WASHINGTON, Pa. (Feb. 16) – The Saint Vincent wrestling team made its first ever Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship appearance a memorable one, as the Bearcats breezed to the team title, totaling 103.5 points.
Three Bearcats won PAC individual titles, seven reached the finals and nine earned top-three finishes, as SVC outdistanced second-place Washington & Jefferson by 22.5 points.
In addition to taking home the team title, the Bearcats also earned two of the conference's major postseason awards, as first-year head coach
Dominick Nania was named the PAC Coach of the Year, and freshman
Chase Brandebura (Carnegie, Pa. / Carlynton) was voted the conference's Newcomer of the Year after breezing his way to the 165-pound title.
Freshman
Sean Cain (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant) earned the Bearcats' first-ever PAC individual title, taking the crown at 125 pounds. Carin opened his night with a fall over W&J's Brandon Dami in 1:28, before earning a 15-8 decision in the title match over Thiel's E.J. McCarthy.
The Bearcats' second individual title came at 157 pounds, as
Charlie Mesich (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) , who entered the tourney as the No. 2 seed, earned three victories. In the opening round, Mesich downed W&J's Joshua Searle with a fall midway through the third period, before picking up a 17-3 major decision over Waynesburg's Seth Evans in the semifinal.
Mesich would then win the title in dramatic fashion, coming back from a 5-2 deficit midway through the third quarter to pull out a 7-6 win over top-seeded Bryce Rodriguez-Uram of W&J at the final buzzer.
At 165, pounds Brandebura, the top seed, pined Thiel's Dominic Hartman in 1:52 in the semifinals, and then cruised to a 13-1 major decision over Waynesburg's Jacob Wilson.
Along with the three tourney champions, the Bearcats produced four runners-up in sophomore 133-pounder
Kyle McCollum (Beallsville, Pa./Bethlehem-Center), freshman 141-pounder
Tyler Debnar (Marianna, Pa./Bethlehem-Center), freshman 174-pounder
Logan Bechtold (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area), and senior heavyweight
Jake Beistel (Alverton, Pa./Southmoreland).
All four earned bonus point victories in the semifinals, with McCollum earning a fall in 1:45; Debnar a fall in 3:42; Bechtold a fall in 47 seconds over Waynesburg's Kyle Hinerman; and Beistel a fall in 49 seconds over Thiel's Jacob Traupman.
The Bearcats also saw three freshmen earn All-PAC Honorable Mention honors with third-place finishes.
At 125 pounds,
Dylan Klim (Blairsville, Pa./Derry Area) recovered from a loss in the quarterfinals to close with two straight wins, dispatching W&J's Brandon Dami by fall in 48 seconds, and then taking third place with an 18-11 decision over Thiel's Conner Smalls.
Ryan Yocum (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) placed third in the 133-pound bracket, going 2-1 on the night, capped off with a 12-1 major decision over Thiel's Dreyvin Livingston in the consolation finals.
Rookie
Liam Flanigan (Freehold, N.J/Freehold Township) was a third third-place finisher for SVC, going 3-1 at 149 pounds. He clinched third with a fall in 4:57 over Waynesburg's Kase Stewart.
Behind first-place Saint Vincent and second-place W&J, Waynesburg University placed third, with 75.5 points, and Thiel College fourth, with 69.5 pounds.
Joining Nania and Brandebura as PAC award-winners, W&J's Taylor Smith was named the league's Wrestler of the Year after claiming the 149-pound title to earn his 43rd win of the season.
The Bearcats will now have a weeklong layoff before continuing the postseason, when they travel to north-central Pennsylvania and Lycoming College for the NCAA Division III Southwest Regional Championships on Saturday, March 2.
