Fittery Becomes First PSAC Champion Since 1978; Red Raiders Finish Fifth
Dec. 8, 2007
CLARION, Pa. - Shippensburg University wrestling sophomore Steve Fittery (Denver/Cocalico) became the first Red Raider to win a PSAC championship since 1978, defeating Clarion's Sal Lascari 5-4 in the finals at 141 pounds Saturday evening at Clarion's Tippin Gymnasium. As a team, the Red Raiders placed fifth with 62 points.
Senior Pete Grodziak (Allentown/Parkland) and red-shirt sophomore Jon Hade (New Oxford/Bermudian Springs) both came in third while red-shirt senior Dan Nauman (Middletown/Middletown) and red-shirt junior Jake Wilson (Carlisle/Carlisle) came in fifth.
A total of seven wrestlers were placewinners for Shippensburg as red-shirt freshman Chris Barrick (Carlisle/Big Spring) and red-shirt freshman Jon Rhone (Chambersburg/Chambersburg) placed sixth.
Fittery is the seventh Red Raider to win a PSAC title, joining Jack Bowser (1958), Armando Marano (1959), Tom Harbert (1961), Clyde Cressler (1962), Drew Krapf (1978) and Glenn Burkett (1978).
With his conference championship, Fittery has achieved two legs of wrestling's triple crown by winning a PSAC title and an NCAA East Region championship. The only championship still eluding him is the national title at which he finished second a year ago as a freshman to Central Oklahoma junior Kyle Evans.
Evans and Fittery are currently ranked first and second, respectively, in Division II.
Fittery improved his record to 9-1 this season and 45-8 in his career after posting three victories on Saturday. The top-seed at 141 pounds, he opened the day with his fourth major decision of the season, 12-1 over Jamie Soupik of Kutztown. Fittery then pulled out a 7-4 decision over East Stroudsburg's Sean Carr.
In the finals, Fittery edged out Lascari in his own arena and in front of his home crowd, getting an escape point in the third period to tie the match at 4-4 before earning the victory with a total of 1:53 in riding time.
Lascari pinned Lock Haven's Seth Creasy and posted a 12-5 victory over second-seeded Torsten Gillespie of Edinboro. At the last three conference championships, Lascari has finished second, third and fifth.
At 197 pounds, Grodziak finished third for the second-straight year after posting a 3-1 record. Seeded second, he opened with an 8-4 victory over Bloomsburg's Nick Sacco before losing to third-seeded Ben Hepburn of Lock Haven in the semifinals.
Grodziak bounced back with two victories in the consolation
bracket, beating Dixon Jordan of Clarion 4-1 before edging fourth-seed
Scott Snyder of Kutztown 2-1 in the third place match.
At 184, Hade was seeded third, but lost his opening match, only to post back-to-back
victories in the consolation bracket to earn third place. He lost 8-4 to
unseeded Steve Funk of Millersville before earning a 2-1 victory over Clarion's
Scott Joseph and a decision against fourth-seeded Kyle Davis of Kutztown
in the third place match.
After opening with a 6-3 victory over Jeremy Brooks of Millersville at 174,
Barrick was not able to continue due to injury, forcing him to declare three
medical forfeits, resulting in a sixth-place finish.
Unfortunately, the same bad luck struck Atityeh at 125 as he was defeated
8-4 by second-seeded Eric Morrill of Edinboro, dropping him to the consolation
bracket where he defeated Matthre Benedetti of East Stroudsburg, 9-5. However,
he would forfeit his final two matches to come in sixth as well.
Shippensburg will now have 10 days off for final exams before traveling to
Reno, Nevada for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Tuesday, December 18.
- Red Raider Wrestling -
