EDINBORO, Pa. – Redshirt junior Sean Russell, redshirt sophomore Korbin Myers, and redshirt senior Ty Schoffstall are picked to win their respective weight classes as the Eastern Wrestling League has released its coaches' preseason rankings. As a team, the Fighting Scots are picked to finish second behind Rider.
Rider (78 points) is the favorite over Edinboro (63 points) to win the team title in 2017-18. Lock Haven (60.5 points) is picked to finish third with Clarion (48 points) and Cleveland State (26 points) picked fourth and fifth, respectively. George Mason (21.5 points) and Bloomsburg (8 Points) round out the poll.
Russell, a two-time reigning EWL champion at 125 lbs., finished 37-8 last year and went on to earn All-American honors for the first time with a seventh-place finish at Nationals. Myers won the 133 lbs. EWL title last season. He went 30-12 and qualified for Nationals in his first season in the lineup. Going 21-11 a year ago, Schoffstall won the EWL title at 174 lbs.
Redshirt junior Billy Miller is another returning EWL champion from last year. He won the heavyweight title over Thomas Haines of Lock Haven a season ago, avenging two regular season losses to the Bald Eagle. Miller is picked to finish second behind Haines in this year's poll.
At 157 lbs., redshirt sophomore Andrew Shomers is picked to finish third behind defending EWL champion B.J. Clagon of Rider. Austin Matthews and Dylan Reynolds are picked to finish third in their respective weight classes of 165 lbs. and 184 lbs. Matthews lost in the finals to Chad Walsh of Rider a year ago. Reynolds moves down to the 184 lb. weight class this season after finishing fourth at 197 lbs. last year.
Junior Nate Hagan (141 lbs.), freshman Peter Pappas (149 lbs.), and redshirt freshman Aaron Paddock (197 lbs.) are picked to finish fifth in the their respective weight classes.
Last season, the Fighting Scots won their third EWL team title in the past four years with six champions. Edinboro outscored second place Rider 121.5-75. Seven of the EWL's 17 automatic qualifiers came from the Fighting Scots.
Edinboro will host the 2018 EWL Championships at McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 3.
