WILKES BARRE, Pa. -- A banner season for the No. 10 Centenary wrestling team continued in the Metropolitan Conference Tournament, Sunday on the campus of King’s College in Wilkes Barre, Pa. The Cyclones won the event for the first time in program history and sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Tournament, also a program-first.
Senior Will Livingston (Newton, N.J./Kittatinny) will return to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year after defending his title at 133-pounds. He will be joined by junior Tim Lutke (Chatham, N.J./Chatham), who won at 197, and sophomore JD Zitone (Montague, N.J./Port Jervis), who finished first at 285. Senior Dave Alsieux (Belmar, N.J./Manasquan) and freshman Chris Burdge (Newton, N.J./Kittatinny) were named wild cards at 141 and 157, respectively.
The Cyclones finished with 104 team points to hold off the defending champion No. 12 TCNJ, which tallied 92. No. 15 York placed third with 70 points, followed by No. 21 Delaware Valley (66.5), No. 24 Elizabethtown (50), No. 13 Wilkes (46.5), NYU (46), King’s (28.5), Hunter (22.5), Scranton (12.5) and Yeshiva (0).
Centenary head coach John Garriques was named Coach of the Year and Mike Kessler received Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Burdge took home co-Rookie of the Year with TCNJ’s Steve Godine.
CC put six wrestlers in the championships of their weight classes to lead all teams. Eight Cyclones placed, led by the three champions. Alsieux, senior Jon Stillo (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) and Burdge each took second at 141, 149 and 157, respectively. Senior Matt Regan (Boonton, N.J./Boonton) finished in third at 165 and junior Jose Vega (Moonachie, N.J./Wood-Ridge) placed fourth at 125. Stillo dropped a tough 10-9 true-second match to Delaware Valley’s Zak Andrews.
Senior Charles Cannella (Kunkletown, Pa./Pleasant Valley) and junior JJ Mitchell (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) each fell in the wrestleback semifinals at 174 and 184, respectively.
The NCAA Division III Wrestling Tournament will take place on March 11-12 in the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis.
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