The Elizabethtown College wrestling team had two team members take home individual Middle Atlantic Conference championship titles this past weekend at Messiah College.
Junior Jeremy Rieth and sophomore Chad Lammer both earned their first individual championships of their collegiate careers with the victories in their respective weight classes. Both wrestlers have seen much success in their careers at Etown, and this title adds yet another win to their belts.
The individual victories helped the Blue Jays earn a fourth-place finish overall in Etown’s final season in the MAC. Though the tournament victories do guarantee a birth to nationals, both expect great things from these wrestlers in the future.
Rieth had built up expectations going into the season, as he made the All-American list the previous season. Unfortunately, Rieth suffered from an injury early on the season which kept him from wrestling until Saturday. However once he was on the mat, he showed no signs of slowing down.
Rieth took down the third-ranked wrestler Zach Roseberry in the tournament to reclaim his position as one of the best in the conference. Lammer, who also had a successful first-year campaign, showed promising signs in last year’s MAC championship competition. The previous season, 15 of Lammer’s 16 wins came during tournament play.
In his first match of the tournament, Lammer pinned Delaware Valley College’s Patrick Davis only a minute and a half into the second period. This victory set up a semifinal showdown with No. 1 seed in the 133-pound division in Wilkes University’s Myzar Mendoza.
Along with Rieth and Lammer, senior Kyle McNulty and junior Zeke Zimmer were both able to make it to the championship round of competition. Both wrestlers brought home third-place finishes in their 125 and 165 weight classes respectively.
The senior was able to reach the semifinals with an 11-0 major decision against King’s College (Pa.)’s Jamie Scarantino. McNulty unfortunately lost in a 10-1 major decision loss to Messiah College’s nationally-ranked and top-seeded Lucas Malmberg,
McNulty is the Blue Jays’ active leader in wins recorded with the 50th victory of his career in the consolation semifinals against Messiah’s Marshall Myers.
Zimmer advanced to the semifinals with a 20-5 technical fall against Lycoming College’s Frank Rodriguez in his opener. The senior was victorious in the quarterfinals with a 8-0 major decision over the No. 2 seed, Tyler Lauchaire, of Wilkes University.
Zimmer was later defeated by Messiah’s Stephen Cannon in 3:36 on a fall in the semi-finals.
McNulty and Zimmer defeated a pair of Delaware Valley wrestlers in the consolation round to both take third place.
The Blue Jays will be back on the mats when they travel to Illinois to compete in the Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational on Saturday.
