Edinboro Match Notes
 
Edinboro Lineup  
125 -- Kory Mines (R-Sr., 15-3, 70-50, Bedford, Ohio/Maple Heights)
133 -- #1/#1 A.J. Schopp (R-Sr., 11-0, 118-14, Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone Area)
141 -- #2/#2 Mitchell Port (R-Sr., 15-0, 111-15, Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area)
149 -- #3/#4 Dave Habat (R-Sr., 15-0, 113-24, Parma, Ohio/St. Ignatius)
157 -- Chase Delande (R-So., 8-4, 29-9, Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard-Davidson)
165 -- Casey Fuller (R-Jr., 12-5, 41-37, Hamlin, Pa./Western Wayne)         
174-- Zach Towers (R-So., 9-2, 17-9, Meadville, Pa./Meadville) and Patrick Jennings (R-Jr., 15-5, 40-42, Ridge, N.Y./Longwood)              
184 -- #14/#11 Vic Avery  (R-Jr., 11-3, 60-25, Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro)
197 -- Vince Pickett  (Jr.,12-6, 55-32, Galloway, Ohio/Central Crossing)
Hwt. -- Warren Bosch (R-Jr., 7-9, 23-30, Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park)       
 
HEAD?COACH:  Tim Flynn (Penn State '87, 190-70-5, 18th year)
Rankings:  InterMat/Flowrestling

The Match Stories
 
Edinboro will take to the mats for the last time in 2014 on Monday, December 29 and Tuesday, December 30, competing in the 52nd Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Hosted by Northwestern University at the Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Midlands features some of the top teams and wrestlers in the country. A total of ten teams ranked in InterMat's Tournament Rankings are scheduled to participate. That includes six teams in the top ten. In addition to Edinboro, ranked fifth, the field includes top-ranked Iowa, second-ranked Minnesota, No. 6 Missouri, No. 9 Virginia Tech, and No. 10 Northwestern. Using InterMat's latest individual rankings, as many as 63 nationally-ranked wrestlers are listed in the preseeds. A.J. Schopp is one of three wrestlers ranked number one in the respective weight classes. Schopp is number one at 133 lbs., with Northwestern's  Jason Tsirtsis and Mike McMullan are top-ranked at 149 lbs. and heavyweight, respectively. Mitchell Port (141 lbs.) is one three wrestlers ranked second by InterMat, joined by Mike Evans of Iowa (174 lbs.) and Penn's Lorenzo Thomas (184 lbs.).

The Fighting Scots are in the midst of their most difficult portion of the schedule. A week ago Edinboro competed in the Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden. The Scots, ranked 12th at the time in the USA Today/NWCA Division I?Coaches Poll, lost to third-ranked Cornell (23-14) and defeated 11th-ranked Lehigh (19-18). Edinboro then begins New Year at the Virginia Duals on January 9-10.   

Edinboro will bring 11 wrestlers to the Midlands Championships. This marks the fourth straight year the Fighting Scots have competed in the Midlands. A year ago they matched their best finish ever at the Midlands Championships and Mitchell Port became the first Fighting Scot to take home first place since 2011.  Iowa finished first with 187.5 points, with Edinboro capturing second place with 102.5 points.  Michigan was third in the 47-team field. Edinboro had five wrestlers medal, led by Port's first place showing at 141 lbs.  The redshirt junior became the Boro's first titlist since Chris Honeycutt won at 197 lbs. in 2011.  The Fighting Scots added third place finishes by A.J. Schopp at 133 lbs. and Johnny Greisheimer at 157 lbs., while Ernest James took home fifth place at heavyweight and Vic Avery was eighth at 184 lbs.

Edinboro enjoyed a record-setting performance in the PSAC?Championship on December 5. The Fighting Scots won their fourth straight PSAC?title and 15th in Tim Flynn's 18 years as head coach. they finished with 189.5 points to easily outdistance second-place Lock Haven, who finished with 130.5 points. Clarion came in fifth. Edinboro also set a record with nine PSAC?champions, breaking the previous record of seven the Scots held along with Clarion. A.J. Schopp (133 lbs.), Mitchell Port (141 lbs.), and Dave Habat (149 lbs.) won their fourth PSAC?titles. It marks the first time a lineup has had three four-time PSAC?titlists in it. There had previously been just 14 four-time PSAC?champions. Kory Mines won his second straight title at 125 lbs., and Vic Avery is now a two-time champion at 184 lbs. Kasey Burnett-Davis is now a two-time champion, as well, winning at 157 lbs. after claiming the 165 lb. title a year ago. Zach Towers (174 lbs.) and Vince Pickett (197 lbs.) won their first PSAC?crowns.    

Edinboro comes off the finest season in school history. The 2013-14 Fighting Scots finished with an 11-3 record, winning the EWL and PSAC?Championships. Seven national qualifiers then combined to help Edinboro finish fifth at the NCAA?Division I?National Championships, the highest finish in school history. Three Fighting Scots earned All-American honors -- A.J. Schopp (133 lbs.) and Mitchell Port (141 lbs.) for the second time and Dave Habat (149 lbs.) for the first time. Port placed third with Schopp and Habat coming in fourth.

Edinboro's lineup features five returning national qualifiers, along with a sixth in Clarion transfer Austin Matthews. Leading the way are All-Americans Mitchell Port, A.J. Schopp, and Dave Habat. Port earned All-American honors for the second time at 141 lbs. with a third place finish, while Schopp is also a two-time All-American after coming in fourth last year at 133 lbs. Habat earned his first All-American certificate with a fourth place finish at 149 lbs. Kory Mines made his first appearance at Nationals last year at 125 lbs. Matthews earned a trip to Nationals for the first time while wrestling at Clarion. He competed at 157 lbs. He is currently out with an injury.  

In addition, Edinboro's lineup has seven nationally-ranked wrestlers, including the WrestlingReport.com rankings which ranks 33 wrestlers per weight class. Five Fighting Scots are ranked in the top ten of their respective weight classes. A.J. Schopp is the consensus number one at 133 lbs., while Mitchell Port is second at 141 lbs. Dave Habat is ranked as high as third at 149 lbs. in three different polls. Newcomer Austin Matthews, a transfer from Clarion, is ranked as high as fifth by The OpenMat.com at 157 lbs. Vic Avery is ranked as high as 11th by WIN at 184 lbs. Kory Mines has been in and out of the 125 lb. rankings the last few weeks. He is currently ranked 22nd by WrestlingReport.com.  Vince Pickett is ranked 25th at 197 lbs. by WrestlingReport.com.    

Head coach Tim Flynn has always liked to challenge his squad, and this year is no exception. The Pittsburgh match was the first of a very difficult dual schedule for the Fighting Scots. Using the USA?Today/NWCA?Division I?Coaches Poll, Edinboro's schedule currently includes six teams in the top 25, including two of the top seven squads.  Edinboro already faced Pittsburgh, with the Panthers currently ranked ninth.  On November 15 the Fighting Scots competed in the EWL?Duals and upset a Michigan team that was eighth at the time and now ranked 15th. The Scots faced a grueling day at the Grapple at the Garden on December 21. They wrestled third-ranked Cornell in their first match, then met 11th-ranked Lehigh. Ohio State, currently ranked seventh, will visit McComb Fieldhouse for a first round match in the NWCA?Cliff Keen National Duals on February 15. 17th-ranked Rider is also still ahead on the schedule. In addition, Edinboro will once again compete in the 2015 Virginia Duals. The field features several nationally-ranked squads, including Virginia Tech (6th), Virginia (16th), and Old Dominion (24th). Throw in matches against Kent State, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, and West Virginia, plus the other four EWL opponents, and the Scots will be battle-tested by March.

Midlands Pre-Seeds

The 2014 Midlands Championships pre-seeds were released on Decemeber 24. Brackets will be released on December 28.  InterMat national rankings are listed after the name.
 
125
1.            Thomas Gilman, Iowa  (4)
2.            Joey Dance, Virginia Tech  (6) 
3.            Josh Martinez, Air Force  (9)
4.            Josh Rodriguez, North Dakota St  (14)
5.            Brandon Jeske, Old Dominion   (19)
6.            Kory Mines, Edinboro
7.            Shayne Wireman, Eastern Michigan
8.            Barlow McGhee, Missouri UNATT
9.            Stevan Micic, Northwestern UNATT
10.          Ryak Finch, Grand View
11.          Gerald Huff, Adams State
12.          Lucas Malmberg, Messiah College
 
133
1.            A.J. Schopp, Edinboro   (1)
2.            Jarrod Garnett, Lehigh Valley Athletic Club
3.            Cory Clark, Iowa   (4)
4.            Zane Richards, Illinois  (7)
5.            Geoffrey Alexander, Maryland   (11)
6.            Ryan Taylor, Wisconsin  (16)
7.            Danny Sabatello, Purdue  (17)
8.            Kevin Norstrem, Virginia Tech  (19)
9.            Robert Deutsch, Rider
10.          Caleb Richardson, Penn
11.          Ian Nickell, CSU Bakersfield
12.          TBD based on entries
                Dom Malone, Northwestern
                Josh Alber, Northern Iowa UNATT
                Jered Cortez, Illinois UNATT
 
141
1.            Mitchell Port, Edinboro  (2)
2.            Devin Carter, Virginia Tech   (3)
3.            Josh Dziewa, Iowa   (6)
4.            Chris Mecate, Old Dominion  (9)
5.            Todd Preston, Harvard   (16)
6.            Shyheim Brown, Maryland
7.            Mitch Bengsten, North Dakota State
8.            Stephen Rodriquez, Illinois
9.            Alex Kocer, South Dakota State
10.          Joey McKenna, Lehigh Valley Athletic Club
11.          Brandon Wright, Grand View
12.          Alfred Bannister, Maryland
                Jesse Thielke, Wisconsin
                Nick Lawrence, Purdue
                Jordan Laster, Princeton
                Chuck Zeisloft, Rider
                Jameson Oster, Northwestern
 
149
1.            Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern   (1)
2.            Dave Habat, Edinboro   (3)
3.            Brody Grothus, Iowa
4.            Richard Durso, Franklin & Marshall UNATT
5.            Brandon Sorensen, Iowa  (10)
6.            Alexander Richardson, Old Dom  (12)
7.            CJ Cobb, Penn   (11)
8.            Adam Krop, Princeton  (19)
9.            BJ Clagon, Rider
10.          Laike Gardner, Lehigh UNATT
11.          Sal Mastriani, Virginia Tech
12.          Rylan Lubeck, Wisconsin
                Kyle Langenderfer, Illinois
                Kevin Birmingham, Davidson
                Nick Barber, Eastern Michigan
                Gustavo Martinez, Grand View
 
157
1.            Isaiah Martinez, Illinois   (9)
2.            Cody Pack, South Dakota State  (14)
3.            Markus Scheidel, Columbia  (16)
4.            Justin Staudenmayer, Brown   (18)
5.            Mike Kelly, Iowa
6.            Chad Welsh, Rider
7.            Brandon Zeerip, Eastern Michigan
8.            Doug Welch, Purdue
9.            Edwin Cooper, Iowa
10.          Andrew Morse, Northern Illinois
11/12. TBD based on entries
 
165
1.            Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin  (3)
2.            Taylor Walsh, Indiana  (4)
3.            Nick Moore, Iowa  (7)
4.            Pierce Harger, Northwestern  (8)
5.            Jackson Morse, Illinois  (12)
6.            Nestor Taffur, UNATT
7.            Tristan Warner, Old Dominion  (14)
8.            Adam Fierro, CSU Bakersfield  (16)
9.            Jesse Stafford, Air Force  (19)
10.          Jon Schleifer, Princeton
11.          Connor Brennan, Rider
12.          Pat Robinson, Purdue
                Pat Smith, Minnesota
                Connor McMahon, SIU-Edwardsville
 
174
1.            Mike Evans, Iowa  (2)
2.            Zac Brunson, Illinois  (9)
3.            Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech  (8)
4.            Bryce Hammond, CSU Bakersfield  (11)
5.            Kurtis Julson, North Dakota State  (14)
6.            Alex Meyer, Iowa
7.            Brock Gutches, Southern Oregon
8.            Nate Jackson, Indiana  (19)
9.            Burke Paddock, Iowa
10.          John Sebastian, Northwestern UNATT
11.          Chad Welch, Purdue
12.          Connor Lefever, Wabash
 
184
1.            Lorenzo Thomas, Penn  (2)
2.            Jack Dechow, Old Dominion  (4)
3.            Sammy Brooks, Iowa  (8)
4.            Hayden Zillmer, North Dakota St  (10)
5.            Ophir Bernstein, Brown (13)
6.            Vic Avery, Edinboro  (14)
7.            Nikko Reyes, Illinois  (20)
8.            Ricky Robertson, Wisconsin  (18)
9.            Austin Gabel, Virginia Tech
10.          Clint Morrison, Rider
11.          Brett Harner, Princeton
12.          Zach Hernandez, Columbia
                Patrick Kissel, Purdue
                Riley Lefever, Wabash
 
197
1.            Nathan Burak, Iowa UNATT   (6)
2.            Alex Polizzi, Northwestern   (8)
3.            Abram Ayala, Princeton  (10)
4.            Braden Atwood, Purdue  (11)
5.            Nathan Rotert, South Dakota St.  (13)
6.            Timmy McCall, Wisconsin  (14)
7.            Joe Rau, Minnesota Storm
8.            Jared Haught, Virginia Tech  (20)
9.            Lucas Sheridan, Indiana
10.          James Fox, Harvard
11.          Vince Pickett, Edinboro
12.          Shawn Scott, Northern Illinois
                Kevin Beazley, Old Dominion
                Anthony Abro, Eastern Michigan
                Shane Siefert, UW Whitewater
                Frank Mattiace, Penn UNATT
                Canaan Bethea, Penn
                Pat Downey, Iowa Central
 
285
1.            Mike McMullan, Northwestern  (1)
2.            Bobby Telford, Iowa  (3)
3.            Connor Medbery, Wisconsin  (5)
4.            Ty Walz, Virginia Tech   (7)
5.            Evan Knutson, North Dakota St.  (13)
6.            Tyler Deuel, Binghamton   (17)
7.            Jacob Henderson, Old Dominion  (18)
8.            J.J. Everard, South Dakota State
9.            Ray O'Donnell, Princeton
10.          David Ng, Harvard
11.          Garrett Ryan, Columbia
12.          Brooks Black, Illinois
                Marcus Malechek, Air Force