2/22/2009		Wrestling at Metro Championships
2/19/2009		Wrestling to compete at Metro Championships
2/10/2009		King's edges Etown in wrestling, 21-15
2/7/2009		Wrestling defeats Hunter, falls to York
2/6/2009		Wrestling defeated by Wilkes, 31-9

YORK, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior Deron Sharp (Millville, NJ/Millville) and first-year student Tyler Erdman (Herndon, PA/Line Mountain) won individual titles at the Metropolitan Wrestling Conference championship tournament on Sunday at York College.

Sharp (285 pounds) and Erdman (125 pounds) will advance to the NCAA Division III Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 6-7, becoming the first Blue Jay wrestlers since Kyle Hart in 2005 to compete at the national championship.

Sharp, the top seed at 285 pounds, defeated Mark Shirian of New York University 10-5 in the quarterfinals, Shane Cooley of York College 5-2 in the semifinals and Andrew Feldman of Wilkes University 6-3 in the championship match.

Erdman, the top seed at 125 pounds, picked up a 10-4 decision over Jerrid Hartman of York in the semifinals and a 5-3 decision over Shaun Farnham of Wilkes in the finals to improve to 29-4 on the season and take home the conference Rookie of the Year award.

As a team, the Blue Jays finished sixth out of nine teams with 35.5 points as Wilkes took home the team title with 98 points, ahead of College of New Jersey (86.5 points) and the host Spartans (58.5 points).

Other top finishers for the Blue Jays were junior Mike Lussier (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) and first-year student Jordan Becker (Stevens, PA/Ephrata), each of whom lost in the consolation semifinals.

At 165 pounds, Lussier lost his first match but pinned Steve Glickman of the University of Scranton in 1:00 and posted a 5-1 decision over Patrick Knight of NYU in wrestlebacks. Becker picked up a fall in 2:30 against Nicholas Marchiafava of Centenary College in the consolation quarterfinals at 197 pounds.

Photos of Deron Sharp (left) and Tyler Erdman (right) courtesy of York College

Metropolitan Conference Championships (at York College)
Team scores: 1. Wilkes (W) 98; 2. College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 86.5; 3. York (Y) 58.5; 4. Centenary (C) 42; 5. King's (K) 37.5; 6. Elizabethtown (E) 35.5; 7. New York University (NYU) 31; 8. Hunter (H) 23; 9. Scranton (S) 4.

Elizabethtown College results

Elizabethtown to Wrestle at Metropolitan Conference Championships

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College wrestling team will compete at the Metropolitan Conference championships on Sunday at York College, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The Blue Jays, who finished in a tie for seventh out of nine schools at last year's inaugural championships, have six returning entries in this year's field.

At 125 pounds, first-year student Tyler Erdman (Herndon, PA/Line Mountain) brings a 27-4 overall record into action. He has posted 12 falls among his 27 wins (three pins, nine technical falls) and has been ranked in the top 10 in Division III for most of the season.

Sophomore Marty Harnish (Marietta, PA/Donegal) is entered at 133 pounds with a 14-15 overall record, after going 1-2 at 125 pounds in last year's championship meet.

At 141 pounds, sophomore Jarrod Cawley (Fleetwood, PA/Oley Valley) moved into the lineup late in the season and has a 6-11 record, while at 149 pounds first-year student Ronnie Cuff (Pittsgrove, NJ/Schalick) is 7-15 overall and 6-11 in his weight class.

Senior Jereme Heisey (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) advanced to the consolation semifinals at 157 pounds last season, and holds an 18-8 overall record on the season and 61 career victories.

Sophomore Mike Lussier (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) will take to the mat at 165 pounds with a 9-15 overall record including three pins, while junior Paul Connor (Tabernacle, NJ/Shawnee) is entered at 174 pounds after compiling a 11-15 record in his class.

Sophomore Bill Meaney (Toms River, NJ/Manchester Twp.) is 7-7 overall with three pins and 184 pounds, after appearing in the consolation quarterfinals last season, and at 197 pounds, first-year student Jordan Becker (Stevens, PA/Ephrata) has a 5-9 record after moving into the lineup at midseason,

Junior Deron Sharp (Millville, NJ/Millville) is 9-3 overall including 7-0 at heavyweight with two pins. Sharp was the Blue Jays' top finisher last season as he took third at 197 pounds.

Admission to Charles Wolf Gymnasium will be $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and $2 for students with identification. Quarterfinals begin at 9:30 a.m., with first round consolations and semifinals salted for 11:30, consolation semifinals at 2:00 and finals at 4:00.