Thomas, Jacoby Second at NCAA Championships, Tabar Named NWCA Coach of the Year
Mar. 11, 2006
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Shippensburg University
wrestling red-shirt junior Jamie Thomas (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland
Valley) and senior Corey Jacoby (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) each finished
in second-place at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on Saturday
at the University of Findlay to highlight four All-America finishes. As
a team, the Red Raiders placed third with a total of 66.5 points.
Also on Saturday, junior Mark Murphy (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) and red-shirt
senior Jake Lininger (Camp Hill, Pa./Lower Dauphin) both placed in third-place
at 184 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.
Shippensburg's third-place finish is the highest for the team at the NCAA
championships in the history of the program.
At 197 pounds, Jacoby was looking to defend his national championship from
a year ago which was the first in school history. He entered this weekend's
championship having won eight-straight matches before adding three more victories
to advance to the national championship match. With a record of 31-5, Jacoby
faced Plamen Paskalev of Central Missouri State University who entered the
match with a perfect 17-0 record.
Using a time management strategy in which he eluded Jacoby and avoided grappling,
Paskalev edged out a 5-3 decision to capture his first national championship.
Originally from Bulgaria, Paskalev is a two-time Olympian who placed third
at 197 pounds in last year's NCAA Division II championship.
Jacoby concludes 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.
At 125, Thomas ran his consecutive matches won streak to 18 before losing
to Cody Garcia of the University of Nebraska-Omaha 5-1 in the national championship
match. Thomas finishes this season with a record of 29-9. Although he
still has one-year of athletic eligibility remaining, Thomas, a three-time
All-American, will graduate this spring.
A transfer who came to Shippensburg from the University of Minnesota,
Lininger finished his only season with the Red Raiders with a 34-4 record
after posting a 5-1 record at the national championships. After losing to
Christopher Tuchscherer of Minnesota State University-Moorhead in the quarterfinals,
he won four-straight matches in the wrestle back bracket. His 34 victories
this season ties him with Jacoby's total from last year which is seventh
for a single-season in school history.
Lininger has the distinction of wrestling in both the NCAA Division I and
NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. He transferred to Shippensburg
with 67 career victories at the Division I level and with his 34 this season,
concludes his collegiate career with 101.
By taking third-place, Murphy won his third-straight All-America honor,
finishing the season with a 28-9 record. He won five-straight matches in
the wrestle back bracket before posting a fall in 1:17 over Clinton Salisbury
of the University of Findlay in the third-place match.
Don Tabar earned his first career coaching honor on Saturday after being
named National Wrestling Coaches Association (NCWA) Coach of the Year. In
five
seasons at Shippensburg, he has guided the program's first national champion,
three regional champions, 17 NCAA Division II qualifiers and 12 All-Americans.
Also on Saturday, Murphy was recognized for totaling the most pins in the
least amount of time. During the two-day tournament, he posted four pins
in a total time of 8:40.
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Red Raider Wrestling -
