The faces may have changed, but the wealth of talent and the commitment to winning on the Shippensburg wrestling team for 2006-07 is as strong as it has ever been. Led by NCWA Coach of the Year Don Tabar, it will business as usual for the Red Raiders.

Last season, Shippensburg finished third at the 2006 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, the highest-ever finish in the program’s history. The team was heralded for its talented quartet of All-Americans led by Jamie Thomas at 125 pounds and Corey Jacoby at 197, both of whom finished second at the national championships and were two of the top wrestlers in program history.

Jacoby concluded his four-year career at Shippensburg with 116 victories, third on the school's all-time list. He was a three-time All-American, a 2005 national champion and a 2006 East Region champion. In just three seasons with the Red Raiders, Thomas totaled 68 victories and was a three-time All-American.

Joining Thomas and Jacoby, Mark Murphy and Jake Lininger each earned third-place finishes at last year’s NCAA championships at 184 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. A transfer from Minnesota, Lininger competed in both the NCAA Division I and II Wrestling Championships, finishing his career with 101 victories, including 67 at Division I and 34 at Shippensburg.

With Thomas, Jacoby and Lininger having moved on, Murphy remains for his final season to help lead an extremely deep group of talent whose only drawback is its lack of meet experience at the collegiate level.

There are no other seniors and 14 freshmen on this year’s roster, which may seem like the makings are set for a transition season, but many of the newcomers are set to contribute immediately to help offset the loss of last year’s All-Americans.

It may not be easy to live up to last year’s success right away, but the level of competition should be on par with last year’s record-setting squad. With 22 dual-meet victories over the last two seasons, the Red Raiders are more than comfortably established as a perennial contender on the mat.

125 POUNDS

While losing Thomas will certainly be a difficult void, freshman Andrew Jones will look to begin making his name known from the get-go. The Havertown native mentored under Thomas last season as a red-shirt and is prepared to assume the starting role at 125 pounds this season.

At Haverford High School, Jones received the award for most pins in the shortest time at his school’s invitational as he recorded pins in 17, 25 and 46 seconds and was also nominated as the Outstanding Wrestler of the 2004 Haverford Wrestling Invitational. He will look to parlay a high school career that featured more than 100 wins into an equally successful career at Shippensburg.

Jones competed in last year’s East Stroudsburg Open and finished with a 3-2 mark, highlighted by a fall in 2:50 over James Madison’s Thang Ho.

Backing up Jones will be freshman Justin Shafranich from Lewistown High School.

133 POUNDS

At Cocalico, Fittery took fifth place at 119 pounds in the 2005 PIAA state tournament and finished his career as the winningest wrestler in school history with a 139-20 record. The Class AAA Wrestler of the Year, as named by the Lancaster-Lebanon League Coaches' Association, Fittery will begin the season as the Red Raiders’ lone option at 133 pounds.

141 POUNDS

The returning veteran at 141 pounds will be red-shirt junior Darren Murray who has gathered significant experience over the last two years. Last year, he finished the year with a 1-2 dual meet record, earning a 4-0 decision over York’s Dave Stemer after winning by fall in 1:50 over Ralph Celestin of Middlesex CC at the ESU Open.

The listed starter at 141 pounds will be red-shirt sophomore Rob Cross who appeared in two matches in 2004-05, but who was not with the team a year ago.

Joining Murray will be freshman Bill Purvis, a graduate of Souderton High School, who wrestled to a 29-10 record during his senior season and recorded eight pins and six major decisions.

149 POUNDS

Red-shirt junior Dan Nauman will be the starter at 149 pounds and will look to build upon the experience gathered over the last two years. Last season, he posted a 19-15 record and recorded four falls and four major decisions while advancing to his first NCAA championship.

Two of Nauman’s major decisions came at the East Coast Duals, where he won all five of his dual meets. He also earned two wins at the NCAA East Regionals, including a fall in 3:39 over Newberry’s Matt Black.

Backing up Nauman will be a group of three freshmen that also stand to see some action this year. Jared Mellott, a native of Northern Bedford High School, entered last year’s Southwest Regional Wrestling Tournament with a 28-3 record and will look to parlay the success of his senior year into freshman success for the Red Raiders.

Dan Moist, a native of Schuylkill Valley will join Jeremiah Will, a graduate of Indian Valley High School, as additional wrestlers at 149 pounds this season. Will finished 28-7 and recorded 17 falls during his senior season at Indian Valley.

157 POUNDS

The depth at 157 pounds is particularly strong, as red-shirt sophomore Jake Wilson will open the year as the starter. The Carlisle native and younger brother of Thundering Herd head coach Joe Wilson is looking to make a big impact.

Freshman David Sunderland looks to make an impact as well this season as the Southern Huntingdon native will start his collegiate career after earning three decisions at the Class AA Finals as a senior.

Red-shirt junior Chris Murray returns for another season and will look to build upon last season, in which he earned five dual-meet victories.

165 POUNDS

Red-shirt sophomore Derek Deutsch opens the season as the starter at 165 pounds. Wrestling for Nazareth High School, he qualified for the PIAA championships in 2003. In 2004, he also earned a trip to the PIAA championships, but had to take a medical default.

Kirby Fanus had a big highlight last season when he earned an 8-3 decision over Pittsburgh-Johnstown’s Albert Miles and six days later earned an 8-0 major decision over Millersville’s Nick Foley.

Junior Eric Kauffman also returns after three dual-meet wins last season, including a 17-0 technical fall over Cedric Turner of North Carolina Pembroke.

Freshman Chris Barrick may also be a key figure this season as the Big Spring native will look to harness the dominating ability that got him all the way to the semifinals of the Class AAA Finals last season.

174 POUNDS

Red-shirt sophomore Rick Mascino enters the season as the starter at 174 after totaling nine dual meet victories a year ago. He recorded two technical falls at the East Coast Duals and also earned two victories at the NCAA East Regionals.

Freshman Petie Siler stands to be an option as well, as the Gainesville, Virginia native was a Virginia Group AA state runner up at 171 pounds last season.

Freshman Nathan Reese from Indian Valley High School had a 27-10 record last season and recorded 12 falls while fellow freshman Adam Stout from Lewistown High School posted a 24-7 record during his senior season and had four major decisions.

184 POUNDS

The seasoned veteran of the Red Raider squad this season will be senior Mark Murphy, who finished last year with a 23-8 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA championship. He recorded 11 falls last season and was recognized for totaling the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA championship with four in 8:40.

Murphy also recorded a second-place finish at the East Region championships, a fourth-place finish at the ESU Open and a fourth-place finish at the PSAC championships. He enters this season as the only Red Raider listed at 184 pounds.

197 POUNDS

With Jacoby gone, Shippensburg will do its best to replace the school’s most accomplished wrestler. The initial starter at 197 this year will be junior Peter Grodziak, who dutifully filled in for Jacoby when he was injured last season and finished the year with a strong 10-4 record after totaling wins in three of his last four duals.

Joining Grodziak will be junior David Richards, who joins the wrestling team for his first season after spending the last three with Red Raider football team. After finishing the year as the team’s second-leading rusher with 420 yards and two touchdowns, Richards will have to hone a technique that led him to over 20 wins at 189 pounds as a senior at Clearfield High School.

HEAVYWEIGHT

While Lininger has also departed, red-shirt sophomore Jason Groller moves into the starting role and looks to build upon a promising first season a year ago. Along with Richards, Groller, was also a starter on the football team at Shippensburg this past fall and finished the 2005-06 season with a 4-1 record.

Groller will be backed up by freshman Jon Boice of Pottsgrove High School who, like Groller, participated in football and wrestling in high school, finishing his senior season with a 27-13 record and 14 falls.

SCHEDULE

The Red Raiders open their season at the ESU Open on November 18 and will have less than two weeks to prepare for their annual clash with No. 5-ranked and perennial powerhouse Pittsburgh-Johnstown, a team that Shippensburg has never beaten.

The match, which will be held on December 1 at UPJ, will feature a clash between the Mountain Cats’ Mike Corcetti and Red Raiders’ Mark Murphy.

The lone home meet of the fall semester will take place on Wednesday, December 6 when the Red Raiders host local rival Millersville in Heiges Field House.

January will bring the big tournaments as Shippensburg will compete in the both the NWCA National Duals and the East Coast Duals before closing out the month with the PSAC Championships at Bloomsburg.

In February, there will be a key stretch in which the Red Raiders will have three home matches in three days, beginning on February 9 against Mercyhurst, followed by Gannon and West Liberty State.

The regular-season finale will be at Kutztown on February 15 with the NCAA East Regionals coming eight days later at UNC-Pembroke while the NCAA Championships will be held at the University of Nebraska-Kearney March 9-10.