West Liberty State College Hilltopper Wrestling

From HiltopperSports.com - The Official Athletic Site of West Liberty University

WEST LIBERTY WRESTLERS FINISH STRONG AT ONU INVITATIONAL December 4, 2010

ADA, Ohio – The No. 15-ranked West Liberty University wrestling team finished fourth in the 30th annual Ohio Northern Invitational here Saturday.

Coach Brian Davis’s Hilltoppers tied for the tournament lead with two individual champions and placed a tourney-best five wrestlers in the top three of their respective weight classes.

Campbellsville (Ky.) won the team championship with 152.5 points with Ashland taking second place at 140.5. Olivet (121), West Liberty (112.5) and host Ohio Northern (102) rounded out the top five in a 14-team field which included several nationally-ranked squads from the NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA ranks.

Brian Leggett and Mitch Knapp won individual championships for the Hilltoppers.

Leggett edged Ashland’s Daniel Gentin, 9-8, in the 149-pound title match while Knapp, a returning All-American, won the 197-pound crown in a 6-5 sudden-victory thriller against Ohio Northern’s Matt Alexander.

Seth Phalen, the third West Liberty wrestler advancing to a championship match, just missed filling out a Hilltopper trifecta when he dropped a narrow 7-5 decision to Olivet’s James Myers in the 157-pound final.

Jarrod Shaw and J.D. Ramsey won third-place matches for West Liberty.

Shaw outmuscled Ashland’s Thomas Graszl, 5-2, in the third-place match at 165 pounds while Ramsey took third place at 285 pounds with a forfeit verdict against Findlay’s Matt Clum.

Preston Foster rounded out the Hilltoppers’ place-winners on the day with a 7-3 victory against Heidelberg’s Devin Mazik in the seventh-place match at 125 pounds.

West Liberty will be idle this week due to semester exams but return to the mats Dec. 18-19 in the Midwest Classic.

OHIO NORTHERN INVITATIONAL

Team Standings
1. Campbellsville 152.5; 2. Ashland 140.5; 3. Olivet 121; 4. WEST LIBERTY 112.5; 5. Ohio Northern 102; 6. Lindsey Wilson 77; 7. (tie) Heidelberg, Waynesburg 69.5; 9. Campbellsville (B) 56.5; 10. Thiel 49.5; 11. Ashland (B) 48; 12. Mount St. Joseph 47; 13. Heidelberg (B) 41.5; 14. Findlay 37.5; 15. Olivet (B) 36; 16. Tiffin 34; 17. (tie) Ohio Northern (B), Cumberland 32.5; 19. Waynesburg (B) 32

West Liberty Placers

Championship
149: Brian Leggett (WLU) d. Daniel Gentin (Ash), 9-8
157: James Myers (Oli) d. Seth Phalen (WLU), 7-5
197: Mitch Knapp (WLU) d. Matt Alexander (ONU), 6-5; TB2

Third Place
165: Jarrod Shaw (WLU) d. Thomas Graszl (Ash), 5-2
285: J.D. Ramsey (WLU) d. forfeit Matt Clum (Find), forfeit

Seventh Place
125: Preston Foster (WLU) d. Devin Mazik (Heid), 7-3