Fittery Wins Second-Straight East Region Title, Nauman Third, Wilson Fourth
Mar. 1, 2008
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - With a 7-1 victory over Newberry's Tony Washington, Shippensburg University wrestling sophomore Steve Fittery (Denver/Cocalico) became the first Red Raider to win back-to-back East Region championships since Kevin Boccella in 2000 as he captured the 141-pound title Saturday evening at the 2008 NCAA Division II East Region Championships being hosted at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
As a team, the Red Raiders finished in a tie for seventh with Belmont Abbey as both teams had a two-day total of 47.0 points. Newberry captured the team championship with 129.5 points, edging out host UPJ who totaled 121.0 points.
Since Shippensburg made the transition from Division I to Division II, there has never been a three-peat regional champion in school history. SU Hall of Famer Glen Burket won three-straight East Region championships from 1976-78 at 126 pounds on the Division I level.
In just two seasons at Shippensburg, Fittery has won two regional titles and a PSAC championship while finishing second at last year's national championship.
Red-shirt senior Dan Nauman (Middletown/Middletown) earned his second trip to the national championships by finishing third at 157 pounds after beating Kutztown's Dave Zeek by fall in 4:59 in the match for third-place. The win was Nauman's fourth in as many matches over Zeek this season and was his career-high 24th of the year, raising his career total to 64.
Nauman also advanced to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in 2005 with what was then a career-best 19 wins. His victory was also his eighth of the season by fall which is just one less than his previous three-year total of nine entering this season.
Meanwhile, red-shirt junior Jake Wilson (Carlisle/Carlisle) is advancing to his second-straight national championships after he finished fourth at the East Region championships for the second consecutive year. At 165 pounds, he lost to Mercyhurst's Hudson Harrison in the third-place match by major decision, 10-1.
Since moving from 157 to 165 earlier this season, Wilson has posted a 6-4 record that includes a mark of 2-2 at the East Region championships. After totaling a mark of 8-8 at 157, he has a mark of 14-12 overall this year which ties his win total from last season when he was 14-16.
This year will mark the fifth in the seven season under head coach Don Tabar '98 that Shippensburg has qualified at least three wrestlers for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.
This year’s championships are being hosted by Upper Iowa University and being held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 14 and 15. The championships web site can be found at the following address: http://upperiowaathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/08-ncaa-wrestling.html.
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