Turnbull Selected for EWL Hall of Fame

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (March 3, 2017) – Former West Virginia University wrestling coach Craig Turnbull will be one of eight inductees to the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Hall of Fame in a ceremony set for Saturday, March 4, as part of the 2017 EWL Championships at Bloomsburg University.

Turnbull led the Mountaineers from 1979-2014, collecting 287 dual match wins while producing five National Champions and 26 All-Americans. He was named the EWL Coach of the Year on four occasions, guiding WVU to six league titles.

“We are extremely grateful for Coach Turnbull’s commitment to West Virginia University and his devotion to wrestling,” third-year WVU coach Sammie Henson said. “His career set the standard of excellence for wrestling in West Virginia. We thank him for laying the foundation.”
Official EWL Release courtesy of David Leisering

Eight individuals, including four former Bloomsburg University standouts, will be honored with induction into the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 4, during the 2017 EWL Championships at the Nelson Field House. Former Huskies' greats Ed Hockenberry, Matt Moley, Mike Sees, and Mike Spaid will join Dave Hart, Shawn Nelson, Bob Truby, and Craig Turnbull as this year's EWL Hall of Fame class.

Hockenberry, a 2001 graduate of Bloomsburg, ranks fifth in school history with 121 career victories and is sixth in program history in career winning percentage (.834). He also ranks fifth in school history in career pins with 35. He won the 2001 EWL Championship at 157 pounds and was the EWL Dual Meet Points Champion in 2000.

The former EWL Freshman of the Year in 2007, Moley graduated from Bloomsburg in 2010. He was a two-time All-American after finishing eighth in the country in 2008 and sixth in the nation in 2009 while wrestling at 157 pounds. He was also a back-to-back EWL Champion after claiming the title in both 2008 and 2009. He ranks third in school history with 125 career victories (125-39) and is also tied for seventh in program history with 26 career pins.

Sees, a 2008 graduate of Bloomsburg, was a two-time EWL Champion and posted a career record of 113-21 with the Huskies. His 113 career victories rank ninth on the school's all-time win list. He won the EWL Championship in 2005, and again in 2008, while wrestling at 125 pounds.

A 2007 graduate of Bloomsburg, Spaid was an All-American in 2007 after finishing eighth at the NCAA Championships in the 285-pound bracket. He was a two-time EWL Champion after winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 at 285 pounds. He is tied for second in school history with 45 career pins and ranks sixth in program history with 117 career victories (117-49).

Hart was a three-year letterman (1991-93) for Penn State University and was a 1992 EWL Champion and NCAA All-American. He was a three-time NWCA All-Academic Team member and was a GTE CoSIDA First Team honoree. Hart also captured a University Freestyle National Championship and a Big Ten Championship during his wrestling career to go along with two All-American honors. He finished with a career record of 89-17-1 and went on to coach at Penn State for ten seasons.

Nelson was a four-year letterman at Penn State from 1990 to 1994. He captured an EWL title in 1992 and was an All-American and a University Freestyle National Champion that same season. Nelson has been the head coach, for the last 20 seasons, at Division II Findlay (Ohio). During his tenure with the Roughnecks, he has coached eight NCAA Division II National Champions and three NAIA National Champions. He was the National Coach of the Year in 2012.

Truby was a four-year letterman at Penn State, earning two EWL Championships and two All-American honors during a very successful career with the Nittany Lions. Truby finished his career with a record of 101-27-4.

Finally, Turnbull coached the West Virginia wrestling program for 36 seasons and amassed 287 wins while being named EWL Coach of the Year four times. His teams garnered six EWL team titles and a dozen top 25 NCAA finishes. Turnbull coached five individual National Champions, 26 of the program's 29 All-Americans, 42 EWL Champions, and 160 NCAA Division I qualifiers during his career.

The 2017 EWL Championships will get underway with the morning session beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 4. The finals session will begin at approximately at 6:00 p.m. with the introduction of this year's EWL Hall of Fame inductees and the Parade of Champions.

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