Notes
-The Clarion wrestling team will look to secure a number of spots in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as they travel to Bloomsburg for 42nd Annual Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Championships
-The Golden Eagles boast 57 individual EWL champions and four Most Outstanding Wrestler honors dating back to 1976
-Clarion has won three EWL team titles but none since 1995
-Earlier this year Clarion took third in the PSAC Championships, behind just Edinboro and Lock Haven
-Last year the Golden Eagles had two individual EWL champions, the first time they’d done so since 2012
-Brock Zacherl will try to become the first Golden Eagle to earn back-to-back EWL individual championships since James Fleming turned the trick in 2011-12
-Zacherl is currently ranked 19th by Intermat and FloWrestling, 18th by the NCAA D-1 coaches, and 14th in the RPI
-Jake Gromacki is ranked 24th at 125 pounds in the most recent NCAA D-1 coaches’ poll, and 18th in the RPI
-Evan Delong was the PSAC individual champion at 165 pounds and the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler
-The Golden Eagles went 6-10 in dual matches this season but improved to 3-3 in EWL competition, defeating George Mason, Bloomsburg and Cleveland State
The Schedule
8:00 a.m. — Weigh-Ins
8:30 a.m. — Doors open for spectators
10:00 a.m. — SESSION 1 (facility will be cleared upon conclusion)
Round 1 — First round of Championship bouts
Round 2 — Championship Semifinals / First round consolation
Round 3 — Consolation Semifinals
4:30 p.m. — Doors re-open for spectators
6:00 p.m. — FINALS SESSION
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Parade of Champions
Championship Finals (Mat 1)
Consolation Finals (Mat 2)
8:15 p.m. — Awards Ceremony for weight classes 125-157 (Finals Session will continue immediately upon completion)
9:30 p.m. — Awards Ceremony for weight classes 165-285 (will include Team Awards, Most Outstanding Wrestler)
Tickets
All-Session General Admission — $25
All-Session Student — $15
Session 1 General Admission — $15
Session 1 Student — $10
Finals General Admission — $20
Finals Student — $15
Meet the Coach
Clarion is under the direction of third-year head coach Keith Ferraro, who took over full-time duties during the 2014-15 season. Before that he served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach Troy Letters. His work in rebuilding the program over the years cannot be overstated; last season the Golden Eagles had two individual EWL champions for the first time since 2012, as well as a pair of NCAA qualifiers.
NCAA Allocations
On February 23, the NCAA released its list of automatic qualifier allocations for each conference at the the NCAA Championships. Here are the allocations given to the EWL, which will use the placement of wrestlers at this weekend’s tournament to fill the automatic qualifier spots.
125 — 3
133 — 2
141 — 2
149 — 2
157 — 1
165 — 2
174 — 1
184 — 1
197 — 1
285 — 2
Repeat Performance?
Brock Zacherl will try to repeat his EWL performance from a year ago, as the redshirt sophomore will try to become Clarion’s first repeat champion at EWL’s since James Fleming won back-to-back 157-pound titles in 2011-12.
| Clarion Back-to-Back EWL Champions | ||||
| Name | No. of Titles | |||
| James Fleming | 2 | 2011-12 | ||
| John Testa | 3 | 2001-03 | ||
| Mark Angle | 2 | 1998-99 | ||
| Sheldon Thomas* | 2 | 1996-97 | ||
| Bryan Stout | 2 | 1996-97 | ||
| Rob Sintobin | 2 | 1993-94 | ||
| Kurt Angle** | 3 | 1990-92 | ||
| Jim Beichner | 2 | 1984-85 | ||
| Charlie Heller | 3 | 1980-82 | ||
| Mark Downing | 2 | 1980-81 | ||
| Randy Miller | 2 | 1979-80 | ||
| Jack Campbell | 2 | 1979-80 | ||
* — Thomas was a three-time champion in total
** — Angle won four straight, but did not compete in 1991
More on Zacherl
An NCAA qualifier as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Zacherl’s name is littered throughout a number of publications in their national rankings. Entering this weekend’s action he ranks 18th in the NCAA Coaches’ poll, 19th according to Intermat and FloWrestling, and 14th in the RPI.
Seeding Information
Earlier this week, each of the eight-man brackets were preseeded. Eight of Clarion’s 10 wrestlers were named as top-four seeds. Here is how the seeding broke down:
125
1. Sean Russell — Edinboro
2. Jake Gromacki — Clarion
3. J.R. Wert — Rider
4. Ibrahim Bunduka — George Mason
133
1. Korbin Myers — Edinboro
2. DJ Fehlman — Lock Haven
3. Anthony Cefolo — Rider
4. Roshaun Cooley — Clarion
141
1. Brock Zacherl — Clarion
2. Ronnie Perry — Lock Haven
3. Tejon Anthony — George Mason
4. Evan Cheek — Cleveland State
149
1. Patricio Lugo — Edinboro
2. Sahid Kargbo — George Mason
3. Kyle Shoop — Lock Haven
4. Jake Keller — Clarion
165
1. Chad Walsh — Rider
2. Austin Matthews — Edinboro
3. Evan DeLong — Clarion
4. Jared Siegrist — Lock Haven
174
1. Ty Schofstall — Edinboro
2. Adam Mackie — Lock Haven
3. Dom Rigous — Clarion
4. Dean Sherry — Rider
184
1. Dakota Geer — Edinboro
2. Michale Fagg-Daves — Rider
3. Nick Corba — Cleveland State
4. Scott Marmoll — Clarion
197
1. Ryan Wolfe — Rider
2. Tristan Sponseller — Lock Haven
3. Dustin Conti — Clarion
4. Dylan Reynolds — Edinboro
Gromacki Looks to Secure Spot
Redshirt sophomore Jake Gromacki (125) has had a strong debut for Clarion after transferring from Pittsburgh, and he will now try to lock up his spot in the NCAA Championships with a couple of wins on Saturday. With an 18-6 record, he currently ranks 24th in the NCAA Coaches’ poll and 18th in the RPI.
Time to Break Through?
Last year Evan DeLong (165) came up just a hair short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, falling in a true second-place match at EWL’s to come up just one spot shy. Earlier this season the junior was named the PSAC Outstanding Wrestler at the annual championship tournament.
Time to Break Through, Pt. 2?
Another Golden Eagle that just missed out on qualifying for NCAA’s at last year’s EWL Championships was Dustin Conti (197). Conti entered the tournament unseeded but wrestled his way to the consolation final and the third-place match, where he dropped a tight 5-4 decision.
Coming in Hot
Other than Brock Zacherl, who enters the weekend having won all of his dual matches and 10 straight dating back to December, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Clarion wrestler riding a wave of momentum bigger than Dom Rigous. Rigous has won eight of his last nine matches. He’s just 4-3 against EWL competitors, but only one of those losses occurred since the calendar turned to 2017.
